diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index dee48b3..808cbb0 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ Package: multiverse.internals
 Title: Internal Infrastructure for R-multiverse
 Description: R-multiverse requires this internal internal infrastructure
   package to automate contribution reviews and populate universes.
-Version: 0.2.8
+Version: 0.2.9
 License: MIT + file LICENSE
 URL: https://github.com/r-multiverse/multiverse.internals
 BugReports: https://github.com/r-multiverse/multiverse.internals/issues
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index c73085a..caa34ec 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ export(record_versions)
 export(review_pull_request)
 export(review_pull_requests)
 export(try_message)
-export(update_production)
+export(update_staging)
 importFrom(gh,gh)
 importFrom(igraph,V)
 importFrom(igraph,graph)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index eec36d3..0976711 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+# multiverse.internals 0.2.9
+
+* Implement community/staging idea from (@jeroen).
+
 # multiverse.internals 0.2.8
 
 * Only merge contributions created through the web interface.
diff --git a/R/record_issues.R b/R/record_issues.R
index 4c039be..b11a9ff 100644
--- a/R/record_issues.R
+++ b/R/record_issues.R
@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@
 #' @section Package issues:
 #'   Functions like [issues_versions()] and [issues_descriptions()]
 #'   perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-#'   Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-#'   <https://production.r-multiverse.org>. For a complete list of checks, see
+#'   For a complete list of checks, see
 #'   the `issues_*()` functions listed at
 #'   <https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html>.
 #'   [record_versions()] updates the version number history
diff --git a/R/update_production.R b/R/update_production.R
deleted file mode 100644
index 8374bef..0000000
--- a/R/update_production.R
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,172 +0,0 @@
-#' @title Update production
-#' @export
-#' @description Update the production universe.
-#' @details [update_production()] controls how packages enter and leave
-#'   the production universe. It updates the production `packages.json`
-#'   manifest depending on the contents of the community
-#'   universe and issues with package checks. There are 3 phases:
-#'   1. Demote packages: packages with any check issues in production
-#'     are given `days_notice` days to fix the problems. If the problems
-#'     are fixed on time, then the package stays in
-#'     production, and the notice period resets (the next problem is given
-#'     the full `days_notice` notice period from scratch). Otherwise,
-#'     if there are still issues after `days_notice` days, then the package
-#'     is removed from the `packages.json` manifest and added to a special
-#'     `removing.json` manifest in production. `removing.json` ensures
-#'     that the builds are actually removed from production before the
-#'     package can be promoted again. That way, if the next automatic
-#'     promotion fails production checks, no build will be available
-#'     to install from <https://production.r-multiverse.org>.
-#'   2. Clear removals: a demoted package stays in `removing.json` until
-#'     the builds are removed from <https://production.r-multiverse.org>.
-#'     After the builds are gone, the package is removed from `removing.json`
-#'     so it can be promoted again. No build will become available again
-#'     until the package passes all production checks.
-#'   3. Promote packages: a package in the community universe is moved
-#'     to production if:
-#'       * It passes description checks from [issues_descriptions()].
-#'       * It passes version checks from [issues_versions()].
-#'       * The package is available to install from
-#'         <https://community.r-multiverse.org>.
-#'       * The package is not in `removing.json`.
-#'     To promote the package, an entry is created in the production
-#'     `packages.json` with the Git hash of the latest release.
-#' @return `NULL` (invisibly)
-#' @inheritParams record_issues
-#' @param path_production Character string, directory path to the source
-#'   files of the production universe.
-#' @param path_community Character string, directory path to the source
-#'   files of the community universe.
-#' @param repo_production Character string, URL of the production universe.
-#' @param repo_community Character string, URL of the community universe.
-#' @param days_notice Integer scalar, number of days between the
-#'   detection of a production issue and removal from the production universe.
-#' @examples
-#' \dontrun{
-#' url_production = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/production"
-#' url_community = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/community"
-#' path_production <- tempfile()
-#' path_community <- tempfile()
-#' gert::git_clone(url = url_production, path = path_production)
-#' gert::git_clone(url = url_community, path = path_community)
-#' update_production(
-#'   repo_production = "https://production.r-multiverse.org",
-#'   repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org",
-#'   path_production = path_production,
-#'   path_community = path_community,
-#'   days_notice = 28L
-#' )
-#' }
-update_production <- function(
-  path_production,
-  path_community,
-  repo_production = "https://production.r-multiverse.org",
-  repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org",
-  days_notice = 28L,
-  mock = NULL
-) {
-  meta_production <- mock$production %||% meta_packages(repo_production)
-  meta_community <- mock$community %||% meta_packages(repo_community)
-  demote_packages(
-    path_production = path_production,
-    days_notice = days_notice
-  )
-  clear_removed(
-    path_production = path_production,
-    meta_production = meta_production
-  )
-  promote_packages(
-    path_production = path_production,
-    path_community = path_community,
-    meta_community = meta_community
-  )
-  invisible()
-}
-
-demote_packages <- function(path_production, days_notice) {
-  packages <- get_demote(path_production, days_notice)
-  removing <- sort(unique(c(get_removing(path_production), packages)))
-  file_removing <- file.path(path_production, "removing.json")
-  jsonlite::write_json(removing, file_removing, pretty = TRUE)
-  file_production <- file.path(path_production, "packages.json")
-  json <- jsonlite::read_json(file_production, simplifyVector = TRUE)
-  json <- json[!(json$package %in% removing),, drop = FALSE] # nolint
-  jsonlite::write_json(json, file_production, pretty = TRUE)
-}
-
-clear_removed <- function(path_production, meta_production) {
-  removing <- intersect(
-    get_removing(path_production),
-    meta_production$package
-  )
-  jsonlite::write_json(
-    removing,
-    file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-    pretty = TRUE
-  )
-}
-
-promote_packages <- function(
-  path_production,
-  path_community,
-  meta_community
-) {
-  packages <- get_promote(path_production, path_community, meta_community)
-  file_production <- file.path(path_production, "packages.json")
-  file_community <- file.path(path_community, "packages.json")
-  json_production <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file_production,
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  json_community <- jsonlite::read_json(file_community, simplifyVector = TRUE)
-  promote <- json_community[json_community$package %in% packages,, drop = FALSE] # nolint
-  meta_community <- meta_community[, c("package", "remotesha")]
-  promote <- merge(promote, meta_community, all.x = TRUE, all.y = FALSE)
-  promote$branch <- promote$remotesha
-  promote$remotesha <- NULL
-  replace <- !(json_production$package %in% packages)
-  json_production <- json_production[replace,, drop = FALSE] # nolint
-  json_production <- rbind(json_production, promote)
-  json_production <- json_production[order(json_production$package),, drop = FALSE ] # nolint
-  jsonlite::write_json(json_production, file_production, pretty = TRUE)
-}
-
-get_demote <- function(path_production, days_notice) {
-  file <- file.path(path_production, "packages.json")
-  packages <- jsonlite::read_json(file, simplifyVector = TRUE)$package
-  issues <- list.files(file.path(path_production, "issues"))
-  Filter(
-    x = intersect(packages, issues),
-    f = function(package) {
-      file <- file.path(path_production, "issues", package)
-      json <- jsonlite::read_json(path = file)
-      delay <- as.integer(Sys.Date() - as.Date(as.character(json$date)))
-      delay > days_notice
-    }
-  )
-}
-
-get_promote <- function(path_production, path_community, meta_community) {
-  issues <- Filter(
-    x = list.files(file.path(path_community, "issues")),
-    f = function(package) {
-      json <- jsonlite::read_json(
-        path = file.path(path_community, "issues", package)
-      )
-      any(names(json) %in% c("descriptions", "versions"))
-    }
-  )
-  removing <- get_removing(path_production)
-  file_community <- file.path(path_community, "packages.json")
-  json <- jsonlite::read_json(file_community, simplifyVector = TRUE)
-  candidates <- intersect(meta_community$package, json$package)
-  setdiff(candidates, c(issues, removing))
-}
-
-get_removing <- function(path_production) {
-  file <- file.path(path_production, "removing.json")
-  if (!file.exists(file)) {
-    return(character(0L))
-  }
-  as.character(jsonlite::read_json(file, simplifyVector = TRUE))
-}
diff --git a/R/update_staging.R b/R/update_staging.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b57cc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/update_staging.R
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+#' @title Update staging
+#' @export
+#' @description Update the staging universe.
+#' @details [update_staging()] controls how packages enter and leave
+#'   the staging universe. It updates the staging `packages.json`
+#'   manifest depending on the contents of the community
+#'   universe and issues with package checks.
+#' @return `NULL` (invisibly)
+#' @inheritParams record_issues
+#' @param path_staging Character string, directory path to the source
+#'   files of the staging universe.
+#' @param path_community Character string, directory path to the source
+#'   files of the community universe.
+#' @param repo_community Character string, URL of the community universe.
+#' @examples
+#' \dontrun{
+#' url_staging = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/staging"
+#' url_community = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/community"
+#' path_staging <- tempfile()
+#' path_community <- tempfile()
+#' gert::git_clone(url = url_staging, path = path_staging)
+#' gert::git_clone(url = url_community, path = path_community)
+#' update_staging(
+#'   path_staging = path_staging,
+#'   path_community = path_community,
+#'   repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org"
+#' )
+#' }
+update_staging <- function(
+  path_staging,
+  path_community,
+  repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org",
+  mock = NULL
+) {
+  meta_community <- mock$community %||% meta_packages(repo_community)
+  packages <- promotions(path_community, meta_community)
+  file_staging <- file.path(path_staging, "packages.json")
+  file_community <- file.path(path_community, "packages.json")
+  json_staging <- jsonlite::read_json(file_staging, simplifyVector = TRUE)
+  json_community <- jsonlite::read_json(file_community, simplifyVector = TRUE)
+  index_promote <- json_community$package %in% packages
+  promote <- json_community[index_promote,, drop = FALSE] # nolint
+  meta_community <- meta_community[, c("package", "remotesha")]
+  promote <- merge(promote, meta_community, all.x = TRUE, all.y = FALSE)
+  promote$branch <- promote$remotesha
+  promote$remotesha <- NULL
+  replace <- !(json_staging$package %in% packages)
+  json_staging <- json_staging[replace,, drop = FALSE] # nolint
+  json_staging <- rbind(json_staging, promote)
+  json_staging <- json_staging[order(json_staging$package),, drop = FALSE ] # nolint
+  jsonlite::write_json(json_staging, file_staging, pretty = TRUE)
+  invisible()
+}
+
+promotions <- function(path_community, meta_community) {
+  promotion_checks <- c(
+    "descriptions",
+    "versions"
+  )
+  issues <- Filter(
+    x = list.files(file.path(path_community, "issues")),
+    f = function(package) {
+      json <- jsonlite::read_json(
+        path = file.path(path_community, "issues", package)
+      )
+      any(names(json) %in% promotion_checks)
+    }
+  )
+  file_community <- file.path(path_community, "packages.json")
+  json <- jsonlite::read_json(file_community, simplifyVector = TRUE)
+  candidates <- intersect(meta_community$package, json$package)
+  setdiff(candidates, issues)
+}
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 12cbac5..76980ee 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@
 
 `multiverse.internals` is an R package to support the internal infrastructure for the R-multiverse project.
 
-To learn about specific pieces of the R-multiverse infrastructure for reviewing and checking packages, please visit <https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference>.
+To learn about specific pieces of the R-multiverse infrastructure for reviewing and checking packages, please visit <https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html>.
diff --git a/_pkgdown.yml b/_pkgdown.yml
index a2aa788..f0eee27 100644
--- a/_pkgdown.yml
+++ b/_pkgdown.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,6 @@ reference:
   contents:
   - record_issues
   - record_versions
-- title: Production
+- title: Staging
   contents:
-  - update_production
+  - update_staging
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/production-removing b/inst/mock/community/issues/checks
similarity index 77%
rename from inst/mock/community/issues/production-removing
rename to inst/mock/community/issues/checks
index 182e1a1..f07a79c 100644
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/production-removing
+++ b/inst/mock/community/issues/checks
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
     "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
     "_winbinary": ["success"],
     "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624562787"]
+    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/12345"]
   },
   "date": ["1980-01-01"],
   "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["476886da2b41a4d937543278dc12044889c9d4ca"]
+  "remote_hash": ["abcdef1234567890abcdef"]
 }
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-descriptions b/inst/mock/community/issues/community-descriptions
deleted file mode 100644
index 38d568e..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-descriptions
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["failure"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["success"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624565626"]
-  },
-  "descriptions": {
-    "remotes": ["hyunjimoon/SBC", "stan-dev/cmdstanr"]
-  },
-  "date": ["2024-06-21"],
-  "version": ["0.1.1"],
-  "remote_hash": ["bbdda1b4a44a3d6a22041e03eed38f27319d8f32"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-notice b/inst/mock/community/issues/community-notice
deleted file mode 100644
index bdb77ba..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-notice
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624561349"]
-  },
-  "date": ["9999-12-31"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["b0a5ec38638ca69e3adbc7b24d815757e5f74817"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-remove b/inst/mock/community/issues/community-remove
deleted file mode 100644
index 182e1a1..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-remove
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624562787"]
-  },
-  "date": ["1980-01-01"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["476886da2b41a4d937543278dc12044889c9d4ca"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/descriptions b/inst/mock/community/issues/descriptions
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5368252
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inst/mock/community/issues/descriptions
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "descriptions": {
+    "remotes": ["owner1/repo1", "owner2/repo2"]
+  },
+  "date": ["2024-06-21"],
+  "version": ["0.1.1"],
+  "remote_hash": ["abcdefabcdef1234567890"]
+}
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/production-notice b/inst/mock/community/issues/production-notice
deleted file mode 100644
index bdb77ba..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/production-notice
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624561349"]
-  },
-  "date": ["9999-12-31"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["b0a5ec38638ca69e3adbc7b24d815757e5f74817"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-versions b/inst/mock/community/issues/versions
similarity index 72%
rename from inst/mock/community/issues/community-versions
rename to inst/mock/community/issues/versions
index 909f8a6..f442864 100644
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/community-versions
+++ b/inst/mock/community/issues/versions
@@ -6,6 +6,6 @@
     "hash_highest": ["hash_1.0.0"]
   },
   "date": ["2024-01-01"],
-  "version": [],
-  "remote_hash": []
+  "version": ["1.0.0"],
+  "remote_hash": ["abcdefabcdefabcdef123123123"]
 }
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/packages.json b/inst/mock/community/packages.json
index 6e3cf3f..e054a4d 100644
--- a/inst/mock/community/packages.json
+++ b/inst/mock/community/packages.json
@@ -1,47 +1,32 @@
 [
   {
-    "package": "community-good",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/community-good",
+    "package": "promote",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/promote",
     "branch": "*release"
   },
   {
-    "package": "community-descriptions",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/community-descriptions",
+    "package": "change",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/change",
     "branch": "*release"
   },
   {
-    "package": "community-notice",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/community-notice",
+    "package": "keep",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/keep",
     "branch": "*release"
   },
   {
-    "package": "community-remove",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/community-remove",
+    "package": "checks",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/checks",
     "branch": "*release"
   },
   {
-    "package": "community-versions",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/community-versions",
+    "package": "descriptions",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/descriptions",
     "branch": "*release"
   },
   {
-    "package": "production-good",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-good",
-    "branch": "*release"
-  },
-  {
-    "package": "production-notice",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-notice",
-    "branch": "*release"
-  },
-  {
-    "package": "production-remove",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-remove",
-    "branch": "*release"
-  },
-  {
-    "package": "production-removing",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-removing",
+    "package": "versions",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/versions",
     "branch": "*release"
   }
 ]
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-descriptions b/inst/mock/production/issues/community-descriptions
deleted file mode 100644
index 38d568e..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-descriptions
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["failure"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["success"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624565626"]
-  },
-  "descriptions": {
-    "remotes": ["hyunjimoon/SBC", "stan-dev/cmdstanr"]
-  },
-  "date": ["2024-06-21"],
-  "version": ["0.1.1"],
-  "remote_hash": ["bbdda1b4a44a3d6a22041e03eed38f27319d8f32"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-notice b/inst/mock/production/issues/community-notice
deleted file mode 100644
index bdb77ba..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-notice
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624561349"]
-  },
-  "date": ["9999-12-31"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["b0a5ec38638ca69e3adbc7b24d815757e5f74817"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-remove b/inst/mock/production/issues/community-remove
deleted file mode 100644
index 182e1a1..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-remove
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624562787"]
-  },
-  "date": ["1980-01-01"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["476886da2b41a4d937543278dc12044889c9d4ca"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-versions b/inst/mock/production/issues/community-versions
deleted file mode 100644
index 909f8a6..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/community-versions
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "versions": {
-    "version_current": ["0.0.1"],
-    "hash_current": ["hash_0.0.1"],
-    "version_highest": ["1.0.0"],
-    "hash_highest": ["hash_1.0.0"]
-  },
-  "date": ["2024-01-01"],
-  "version": [],
-  "remote_hash": []
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/production-notice b/inst/mock/production/issues/production-notice
deleted file mode 100644
index bdb77ba..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/production-notice
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624561349"]
-  },
-  "date": ["9999-12-31"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["b0a5ec38638ca69e3adbc7b24d815757e5f74817"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/production-remove b/inst/mock/production/issues/production-remove
deleted file mode 100644
index 182e1a1..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/production-remove
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624562787"]
-  },
-  "date": ["1980-01-01"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["476886da2b41a4d937543278dc12044889c9d4ca"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/issues/production-removing b/inst/mock/production/issues/production-removing
deleted file mode 100644
index 182e1a1..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/issues/production-removing
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "checks": {
-    "_linuxdevel": ["success"],
-    "_macbinary": ["success"],
-    "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
-    "_winbinary": ["success"],
-    "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624562787"]
-  },
-  "date": ["1980-01-01"],
-  "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["476886da2b41a4d937543278dc12044889c9d4ca"]
-}
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/packages.json b/inst/mock/production/packages.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 0de6073..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/packages.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-[
-  {
-    "package": "production-good",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-good",
-    "branch": "sha-production-good"
-  },
-  {
-    "package": "production-notice",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-notice",
-    "branch": "sha-production-notice"
-  },
-  {
-    "package": "production-remove",
-    "url": "https://github.com/owner/production-remove",
-    "branch": "sha-production-remove"
-  }
-]
diff --git a/inst/mock/production/removing.json b/inst/mock/production/removing.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 7481bb9..0000000
--- a/inst/mock/production/removing.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-["production-removed", "production-removing"]
diff --git a/inst/mock/community/issues/production-remove b/inst/mock/staging/issues/checks
similarity index 77%
rename from inst/mock/community/issues/production-remove
rename to inst/mock/staging/issues/checks
index 182e1a1..f07a79c 100644
--- a/inst/mock/community/issues/production-remove
+++ b/inst/mock/staging/issues/checks
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
     "_wasmbinary": ["none"],
     "_winbinary": ["success"],
     "_status": ["success"],
-    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/9624562787"]
+    "_buildurl": ["https://github.com/r-universe/r-multiverse/actions/runs/12345"]
   },
   "date": ["1980-01-01"],
   "version": ["2.0.2"],
-  "remote_hash": ["476886da2b41a4d937543278dc12044889c9d4ca"]
+  "remote_hash": ["abcdef1234567890abcdef"]
 }
diff --git a/inst/mock/staging/packages.json b/inst/mock/staging/packages.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf41733
--- /dev/null
+++ b/inst/mock/staging/packages.json
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+[
+  {
+    "package": "change",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/change",
+    "branch": "original"
+  },
+  {
+    "package": "keep",
+    "url": "https://github.com/owner/keep",
+    "branch": "sha-keep"
+  }
+]
diff --git a/man/issues_checks.Rd b/man/issues_checks.Rd
index c13372e..25040be 100644
--- a/man/issues_checks.Rd
+++ b/man/issues_checks.Rd
@@ -29,8 +29,7 @@ happened during building and testing.
 
 Functions like \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}} and \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}
 perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-\url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}. For a complete list of checks, see
+For a complete list of checks, see
 the \verb{issues_*()} functions listed at
 \url{https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html}.
 \code{\link[=record_versions]{record_versions()}} updates the version number history
diff --git a/man/issues_dependencies.Rd b/man/issues_dependencies.Rd
index 560c02b..c54616a 100644
--- a/man/issues_dependencies.Rd
+++ b/man/issues_dependencies.Rd
@@ -46,8 +46,7 @@ the explicit mentions in the \code{DESCRIPTION} file.
 
 Functions like \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}} and \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}
 perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-\url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}. For a complete list of checks, see
+For a complete list of checks, see
 the \verb{issues_*()} functions listed at
 \url{https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html}.
 \code{\link[=record_versions]{record_versions()}} updates the version number history
diff --git a/man/issues_descriptions.Rd b/man/issues_descriptions.Rd
index 2046762..7233edd 100644
--- a/man/issues_descriptions.Rd
+++ b/man/issues_descriptions.Rd
@@ -29,8 +29,7 @@ package's description file, such as the presence of a
 
 Functions like \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}} and \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}
 perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-\url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}. For a complete list of checks, see
+For a complete list of checks, see
 the \verb{issues_*()} functions listed at
 \url{https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html}.
 \code{\link[=record_versions]{record_versions()}} updates the version number history
diff --git a/man/issues_versions.Rd b/man/issues_versions.Rd
index d82ebd5..50e160d 100644
--- a/man/issues_versions.Rd
+++ b/man/issues_versions.Rd
@@ -31,8 +31,7 @@ greater than all the versions of all the previous package releases.
 
 Functions like \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}} and \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}
 perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-\url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}. For a complete list of checks, see
+For a complete list of checks, see
 the \verb{issues_*()} functions listed at
 \url{https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html}.
 \code{\link[=record_versions]{record_versions()}} updates the version number history
diff --git a/man/record_issues.Rd b/man/record_issues.Rd
index 667043f..6a8158e 100644
--- a/man/record_issues.Rd
+++ b/man/record_issues.Rd
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ package-specific JSON files.
 
 Functions like \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}} and \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}
 perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-\url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}. For a complete list of checks, see
+For a complete list of checks, see
 the \verb{issues_*()} functions listed at
 \url{https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html}.
 \code{\link[=record_versions]{record_versions()}} updates the version number history
diff --git a/man/record_versions.Rd b/man/record_versions.Rd
index 801e100..58450f0 100644
--- a/man/record_versions.Rd
+++ b/man/record_versions.Rd
@@ -40,8 +40,7 @@ practices for version numbers.
 
 Functions like \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}} and \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}
 perform health checks for all packages in R-multiverse.
-Only packages that pass these checks go to the production repository at
-\url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}. For a complete list of checks, see
+For a complete list of checks, see
 the \verb{issues_*()} functions listed at
 \url{https://r-multiverse.org/multiverse.internals/reference/index.html}.
 \code{\link[=record_versions]{record_versions()}} updates the version number history
diff --git a/man/update_production.Rd b/man/update_production.Rd
deleted file mode 100644
index ce41c28..0000000
--- a/man/update_production.Rd
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,91 +0,0 @@
-% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
-% Please edit documentation in R/update_production.R
-\name{update_production}
-\alias{update_production}
-\title{Update production}
-\usage{
-update_production(
-  path_production,
-  path_community,
-  repo_production = "https://production.r-multiverse.org",
-  repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org",
-  days_notice = 28L,
-  mock = NULL
-)
-}
-\arguments{
-\item{path_production}{Character string, directory path to the source
-files of the production universe.}
-
-\item{path_community}{Character string, directory path to the source
-files of the community universe.}
-
-\item{repo_production}{Character string, URL of the production universe.}
-
-\item{repo_community}{Character string, URL of the community universe.}
-
-\item{days_notice}{Integer scalar, number of days between the
-detection of a production issue and removal from the production universe.}
-
-\item{mock}{For testing purposes only, a named list of data frames
-for inputs to various intermediate functions.}
-}
-\value{
-\code{NULL} (invisibly)
-}
-\description{
-Update the production universe.
-}
-\details{
-\code{\link[=update_production]{update_production()}} controls how packages enter and leave
-the production universe. It updates the production \code{packages.json}
-manifest depending on the contents of the community
-universe and issues with package checks. There are 3 phases:
-\enumerate{
-\item Demote packages: packages with any check issues in production
-are given \code{days_notice} days to fix the problems. If the problems
-are fixed on time, then the package stays in
-production, and the notice period resets (the next problem is given
-the full \code{days_notice} notice period from scratch). Otherwise,
-if there are still issues after \code{days_notice} days, then the package
-is removed from the \code{packages.json} manifest and added to a special
-\code{removing.json} manifest in production. \code{removing.json} ensures
-that the builds are actually removed from production before the
-package can be promoted again. That way, if the next automatic
-promotion fails production checks, no build will be available
-to install from \url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}.
-\item Clear removals: a demoted package stays in \code{removing.json} until
-the builds are removed from \url{https://production.r-multiverse.org}.
-After the builds are gone, the package is removed from \code{removing.json}
-so it can be promoted again. No build will become available again
-until the package passes all production checks.
-\item Promote packages: a package in the community universe is moved
-to production if:
-\itemize{
-\item It passes description checks from \code{\link[=issues_descriptions]{issues_descriptions()}}.
-\item It passes version checks from \code{\link[=issues_versions]{issues_versions()}}.
-\item The package is available to install from
-\url{https://community.r-multiverse.org}.
-\item The package is not in \code{removing.json}.
-To promote the package, an entry is created in the production
-\code{packages.json} with the Git hash of the latest release.
-}
-}
-}
-\examples{
-\dontrun{
-url_production = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/production"
-url_community = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/community"
-path_production <- tempfile()
-path_community <- tempfile()
-gert::git_clone(url = url_production, path = path_production)
-gert::git_clone(url = url_community, path = path_community)
-update_production(
-  repo_production = "https://production.r-multiverse.org",
-  repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org",
-  path_production = path_production,
-  path_community = path_community,
-  days_notice = 28L
-)
-}
-}
diff --git a/man/update_staging.Rd b/man/update_staging.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..98a14ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/update_staging.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/update_staging.R
+\name{update_staging}
+\alias{update_staging}
+\title{Update staging}
+\usage{
+update_staging(
+  path_staging,
+  path_community,
+  repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org",
+  mock = NULL
+)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{path_staging}{Character string, directory path to the source
+files of the staging universe.}
+
+\item{path_community}{Character string, directory path to the source
+files of the community universe.}
+
+\item{repo_community}{Character string, URL of the community universe.}
+
+\item{mock}{For testing purposes only, a named list of data frames
+for inputs to various intermediate functions.}
+}
+\value{
+\code{NULL} (invisibly)
+}
+\description{
+Update the staging universe.
+}
+\details{
+\code{\link[=update_staging]{update_staging()}} controls how packages enter and leave
+the staging universe. It updates the staging \code{packages.json}
+manifest depending on the contents of the community
+universe and issues with package checks.
+}
+\examples{
+\dontrun{
+url_staging = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/staging"
+url_community = "https://github.com/r-multiverse/community"
+path_staging <- tempfile()
+path_community <- tempfile()
+gert::git_clone(url = url_staging, path = path_staging)
+gert::git_clone(url = url_community, path = path_community)
+update_staging(
+  path_staging = path_staging,
+  path_community = path_community,
+  repo_community = "https://community.r-multiverse.org"
+)
+}
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-update_production.R b/tests/testthat/test-update_production.R
deleted file mode 100644
index ee6aef3..0000000
--- a/tests/testthat/test-update_production.R
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,317 +0,0 @@
-test_that("promote_packages()", {
-  dir_production <- tempfile()
-  dir_community <- tempfile()
-  path_production <- file.path(dir_production, "production")
-  path_community <- file.path(dir_community, "community")
-  dir.create(dir_production)
-  dir.create(dir_community)
-  on.exit(unlink(path_production, recursive = TRUE))
-  on.exit(unlink(path_community, recursive = TRUE), add = TRUE)
-  mock <- system.file(
-    "mock",
-    package = "multiverse.internals",
-    mustWork = TRUE
-  )
-  file.copy(
-    from = file.path(mock, "production"),
-    to = dir_production,
-    recursive = TRUE
-  )
-  file.copy(
-    from = file.path(mock, "community"),
-    to = dir_community,
-    recursive = TRUE
-  )
-  json <- jsonlite::read_json(file.path(path_community, "packages.json"))
-  names <- vapply(
-    json,
-    function(x) x$package,
-    FUN.VALUE = character(1L)
-  )
-  meta_community <- data.frame(
-    package = names,
-    remotesha = paste0("sha-", names)
-  )
-  promote_packages(
-    path_production = path_production,
-    path_community = path_community,
-    meta = meta_community
-  )
-  packages <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "packages.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_true(is.data.frame(packages))
-  expect_equal(dim(packages), c(6L, 3L))
-  expect_equal(
-    sort(packages$package),
-    sort(
-      c(
-        "community-good", "community-notice", "community-remove",
-        "production-good", "production-notice", "production-remove"
-      )
-    )
-  )
-  expect_equal(
-    packages$url,
-    file.path("https://github.com/owner", packages$package)
-  )
-  expect_equal(packages$branch, paste0("sha-", packages$package))
-  removing <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_equal(
-    sort(removing),
-    sort(c("production-removed", "production-removing"))
-  )
-})
-
-test_that("clear_removed()", {
-  dir_production <- tempfile()
-  path_production <- file.path(dir_production, "production")
-  dir.create(dir_production)
-  on.exit(unlink(path_production, recursive = TRUE))
-  mock <- system.file(
-    "mock",
-    package = "multiverse.internals",
-    mustWork = TRUE
-  )
-  file.copy(
-    from = file.path(mock, "production"),
-    to = dir_production,
-    recursive = TRUE
-  )
-  json <- jsonlite::read_json(file.path(path_production, "packages.json"))
-  names <- vapply(
-    json,
-    function(x) x$package,
-    FUN.VALUE = character(1L)
-  )
-  names <- c(names, "production-removing")
-  meta_production <- data.frame(
-    package = names,
-    remotesha = paste0("sha-", names)
-  )
-  clear_removed(
-    path_production = path_production,
-    meta_production = meta_production
-  )
-  removing <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_equal(removing, "production-removing")
-})
-
-test_that("demote_packages()", {
-  dir_production <- tempfile()
-  path_production <- file.path(dir_production, "production")
-  dir.create(dir_production)
-  on.exit(unlink(path_production, recursive = TRUE))
-  mock <- system.file(
-    "mock",
-    package = "multiverse.internals",
-    mustWork = TRUE
-  )
-  file.copy(
-    from = file.path(mock, "production"),
-    to = dir_production,
-    recursive = TRUE
-  )
-  demote_packages(
-    path_production = path_production,
-    days_notice = 28L
-  )
-  packages <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "packages.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_equal(dim(packages), c(2L, 3L))
-  expect_equal(
-    sort(packages$package),
-    sort(c("production-good", "production-notice"))
-  )
-  expect_equal(
-    packages$url,
-    file.path("https://github.com/owner", packages$package)
-  )
-  expect_equal(packages$branch, paste0("sha-", packages$package))
-  removing <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_equal(
-    sort(removing),
-    sort(c("production-remove", "production-removed", "production-removing"))
-  )
-})
-
-test_that("update_production()", {
-  dir_production <- tempfile()
-  dir_community <- tempfile()
-  path_production <- file.path(dir_production, "production")
-  path_community <- file.path(dir_community, "community")
-  dir.create(dir_production)
-  dir.create(dir_community)
-  on.exit(unlink(path_production, recursive = TRUE))
-  on.exit(unlink(path_community, recursive = TRUE), add = TRUE)
-  mock <- system.file(
-    "mock",
-    package = "multiverse.internals",
-    mustWork = TRUE
-  )
-  file.copy(
-    from = file.path(mock, "production"),
-    to = dir_production,
-    recursive = TRUE
-  )
-  file.copy(
-    from = file.path(mock, "community"),
-    to = dir_community,
-    recursive = TRUE
-  )
-  names_production <- vapply(
-    jsonlite::read_json(file.path(path_production, "packages.json")),
-    function(x) x$package,
-    FUN.VALUE = character(1L)
-  )
-  names_production <- c(names_production, "production-removing")
-  meta_production <- data.frame(
-    package = names_production,
-    remotesha = paste0("sha-", names_production)
-  )
-  names_community <- vapply(
-    jsonlite::read_json(file.path(path_community, "packages.json")),
-    function(x) x$package,
-    FUN.VALUE = character(1L)
-  )
-  meta_community <- data.frame(
-    package = names_community,
-    remotesha = paste0("sha-", names_community)
-  )
-  # Update production source. Updating twice because this case should be
-  # idempotent.
-  for (index in seq_len(2L)) {
-    update_production(
-      path_production,
-      path_community,
-      days_notice = 28L,
-      mock = list(production = meta_production, community = meta_community)
-    )
-    packages <- jsonlite::read_json(
-      file.path(path_production, "packages.json"),
-      simplifyVector = TRUE
-    )
-    expect_equal(dim(packages), c(5L, 3L))
-    expect_equal(
-      sort(packages$package),
-      sort(
-        c(
-          "community-good", "community-notice", "community-remove",
-          "production-good", "production-notice"
-        )
-      )
-    )
-    expect_equal(
-      packages$url,
-      file.path("https://github.com/owner", packages$package)
-    )
-    expect_equal(packages$branch, paste0("sha-", packages$package))
-    removing <- jsonlite::read_json(
-      file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-      simplifyVector = TRUE
-    )
-    expect_equal(
-      sort(removing),
-      sort(c("production-remove", "production-removing"))
-    )
-  }
-  # Then the production universe catches up.
-  meta_production <- packages
-  meta_production$remotesha <- meta_production$branch
-  meta_production$remotesha <- NULL
-  meta_production$url <- NULL
-  # community-remove is now in production and needs to be removed.
-  # production-remove and production-removing are were automatically
-  # removed before, so they are free to get promoted again below.
-  # Update the production source again below. This should be idempotent
-  # because the issue files and the universe have not had a chance to catch up
-  # between two updates in quick succession.
-  for (index in seq_along(2L)) {
-    update_production(
-      path_production,
-      path_community,
-      days_notice = 28L,
-      mock = list(production = meta_production, community = meta_community)
-    )
-    packages <- jsonlite::read_json(
-      file.path(path_production, "packages.json"),
-      simplifyVector = TRUE
-    )
-    expect_equal(dim(packages), c(6L, 3L))
-    expect_equal(
-      sort(packages$package),
-      sort(
-        c(
-          "community-good", "community-notice",
-          "production-good", "production-notice",
-          "production-remove", "production-removing"
-        )
-      )
-    )
-    expect_equal(
-      packages$url,
-      file.path("https://github.com/owner", packages$package)
-    )
-    expect_equal(packages$branch, paste0("sha-", packages$package))
-    removing <- jsonlite::read_json(
-      file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-      simplifyVector = TRUE
-    )
-    expect_equal(removing, "community-remove")
-  }
-  # Then the production universe catches up, adding
-  # production-remove and production-removing back to production,
-  # but removing community-remove.
-  meta_production <- packages
-  meta_production$remotesha <- meta_production$branch
-  meta_production$remotesha <- NULL
-  meta_production$url <- NULL
-  # On the next update, production-remove and production-removing
-  # should be demoted and marked for removal. community-remove, on the
-  # other hand should be promoted back.
-  update_production(
-    path_production,
-    path_community,
-    days_notice = 28L,
-    mock = list(production = meta_production, community = meta_community)
-  )
-  packages <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "packages.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_equal(dim(packages), c(5L, 3L))
-  expect_equal(
-    sort(packages$package),
-    sort(
-      c(
-        "community-good", "community-notice", "community-remove",
-        "production-good", "production-notice"
-      )
-    )
-  )
-  expect_equal(
-    packages$url,
-    file.path("https://github.com/owner", packages$package)
-  )
-  expect_equal(packages$branch, paste0("sha-", packages$package))
-  removing <- jsonlite::read_json(
-    file.path(path_production, "removing.json"),
-    simplifyVector = TRUE
-  )
-  expect_equal(
-    sort(removing),
-    sort(c("production-remove", "production-removing"))
-  )
-})
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-update_staging.R b/tests/testthat/test-update_staging.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d6be7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-update_staging.R
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+test_that("update_staging()", {
+  dir_staging <- tempfile()
+  dir_community <- tempfile()
+  path_staging <- file.path(dir_staging, "staging")
+  path_community <- file.path(dir_community, "community")
+  dir.create(dir_staging)
+  dir.create(dir_community)
+  on.exit(unlink(path_staging, recursive = TRUE))
+  on.exit(unlink(path_community, recursive = TRUE), add = TRUE)
+  mock <- system.file(
+    "mock",
+    package = "multiverse.internals",
+    mustWork = TRUE
+  )
+  file.copy(
+    from = file.path(mock, "staging"),
+    to = dir_staging,
+    recursive = TRUE
+  )
+  file.copy(
+    from = file.path(mock, "community"),
+    to = dir_community,
+    recursive = TRUE
+  )
+  json <- jsonlite::read_json(file.path(path_community, "packages.json"))
+  names <- vapply(
+    json,
+    function(x) x$package,
+    FUN.VALUE = character(1L)
+  )
+  meta_community <- data.frame(
+    package = names,
+    remotesha = paste0("sha-", names)
+  )
+  update_staging(
+    path_staging = path_staging,
+    path_community = path_community,
+    mock = list(community = meta_community)
+  )
+  packages <- jsonlite::read_json(
+    file.path(path_staging, "packages.json"),
+    simplifyVector = TRUE
+  )
+  expect_true(is.data.frame(packages))
+  expect_equal(dim(packages), c(4L, 3L))
+  names <- c("change", "checks", "keep", "promote")
+  expect_equal(sort(packages$package), sort(names))
+  expect_equal(
+    packages$url,
+    file.path("https://github.com/owner", packages$package)
+  )
+  expect_equal(packages$branch, paste0("sha-", packages$package))
+})