diff --git a/check_releasepy.bash b/check_releasepy.bash
index b9a06701e..2b2af0895 100755
--- a/check_releasepy.bash
+++ b/check_releasepy.bash
@@ -1,9 +1,22 @@
 #!/bin/bash -e
 
-test_dir=$(mktemp -d)
-mkdir -p ${test_dir}/{focal,jammy,ubuntu}/debian
-export _RELEASEPY_TEST_RELEASE_REPO=${test_dir}
 export _RELEASEPY_DEBUG=1
+test_dir=$(mktemp -d)
+export _RELEASEPY_TEST_RELEASE_REPO="${test_dir}/test-release"
+mkdir -p ${_RELEASEPY_TEST_RELEASE_REPO}/{focal,jammy,ubuntu}/debian
+export _RELEASEPY_TEST_SOURCE_REPO="${test_dir}/src"
+mkdir -p ${_RELEASEPY_TEST_SOURCE_REPO}
+# Fake packages.xml to make the vendor package script happy
+cat > "${_RELEASEPY_TEST_SOURCE_REPO}/package.xml" <<-EOF
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<package format="2">
+  <name>gz-foo</name>
+  <version>0.0.0</version>
+  <description>test</description>
+  <maintainer email="test@test.foo">Testing maintainer</maintainer>
+  <license>Foo License</license>
+</package>
+EOF
 
 exec_releasepy_test()
 {
@@ -167,4 +180,4 @@ ros_vendor_test=$(exec_releasepy_with_real_gz gz-fuel-tools 9)
 expect_vendor_repo "${ros_vendor_test}" gazebo-release/gz_fuel_tools_vendor
 
 ros_vendor_test=$(exec_releasepy_with_real_gz gz-cmake 2)
-expect_no_vendor "${bump_linux_test}"
+expect_no_vendor "${ros_vendor_test}"
diff --git a/release.py b/release.py
index ad9157d4a..84dc8b01b 100755
--- a/release.py
+++ b/release.py
@@ -162,8 +162,6 @@ def parse_args(argv):
                         action='store_true', default=False,
                         help='Only process the ROS vendor package (if any).')
 
-
-
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     args.package_alias = args.package
@@ -589,9 +587,16 @@ def prepare_vendor_pr_temp_workspace(package_name, ws_dir) -> Tuple[str, str, st
 def execute_update_vendor_package_tool(vendor_tool_path,
                                        vendor_repo_path,
                                        vendor_venv) -> None:
+    # The source repository when releasing matches the
+    src_repo = os.getcwd()
+    try:
+        src_repo = os.environ['_RELEASEPY_TEST_SOURCE_REPO']
+    except KeyError:
+        pass
+
     run_cmd = [os.path.join(vendor_venv, 'bin', 'python3'),
                f"{vendor_tool_path}/create_gz_vendor_pkg/create_vendor_package.py",
-               'package.xml',
+               f"{os.path.join(src_repo, 'package.xml')}",
                '--output_dir', vendor_repo_path]
     _, _err_run = check_call(run_cmd, IGNORE_DRY_RUN)
     if _err_run:
@@ -636,6 +641,9 @@ def create_pr_for_vendor_package(args, repo_path, base_branch) -> str:
         print(_err.decode())
         sys.exit(1)
 
+    if DRY_RUN:
+        return ' (skipped the creation on --dry-run)'
+
     return _out.decode()