diff --git a/cli/lib/build.js b/cli/lib/build.js
index 320765443ed..46b31a74afb 100644
--- a/cli/lib/build.js
+++ b/cli/lib/build.js
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ const main = async ({loglevel, releases: rawReleases, useCurrent, navPath, conte
           ...release,
           version: version.toString(),
           // the default release is always controlled by the latest dist-tag
-          default: semver.eq(version, pack.latest),
+          default: semver.major(version) === semver.major(pack.latest),
           prerelease: version.prerelease.length > 0,
         }
       )
diff --git a/cli/test/index.js b/cli/test/index.js
index dbfae1d05c1..1c659786b80 100644
--- a/cli/test/index.js
+++ b/cli/test/index.js
@@ -219,6 +219,26 @@ test('earlier release is latest', async t => {
   await build()
 })
 
+test('major containing the latest dist-tag stays latest when a newer patch is not tagged yet', async t => {
+  const {build, testdir, releases} = await mockBuild(t, {
+    packument: {versions: ['6.14.18', '7.24.2', '8.19.3', '9.0.0', '9.0.1'], latest: '9.0.0'},
+  })
+
+  await build()
+
+  const nav = yaml.parse(await fs.readFile(join(testdir, 'nav.yml'), 'utf-8'))
+  const builtUrls = releases.map(r => `/cli/${r.id}`)
+  const variants = nav.find(c => c.url === '/cli').variants.filter(v => builtUrls.includes(v.url))
+  const v9 = variants.find(v => v.url === '/cli/v9')
+  assert.equal(v9.title, 'Version 9.0.1')
+  assert.equal(v9.type, 'latest')
+  assert.equal(v9.default, true)
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    variants.filter(v => v.type === 'latest').map(v => v.url),
+    ['/cli/v9'],
+  )
+})
+
 test('can skip fetching latest', async t => {
   const {build} = await mockBuild(t)
 
diff --git a/content/nav.yml b/content/nav.yml
index a6789c6e25e..c0ccdd60183 100644
--- a/content/nav.yml
+++ b/content/nav.yml
@@ -1897,8 +1897,8 @@
     - title: Version 12.2.1
       shortName: v12
       url: /cli/v12
-      default: false
-      type: legacy
+      default: true
+      type: latest
       children:
         - title: CLI Commands
           shortName: Commands
diff --git a/src/components/variant-select.js b/src/components/variant-select.js
index 30f9a5db95b..6dfcfd1623e 100644
--- a/src/components/variant-select.js
+++ b/src/components/variant-select.js
@@ -31,49 +31,73 @@ const VariantItem = ({title, shortName, url, active}) => {
   )
 }
 
-const useVariantFocus = () => {
-  const locationChange = useLocationChange()
-  const anchorRef = React.useRef(null)
-
-  React.useEffect(() => {
-    if (locationChange.change && getNav.didVariantChange(locationChange.previous, locationChange.current)) {
-      anchorRef.current.focus()
-    }
-  }, [locationChange])
-
-  return anchorRef
-}
+const isPlainActivation = event =>
+  !event.metaKey &&
+  !event.ctrlKey &&
+  !event.shiftKey &&
+  !event.altKey &&
+  (event.type === 'click' ? event.button === 0 : event.key === 'Enter')
 
 const VariantMenu = ({title, latest, current, prerelease, legacy}) => {
   const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false)
-  const anchorRef = useVariantFocus()
+  const anchorRef = React.useRef(null)
+  const selectingRef = React.useRef(false)
+  const focusAnchorRef = React.useRef(false)
   const labelId = 'label-versions-list-item'
   const locationChange = useLocationChange()
 
   React.useEffect(() => {
+    selectingRef.current = false
     if (locationChange.change && getNav.didVariantChange(locationChange.previous, locationChange.current)) {
+      focusAnchorRef.current = true
       setOpen(false)
     }
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps -- granular deps are intentional; locationChange.current is a URL string, not a ref
   }, [locationChange.change, locationChange.current, locationChange.previous])
 
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (!open && focusAnchorRef.current) {
+      focusAnchorRef.current = false
+      anchorRef.current?.focus()
+    }
+  }, [open, locationChange])
+
+  const handleOpenChange = React.useCallback(nextOpen => {
+    if (!nextOpen && selectingRef.current) {
+      return
+    }
+    setOpen(nextOpen)
+  }, [])
+
+  const trackSelection = React.useCallback(event => {
+    const item = event.target.closest?.('[role="menuitem"]')
+    selectingRef.current = Boolean(item && !item.hasAttribute('aria-current') && isPlainActivation(event))
+  }, [])
+
+  const closeMenu = React.useCallback(() => {
+    selectingRef.current = false
+    setOpen(false)
+  }, [])
+
   return (
     <>
       <p id={labelId} className={styles.Box}>
         Select CLI Version:
       </p>
-      <ActionMenu anchorRef={anchorRef} open={open} onOpenChange={setOpen}>
+      <ActionMenu anchorRef={anchorRef} open={open} onOpenChange={handleOpenChange}>
         <ActionMenu.Button aria-describedby={labelId} className={styles.menuButton}>
           {title}
         </ActionMenu.Button>
-        <StyledOverlay width="auto" onEscape={() => setOpen(false)}>
-          <ActionList aria-labelledby={labelId}>
-            <ActionList.Group>
-              <ActionList.GroupHeading>Current</ActionList.GroupHeading>
-              <VariantItem {...latest} />
-              {current && <VariantItem {...current} />}
-              {prerelease && <VariantItem {...prerelease} />}
-            </ActionList.Group>
+        <StyledOverlay width="auto" onEscape={closeMenu}>
+          <ActionList aria-labelledby={labelId} onClickCapture={trackSelection} onKeyDownCapture={trackSelection}>
+            {latest || current || prerelease ? (
+              <ActionList.Group>
+                <ActionList.GroupHeading>Current</ActionList.GroupHeading>
+                {latest && <VariantItem {...latest} />}
+                {current && <VariantItem {...current} />}
+                {prerelease && <VariantItem {...prerelease} />}
+              </ActionList.Group>
+            ) : null}
             <ActionList.Group>
               <ActionList.GroupHeading>Legacy</ActionList.GroupHeading>
               {legacy.map(item => (