diff --git a/docs/configuration.rst b/docs/configuration.rst
index e2bfe3bbc..ee63a99b0 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.rst
+++ b/docs/configuration.rst
@@ -1102,4 +1102,33 @@ specified in ``file:variable`` format. For example:
         "docs/conf.py:version",
     ]
 
+Each version variable will be transformed into a Regular Expression that will be used
+to substitute the version number in the file. The replacement algorithm is **ONLY** a
+pattern match and replace. It will **NOT** evaluate the code nor will PSR understand
+any internal object structures (ie. ``file:object.version`` will not work).
+
+.. important::
+    The Regular Expression expects a version value to exist in the file to be replaced.
+    It cannot be an empty string or a non-semver compliant string. If this is the very
+    first time you are using PSR, we recommend you set the version to ``0.0.0``. This
+    may become more flexible in the future with resolution of issue `#941`_.
+
+.. _#941: https://github.com/python-semantic-release/python-semantic-release/issues/941
+
+Given the pattern matching nature of this feature, the Regular Expression is able to
+support most file formats as a variable declaration in most languages is very similar.
+We specifically support Python, YAML, and JSON as these have been the most common
+requests. This configuration option will also work regardless of file extension
+because its only a pattern match.
+
+.. note::
+    This will also work for TOML but we recommend using :ref:`config-version_toml` for
+    TOML files as it actually will interpret the TOML file and replace the version
+    number before writing the file back to disk.
+
+.. warning::
+    If the file (ex. JSON) you are replacing has two of the same variable name in it,
+    this pattern match will not be able to differentiate between the two and will replace
+    both. This is a limitation of the pattern matching and not a bug.
+
 **Default:** ``[]``
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 242021dfe..36be341bd 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ docs = [
 ]
 test = [
   "coverage[toml] ~= 7.0",
+  "pyyaml ~= 6.0",
   "pytest ~= 8.3",
   "pytest-env ~= 1.0",
   "pytest-xdist ~= 3.0",
@@ -86,8 +87,8 @@ env = [
 ]
 addopts = [
   # TO DEBUG in single process, swap auto to 0
-  "-nauto",
-  # "-n0",
+  # "-nauto",
+  "-n0",
   "-ra",
   "--diff-symbols",
   "--cache-clear",
diff --git a/semantic_release/cli/config.py b/semantic_release/cli/config.py
index ba12f4ce4..5c9f31ef7 100644
--- a/semantic_release/cli/config.py
+++ b/semantic_release/cli/config.py
@@ -540,7 +540,18 @@ def from_raw_config(  # noqa: C901
             try:
                 path, variable = decl.split(":", maxsplit=1)
                 # VersionDeclarationABC handles path existence check
-                search_text = rf"(?x){variable}\s*(:=|[:=])\s*(?P<quote>['\"])(?P<version>{SEMVER_REGEX.pattern})(?P=quote)"  # noqa: E501
+                search_text = str.join(
+                    "",
+                    [
+                        # Supports optional matching quotations around variable name
+                        # Negative lookbehind to ensure we don't match part of a variable name
+                        f"""(?x)(?P<quote1>['"])?(?<![\\w.-]){variable}(?P=quote1)?""",
+                        # Supports walrus, equals sign, or colon as assignment operator ignoring whitespace separation
+                        r"\s*(:=|[:=])\s*",
+                        # Supports optional matching quotations around version number of a SEMVER pattern
+                        f"""(?P<quote2>['"])?(?P<version>{SEMVER_REGEX.pattern})(?P=quote2)?""",
+                    ],
+                )
                 pd = PatternVersionDeclaration(path, search_text)
             except ValueError as exc:
                 log.exception("Invalid variable declaration %r", decl)
diff --git a/tests/command_line/conftest.py b/tests/command_line/conftest.py
index b8160373d..46d68d46e 100644
--- a/tests/command_line/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/command_line/conftest.py
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
 import pytest
-from click.testing import CliRunner
 from requests_mock import ANY
 
 from semantic_release.cli import config as cli_config_module
@@ -40,11 +39,6 @@ class RetrieveRuntimeContextFn(Protocol):
         def __call__(self, repo: Repo) -> RuntimeContext: ...
 
 
-@pytest.fixture
-def cli_runner() -> CliRunner:
-    return CliRunner(mix_stderr=False)
-
-
 @pytest.fixture
 def post_mocker(requests_mock: Mocker) -> Mocker:
     """Patch all POST requests, mocking a response body for VCS release creation."""
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 3465b236a..911906a7d 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 import pytest
+from click.testing import CliRunner
 from git import Commit, Repo
 
 from tests.fixtures import *
@@ -28,6 +29,11 @@ class TeardownCachedDirFn(Protocol):
         def __call__(self, directory: Path) -> Path: ...
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def cli_runner() -> CliRunner:
+    return CliRunner(mix_stderr=False)
+
+
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
 def default_netrc_username() -> str:
     return "username"
diff --git a/tests/scenario/test_version_stamp.py b/tests/scenario/test_version_stamp.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60a408e67
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/scenario/test_version_stamp.py
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import importlib.util
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+from textwrap import dedent
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+import pytest
+import yaml
+
+from semantic_release.cli.commands.main import main
+
+from tests.const import MAIN_PROG_NAME, VERSION_SUBCMD
+from tests.fixtures.repos.trunk_based_dev.repo_w_no_tags import (
+    repo_with_no_tags_angular_commits,
+)
+from tests.util import assert_successful_exit_code
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from click.testing import CliRunner
+
+    from tests.fixtures.example_project import UpdatePyprojectTomlFn
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures(repo_with_no_tags_angular_commits.__name__)
+def test_stamp_version_variables_python(
+    cli_runner: CliRunner,
+    update_pyproject_toml: UpdatePyprojectTomlFn,
+) -> None:
+    new_version = "0.1.0"
+    target_file = Path("src/example/_version.py")
+
+    # Set configuration to modify the python file
+    update_pyproject_toml(
+        "tool.semantic_release.version_variables", [f"{target_file}:__version__"]
+    )
+
+    # Use the version command and prevent any action besides stamping the version
+    cli_cmd = [
+        MAIN_PROG_NAME,
+        VERSION_SUBCMD,
+        "--no-changelog",
+        "--no-commit",
+        "--no-tag",
+    ]
+
+    # Act
+    result = cli_runner.invoke(main, cli_cmd[1:])
+
+    # Check the result
+    assert_successful_exit_code(result, cli_cmd)
+
+    # Load python module for reading the version (ensures the file is valid)
+    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("example._version", str(target_file))
+    module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)  # type: ignore
+    spec.loader.exec_module(module)  # type: ignore
+
+    # Check the version was updated
+    assert new_version == module.__version__
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures(repo_with_no_tags_angular_commits.__name__)
+def test_stamp_version_variables_yaml(
+    cli_runner: CliRunner,
+    update_pyproject_toml: UpdatePyprojectTomlFn,
+) -> None:
+    orig_version = "0.0.0"
+    new_version = "0.1.0"
+    target_file = Path("example.yml")
+    orig_yaml = dedent(
+        f"""\
+        ---
+        package: example
+        version: {orig_version}
+        date-released: 1970-01-01
+        """
+    )
+    # Write initial text in file
+    target_file.write_text(orig_yaml)
+
+    # Set configuration to modify the yaml file
+    update_pyproject_toml(
+        "tool.semantic_release.version_variables", [f"{target_file}:version"]
+    )
+
+    # Use the version command and prevent any action besides stamping the version
+    cli_cmd = [
+        MAIN_PROG_NAME,
+        VERSION_SUBCMD,
+        "--no-changelog",
+        "--no-commit",
+        "--no-tag",
+    ]
+
+    # Act
+    result = cli_runner.invoke(main, cli_cmd[1:])
+
+    # Check the result
+    assert_successful_exit_code(result, cli_cmd)
+
+    # Read content
+    resulting_yaml_obj = yaml.safe_load(target_file.read_text())
+
+    # Check the version was updated
+    assert new_version == resulting_yaml_obj["version"]
+
+    # Check the rest of the content is the same (by reseting the version & comparing)
+    resulting_yaml_obj["version"] = orig_version
+
+    assert yaml.safe_load(orig_yaml) == resulting_yaml_obj
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures(repo_with_no_tags_angular_commits.__name__)
+def test_stamp_version_variables_yaml_cff(
+    cli_runner: CliRunner,
+    update_pyproject_toml: UpdatePyprojectTomlFn,
+) -> None:
+    orig_version = "0.0.0"
+    new_version = "0.1.0"
+    target_file = Path("CITATION.cff")
+    # Derived format from python-semantic-release/python-semantic-release#962
+    orig_yaml = dedent(
+        f"""\
+        ---
+        cff-version: 1.2.0
+        message: "If you use this software, please cite it as below."
+        authors:
+            - family-names: Doe
+              given-names: Jon
+              orcid: https://orcid.org/1234-6666-2222-5555
+        title: "My Research Software"
+        version: {orig_version}
+        date-released: 1970-01-01
+        """
+    )
+    # Write initial text in file
+    target_file.write_text(orig_yaml)
+
+    # Set configuration to modify the yaml file
+    update_pyproject_toml(
+        "tool.semantic_release.version_variables", [f"{target_file}:version"]
+    )
+
+    # Use the version command and prevent any action besides stamping the version
+    cli_cmd = [
+        MAIN_PROG_NAME,
+        VERSION_SUBCMD,
+        "--no-changelog",
+        "--no-commit",
+        "--no-tag",
+    ]
+
+    # Act
+    result = cli_runner.invoke(main, cli_cmd[1:])
+
+    # Check the result
+    assert_successful_exit_code(result, cli_cmd)
+
+    # Read content
+    resulting_yaml_obj = yaml.safe_load(target_file.read_text())
+
+    # Check the version was updated
+    assert new_version == resulting_yaml_obj["version"]
+
+    # Check the rest of the content is the same (by reseting the version & comparing)
+    resulting_yaml_obj["version"] = orig_version
+
+    assert yaml.safe_load(orig_yaml) == resulting_yaml_obj
+
+
+@pytest.mark.usefixtures(repo_with_no_tags_angular_commits.__name__)
+def test_stamp_version_variables_json(
+    cli_runner: CliRunner,
+    update_pyproject_toml: UpdatePyprojectTomlFn,
+) -> None:
+    orig_version = "0.0.0"
+    new_version = "0.1.0"
+    target_file = Path("plugins.json")
+    orig_json = {
+        "id": "test-plugin",
+        "version": orig_version,
+        "meta": {
+            "description": "Test plugin",
+        },
+    }
+    # Write initial text in file
+    target_file.write_text(json.dumps(orig_json, indent=4))
+
+    # Set configuration to modify the json file
+    update_pyproject_toml(
+        "tool.semantic_release.version_variables", [f"{target_file}:version"]
+    )
+
+    # Use the version command and prevent any action besides stamping the version
+    cli_cmd = [
+        MAIN_PROG_NAME,
+        VERSION_SUBCMD,
+        "--no-changelog",
+        "--no-commit",
+        "--no-tag",
+    ]
+
+    # Act
+    result = cli_runner.invoke(main, cli_cmd[1:])
+
+    # Check the result
+    assert_successful_exit_code(result, cli_cmd)
+
+    # Read content
+    resulting_json_obj = json.loads(target_file.read_text())
+
+    # Check the version was updated
+    assert new_version == resulting_json_obj["version"]
+
+    # Check the rest of the content is the same (by reseting the version & comparing)
+    resulting_json_obj["version"] = orig_version
+
+    assert orig_json == resulting_json_obj

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd'>
<html xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>
<head>
<title>pFad - Phonifier reborn</title>
<meta http-equiv='Content-Type' content='text/html; charset=utf-8' />
</head>
<body>
<h1>Pfad - The Proxy pFad of &#169; 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.</h1>


<!-- Disclaimer -->
<p>Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.</p>
<br>
<p>Alternative Proxies:</p><p><a href="http://rainy.clevelandohioweatherforecast.com/php-proxy/index.php?q=https://patch-diff.githubusercontent.com/raw/python-semantic-release/python-semantic-release/pull/1028.diff" target="_blank">Alternative Proxy</a></p><p><a href="http://rainy.clevelandohioweatherforecast.com/pFad/index.php?u=https://patch-diff.githubusercontent.com/raw/python-semantic-release/python-semantic-release/pull/1028.diff" target="_blank">pFad Proxy</a></p><p><a href="http://rainy.clevelandohioweatherforecast.com/pFad/v3index.php?u=https://patch-diff.githubusercontent.com/raw/python-semantic-release/python-semantic-release/pull/1028.diff" target="_blank">pFad v3 Proxy</a></p><p><a href="http://rainy.clevelandohioweatherforecast.com/pFad/v4index.php?u=https://patch-diff.githubusercontent.com/raw/python-semantic-release/python-semantic-release/pull/1028.diff" target="_blank">pFad v4 Proxy</a></p></body>
</html>