diff --git a/internal/cmd/local/install.go b/internal/cmd/local/install.go
index 3dd157dd..6a51950a 100644
--- a/internal/cmd/local/install.go
+++ b/internal/cmd/local/install.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 type InstallCmd struct {
 	Chart           string   `help:"Path to chart." xor:"chartver"`
 	ChartVersion    string   `help:"Version to install." xor:"chartver"`
+	Devel           bool     `help:"Include development versions when searching for charts. Use with caution."`
 	DisableAuth     bool     `help:"Disable auth."`
 	DockerEmail     string   `group:"docker" help:"Docker email." env:"ABCTL_LOCAL_INSTALL_DOCKER_EMAIL"`
 	DockerPassword  string   `group:"docker" help:"Docker password." env:"ABCTL_LOCAL_INSTALL_DOCKER_PASSWORD"`
@@ -195,6 +196,7 @@ func (i *InstallCmd) installOpts(ctx context.Context, user string) (*service.Ins
 		Hosts:            i.Host,
 		LocalStorage:     !supportMinio,
 		EnablePsql17:     enablePsql17,
+		Devel:            i.Devel,
 		DockerServer:     i.DockerServer,
 		DockerUser:       i.DockerUsername,
 		DockerPass:       i.DockerPassword,
@@ -232,7 +234,15 @@ func (i *InstallCmd) installOpts(ctx context.Context, user string) (*service.Ins
 }
 
 func (i *InstallCmd) setDefaultChartFlags(helmClient goHelm.Client) error {
-	resolver := helm.NewChartResolver(helmClient)
+	// Add warning if using development charts
+	if i.Devel {
+		pterm.Warning.Println("Using development charts. These may be unstable.")
+		if i.ChartVersion == "" {
+			pterm.Info.Println("Consider specifying an explicit version with --chart-version for reproducibility")
+		}
+	}
+
+	resolver := helm.NewChartResolverWithDevel(helmClient, i.Devel)
 	resolvedChart, resolvedVersion, err := resolver.ResolveChartReference(i.Chart, i.ChartVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to resolve chart flags: %w", err)
diff --git a/internal/helm/chart.go b/internal/helm/chart.go
index 75e91c59..5472d8fe 100644
--- a/internal/helm/chart.go
+++ b/internal/helm/chart.go
@@ -17,23 +17,37 @@ type ChartResolver struct {
 	v2RepoURL string
 	// client provides Chart.yaml metadata extraction for local paths and URLs
 	client goHelm.Client
+	// includeDevel allows prerelease versions to be considered
+	includeDevel bool
 }
 
 // NewChartResolver creates a resolver with default Airbyte v1/v2 repository URLs
 func NewChartResolver(client goHelm.Client) *ChartResolver {
 	return &ChartResolver{
-		v1RepoURL: common.AirbyteRepoURLv1,
-		v2RepoURL: common.AirbyteRepoURLv2,
-		client:    client,
+		v1RepoURL:    common.AirbyteRepoURLv1,
+		v2RepoURL:    common.AirbyteRepoURLv2,
+		client:       client,
+		includeDevel: false,
+	}
+}
+
+// NewChartResolverWithDevel creates a resolver with default Airbyte v1/v2 repository URLs and devel flag
+func NewChartResolverWithDevel(client goHelm.Client, includeDevel bool) *ChartResolver {
+	return &ChartResolver{
+		v1RepoURL:    common.AirbyteRepoURLv1,
+		v2RepoURL:    common.AirbyteRepoURLv2,
+		client:       client,
+		includeDevel: includeDevel,
 	}
 }
 
 // NewChartResolverWithURLs creates a resolver with custom v1/v2 repository URLs
 func NewChartResolverWithURLs(client goHelm.Client, v1URL, v2URL string) *ChartResolver {
 	return &ChartResolver{
-		v1RepoURL: v1URL,
-		v2RepoURL: v2URL,
-		client:    client,
+		v1RepoURL:    v1URL,
+		v2RepoURL:    v2URL,
+		client:       client,
+		includeDevel: false,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -55,13 +69,14 @@ func ChartIsV2Plus(v string) bool {
 func (r *ChartResolver) ResolveChartReference(chart, version string) (string, string, error) {
 	if chart == "" {
 		if version == "" {
-			chartURL, chartVersion, err := GetLatestAirbyteChartUrlFromRepoIndex("", r.v2RepoURL)
+			chartURL, chartVersion, err := GetLatestAirbyteChartUrlFromRepoIndex("", r.v2RepoURL, r.includeDevel)
 			if err != nil {
 				return "", "", err
 			}
 			return chartURL, chartVersion, nil
 		} else {
-			if ChartIsV2Plus(version) {
+			// Always use v2 repo for development versions
+			if r.includeDevel || ChartIsV2Plus(version) {
 				// Construct the v2 chart URL.
 				return fmt.Sprintf("%s/airbyte-%s.tgz", r.v2RepoURL, version), version, nil
 			} else {
diff --git a/internal/helm/locate.go b/internal/helm/locate.go
index 79590125..93632c0b 100644
--- a/internal/helm/locate.go
+++ b/internal/helm/locate.go
@@ -41,8 +41,8 @@ var defaultLoadIndexFile loadIndexFile = repo.LoadIndexFile
 
 // GetLatestAirbyteChartUrlFromRepoIndex fetches the latest stable Airbyte Helm chart URL and version
 // from the given Helm repository index. Returns the chart download URL, the chart version, and an error if any.
-// Only stable (non-prerelease) versions are considered.
-func GetLatestAirbyteChartUrlFromRepoIndex(repoName, repoUrl string) (string, string, error) {
+// Only stable (non-prerelease) versions are considered unless includeDevel is true.
+func GetLatestAirbyteChartUrlFromRepoIndex(repoName, repoUrl string, includeDevel bool) (string, string, error) {
 	chartRepository, err := defaultNewChartRepo(&repo.Entry{
 		Name: repoName,
 		URL:  repoUrl,
@@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ func GetLatestAirbyteChartUrlFromRepoIndex(repoName, repoUrl string) (string, st
 			version = "v" + version
 		}
 
-		if semver.Prerelease(version) == "" {
+		// Include prerelease versions if includeDevel is true
+		if includeDevel || semver.Prerelease(version) == "" {
 			latest = entry
 			break
 		}
diff --git a/internal/service/install.go b/internal/service/install.go
index 8b6cf231..aea29bc2 100644
--- a/internal/service/install.go
+++ b/internal/service/install.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ type InstallOpts struct {
 	Hosts            []string
 	LocalStorage     bool
 	EnablePsql17     bool
+	Devel            bool
 
 	DockerServer string
 	DockerUser   string
@@ -252,16 +253,23 @@ func (m *Manager) Install(ctx context.Context, opts *InstallOpts) error {
 		pterm.Success.Println(fmt.Sprintf("Secret from '%s' created or updated", secretFile))
 	}
 
+	// Use v2 repo for development versions or v2+ versions
+	repoURL := common.AirbyteRepoURLv1
+	if opts.Devel || helm.ChartIsV2Plus(opts.HelmChartVersion) {
+		repoURL = common.AirbyteRepoURLv2
+	}
+
 	if err := m.handleChart(ctx, chartRequest{
 		name:         "airbyte",
 		repoName:     common.AirbyteRepoName,
-		repoURL:      common.AirbyteRepoURLv1,
+		repoURL:      repoURL,
 		chartName:    common.AirbyteChartName,
 		chartRelease: common.AirbyteChartRelease,
 		chartVersion: opts.HelmChartVersion,
 		chartLoc:     opts.AirbyteChartLoc,
 		namespace:    common.AirbyteNamespace,
 		valuesYAML:   opts.HelmValuesYaml,
+		devel:        opts.Devel,
 	}); err != nil {
 		// if trace.SpanError isn't called here, the logs attached
 		// in the diagnoseAirbyteChartFailure method are lost
@@ -598,6 +606,7 @@ type chartRequest struct {
 	namespace      string
 	valuesYAML     string
 	uninstallFirst bool
+	devel          bool
 }
 
 // errHelmStuck is the error returned (only from a msg perspective, not this actual error) from the underlying helm