diff --git a/helm-chart/renku-core/templates/deployment.yaml b/helm-chart/renku-core/templates/deployment.yaml
index 98ea0a8579..7f0313ea26 100644
--- a/helm-chart/renku-core/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/helm-chart/renku-core/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ spec:
               value: {{ $.Values.gitLFSSkipSmudge | quote }}
             - name: RENKU_DOMAIN
               value: {{ $.Values.global.renku.domain }}
+            - name: RENKU_PROJECT_DEFAULT_CLI_VERSION
+              value: {{ $.Values.global.renku.cli_version | default "" | quote }}
             {{- include "certificates.env.python" $ | nindent 12 }}
           volumeMounts:
             - name: shared-volume
diff --git a/renku/command/command_builder/database.py b/renku/command/command_builder/database.py
index 563e319b78..a9f84b43ae 100644
--- a/renku/command/command_builder/database.py
+++ b/renku/command/command_builder/database.py
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ def _injection_pre_hook(self, builder: Command, context: dict, *args, **kwargs)
 
         current_version = Version(__version__)
 
-        if current_version < minimum_renku_version:
+        if Version(current_version.base_version) < minimum_renku_version:
             raise errors.MinimumVersionError(current_version, minimum_renku_version)
 
     def _post_hook(self, builder: Command, context: dict, result: CommandResult, *args, **kwargs) -> None:
diff --git a/renku/ui/service/controllers/templates_create_project.py b/renku/ui/service/controllers/templates_create_project.py
index 9b4f6d1292..051f6e460d 100644
--- a/renku/ui/service/controllers/templates_create_project.py
+++ b/renku/ui/service/controllers/templates_create_project.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 """Renku service template create project controller."""
+import os
 import shutil
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, cast
 
@@ -72,8 +73,10 @@ def default_metadata(self):
             "__project_slug__": self.ctx["project_slug"],
             "__project_description__": self.ctx["project_description"],
         }
-        if is_release():
-            metadata["__renku_version__"] = __version__
+
+        cli_version = os.environ.get("RENKU_PROJECT_DEFAULT_CLI_VERSION") or __version__
+        if is_release(cli_version):
+            metadata["__renku_version__"] = cli_version
 
         return metadata
 
diff --git a/renku/version.py b/renku/version.py
index ed89ebfb1d..1678b09903 100644
--- a/renku/version.py
+++ b/renku/version.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 """Version information for Renku."""
 
 import re
+from typing import Optional
 
 try:
     from importlib.metadata import distribution, version
@@ -27,9 +28,12 @@
 __minimum_project_version__ = "2.4.0"
 
 
-def is_release():
+def is_release(version: Optional[str] = None):
     """Check if current version is a release semver."""
-    if re.match(r"\d+.\d+.\d+$", __version__):
+    if not version:
+        version = __version__
+
+    if re.match(r"\d+.\d+.\d+(rc\d+)?$", version):
         return True
     return False
 
diff --git a/tests/service/controllers/test_templates_create_project.py b/tests/service/controllers/test_templates_create_project.py
index 340f80fbce..f70c234d01 100644
--- a/tests/service/controllers/test_templates_create_project.py
+++ b/tests/service/controllers/test_templates_create_project.py
@@ -159,3 +159,31 @@ def test_except_project_name_handler(project_name, ctrl_init, svc_client_templat
         TemplatesCreateProjectCtrl(cache, user_data, payload)
 
     assert "Project name contains only unsupported characters" in str(exc_info.value)
+
+
+def test_template_create_project_with_custom_cli_ctrl(
+    ctrl_init, svc_cache_dir, svc_client_templates_creation, mocker, monkeypatch
+):
+    """Test template create project controller."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("RENKU_PROJECT_DEFAULT_CLI_VERSION", "9.9.9rc9")
+    from renku.ui.service.controllers.templates_create_project import TemplatesCreateProjectCtrl
+
+    cache, user_data = ctrl_init
+    _, _, payload, _ = svc_client_templates_creation
+
+    ctrl = TemplatesCreateProjectCtrl(cache, user_data, payload)
+    mocker.patch.object(ctrl, "new_project_push", return_value=None)
+    response = ctrl.to_response()
+
+    # Check response.
+    assert {"result"} == response.json.keys()
+    assert {"project_id", "url", "namespace", "name", "slug"} == response.json["result"].keys()
+
+    cache_dir, _ = svc_cache_dir
+
+    project_path = (
+        cache_dir / user_data["user_id"] / response.json["result"]["namespace"] / response.json["result"]["slug"]
+    )
+
+    with open(project_path / "Dockerfile") as f:
+        assert "ARG RENKU_VERSION=9.9.9rc9" in f.read()