diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionPlugin.kt b/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionPlugin.kt
index 4cd8669c389..6e7c094829c 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionPlugin.kt
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionPlugin.kt
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import org.gradle.api.Plugin
 import org.gradle.api.Project
 import org.gradle.api.logging.Logging
 import org.gradle.api.model.ObjectFactory
+import org.gradle.api.provider.Provider
 import org.gradle.api.provider.ProviderFactory
 import org.gradle.kotlin.dsl.property
 import java.io.File
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ class TracerVersionPlugin @Inject constructor(
       // Not a git repository
       extension.defaultVersion.get()
     } else {
-      val currentBranchProvider = gitCurrentBranchProvider(repoWorkingDirectory)
+      val currentBranchProvider = currentBranchProvider(repoWorkingDirectory)
       providerFactory.zip(
         currentBranchProvider.flatMap { currentBranch ->
           // Use --first-parent only on release branches so they stay anchored to their own
@@ -80,6 +81,18 @@ class TracerVersionPlugin @Inject constructor(
     return buildVersion
   }
 
+  private fun currentBranchProvider(
+    repoWorkingDirectory: File
+  ): Provider<String> =
+    gitCurrentBranchProvider(repoWorkingDirectory).zip(
+      providerFactory.environmentVariable("CI_COMMIT_BRANCH").orElse("")
+    ) { gitBranch, ciBranch ->
+      // GitLab checks out a detached HEAD, where git reports "HEAD" instead of the branch name.
+      // Pipelines that don't set CI_COMMIT_BRANCH to the release branch itself (merge requests,
+      // merge queue working branches) still get the next minor version.
+      if (gitBranch == "HEAD" && ciBranch.isNotBlank()) ciBranch else gitBranch
+    }
+
   private fun gitCurrentBranchProvider(
     repoWorkingDirectory: File
   ) = providerFactory.of(GitCommandValueSource::class.java) {
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/test/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionIntegrationTest.kt b/buildSrc/src/test/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionIntegrationTest.kt
index eb909d71862..7cda763d57a 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/test/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionIntegrationTest.kt
+++ b/buildSrc/src/test/kotlin/datadog/gradle/plugin/version/TracerVersionIntegrationTest.kt
@@ -127,6 +127,61 @@ class TracerVersionIntegrationTest : VersionPluginsFixture() {
     )
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `should increment patch on release branch checked out as detached HEAD in GitLab`() {
+    assertTracerVersion(
+      expectedVersion = "1.52.2-SNAPSHOT",
+      // GitLab checks out the pipeline commit as a detached HEAD and exposes the branch name in CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
+      env = mapOf("CI_COMMIT_BRANCH" to "release/v1.52.x"),
+      beforeGradle = {
+        initGitRepo()
+        exec("git", "tag", "v1.52.0", "-m", "")
+        exec("git", "switch", "-c", "release/v1.52.x")
+        writeSettings("// Committed change ", append = true)
+        exec("git", "commit", "-am", "Another commit")
+        exec("git", "tag", "v1.52.1", "-m", "")
+        writeSettings("// Another committed change ", append = true)
+        exec("git", "commit", "-am", "Another commit")
+        exec("git", "switch", "--detach")
+      },
+    )
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun `should use exact version on tag checked out as detached HEAD in GitLab`() {
+    assertTracerVersion(
+      expectedVersion = "1.52.1",
+      // GitLab tag pipelines set CI_COMMIT_TAG, not CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
+      unsetEnv = setOf("CI_COMMIT_BRANCH"),
+      beforeGradle = {
+        initGitRepo()
+        exec("git", "tag", "v1.52.0", "-m", "")
+        exec("git", "switch", "-c", "release/v1.52.x")
+        writeSettings("// Committed change ", append = true)
+        exec("git", "commit", "-am", "Another commit")
+        exec("git", "tag", "v1.52.1", "-m", "")
+        exec("git", "switch", "--detach", "v1.52.1")
+      },
+    )
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  fun `should increment minor on detached HEAD without CI_COMMIT_BRANCH`() {
+    assertTracerVersion(
+      expectedVersion = "1.53.0-SNAPSHOT",
+      // Merge request pipelines, local detached checkouts and other CIs don't set CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
+      unsetEnv = setOf("CI_COMMIT_BRANCH"),
+      beforeGradle = {
+        initGitRepo()
+        exec("git", "tag", "v1.52.0", "-m", "")
+        exec("git", "switch", "-c", "release/v1.52.x")
+        writeSettings("// Committed change ", append = true)
+        exec("git", "commit", "-am", "Another commit")
+        exec("git", "switch", "--detach")
+      },
+    )
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `should compute version on worktrees`(@TempDir workTreeDir: File) {
     assertTracerVersion(
@@ -191,6 +246,8 @@ class TracerVersionIntegrationTest : VersionPluginsFixture() {
   private fun assertTracerVersion(
     expectedVersion: String,
     workingDirectory: File = projectDir,
+    env: Map<String, String> = emptyMap(),
+    unsetEnv: Set<String> = emptySet(),
     beforeGradle: VersionPluginsFixture.() -> Unit = {},
   ) {
     writeSettings(
@@ -215,7 +272,13 @@ class TracerVersionIntegrationTest : VersionPluginsFixture() {
 
     beforeGradle()
 
-    val buildResult = run("printVersion", "--quiet", gradleProjectDir = workingDirectory)
+    val buildResult = run(
+      "printVersion",
+      "--quiet",
+      env = env,
+      unsetEnv = unsetEnv,
+      gradleProjectDir = workingDirectory
+    )
 
     assertThat(buildResult.output.lines().first()).isEqualTo(expectedVersion)
   }