diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-installers.yml b/.github/workflows/test-installers.yml
index 6de69ec00c8..86ec4ca0d3b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-installers.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-installers.yml
@@ -6,10 +6,6 @@ permissions:
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
-      version:
-        type: string
-        description: 'Version of the installer to download'
-        required: true
       bucket_name:
         type: string
         description: 'S3 bucket to download installers from'
@@ -18,11 +14,14 @@ on:
         type: string
         description: 'S3 bucket key prefix to download installers from'
         required: true
+      dev_version:
+        type: string
+        description: 'Dev version of the installer to download'
       nonce:
         type: string
         description: 'A random string to track the run from dispatch to watching'
 
-run-name: Test Installers ${{ github.event.inputs.version }} / (nonce = ${{ github.event.inputs.nonce || 'not set' }})
+run-name: Test Installers ${{ github.event.inputs.dev_version || github.ref_name }} / (nonce = ${{ github.event.inputs.nonce || 'not set' }})
 
 jobs:
   test:
@@ -162,7 +161,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Cache downloads
         uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
-          key: smoke-tests-downloads-${{ inputs.version }}-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ matrix.package }}
+          key: smoke-tests-downloads-${{ inputs.dev_version || github.ref_name }}-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ matrix.package }}
           path: packages/compass-smoke-tests/.downloads
       - name: Install dependencies and build packages
         run: npm ci
@@ -191,11 +190,14 @@ jobs:
         if: matrix.install-update-server
         run: npm install --no-save --workspace packages/compass-smoke-tests ./compass-mongodb-com
 
+      - name: Expose dev version if set
+        if: inputs.dev_version
+        run: echo "DEV_VERSION_IDENTIFIER=${{ inputs.dev_version }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Run tests
         env:
           EVERGREEN_BUCKET_NAME: ${{ inputs.bucket_name }}
           EVERGREEN_BUCKET_KEY_PREFIX: ${{ inputs.bucket_key_prefix }}
-          DEV_VERSION_IDENTIFIER: ${{ inputs.version }}
           HADRON_DISTRIBUTION: ${{ matrix.hadron-distribution }}
           PLATFORM: ${{ matrix.hadron-platform }}
           ARCH: ${{ matrix.arch }}
diff --git a/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/build-info.ts b/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/build-info.ts
index bc77ca7172c..acae7acf7cf 100644
--- a/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/build-info.ts
+++ b/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/build-info.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import { handler as writeBuildInfo } from 'hadron-build/commands/info';
 
 import { type PackageKind } from './packages';
 import { type SmokeTestsContextWithSandbox } from './context';
-import { createSandbox } from './directories';
 
 const debug = createDebug('compass:smoketests:build-info');
 const COMPASS_PATH = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../compass');
@@ -264,28 +263,3 @@ export function writeAndReadPackageDetails({
   writeBuildInfo(infoArgs);
   return readPackageDetails(packageKind, infoArgs.out);
 }
-
-export function getCompassVersionFromBuildInfo(): string {
-  const out = path.resolve(createSandbox(), 'target.json');
-  // We're hardcoding the platform and arch here because we're only interested in the version
-  if (typeof process.env.HADRON_DISTRIBUTION !== 'string') {
-    // TODO: Ideally we would interface directly with the `Target` from the "hadron-build" package so we could pass this directly
-    process.env.HADRON_DISTRIBUTION = 'compass';
-  }
-  writeBuildInfo({
-    format: 'json',
-    dir: COMPASS_PATH,
-    platform: 'linux',
-    arch: 'x64',
-    out,
-  });
-  const result = readJson(out);
-  assert(typeof result === 'object', 'Expected hadron to write an object');
-  assert(
-    'version' in result,
-    'Expected hadron to write an object with a version'
-  );
-  const { version } = result;
-  assert(typeof version === 'string', 'Expected version to be a string');
-  return version;
-}
diff --git a/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/cli.ts b/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/cli.ts
index 0abdd1cf292..e83aef45ec3 100755
--- a/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/cli.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import { testAutoUpdateFrom } from './tests/auto-update-from';
 import { testAutoUpdateTo } from './tests/auto-update-to';
 import { deleteSandboxesDirectory } from './directories';
 import { dispatchAndWait, getRefFromGithubPr } from './dispatch';
-import { getCompassVersionFromBuildInfo } from './build-info';
 
 const debug = createDebug('compass:smoketests');
 
@@ -165,7 +164,7 @@ yargs(hideBin(process.argv))
                 githubPrNumber,
               })
             : ref,
-        version: getCompassVersionFromBuildInfo(),
+        devVersion: process.env.DEV_VERSION_IDENTIFIER,
         bucketName,
         bucketKeyPrefix,
       });
diff --git a/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/dispatch.ts b/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/dispatch.ts
index edac0ce3452..ce0bee999dc 100644
--- a/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/dispatch.ts
+++ b/packages/compass-smoke-tests/src/dispatch.ts
@@ -73,9 +73,9 @@ export async function getRefFromGithubPr({
 type DispatchOptions = {
   githubToken: string;
   ref: string;
-  version: string;
   bucketName: string;
   bucketKeyPrefix: string;
+  devVersion?: string;
 
   /**
    * Delay in milliseconds to wait between requests when polling while watching the run.
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ type DispatchOptions = {
 export async function dispatchAndWait({
   githubToken,
   ref,
-  version,
+  devVersion,
   bucketName,
   bucketKeyPrefix,
   watchPollDelayMs = 5000,
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ export async function dispatchAndWait({
     workflow_id: GITHUB_WORKFLOW_ID,
     ref,
     inputs: {
-      version,
+      dev_version: devVersion,
       bucket_name: bucketName,
       bucket_key_prefix: bucketKeyPrefix,
       nonce,
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export async function dispatchAndWait({
   // Find the next run we just dispatched
   const run = await getWorkflowRunRetrying(
     octokit,
-    `Test Installers ${version} / (nonce = ${nonce})`
+    `Test Installers ${devVersion || ref} / (nonce = ${nonce})`
   );
 
   console.log(`Dispatched run #${run.run_number} (${run.html_url})`);