diff --git a/ci-automation/capi_image.sh b/ci-automation/capi_image.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e5b49550df7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci-automation/capi_image.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2023 The Flatcar Maintainers.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
+# found in the LICENSE file.
+
+# >>> This file is supposed to be SOURCED from the repository ROOT. <<<
+#
+# --
+function capi_image_build() {
+    # Run a subshell, so the traps, environment changes and global
+    # variables are not spilled into the caller.
+    (
+        set -euo pipefail
+
+        _capi_image_build_impl "${@}"
+    )
+}
+
+function capi_image_publish() {
+    # Run a subshell, so the traps, environment changes and global
+    # variables are not spilled into the caller.
+    (
+        set -euo pipefail
+
+        _capi_image_publish_impl "${@}"
+    )
+}
+
+function setup_capi_params() {
+    source sdk_lib/sdk_container_common.sh
+    source ci-automation/ci_automation_common.sh
+    source ci-automation/gpg_setup.sh
+    source sdk_container/.repo/manifests/version.txt
+
+    echo "==================================================================="
+    azure_profile_config_file=""
+    secret_to_file azure_profile_config_file "${AZURE_PROFILE}"
+    azure_auth_config_file=""
+    secret_to_file azure_auth_config_file "${AZURE_AUTH_CREDENTIALS}"
+
+    FLATCAR_CHANNEL="$(get_git_channel)"
+    FLATCAR_AZURE_AUTH_CREDENTIALS="${AZURE_AUTH_CREDENTIALS}"
+
+    # Provide a python3 command for the k8s schedule parsing
+    export PATH="$PATH:$PWD/ci-automation/python-bin"
+    k8s_release_versions=$(ci-automation/get_kubernetes_releases.py)
+}
+
+function _capi_image_build_impl() {
+    local arch="$1"
+    setup_capi_params
+
+    for k8s_version in $k8s_release_versions
+    do
+      KUBERNETES_SEMVER="v${k8s_version}"
+      echo "== Building Flatcar SIG images from VHDs"
+      ci-automation/azure-sig.sh ensure-flatcar-staging-sig-image-version-from-vhd
+      echo "== Building Flatcar CAPI SIG image"
+      ci-automation/azure-sig.sh build-capi-staging-image
+    done
+}
+
+function _capi_image_publish_impl() {
+    local arch="$1"
+    setup_capi_params
+
+    for k8s_version in $k8s_release_versions
+    do
+      KUBERNETES_SEMVER="v${k8s_version}"
+      echo "== Publishing Flatcar SIG image"
+      ci-automation/azure-sig.sh publish-flatcar-image
+      # Publish Flatcar CAPI image
+      ci-automation/azure-sig.sh publish-flatcar-capi-image
+    done
+}
+# --
diff --git a/ci-automation/release.sh b/ci-automation/release.sh
index 8e98d604c46..930fd9d9044 100644
--- a/ci-automation/release.sh
+++ b/ci-automation/release.sh
@@ -67,45 +67,6 @@ function release_build() {
     )
 }
 
-function stg_release_build() {
-    # This is a staging release build, run via a staging job.
-    # Thi
-    # Run a subshell, so the traps, environment changes and global
-    # variables are not spilled into the caller.
-    (
-        set -euo pipefail
-
-        _release_build_impl "${@}"
-    )
-}
-
-function _stg_release_build_impl() {
-    source sdk_lib/sdk_container_common.sh
-    source ci-automation/ci_automation_common.sh
-    source ci-automation/gpg_setup.sh
-
-    source sdk_container/.repo/manifests/version.txt
-    # Needed because we are not the SDK container here
-    source sdk_container/.env
-    local sdk_version="${FLATCAR_SDK_VERSION}"
-    CHANNEL="$(get_git_channel)"
-    VERSION="${FLATCAR_VERSION}"
-
-    azure_profile_config_file=""
-    secret_to_file azure_profile_config_file "${AZURE_PROFILE}"
-    azure_auth_config_file=""
-    secret_to_file azure_auth_config_file "${AZURE_AUTH_CREDENTIALS}"
-
-    # Provide a python3 command for the k8s schedule parsing
-    export PATH="$PATH:$PWD/ci-automation/python-bin"
-    k8s_release_versions= $(ci-automation/get_kubernetes_releases.py)
-    for k8s_version in $k8s_release_versions
-    do
-      FLATCAR_CHANNEL="${CHANNEL}" FLATCAR_AZURE_AUTH_CREDENTIALS="${AZURE_AUTH_CREDENTIALS}" KUBERNETES_SEMVER="v${k8s_version}" ci-automation/azure-sig.sh
-    done
-}
-
-
 function _inside_mantle() {
   # Run a subshell for the same reasons as above
   (