diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 327b69188ff41aab2f71e96bb11d05da0eedcbc4..c54f041ac95c4ee0745400568b46190afe7e805a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Add the following to your `.gitlab-ci.yml`:
 ```yaml
 include:
   # 1: include the component
-  - component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/to-be-continuous/semantic-release/gitlab-ci-semrel@3.11.5
+  - component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/to-be-continuous/semantic-release/gitlab-ci-semrel@3.12.0
     # 2: set/override component inputs
     inputs:
       changelog-enabled: true # âš  this is only an example
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ Add the following to your `.gitlab-ci.yml`:
 include:
   # 1: include the template
   - project: 'to-be-continuous/semantic-release'
-    ref: '3.11.5'
+    ref: '3.12.0'
     file: '/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel.yml'
 
 variables:
@@ -382,9 +382,9 @@ With:
 ```yaml
 include:
   # main template
-  - component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/to-be-continuous/semantic-release/gitlab-ci-semrel@3.11.5
+  - component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/to-be-continuous/semantic-release/gitlab-ci-semrel@3.12.0
   # Vault variant
-  - component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/to-be-continuous/semantic-release/gitlab-ci-semrel-vault@3.11.5
+  - component: $CI_SERVER_FQDN/to-be-continuous/semantic-release/gitlab-ci-semrel-vault@3.12.0
     inputs:
       vault-base-url: "https://vault.acme.host/v1"
       # audience claim for JWT
diff --git a/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel-vault.yml b/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel-vault.yml
index aeeaeb2ccea7b116316bc35511af7b0ac66f588d..ba9e553b6b82a621d2b1e9c822319c62d99c4c64 100644
--- a/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel-vault.yml
+++ b/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel-vault.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ variables:
 .semrel-base:
   services:
     - name: "$TBC_TRACKING_IMAGE"
-      command: ["--service", "semrel", "3.11.5"]
+      command: ["--service", "semrel", "3.12.0"]
     - name: "$TBC_VAULT_IMAGE"
       alias: "vault-secrets-provider"
   variables:
diff --git a/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel.yml b/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel.yml
index 648d55e7f8a6c18def781ebacec8eadff78f0379..1a2871462509ece3654b73d560c56acac3f8aae9 100644
--- a/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel.yml
+++ b/templates/gitlab-ci-semrel.yml
@@ -117,9 +117,6 @@ workflow:
     - when: always
 
 variables:
-  # variabilized tracking image
-  TBC_TRACKING_IMAGE: registry.gitlab.com/to-be-continuous/tools/tracking:master
-
   # Default Docker image (use a public image - can be overridden)
   SEMREL_IMAGE: $[[ inputs.image ]]
   SEMREL_HOOKS_DIR: $[[ inputs.hooks-dir ]]
@@ -803,7 +800,7 @@ stages:
   image: $SEMREL_IMAGE
   services:
     - name: "$TBC_TRACKING_IMAGE"
-      command: ["--service", "semrel", "3.11.5"]
+      command: ["--service", "semrel", "3.12.0"]
   before_script:
     - !reference [.semrel-scripts]
     - install_ca_certs "${CUSTOM_CA_CERTS:-$DEFAULT_CA_CERTS}"