diff --git a/.bazelrc b/.bazelrc
index 61d3bb195d..cd7c1bab42 100644
--- a/.bazelrc
+++ b/.bazelrc
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ build --javacopt=-Xep:SelfAssertion:WARN
 # Disable prebuilt protoc on CI. On both main and release branches,
 # PROTOBUF_VERSION ordinarily points to the next release, which doesn't
 # exist and therefore doesn't have a prebuilt yet.
-#build --@com_google_protobuf//bazel/toolchains:prefer_prebuilt_protoc=false
+build --@com_google_protobuf//bazel/toolchains:prefer_prebuilt_protoc=false
 
 # This flag works around some issues with Rust linking.
 build --@rules_rust//rust/settings:experimental_use_cc_common_link=True
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_bazel.yml b/.github/workflows/test_bazel.yml
index c178601735..5d36d12169 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_bazel.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_bazel.yml
@@ -81,36 +81,6 @@ jobs:
             cd examples;
             bazel build //... @com_google_protobuf-examples-with-hyphen//... $BAZEL_FLAGS --enable_bzlmod=${{ matrix.bzlmod }} --enable_workspace=${{ !matrix.bzlmod }} ${{ matrix.toolchain_resolution }};
 
-  prebuilt-protoc:
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: false
-      matrix:
-        runner: [ ubuntu, windows, macos ]
-        bazelversion: [ '8.6.0', '9.0.0' ]
-        bzlmod: [ true ]
-        toolchain_resolution:
-          # Default flags, uses from prebuilt protoc
-          - ""
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner }}-latest
-    name: ${{ matrix.continuous-only && inputs.continuous-prefix || '' }} Prebuilt test ${{ matrix.runner }} ${{ matrix.bazelversion }} ${{ matrix.toolchain_resolution && ' (toolchain resolution)' || '' }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout pending changes
-        if: ${{ !matrix.continuous-only || inputs.continuous-run }}
-        uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/checkout@v5
-        with:
-          ref: ${{ inputs.safe-checkout }}
-
-      - name: Run tests
-        if: ${{ !matrix.continuous-only || inputs.continuous-run }}
-        uses: protocolbuffers/protobuf-ci/bazel@v5
-        with:
-          credentials: ${{ secrets.GAR_SERVICE_ACCOUNT }}
-          bazel-cache: examples-prebuilt-${{ matrix.bazelversion }}-${{ matrix.toolchain_resolution }}
-          version: ${{ matrix.bazelversion }}
-          bash: >
-            cd examples/example_without_cc_toolchain;
-            bazel build //... $BAZEL_FLAGS ${{ matrix.toolchain_resolution }};
-
   bazel-tests-ubuntu:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false   # Don't cancel all jobs if one fails.
diff --git a/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/BUILD.bazel b/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/BUILD.bazel
index 60a9595771..bfa06041fd 100644
--- a/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/BUILD.bazel
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ In particular, see comment below on the toolchain#toolchain attribute.
 
 load("//toolchain:platforms.bzl", "PROTOBUF_PLATFORMS")
 load(":protoc_authenticity.bzl", "protoc_authenticity")
+load(":tool_integrity.bzl", "RELEASE_VERSION")
 
 [
     toolchain(
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ load(":protoc_authenticity.bzl", "protoc_authenticity")
         toolchain_type = "@com_google_protobuf//bazel/private:proto_toolchain_type",
     )
     for platform, meta in PROTOBUF_PLATFORMS.items()
+    if not RELEASE_VERSION.endswith("-dev")
 ]
 
 # Support verification of user-registered toolchains
diff --git a/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/tool_integrity.bzl b/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/tool_integrity.bzl
index 913b217cff..4f7f97f70d 100644
--- a/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/tool_integrity.bzl
+++ b/bazel/private/oss/toolchains/prebuilt/tool_integrity.bzl
@@ -3,19 +3,10 @@
 This file contents are entirely replaced during release publishing, by .github/workflows/release_prep.sh
 so that the integrity of the prebuilt tools is included in the release artifact.
 
-The checked in content is only here to allow load() statements in the sources to resolve, and permit local testing.
+The checked in content is only here to allow load() statements in the sources to resolve.
 """
 
-# An arbitrary version of protobuf that includes pre-built binaries.
-# See /examples/example_without_cc_toolchain which uses this for testing.
-# TODO: add some automation to update this version occasionally.
-_TEST_VERSION = "v33.0"
-_TEST_SHAS = dict()
+load("//:protobuf_version.bzl", "PROTOC_VERSION")
 
-# Add a couple platforms which are commonly used for testing.
-_TEST_SHAS["protoc-33.0-linux-x86_64.zip"] = "d99c011b799e9e412064244f0be417e5d76c9b6ace13a2ac735330fa7d57ad8f"
-_TEST_SHAS["protoc-33.0-osx-aarch_64.zip"] = "3cf55dd47118bd2efda9cd26b74f8bbbfcf5beb1bf606bc56ad4c001b543f6d3"
-_TEST_SHAS["protoc-33.0-win64.zip"] = "3742cd49c8b6bd78b6760540367eb0ff62fa70a1032e15dafe131bfaf296986a"
-
-RELEASE_VERSION = _TEST_VERSION
-RELEASED_BINARY_INTEGRITY = _TEST_SHAS
+RELEASE_VERSION = "v{}-dev".format(PROTOC_VERSION)
+RELEASED_BINARY_INTEGRITY = dict()
diff --git a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/.bazelrc b/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/.bazelrc
deleted file mode 100644
index 512d7b6d3b..0000000000
--- a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/.bazelrc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-# Simulate a non-functional CC toolchain
-common --per_file_copt=external/.*protobuf.*/src/google/protobuf/compiler/main.cc@--THIS_CC_TOOLCHAIN_IS_BROKEN
-common --host_per_file_copt=external/.*protobuf.*/src/google/protobuf/compiler/main.cc@--THIS_CC_TOOLCHAIN_IS_BROKEN
-# But, users should be able to use pre-built protoc toolchains instead.
-common --incompatible_enable_proto_toolchain_resolution
-common --@com_google_protobuf//bazel/toolchains:prefer_prebuilt_protoc
-
-# Import Bazel 9 specific flags (such as --repo_contents_cache)
-# TODO: Remove it when --repo_contents_cache issue has been resolved in bazel
-try-import-if-bazel-version >=9.0.0 %workspace%/../../ci/bazel9.bazelrc
diff --git a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/BUILD.bazel b/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/BUILD.bazel
deleted file mode 100644
index 4dbbd98fb8..0000000000
--- a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/BUILD.bazel
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-load("@com_google_protobuf//bazel:cc_proto_library.bzl", "cc_proto_library")
-load("@com_google_protobuf//bazel:proto_library.bzl", "proto_library")
-
-proto_library(
-    name = "empty_proto",
-    srcs = ["empty.proto"],
-)
-
-cc_proto_library(
-    name = "cc_empty_proto",
-    # We already have a anaylsis test that asserts that the cc_proto_library
-    # uses the correct prebuilt toolchain, this cc_proto_library will never
-    # compile since the prebuilt toolchain is always behind the HEAD therefore
-    # will end up in version skew compilation errors.
-    tags = ["manual"],
-    deps = [":empty_proto"],
-)
diff --git a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/MODULE.bazel b/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/MODULE.bazel
deleted file mode 100644
index 666887c542..0000000000
--- a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/MODULE.bazel
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-"""Bazel module dependencies"""
-
-module(
-    name = "com_google_protobuf-example-without-cc-toolchain",
-    version = "0.0.0",
-    compatibility_level = 1,
-)
-
-bazel_dep(name = "protobuf", repo_name = "com_google_protobuf")
-local_path_override(
-    module_name = "protobuf",
-    path = "../..",
-)
diff --git a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/README.md b/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/README.md
deleted file mode 100644
index bcadd0af2f..0000000000
--- a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/README.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-This example demonstrates what happens when a Bazel user doesn't have a proper
-CC toolchain installed. This case commonly happens in projects with no C++ code,
-so they don't have a hermetic method of building C++ code.
diff --git a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/empty.proto b/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/empty.proto
deleted file mode 100644
index 1a4aede574..0000000000
--- a/examples/example_without_cc_toolchain/empty.proto
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-edition = "2023";
-
-package examples.without.cc.toolchain;
-
-message EmptyMessage {}