diff --git a/.github/.release-please-manifest.json b/.github/.release-please-manifest.json
index 0ceacd89..96942901 100644
--- a/.github/.release-please-manifest.json
+++ b/.github/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 {
-  ".": "5.3.2"
+  ".": "6.0.0-rc.1"
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8d249665..fbc1ba82 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,19 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [6.0.0-rc.1](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/compare/v5.3.2...v6.0.0-rc.1) (2026-02-16)
+
+
+### ⚠ BREAKING CHANGES
+
+* v6 — fully generated SDK with latest APIs and WebSocket support ([#640](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/issues/640))
+
+### Features
+
+* **helpers:** add TextBuilder class for TTS pronunciation and pause controls ([#660](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/issues/660)) ([4324120](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/commit/43241200a7e025bdc4633bdb47f6708921c82ad1))
+* **sagemaker:** add SageMaker transport for running Deepgram on AWS SageMaker endpoints ([#659](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/issues/659)) ([2046175](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/commit/204617538339b1958e2fe562dc94c8887de94a5d))
+* v6 — fully generated SDK with latest APIs and WebSocket support ([#640](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/issues/640)) ([bc918fe](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/commit/bc918fe23e92eefb5e4c24cbfaad369d4e2818f3))
+* **websockets:** add custom WebSocket transport support ([#658](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/issues/658)) ([f6cf0fb](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/commit/f6cf0fbc9aaaa844e475e014560cc377819ec1f9))
+
 ## [5.3.2](https://github.com/deepgram/deepgram-python-sdk/compare/v5.3.0...v5.3.2) (2026-01-29)
 
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index de0e0afb..41b00ec2 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ dynamic = ["version"]
 
 [tool.poetry]
 name = "deepgram-sdk"
-version = "6.0.0-beta.4"
+version = "6.0.0-rc.1"
 description = ""
 readme = "README.md"
 authors = []
diff --git a/src/deepgram/core/client_wrapper.py b/src/deepgram/core/client_wrapper.py
index 35a1322a..86952577 100644
--- a/src/deepgram/core/client_wrapper.py
+++ b/src/deepgram/core/client_wrapper.py
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@ def get_headers(self) -> typing.Dict[str, str]:
         import platform
 
         headers: typing.Dict[str, str] = {
-            "User-Agent": "deepgram-sdk/6.0.0-beta.4",
+            "User-Agent": "deepgram-sdk/6.0.0-rc.1",
             "X-Fern-Language": "Python",
             "X-Fern-Runtime": f"python/{platform.python_version()}",
             "X-Fern-Platform": f"{platform.system().lower()}/{platform.release()}",
             "X-Fern-SDK-Name": "deepgram-sdk",
-            "X-Fern-SDK-Version": "6.0.0-beta.4",
+            "X-Fern-SDK-Version": "6.0.0-rc.1",
             **(self.get_custom_headers() or {}),
         }
         headers["Authorization"] = f"Token {self.api_key}"