diff --git a/.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip/action.yml b/.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c7d5a1be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+name: Extract Hello theme zip for wp-env
+description: Populates ./tmp/hello-elementor from the theme zip without moving sibling ./tmp trees
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Extract
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        HT_ZIP=$(find . -maxdepth 5 -name 'hello-elementor-*.zip' -type f ! -path './.git/*' | head -1)
+        if [[ -z "${HT_ZIP}" ]]; then
+          echo "No Hello Theme build ZIP found"
+          ls -la ./
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        echo "Found Hello Theme build: ${HT_ZIP}"
+        mkdir -p ./tmp/hello-elementor ./tmp/ht-zip-staging
+        unzip -q "${HT_ZIP}" -d ./tmp/ht-zip-staging
+        shopt -s dotglob nullglob
+        if [[ -d ./tmp/ht-zip-staging/hello-elementor ]]; then
+          mv ./tmp/ht-zip-staging/hello-elementor/* ./tmp/hello-elementor/
+        else
+          mv ./tmp/ht-zip-staging/* ./tmp/hello-elementor/
+        fi
+        shopt -u dotglob nullglob
+        rm -rf ./tmp/ht-zip-staging
+        if [[ ! -f ./tmp/hello-elementor/style.css ]]; then
+          echo "Extracted theme missing style.css"
+          ls -la ./tmp/hello-elementor/
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        echo "Hello Theme ready at ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
diff --git a/.github/scripts/workflow-trigger.js b/.github/scripts/workflow-trigger.js
index 6a64db3e..0f408ec0 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/workflow-trigger.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/workflow-trigger.js
@@ -3,6 +3,63 @@
  * Adapted for Hello Theme compatibility testing
  */
 
+function shouldOmitElementorCoreBranchInputOnRetry( error, inputs, workflowId ) {
+	const message = String( error.message || '' );
+	return (
+		/unexpected inputs provided/i.test( message ) &&
+		inputs &&
+		Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call( inputs, 'elementor_core_branch' ) &&
+		String( workflowId ).includes( 'hello-plus' )
+	);
+}
+
+function failWorkflowDispatch( workflowId, error ) {
+	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+	console.error( 'Failed to trigger workflow:', error.message );
+	throw new Error( `Failed to trigger workflow ${ workflowId }: ${ error.message }` );
+}
+
+async function dispatchWorkflowWithElementorCoreBranchRetry( github, context, workflowId, ref, inputs ) {
+	try {
+		await github.rest.actions.createWorkflowDispatch( {
+			owner: context.repo.owner,
+			repo: context.repo.repo,
+			workflow_id: workflowId,
+			ref,
+			inputs,
+		} );
+		// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+		console.log( 'Workflow dispatch sent successfully' );
+		return;
+	} catch ( error ) {
+		if ( ! shouldOmitElementorCoreBranchInputOnRetry( error, inputs, workflowId ) ) {
+			failWorkflowDispatch( workflowId, error );
+		}
+	}
+
+	const fallbackInputs = { ...inputs };
+	delete fallbackInputs.elementor_core_branch;
+
+	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+	console.log(
+		'Retrying workflow dispatch without elementor_core_branch (target workflow on ref does not declare this input yet).',
+	);
+
+	try {
+		await github.rest.actions.createWorkflowDispatch( {
+			owner: context.repo.owner,
+			repo: context.repo.repo,
+			workflow_id: workflowId,
+			ref,
+			inputs: fallbackInputs,
+		} );
+		// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
+		console.log( 'Workflow dispatch sent successfully' );
+	} catch ( error ) {
+		failWorkflowDispatch( workflowId, error );
+	}
+}
+
 /**
  * Triggers a workflow and waits for it to appear in the runs list
  * @param {Object} github                      - GitHub API client
@@ -43,26 +100,10 @@ async function triggerWorkflowAndWait( github, context, core, config ) {
 	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
 	console.log( `Inputs:`, JSON.stringify( inputs, null, 2 ) );
 
-	// Trigger the workflow
-	try {
-		await github.rest.actions.createWorkflowDispatch( {
-			owner: context.repo.owner,
-			repo: context.repo.repo,
-			workflow_id: workflowId,
-			ref,
-			inputs,
-		} );
-
-		// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-		console.log( '✅ Workflow dispatch sent successfully' );
-	} catch ( error ) {
-		// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-		console.error( '❌ Failed to trigger workflow:', error.message );
-		throw new Error( `Failed to trigger workflow ${ workflowId }: ${ error.message }` );
-	}
+	await dispatchWorkflowWithElementorCoreBranchRetry( github, context, workflowId, ref, inputs );
 
 	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-	console.log( '⏳ Waiting for workflow run to appear...' );
+	console.log( 'Waiting for workflow run to appear...' );
 
 	// Wait and find the specific run with better detection
 	let newRun = null;
@@ -93,7 +134,7 @@ async function triggerWorkflowAndWait( github, context, core, config ) {
 			if ( candidateRuns.length > 0 ) {
 				newRun = candidateRuns[ 0 ];
 				// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-				console.log( `✅ Found ${ candidateRuns.length } candidate runs, selected newest: ${ newRun.id }` );
+				console.log( `Found ${ candidateRuns.length } candidate runs, selected newest: ${ newRun.id }` );
 				// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
 				console.log( `   Created: ${ newRun.created_at }` );
 				// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
@@ -115,9 +156,9 @@ async function triggerWorkflowAndWait( github, context, core, config ) {
 	const runUrl = `https://github.com/${ context.repo.owner }/${ context.repo.repo }/actions/runs/${ newRun.id }`;
 
 	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-	console.log( `✅ Successfully captured run ID for ${ combination }: ${ newRun.id }` );
+	console.log( `Successfully captured run ID for ${ combination }: ${ newRun.id }` );
 	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-	console.log( `📋 Run URL: ${ runUrl }` );
+	console.log( `Run URL: ${ runUrl }` );
 
 	return {
 		runId: newRun.id,
@@ -140,7 +181,7 @@ async function applyTriggerDelay( combination, timing ) {
 	const delaySeconds = timing.triggerDelays[ combination ];
 	if ( delaySeconds > 0 ) {
 		// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-		console.log( `⏱️  Applying ${ delaySeconds }s delay to prevent race condition...` );
+		console.log( `Applying ${ delaySeconds }s delay to prevent race condition...` );
 		await new Promise( ( resolve ) => setTimeout( resolve, delaySeconds * 1000 ) );
 	}
 }
@@ -161,7 +202,7 @@ async function waitForWorkflowCompletion( github, context, runId, options = {} )
 	} = options;
 
 	// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-	console.log( `⏳ Waiting for workflow run ${ runId } to complete...` );
+	console.log( `Waiting for workflow run ${ runId } to complete...` );
 
 	for ( let attempt = 1; attempt <= maxAttempts; attempt++ ) {
 		try {
@@ -175,7 +216,7 @@ async function waitForWorkflowCompletion( github, context, runId, options = {} )
 
 			if ( 'completed' === run.status ) {
 				// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-				console.log( `✅ Run ${ runId } completed with conclusion: ${ run.conclusion }` );
+				console.log( `Run ${ runId } completed with conclusion: ${ run.conclusion }` );
 				return {
 					runId,
 					status: run.status,
@@ -189,7 +230,7 @@ async function waitForWorkflowCompletion( github, context, runId, options = {} )
 
 			if ( logProgress && ( 0 === attempt % 10 || attempt <= 5 ) ) {
 				// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
-				console.log( `⏳ Run ${ runId } is ${ run.status } (attempt ${ attempt }/${ maxAttempts })` );
+				console.log( `Run ${ runId } is ${ run.status } (attempt ${ attempt }/${ maxAttempts })` );
 			}
 
 			await new Promise( ( resolve ) => setTimeout( resolve, pollInterval ) );
diff --git a/.github/workflows/daily-test-matrix.yml b/.github/workflows/daily-test-matrix.yml
index 8718b079..9d0d9f41 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/daily-test-matrix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/daily-test-matrix.yml
@@ -370,10 +370,8 @@ jobs:
               fi
               
               if [[ -n "$hp_ver" ]]; then
-                # Hello Plus matrix
-                TARGETED_TESTS="${TARGETED_TESTS}{\"combination\":\"${combination}\",\"name\":\"${name}\",\"hello_theme_version\":\"${ht_ver}\",\"hello_plus_version\":\"${hp_ver}\",\"delay\":${delay}}"
+                TARGETED_TESTS="${TARGETED_TESTS}{\"combination\":\"${combination}\",\"name\":\"${name}\",\"hello_theme_version\":\"${ht_ver}\",\"hello_plus_version\":\"${hp_ver}\",\"elementor_version\":\"${el_ver}\",\"delay\":${delay}}"
               else
-                # Elementor matrix
                 TARGETED_TESTS="${TARGETED_TESTS}{\"combination\":\"${combination}\",\"name\":\"${name}\",\"hello_theme_version\":\"${ht_ver}\",\"elementor_version\":\"${el_ver}\",\"delay\":${delay}}"
               fi
             }
@@ -407,26 +405,26 @@ jobs:
             
             # Plus Matrix: Hello Theme × Hello Plus
             # Main Hello Theme combinations
-            add_test_combination "ht-main-hp-latest" "Hello Theme main + Hello Plus ${HP_VERSION}" "main" "" "$HP_VERSION" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
+            add_test_combination "ht-main-hp-latest" "Hello Theme main + Hello Plus ${HP_VERSION}" "main" "$EL_VERSION" "$HP_VERSION" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
             DELAY_COUNTER=$((DELAY_COUNTER + 1))
             
             if [[ -n "$HELLO_PLUS_PREVIOUS" ]]; then
               IFS=',' read -ra HP_PREV_ARRAY <<< "$HELLO_PLUS_PREVIOUS"
               for hp_prev in "${HP_PREV_ARRAY[@]}"; do
-                add_test_combination "ht-main-hp-prev" "Hello Theme main + Hello Plus ${hp_prev}" "main" "" "$hp_prev" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
+                add_test_combination "ht-main-hp-prev" "Hello Theme main + Hello Plus ${hp_prev}" "main" "$EL_VERSION" "$hp_prev" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
                 DELAY_COUNTER=$((DELAY_COUNTER + 1))
               done
             fi
             
             # GA Hello Theme combinations (if detected)
             if [[ "$HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX" != "main" ]]; then
-              add_test_combination "ht-ga-hp-latest" "Hello Theme ${HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX} (GA) + Hello Plus ${HP_VERSION}" "$HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX" "" "$HP_VERSION" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
+              add_test_combination "ht-ga-hp-latest" "Hello Theme ${HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX} (GA) + Hello Plus ${HP_VERSION}" "$HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX" "$EL_VERSION" "$HP_VERSION" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
               DELAY_COUNTER=$((DELAY_COUNTER + 1))
               
               if [[ -n "$HELLO_PLUS_PREVIOUS" ]]; then
                 IFS=',' read -ra HP_PREV_ARRAY <<< "$HELLO_PLUS_PREVIOUS"
                 for hp_prev in "${HP_PREV_ARRAY[@]}"; do
-                  add_test_combination "ht-ga-hp-prev" "Hello Theme ${HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX} (GA) + Hello Plus ${hp_prev}" "$HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX" "" "$hp_prev" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
+                  add_test_combination "ht-ga-hp-prev" "Hello Theme ${HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX} (GA) + Hello Plus ${hp_prev}" "$HT_VERSION_FOR_MATRIX" "$EL_VERSION" "$hp_prev" $((DELAY_COUNTER * 15))
                   DELAY_COUNTER=$((DELAY_COUNTER + 1))
                 done
               fi
@@ -498,10 +496,10 @@ jobs:
                 hello_theme_version: '${{ matrix.hello_theme_version || 'main' }}'
               };
             } else {
-              // Plus workflow: needs hello_plus_version and hello_theme_version
               inputs = {
                 hello_plus_version: '${{ matrix.hello_plus_version || 'latest-stable' }}',
-                hello_theme_version: '${{ matrix.hello_theme_version || 'main' }}'
+                hello_theme_version: '${{ matrix.hello_theme_version || 'main' }}',
+                elementor_core_branch: '${{ matrix.elementor_version || 'main' }}'
               };
             }
             
diff --git a/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-elementor-version.yml b/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-elementor-version.yml
index 61b2a90f..670f3ef4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-elementor-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-elementor-version.yml
@@ -345,32 +345,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Extract Hello Theme build
-        run: |
-          echo "Extracting Hello Theme build..."
-          HT_ZIP=$(find . -name "hello-elementor-*.zip" -type f | head -1)
-
-          if [ -n "$HT_ZIP" ]; then
-            echo "Found Hello Theme build: $HT_ZIP"
-            mkdir -p ./tmp
-            unzip -q "$HT_ZIP" -d ./tmp/
-            
-            if [ -d "./tmp/hello-elementor" ]; then
-              echo "Hello Theme extracted to ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            elif [ -d "./tmp" ] && [ "$(ls -A ./tmp/)" ]; then
-              mkdir -p ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp
-              mv ./tmp/* ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp/ 2>/dev/null || true
-              mv ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp ./tmp/hello-elementor
-              echo "Hello Theme organized at ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            else
-              echo "Theme content not found in expected location"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-          else
-            echo "No Hello Theme build ZIP found"
-            echo "Available files:"
-            ls -la ./
-            exit 1
-          fi
+        uses: ./.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip
 
       - name: Update wp-env.json file
         env:
@@ -627,32 +602,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Extract Hello Theme build
-        run: |
-          echo "Extracting Hello Theme build..."
-          HT_ZIP=$(find . -name "hello-elementor-*.zip" -type f | head -1)
-
-          if [ -n "$HT_ZIP" ]; then
-            echo "Found Hello Theme build: $HT_ZIP"
-            mkdir -p ./tmp
-            unzip -q "$HT_ZIP" -d ./tmp/
-            
-            if [ -d "./tmp/hello-elementor" ]; then
-              echo "Hello Theme extracted to ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            elif [ -d "./tmp" ] && [ "$(ls -A ./tmp/)" ]; then
-              mkdir -p ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp
-              mv ./tmp/* ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp/ 2>/dev/null || true
-              mv ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp ./tmp/hello-elementor
-              echo "Hello Theme organized at ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            else
-              echo "Theme content not found in expected location"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-          else
-            echo "No Hello Theme build ZIP found"
-            echo "Available files:"
-            ls -la ./
-            exit 1
-          fi
+        uses: ./.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip
 
       - name: Update wp-env.json file
         env:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-hello-plus-version.yml b/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-hello-plus-version.yml
index 88385d35..443ba889 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-hello-plus-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/playwright-with-specific-hello-plus-version.yml
@@ -6,13 +6,21 @@ on:
       hello_plus_version:
         description: "Hello Plus version to test (e.g., 1.7.2 or latest-stable)"
         required: true
+        type: string
       hello_theme_version:
         description: "Hello Theme version to test (e.g., 3.4.4 or main)"
         required: false
         default: "main"
+        type: string
+      elementor_core_branch:
+        description: "Elementor version (same as Core matrix core_branch: latest-stable, x.y.z, or main)"
+        required: false
+        default: "latest-stable"
+        type: string
       tag:
         description: "Provide @tag or a keyword"
         required: false
+        type: string
   workflow_call:
     inputs:
       hello_plus_version:
@@ -23,6 +31,11 @@ on:
         description: "Hello Theme version to test (e.g., 3.4.4 or main)"
         required: false
         type: string
+      elementor_core_branch:
+        description: "Elementor version (same semantics as Core matrix core_branch)"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: "latest-stable"
       tag:
         description: "Provide @tag or a keyword"
         required: false
@@ -43,7 +56,7 @@ jobs:
     outputs:
       hello-theme-version: ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-theme-version }}
       hello-plus-version: ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-plus-version }}
-      hello-theme-source: ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-theme-source }}
+      elementor-version: ${{ steps.download-elementor.outputs.effective-version }}
       artifact-name: ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.artifact-name }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Hello Theme
@@ -54,123 +67,30 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set version variables and Hello Plus version
         id: set-versions
         run: |
-          # Set Hello Plus version from input (released versions only)
           HELLO_PLUS_VERSION="${{ inputs.hello_plus_version }}"
-
-          # Hello Theme source ref (main or specific GA version) - always use main actions
-          # Always use main actions regardless of source version - this is the key principle
-          if [[ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "workflow_dispatch" ]]; then
-            HELLO_THEME_SOURCE="${{ inputs.hello_theme_version || 'main' }}"
-          else
-            HELLO_THEME_SOURCE="main"
-          fi
-
-          # Current Hello Theme version from package.json (actual version string)
+          HELLO_THEME_INPUT="${{ inputs.hello_theme_version || 'main' }}"
+          ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH="${{ inputs.elementor_core_branch || 'latest-stable' }}"
           HT_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
 
           echo "HELLO_PLUS_VERSION=${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "HELLO_THEME_SOURCE=${HELLO_THEME_SOURCE}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "HELLO_THEME_VERSION=${HT_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
           echo "hello-theme-version=${HT_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "hello-plus-version=${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "hello-theme-input=${HELLO_THEME_INPUT}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "elementor-core-branch=${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
-          # Create artifact name
-          ARTIFACT_NAME="plus-ht${HELLO_THEME_SOURCE}-hp${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M)"
+          ARTIFACT_NAME="plus-ht${HELLO_THEME_INPUT}-hp${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}-el${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH}-${{ github.run_id }}"
           echo "artifact-name=${ARTIFACT_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
-          echo "Hello Theme version: ${HT_VERSION}"
-          echo "Hello Theme source: ${HELLO_THEME_SOURCE}"
-          echo "Hello Plus Version: ${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}"
-
-      - name: Validate and preserve workflow infrastructure
-        run: |
-          set -e  # Exit on any error
-
-          echo "DEBUG: Validating version $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE"
-
-          # Validate version exists (if not main)
-          if [[ "$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" != "main" ]]; then
-            git fetch --all --tags
-            if ! git rev-parse --verify "v$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" >/dev/null 2>&1 && ! git rev-parse --verify "$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-              echo "ERROR: Version $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE not found"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            echo "Version $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE exists"
-          fi
-
-          # Preserve entire .github directory
-          echo "DEBUG: Preserving .github directory from main branch"
-          if ! cp -r .github .github-main-backup; then
-            echo "ERROR: Failed to preserve .github directory"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          echo ".github directory preserved"
-
-      - name: Checkout specific Hello Theme version
-        run: |
-          set -e  # Exit on any error
-
-          if [[ "$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" != "main" ]]; then
-            echo "DEBUG: Checking out Hello Theme version: $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE"
-            
-            # Attempt checkout with proper error handling
-            if git checkout "v$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" 2>/dev/null || git checkout "$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" 2>/dev/null; then
-              echo "Successfully checked out $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE"
-            else
-              echo "ERROR: Failed to checkout $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            
-            # Validate package.json version matches
-            ACTUAL_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
-            if [[ "$ACTUAL_VERSION" != "$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" ]]; then
-              echo "ERROR: Version mismatch - Expected: $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE, Got: $ACTUAL_VERSION"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            echo "Version validated: $ACTUAL_VERSION"
-            
-            echo "HELLO_THEME_SOURCE_TYPE=git-tag" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          else
-            echo "DEBUG: Using main branch"
-            echo "HELLO_THEME_SOURCE_TYPE=git-branch" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          fi
-
-      - name: Restore main branch workflow infrastructure
-        run: |
-          set -e  # Exit on any error
-
-          if [[ "$HELLO_THEME_SOURCE" != "main" ]]; then
-            echo "DEBUG: Restoring .github directory from main branch"
-            
-            # Remove old .github and restore main version
-            if ! rm -rf .github; then
-              echo "ERROR: Failed to remove old .github directory"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            
-            if ! mv .github-main-backup .github; then
-              echo "ERROR: Failed to restore .github directory"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-            
-            echo "Main branch actions restored"
-            echo "DEBUG: Using $HELLO_THEME_SOURCE source code with main branch actions"
-          else
-            # Clean up backup if we didn't need it
-            rm -rf .github-main-backup 2>/dev/null || true
-            echo "DEBUG: Using main branch (no restore needed)"
-          fi
-
-          # Set final version for build
-          FINAL_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
-          echo "HELLO_THEME_VERSION=$FINAL_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "DEBUG: Final state - Version: $FINAL_VERSION, Actions: main branch"
+          echo "Hello Theme version: ${HT_VERSION} (tests ref: ${HELLO_THEME_INPUT})"
+          echo "Hello Plus version: ${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}"
+          echo "Elementor core branch: ${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH}"
 
       - name: Build Hello Theme
         uses: ./.github/workflows/build-theme
         with:
-          PACKAGE_VERSION: ${{ env.HELLO_THEME_VERSION }}
+          PACKAGE_VERSION: ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-theme-version }}
           BUILD_SCRIPT_PATH: "npm run build:prod"
 
       - name: Download Hello Plus
@@ -178,17 +98,14 @@ jobs:
           HELLO_PLUS_VERSION="${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-plus-version }}"
           echo "Downloading Hello Plus version: ${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}"
 
-          # Create Hello Plus build directory
           mkdir -p ./tmp
 
           if [[ "$HELLO_PLUS_VERSION" == "latest-stable" ]]; then
-            # Download latest stable from WordPress.org
             curl --location -o ./hello-plus.zip https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/hello-plus.latest-stable.zip
             unzip -q ./hello-plus.zip
             mv ./hello-plus ./tmp/hello-plus
             echo "Hello Plus latest-stable downloaded and extracted"
           elif [[ "$HELLO_PLUS_VERSION" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
-            # Download specific version from WordPress.org
             curl --location -o ./hello-plus.zip "https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/hello-plus.${HELLO_PLUS_VERSION}.zip"
             unzip -q ./hello-plus.zip
             mv ./hello-plus ./tmp/hello-plus
@@ -199,6 +116,34 @@ jobs:
             exit 1
           fi
 
+      - name: Download Elementor Core
+        id: download-elementor
+        run: |
+          ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH="${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.elementor-core-branch }}"
+          echo "Downloading Elementor Core: ${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH}"
+
+          mkdir -p ./tmp
+
+          if [[ "$ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH" == "latest-stable" ]]; then
+            curl --location -o ./elementor-core.zip https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/elementor.latest-stable.zip
+            unzip -q ./elementor-core.zip
+            mv ./elementor ./tmp/elementor
+            echo "Elementor latest-stable downloaded and extracted"
+            echo "effective-version=latest-stable" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          elif [[ "$ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+            curl --location -o ./elementor-core.zip "https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/elementor.${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH}.zip"
+            unzip -q ./elementor-core.zip
+            mv ./elementor ./tmp/elementor
+            echo "Elementor ${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH} downloaded and extracted"
+            echo "effective-version=${ELEMENTOR_CORE_BRANCH}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "GitHub artifacts for Elementor branches not implemented; using latest-stable"
+            curl --location -o ./elementor-core.zip https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/elementor.latest-stable.zip
+            unzip -q ./elementor-core.zip
+            mv ./elementor ./tmp/elementor
+            echo "effective-version=latest-stable" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
       - name: Upload plus build artifacts
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
@@ -206,25 +151,20 @@ jobs:
           path: |
             ./hello-elementor-*.zip
             ./tmp/hello-plus
+            ./tmp/elementor
           retention-days: 3
 
-      - name: Cleanup backup files
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          echo "DEBUG: Cleaning up backup files"
-          rm -rf .github-main-backup 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "Cleanup complete"
-
       - name: Generate build summary
         run: |
           echo "## Build Summary" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "|-----------------|----------------------------|-----------------------|" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "| Component       | Version                    | Source               |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "|-----------------|----------------------------|-----------------------|" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "| Hello Theme     | ${{ env.HELLO_THEME_VERSION }} (${{ env.HELLO_THEME_INPUT }}) | ${{ env.HELLO_THEME_SOURCE_TYPE }} |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "| Hello Theme     | ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-theme-version }} (${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-theme-input }}) | github (checkout ref) |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "| Hello Plus      | ${{ steps.set-versions.outputs.hello-plus-version }} | WordPress.org        |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "| Elementor Core  | ${{ steps.download-elementor.outputs.effective-version }} | WordPress.org        |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "**Strategy:** GitHub source for Hello Theme (always built), WordPress.org for Hello Plus" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "**Strategy:** Same Hello Theme build ref as Core matrix; WordPress.org for Hello Plus and Elementor" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
 
   plus-playwright-tests:
     name: Hello Theme + Hello Plus Tests
@@ -233,6 +173,7 @@ jobs:
     env:
       HELLO_THEME_VERSION: ${{ needs.build-plus-components.outputs.hello-theme-version }}
       HELLO_PLUS_VERSION: ${{ needs.build-plus-components.outputs.hello-plus-version }}
+      ELEMENTOR_VERSION: ${{ needs.build-plus-components.outputs.elementor-version }}
       RUN_IDENTIFIER: plus-${{ github.event.inputs.hello_theme_version || github.ref }}-${{ github.run_id }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     steps:
@@ -344,32 +285,7 @@ jobs:
           path: ./
 
       - name: Extract Hello Theme build
-        run: |
-          echo "Extracting Hello Theme build..."
-          HT_ZIP=$(find . -name "hello-elementor-*.zip" -type f | head -1)
-
-          if [ -n "$HT_ZIP" ]; then
-            echo "Found Hello Theme build: $HT_ZIP"
-            mkdir -p ./tmp
-            unzip -q "$HT_ZIP" -d ./tmp/
-            
-            if [ -d "./tmp/hello-elementor" ]; then
-              echo "Hello Theme extracted to ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            elif [ -d "./tmp" ] && [ "$(ls -A ./tmp/)" ]; then
-              mkdir -p ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp
-              mv ./tmp/* ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp/ 2>/dev/null || true
-              mv ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp ./tmp/hello-elementor
-              echo "Hello Theme organized at ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            else
-              echo "Theme content not found in expected location"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-          else
-            echo "No Hello Theme build ZIP found"
-            echo "Available files:"
-            ls -la ./
-            exit 1
-          fi
+        uses: ./.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip
 
       - name: Update wp-env.json file
         env:
@@ -377,7 +293,7 @@ jobs:
           WP_CORE_VERSION: "latest"
           HELLO_THEME_VERSION: ${{ env.HELLO_THEME_VERSION }}
           HELLO_PLUS_VERSION: ${{ env.HELLO_PLUS_VERSION }}
-          ELEMENTOR_VERSION: "latest-stable"
+          ELEMENTOR_VERSION: ${{ env.ELEMENTOR_VERSION }}
         run: node ./.github/scripts/build-wp-env.js
 
       - name: Install WordPress environment
@@ -464,6 +380,7 @@ jobs:
     env:
       HELLO_THEME_VERSION: ${{ needs.build-plus-components.outputs.hello-theme-version }}
       HELLO_PLUS_VERSION: ${{ needs.build-plus-components.outputs.hello-plus-version }}
+      ELEMENTOR_VERSION: ${{ needs.build-plus-components.outputs.elementor-version }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Hello Theme
@@ -574,32 +491,7 @@ jobs:
           path: ./
 
       - name: Extract Hello Theme build
-        run: |
-          echo "Extracting Hello Theme build..."
-          HT_ZIP=$(find . -name "hello-elementor-*.zip" -type f | head -1)
-
-          if [ -n "$HT_ZIP" ]; then
-            echo "Found Hello Theme build: $HT_ZIP"
-            mkdir -p ./tmp
-            unzip -q "$HT_ZIP" -d ./tmp/
-            
-            if [ -d "./tmp/hello-elementor" ]; then
-              echo "Hello Theme extracted to ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            elif [ -d "./tmp" ] && [ "$(ls -A ./tmp/)" ]; then
-              mkdir -p ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp
-              mv ./tmp/* ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp/ 2>/dev/null || true
-              mv ./tmp/hello-elementor-temp ./tmp/hello-elementor
-              echo "Hello Theme organized at ./tmp/hello-elementor/"
-            else
-              echo "Theme content not found in expected location"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-          else
-            echo "No Hello Theme build ZIP found"
-            echo "Available files:"
-            ls -la ./
-            exit 1
-          fi
+        uses: ./.github/actions/extract-hello-theme-zip
 
       - name: Update wp-env.json file
         env:
@@ -607,7 +499,7 @@ jobs:
           WP_CORE_VERSION: "latest"
           HELLO_THEME_VERSION: ${{ env.HELLO_THEME_VERSION }}
           HELLO_PLUS_VERSION: ${{ env.HELLO_PLUS_VERSION }}
-          ELEMENTOR_VERSION: "latest-stable"
+          ELEMENTOR_VERSION: ${{ env.ELEMENTOR_VERSION }}
         run: node ./.github/scripts/build-wp-env.js
 
       - name: Install WordPress environment
@@ -687,10 +579,3 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check Plus Matrix status
         if: ${{ needs.plus-playwright-tests.result != 'success' && needs.plus-playwright-tests.result != 'skipped' }}
         run: exit 1
-
-      - name: Cleanup backup files (final)
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          echo "DEBUG: Final cleanup of any remaining backup files"
-          rm -rf .github-main-backup 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "Final cleanup complete"