diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 230a51221f5..1f974a3d3ae 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-Zcash 4.5.1-1
+Zcash 4.6.0-rc1
===========
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index cbd7e8c6518..43b90999d3d 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
dnl require autoconf 2.60 (AS_ECHO/AS_ECHO_N)
AC_PREREQ([2.60])
define(_CLIENT_VERSION_MAJOR, 4)
-define(_CLIENT_VERSION_MINOR, 5)
-define(_CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION, 1)
-define(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD, 51)
+define(_CLIENT_VERSION_MINOR, 6)
+define(_CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION, 0)
+define(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD, 25)
define(_ZC_BUILD_VAL, m4_if(m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD < 25), 1, m4_incr(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD), m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD < 50), 1, m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD - 24), m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD == 50), 1, , m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD - 50)))
define(_CLIENT_VERSION_SUFFIX, m4_if(m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD < 25), 1, _CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION-beta$1, m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD < 50), 1, _CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION-rc$1, m4_eval(_CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD == 50), 1, _CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION, _CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION-$1)))
define(_CLIENT_VERSION_IS_RELEASE, true)
diff --git a/contrib/debian/changelog b/contrib/debian/changelog
index 244daae2180..6cac5c33a53 100644
--- a/contrib/debian/changelog
+++ b/contrib/debian/changelog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+zcash (4.6.0~rc1) stable; urgency=medium
+
+ * 4.6.0-rc1 release.
+
+ -- Electric Coin Company Sat, 18 Dec 2021 04:25:50 +0000
+
zcash (4.5.1+1) stable; urgency=medium
* 4.5.1-1 release.
diff --git a/contrib/gitian-descriptors/gitian-linux.yml b/contrib/gitian-descriptors/gitian-linux.yml
index 4f6f2cdfbd4..c7507bc89d8 100644
--- a/contrib/gitian-descriptors/gitian-linux.yml
+++ b/contrib/gitian-descriptors/gitian-linux.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
---
-name: "zcash-4.5.1-1"
+name: "zcash-4.6.0-rc1"
enable_cache: true
distro: "debian"
suites:
diff --git a/doc/man/zcash-cli.1 b/doc/man/zcash-cli.1
index 152d423b1c6..2eecd326f64 100644
--- a/doc/man/zcash-cli.1
+++ b/doc/man/zcash-cli.1
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE! It was generated by help2man 1.47.13.
-.TH ZCASH-CLI "1" "October 2021" "zcash-cli v4.5.1-1" "User Commands"
+.TH ZCASH-CLI "1" "December 2021" "zcash-cli v4.6.0-rc1" "User Commands"
.SH NAME
-zcash-cli \- manual page for zcash-cli v4.5.1-1
+zcash-cli \- manual page for zcash-cli v4.6.0-rc1
.SH DESCRIPTION
-Zcash RPC client version v4.5.1\-1
+Zcash RPC client version v4.6.0\-rc1
.PP
In order to ensure you are adequately protecting your privacy when using Zcash,
please see .
diff --git a/doc/man/zcash-tx.1 b/doc/man/zcash-tx.1
index 07d0a5b9e26..9e395912fb8 100644
--- a/doc/man/zcash-tx.1
+++ b/doc/man/zcash-tx.1
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE! It was generated by help2man 1.47.13.
-.TH ZCASH-TX "1" "October 2021" "zcash-tx v4.5.1-1" "User Commands"
+.TH ZCASH-TX "1" "December 2021" "zcash-tx v4.6.0-rc1" "User Commands"
.SH NAME
-zcash-tx \- manual page for zcash-tx v4.5.1-1
+zcash-tx \- manual page for zcash-tx v4.6.0-rc1
.SH DESCRIPTION
-Zcash zcash\-tx utility version v4.5.1\-1
+Zcash zcash\-tx utility version v4.6.0\-rc1
.SS "Usage:"
.TP
zcash\-tx [options] [commands]
diff --git a/doc/man/zcashd.1 b/doc/man/zcashd.1
index d86cd12b850..b4d9e4a4419 100644
--- a/doc/man/zcashd.1
+++ b/doc/man/zcashd.1
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE! It was generated by help2man 1.47.13.
-.TH ZCASHD "1" "October 2021" "zcashd v4.5.1-1" "User Commands"
+.TH ZCASHD "1" "December 2021" "zcashd v4.6.0-rc1" "User Commands"
.SH NAME
-zcashd \- manual page for zcashd v4.5.1-1
+zcashd \- manual page for zcashd v4.6.0-rc1
.SH DESCRIPTION
-Zcash Daemon version v4.5.1\-1
+Zcash Daemon version v4.6.0\-rc1
.PP
In order to ensure you are adequately protecting your privacy when using Zcash,
please see .
diff --git a/doc/release-notes/release-notes-4.6.0-rc1.md b/doc/release-notes/release-notes-4.6.0-rc1.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1bfd543d0f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/release-notes/release-notes-4.6.0-rc1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+Notable changes
+===============
+
+Wallet
+------
+
+From this release, newly-created wallets will save the chain name ("Zcash") and
+network identifier (e.g. "main") to the `wallet.dat` file. This will enable the
+`zcashd` node to check on subsequent starts that the `wallet.dat` file matches
+the node's configuration. Existing wallets will start saving this information in
+a later release.
+
+`libzcash_script`
+-----------------
+
+Two new APIs have been added to this library (`zcash_script_legacy_sigop_count`
+and `zcash_script_legacy_sigop_count_precomputed`), for counting the number of
+signature operations in the transparent inputs and outputs of a transaction.
+The presence of these APIs is indicated by a library API version of 2.
+
+Updated RPCs
+------------
+
+- Fixed an issue where `ERROR: spent index not enabled` would be logged
+ unnecessarily on nodes that have either insightexplorer or lightwalletd
+ configuration options enabled.
+
+- The `getmininginfo` RPC now omits `currentblockize` and `currentblocktx`
+ when a block was never assembled via RPC on this node during its current
+ process instantiation. (#5404)
+
+Changelog
+=========
+
+Alex Wied (1):
+ Update support for FreeBSD
+
+Charlie O'Keefe (1):
+ Add buster to the list of suites used by gitian
+
+Dimitris Apostolou (1):
+ Fix typos
+
+Jack Grigg (22):
+ contrib: Update Debian copyright file to follow the v1 format
+ contrib: Add license information for libc++ and libevent
+ cargo update
+ tracing-subscriber 0.3
+ Bump all postponed dependencies
+ depends: Update Rust to 1.56.1
+ depends: Update Clang / libcxx to LLVM 13
+ rust: Move `incremental_sinsemilla_tree_ffi` into crate root
+ CI: Add Pyflakes to lints workflow
+ cargo update
+ ed25519-zebra 3
+ cargo update
+ cargo update
+ depends: Update Boost to 1.78.0
+ depends Update Rust to 1.57.0
+ qa: Postpone recent CCache releases
+ Revert "lint: Fix false positive"
+ rust: Remove misleading log message
+ Migrate to latest revisions of Zcash Rust crates
+ Update release notes
+ make-release.py: Versioning changes for 4.6.0-rc1.
+ make-release.py: Updated manpages for 4.6.0-rc1.
+
+Janito Vaqueiro Ferreira Filho (1):
+ Move `CurrentTxVersionInfo` into a new file
+
+Kris Nuttycombe (7):
+ Add BIP 44 coin type to persisted wallet state.
+ Persist network id string instead of bip44 coin type.
+ Add a check to test that wallet load fails if we're on the wrong network.
+ Remove unused `AddDestData` method.
+ Fix wallet-related wording in doc/reduce-traffic.md
+ Rename OrchardMerkleTree -> OrchardMerkleFrontier
+ Batch-verify Orchard transactions at the block level.
+
+Larry Ruane (6):
+ add TestSetIBD(bool) for testing
+ Disable IBD for all boost tests
+ better wallet network info error handling
+ test: automatically add missing nuparams
+ Don't log 'ERROR: spent index not enabled'
+ getblocktemplate: add NU5 commitments to new `defaultroots` section
+
+Marco Falke (1):
+ [rpc] mining: Omit uninitialized currentblockweight, currentblocktx
+
+Marshall Gaucher (1):
+ Update entrypoint.sh
+
+Sasha (1):
+ fix typo in docker run's volume argument
+
+sgmoore (1):
+ Update reduce-traffic.md - add one word
+
+Jack Grigg (1):
+ contrib: Add space between URL and period
+
+teor (7):
+ Add sigop count functions to zcash_script library
+ Increment the zcash_script API version
+ Remove an unused header
+ Use correct copyright header
+ Remove redundant variable
+ Explain UINT_MAX error return value
+ Explain how to get rid of a tiny duplicated function
+
diff --git a/src/clientversion.h b/src/clientversion.h
index 326d068e792..fe2e3f4d08e 100644
--- a/src/clientversion.h
+++ b/src/clientversion.h
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@
//! These need to be macros, as clientversion.cpp's and bitcoin*-res.rc's voodoo requires it
#define CLIENT_VERSION_MAJOR 4
-#define CLIENT_VERSION_MINOR 5
-#define CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION 1
-#define CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD 51
+#define CLIENT_VERSION_MINOR 6
+#define CLIENT_VERSION_REVISION 0
+#define CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD 25
//! Set to true for release, false for prerelease or test build
#define CLIENT_VERSION_IS_RELEASE true
diff --git a/src/deprecation.h b/src/deprecation.h
index 6ea5b0cb7d9..24316025b8a 100644
--- a/src/deprecation.h
+++ b/src/deprecation.h
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
// Per https://zips.z.cash/zip-0200
// Shut down nodes running this version of code, 16 weeks' worth of blocks after the estimated
// release block height. A warning is shown during the 14 days' worth of blocks prior to shut down.
-static const int APPROX_RELEASE_HEIGHT = 1396476;
+static const int APPROX_RELEASE_HEIGHT = 1498500;
static const int RELEASE_TO_DEPRECATION_WEEKS = 16;
static const int EXPECTED_BLOCKS_PER_HOUR = 3600 / Consensus::POST_BLOSSOM_POW_TARGET_SPACING;
static_assert(EXPECTED_BLOCKS_PER_HOUR == 48, "The value of Consensus::POST_BLOSSOM_POW_TARGET_SPACING was chosen such that this assertion holds.");