CentOS Stream 9: /etc/centos-release missing after centos-release-stream transition

Background

CentOS Stream 9 replaces the traditional centos-release RPM with centos-release-stream. The replacement does not create the /etc/centos-release file that many automation scripts use to detect the distribution name and version.

Challenge

Legacy provisioning tools, CI pipelines, and security scanners that read /etc/centos-release now fail or misidentify the platform as unknown. The only available file is /etc/os-release, which has a different format and may not be parsed by older scripts.

Unresolved Decision

There is no documented migration path or backward‑compatible alias for the missing file. Script authors must decide whether to modify their code, add a compatibility shim, or wait for an official fix.

Questions

1. Should a symlink or wrapper be introduced to provide a legacy /etc/centos-release file that points to /etc/os-release?
2. What is the official recommendation from the CentOS community for handling this transition in automated workflows?
3. How can CI/CD pipelines be updated to detect CentOS Stream 9 without rewriting all distribution checks?