diff --git a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollection.java b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollection.java
index cf8eb1829ab..96fa2074214 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollection.java
+++ b/buildSrc/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollection.java
@@ -218,7 +218,14 @@ public class VersionCollection {
     private String getBranchFor(Version version) {
         switch (getGradleProjectNameFor(version)) {
             case "minor":
-                return version.getMajor() + ".x";
+                // The .x branch will always point to the latest minor (for that major), so a "minor" project will be on the .x branch
+                //  unless there is more recent (higher) minor.
+                final Version latestInMajor = getLatestVersionByKey(groupByMajor, version.getMajor());
+                if (latestInMajor.getMinor() == version.getMinor()) {
+                    return version.getMajor() + ".x";
+                } else {
+                    return version.getMajor() + "." + version.getMinor();
+                }
             case "staged":
             case "maintenance":
             case "bugfix":
@@ -234,7 +241,15 @@ public class VersionCollection {
         unreleased.add(currentVersion);
 
         // the tip of the previous major is unreleased for sure, be it a minor or a bugfix
-        unreleased.add(getLatestVersionByKey(this.groupByMajor, currentVersion.getMajor() - 1));
+        final Version latestOfPreviousMajor = getLatestVersionByKey(this.groupByMajor, currentVersion.getMajor() - 1);
+        unreleased.add(latestOfPreviousMajor);
+        if (latestOfPreviousMajor.getRevision() == 0) {
+            // if the previous major is a x.y.0 release, then the tip of the minor before that (y-1) is also unreleased
+            final Version previousMinor = getLatestInMinor(latestOfPreviousMajor.getMajor(), latestOfPreviousMajor.getMinor() - 1);
+            if (previousMinor != null) {
+                unreleased.add(previousMinor);
+            }
+        }
 
         final Map<Integer, List<Version>> groupByMinor = getReleasedMajorGroupedByMinor();
         int greatestMinor = groupByMinor.keySet().stream().max(Integer::compareTo).orElse(0);
@@ -262,6 +277,13 @@ public class VersionCollection {
         );
     }
 
+    private Version getLatestInMinor(int major, int minor) {
+        return groupByMajor.get(major).stream()
+            .filter(v -> v.getMinor() == minor)
+            .max(Version::compareTo)
+            .orElse(null);
+    }
+
     private Version getLatestVersionByKey(Map<Integer, List<Version>> groupByMajor, int key) {
         return groupByMajor.getOrDefault(key, emptyList()).stream()
             .max(Version::compareTo)
diff --git a/buildSrc/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollectionTests.java b/buildSrc/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollectionTests.java
index 4ea33b240e5..01387f974c4 100644
--- a/buildSrc/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollectionTests.java
+++ b/buildSrc/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/gradle/VersionCollectionTests.java
@@ -282,6 +282,10 @@ public class VersionCollectionTests extends GradleUnitTestCase {
             asList("7.1.1", "7.2.0", "7.3.0", "8.0.0"),
             getVersionCollection("8.0.0").getUnreleased()
         );
+        assertVersionsEquals(
+            asList("6.6.1", "6.7.0", "7.0.0", "7.1.0"),
+            getVersionCollection("7.1.0").getUnreleased()
+        );
     }
 
     public void testGetBranch() {
@@ -298,13 +302,17 @@ public class VersionCollectionTests extends GradleUnitTestCase {
             getVersionCollection("6.4.2")
         );
         assertUnreleasedBranchNames(
-            asList("5.6", "6.4", "6.x"),
+            asList("5.6", "6.4", "6.5"),
             getVersionCollection("6.6.0")
         );
         assertUnreleasedBranchNames(
             asList("7.1", "7.2", "7.x"),
             getVersionCollection("8.0.0")
         );
+        assertUnreleasedBranchNames(
+            asList("6.6", "6.7", "7.0"),
+            getVersionCollection("7.1.0")
+        );
     }
 
     public void testGetGradleProjectName() {
@@ -329,7 +337,7 @@ public class VersionCollectionTests extends GradleUnitTestCase {
             getVersionCollection("8.0.0")
         );
         assertUnreleasedGradleProjectNames(
-            asList("staged", "minor"),
+            asList("maintenance", "staged", "minor"),
             getVersionCollection("7.1.0")
         );
     }
diff --git a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/VersionUtils.java b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/VersionUtils.java
index f775f9f5b01..20c4601c199 100644
--- a/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/VersionUtils.java
+++ b/test/framework/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/test/VersionUtils.java
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public class VersionUtils {
      * rules here match up with the rules in gradle then this should
      * produce sensible results.
      * @return a tuple containing versions with backwards compatibility
-     * guarantees in v1 and versions without the guranteees in v2
+     * guarantees in v1 and versions without the guarantees in v2
      */
     static Tuple<List<Version>, List<Version>> resolveReleasedVersions(Version current, Class<?> versionClass) {
         // group versions into major version
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ public class VersionUtils {
             // on a stable or release branch, ie N.x
             stableVersions = currentMajor;
             // remove the next maintenance bugfix
-            moveLastToUnreleased(previousMajor, unreleasedVersions);
+            final Version prevMajorLastMinor = moveLastToUnreleased(previousMajor, unreleasedVersions);
+            if (prevMajorLastMinor.revision == 0 && previousMajor.isEmpty() == false) {
+                // The latest minor in the previous major is a ".0" release, so there must be an unreleased bugfix for the minor before that
+                moveLastToUnreleased(previousMajor, unreleasedVersions);
+            }
         }
 
         // remove next minor