diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml b/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
index 46ce7a2ca813..e0ee6c0a2e4d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e.yaml
@@ -80,6 +80,13 @@ jobs:
           chmod +x ./dist/artifacts/k3s
           cd tests/e2e/${{ matrix.etest }}
           go test -v -timeout=45m ./${{ matrix.etest}}_test.go -ci -local
+      - name: On Failure, Upload Journald Logs
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: ${{ failure() }}
+        with:
+          name: ${{ matrix.etest}}-journald-logs
+          path: tests/e2e/${{ matrix.etest }}/*-jlog.txt
+          retention-days: 30
       - name: On Failure, Launch Debug Session
         uses: lhotari/action-upterm@v1
         if: ${{ failure() }}
@@ -155,6 +162,9 @@ jobs:
           BRANCH_NAME=$(echo ${{ github.base_ref || github.ref_name }})
         elif [ -z "${{ github.base_ref }}" ]; then
           # We are in a fork, and need some git history to determine the branch name
+          # For some reason, the first fetch doesn't always get the full history, so we sleep and fetch again
+          git fetch origin --depth=100 +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
+          sleep 5
           git fetch origin --depth=100 +refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*
           BRANCH_NAME=$(git show-branch -a 2> /dev/null  | grep '\*' | grep -v `git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD` | head -n1 |  sed 's/.*\[\(.*\/\)\(.*\)\].*/\2/' | sed 's/[\^~].*//')
         else
@@ -162,7 +172,15 @@ jobs:
         fi
         echo "Branch Name is $BRANCH_NAME"
         echo "BRANCH_NAME=$BRANCH_NAME" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-     
+    # branch name should be either master or release-1.XX
+    - name: Fail if branch name does not match pattern
+      run: |
+        if [[ ! ${{ steps.branch_step.outputs.branch_name }} =~ ^(master|release-[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)$ ]]; then
+          echo "Branch name ${{ steps.branch_step.outputs.branch_name }} does not match pattern"
+          echo "If this is a PR/fork, ensure you have recently rebased off master/release-1.XX branch"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
   docker-go:
     needs: [build, build-go-tests]
     name: Docker Tests In GO
diff --git a/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go b/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
index a592a2e78823..a99211a1634c 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/btrfs/btrfs_test.go
@@ -90,6 +90,9 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 })
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
+	if failed {
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(serverNodeNames)).To(Succeed())
+	}
 	if !failed || *ci {
 		Expect(e2e.DestroyCluster()).To(Succeed())
 		Expect(os.Remove(kubeConfigFile)).To(Succeed())
diff --git a/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go b/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go
index 089fb465277b..d753528bf616 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/embeddedmirror/embeddedmirror_test.go
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
 		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go b/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go
index 9d2150991924..f8acbc9bce41 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/externalip/externalip_test.go
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
 		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go b/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go
index fe25a94e2181..e7ab9187f870 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/privateregistry/privateregistry_test.go
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
 		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go b/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go
index 29c9d43cad0d..64066cf45572 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/s3/s3_test.go
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
 		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go b/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go
index 3c7dd13627ea..f36181fffd27 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/startup/startup_test.go
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
 		AddReportEntry("config", e2e.GetConfig(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
 		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/testutils.go b/tests/e2e/testutils.go
index 2d2cb12071b0..c50fb0c398d9 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/testutils.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/testutils.go
@@ -377,6 +377,26 @@ func TailJournalLogs(lines int, nodes []string) string {
 	return logs.String()
 }
 
+// SaveJournalLogs saves the journal logs of each node to a <NAME>-jlog.txt file.
+// When used in GHA CI, the logs are uploaded as an artifact on failure.
+func SaveJournalLogs(nodeNames []string) error {
+	for _, node := range nodeNames {
+		lf, err := os.Create(node + "-jlog.txt")
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		defer lf.Close()
+		logs, err := GetJournalLogs(node)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if _, err := lf.Write([]byte(logs)); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to write %s node logs: %v", node, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func GetConfig(nodes []string) string {
 	config := &strings.Builder{}
 	for _, node := range nodes {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go b/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go
index 7fa216088b35..237bc440d613 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/wasm/wasm_test.go
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ var _ = AfterEach(func() {
 
 var _ = AfterSuite(func() {
 	if failed {
-		AddReportEntry("journald-logs", e2e.TailJournalLogs(1000, append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...)))
+		Expect(e2e.SaveJournalLogs(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	} else {
 		Expect(e2e.GetCoverageReport(append(serverNodeNames, agentNodeNames...))).To(Succeed())
 	}