diff --git a/apply-templates.sh b/apply-templates.sh
index 1b6a7766..34aa5e04 100755
--- a/apply-templates.sh
+++ b/apply-templates.sh
@@ -30,6 +30,13 @@ generated_warning() {
 for version; do
 	export version
 
+	rm -rf "$version"
+
+	if jq -e '.[env.version] | not' versions.json > /dev/null; then
+		echo "deleting $version ..."
+		continue
+	fi
+
 	variants="$(jq -r '.[env.version].variants | map(@sh) | join(" ")' versions.json)"
 	eval "variants=( $variants )"
 
diff --git a/generate-stackbrew-library.sh b/generate-stackbrew-library.sh
index 366261aa..179d14e6 100755
--- a/generate-stackbrew-library.sh
+++ b/generate-stackbrew-library.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ self="$(basename "$BASH_SOURCE")"
 cd "$(dirname "$(readlink -f "$BASH_SOURCE")")"
 
 if [ "$#" -eq 0 ]; then
-	versions="$(jq -r 'keys | map(@sh) | join(" ")' versions.json)"
+	versions="$(jq -r 'to_entries | map(if .value then .key | @sh else empty end) | join(" ")' versions.json)"
 	eval "set -- $versions"
 fi
 
diff --git a/versions.json b/versions.json
index 3fa3a680..2da7188d 100644
--- a/versions.json
+++ b/versions.json
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
     ],
     "version": "7.3.33"
   },
+  "7.3-rc": null,
   "7.4": {
     "ascUrl": "https://www.php.net/distributions/php-7.4.27.tar.xz.asc",
     "gpgKeys": "42670A7FE4D0441C8E4632349E4FDC074A4EF02D 5A52880781F755608BF815FC910DEB46F53EA312",
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@
     ],
     "version": "7.4.27"
   },
+  "7.4-rc": null,
   "8.0": {
     "ascUrl": "https://www.php.net/distributions/php-8.0.15.tar.xz.asc",
     "gpgKeys": "1729F83938DA44E27BA0F4D3DBDB397470D12172 BFDDD28642824F8118EF77909B67A5C12229118F",
@@ -66,6 +68,7 @@
     ],
     "version": "8.0.15"
   },
+  "8.0-rc": null,
   "8.1": {
     "ascUrl": "https://www.php.net/distributions/php-8.1.2.tar.xz.asc",
     "gpgKeys": "528995BFEDFBA7191D46839EF9BA0ADA31CBD89E 39B641343D8C104B2B146DC3F9C39DC0B9698544 F1F692238FBC1666E5A5CCD4199F9DFEF6FFBAFD",
@@ -86,5 +89,6 @@
       "alpine3.14/fpm"
     ],
     "version": "8.1.2"
-  }
+  },
+  "8.1-rc": null
 }
diff --git a/versions.sh b/versions.sh
index 8d9a18c2..19c2000a 100755
--- a/versions.sh
+++ b/versions.sh
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ for version in "${versions[@]}"; do
 	else
 		apiUrl='https://qa.php.net/api.php?type=qa-releases&format=json'
 		apiJqExpr='
-			.releases[]
+			(.releases // [])[]
 			| select(.version | startswith(env.rcVersion))
 			| [
 				.version,
@@ -82,10 +82,16 @@ for version in "${versions[@]}"; do
 	unset IFS
 
 	if [ "${#possibles[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
-		echo >&2
-		echo >&2 "error: unable to determine available releases of $version"
-		echo >&2
-		exit 1
+		if [ "$rcVersion" = "$version" ]; then
+			echo >&2
+			echo >&2 "error: unable to determine available releases of $version"
+			echo >&2
+			exit 1
+		else
+			echo >&2 "warning: skipping/removing '$version' (does not appear to exist upstream)"
+			json="$(jq <<<"$json" -c '.[env.version] = null')"
+			continue
+		fi
 	fi
 
 	# format of "possibles" array entries is "VERSION URL.TAR.XZ URL.TAR.XZ.ASC SHA256" (each value shell quoted)