diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-internal.yml b/.github/workflows/release-beta.yml
similarity index 97%
rename from .github/workflows/release-internal.yml
rename to .github/workflows/release-beta.yml
index 1231b9e6..9cbebb05 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-internal.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-beta.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 name: Publish beta NuGet package
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
-
+  push:
+    branches:
+     - vnext
 jobs:
   check:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-manual.yml b/.github/workflows/release-manual.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0eeca64b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-manual.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+name: Publish custom NuGet package version
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      package_version:
+        description: 'NuGet package version (e.g. 6.0.0-beta.1041)'
+        required: true
+
+jobs:
+  pre-release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Publish NuGet packages
+    environment: AsyncAPI
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        package-name: [ "LEGO.AsyncAPI", "LEGO.AsyncAPI.Readers", "LEGO.AsyncAPI.Bindings" ]
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v1
+
+      - name: Setup .NET Core @ Latest
+        uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v1
+
+      - name: Build ${{ matrix.package-name }} project and pack NuGet package
+        run: dotnet pack src/${{ matrix.package-name }}/${{ matrix.package-name }}.csproj -c Release -o out-${{ matrix.package-name }} -p:PackageVersion=${{ github.event.inputs.package_version }}
+
+      - name: Push generated package to NuGet
+        run: dotnet nuget push out-${{ matrix.package-name }}/*.nupkg -s https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json --skip-duplicate -n --api-key ${{secrets.NUGET}}
diff --git a/CODEOWNERS b/CODEOWNERS
index f1759cb1..2e87be63 100644
--- a/CODEOWNERS
+++ b/CODEOWNERS
@@ -1 +1 @@
-* @VisualBean
+* @VisualBean @UlrikSandberg
diff --git a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/LEGO.AsyncAPI.csproj b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/LEGO.AsyncAPI.csproj
index 99e69016..a321a003 100644
--- a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/LEGO.AsyncAPI.csproj
+++ b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/LEGO.AsyncAPI.csproj
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
       <PrivateAssets>all</PrivateAssets>
       <IncludeAssets>runtime; build; native; contentfiles; analyzers; buildtransitive</IncludeAssets>
     </PackageReference>
-    <PackageReference Include="System.Text.Json" Version="8.0.4" Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'netstandard2.0'" />
+    <PackageReference Include="System.Text.Json" Version="8.0.5" Condition="'$(TargetFramework)' == 'netstandard2.0'" />
 
 	  <AssemblyAttribute Include="System.Runtime.CompilerServices.InternalsVisibleTo">
 		  <_Parameter1>$(MSBuildProjectName).Tests</_Parameter1>
diff --git a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Models/AsyncApiDocument.cs b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Models/AsyncApiDocument.cs
index 5be55202..b6488883 100644
--- a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Models/AsyncApiDocument.cs
+++ b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Models/AsyncApiDocument.cs
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ namespace LEGO.AsyncAPI.Models
     using System.Collections.Generic;
     using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Exceptions;
     using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Models.Interfaces;
-    using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Writers;
     using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Services;
+    using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Writers;
 
     /// <summary>
     /// This is the root document object for the API specification. It combines resource listing and API declaration together into one document.
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ public class AsyncApiDocument : IAsyncApiExtensible, IAsyncApiSerializable
         /// <summary>
         /// REQUIRED. The available channels and messages for the API.
         /// </summary>
-        public IDictionary<string, AsyncApiChannel> Channels { get; set; } = new Dictionary<string, AsyncApiChannel>();
+        public IDictionary<string, AsyncApiChannel> Channels { get; set; }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// an element to hold various schemas for the specification.
diff --git a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Validation/Rules/AsyncApiDocumentRules.cs b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Validation/Rules/AsyncApiDocumentRules.cs
index 27076369..264c1611 100644
--- a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Validation/Rules/AsyncApiDocumentRules.cs
+++ b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Validation/Rules/AsyncApiDocumentRules.cs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ public static class AsyncApiDocumentRules
                     context.Exit();
 
                     context.Enter("channels");
-                    if (document.Channels == null || !document.Channels.Keys.Any())
+                    if (document.Channels == null)
                     {
                         context.CreateError(
                             nameof(DocumentRequiredFields),
diff --git a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Writers/AsyncApiWriterExtensions.cs b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Writers/AsyncApiWriterExtensions.cs
index 67c4737a..25777d51 100644
--- a/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Writers/AsyncApiWriterExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/LEGO.AsyncAPI/Writers/AsyncApiWriterExtensions.cs
@@ -285,10 +285,7 @@ public static void WriteRequiredMap<T>(
             Action<IAsyncApiWriter, string, T> action)
             where T : IAsyncApiElement
         {
-            if (elements != null && elements.Any())
-            {
-                writer.WriteMapInternal(name, elements, action);
-            }
+            writer.WriteMapInternal(name, elements, action);
         }
 
         /// <summary>
diff --git a/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentBuilder.cs b/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentBuilder.cs
index 3f2ee429..886fb7bf 100644
--- a/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentBuilder.cs
+++ b/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentBuilder.cs
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@
 
 namespace LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests
 {
+    using System;
+    using System.Collections.Generic;
     using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Models;
     using LEGO.AsyncAPI.Models.Interfaces;
-    using System;
 
     internal class AsyncApiDocumentBuilder
     {
@@ -42,6 +43,10 @@ public AsyncApiDocumentBuilder WithDefaultContentType(string contentType = "appl
 
         public AsyncApiDocumentBuilder WithChannel(string key, AsyncApiChannel channel)
         {
+            if (this.document.Channels == null)
+            {
+                this.document.Channels = new Dictionary<string, AsyncApiChannel>();
+            }
             this.document.Channels.Add(key, channel);
             return this;
         }
diff --git a/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentV2Tests.cs b/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentV2Tests.cs
index 63e818b4..13ae85e5 100644
--- a/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentV2Tests.cs
+++ b/test/LEGO.AsyncAPI.Tests/AsyncApiDocumentV2Tests.cs
@@ -1202,6 +1202,10 @@ public void Serialize_WithBindingReferences_SerializesDeserializes()
                     },
                 },
             };
+            if (doc.Channels == null)
+            {
+                doc.Channels = new Dictionary<string, AsyncApiChannel>();
+            }
             doc.Channels.Add(
                 "testChannel",
                 new AsyncApiChannel
@@ -1260,6 +1264,10 @@ public void Serializev2_WithBindings_Serializes()
                 Protocol = "pulsar+ssl",
                 Url = "example.com",
             });
+            if (doc.Channels == null)
+            {
+                doc.Channels = new Dictionary<string, AsyncApiChannel>();
+            }
             doc.Channels.Add(
                 "testChannel",
                 new AsyncApiChannel
@@ -1325,5 +1333,36 @@ public void Serializev2_WithBindings_Serializes()
 
             Assert.AreEqual("this mah binding", httpBinding.Headers.Description);
         }
+
+
+
+        [Test]
+        public void SerializeV2_EmptyChannelObject_DeserializeAndSerializePreserveChannelObject()
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var spec = """
+            asyncapi: 2.6.0
+            info:
+              title: Spec with missing channel info
+              description: test description
+            servers:
+              production:
+                url: example.com
+                protocol: pulsar+ssl
+                description: test description
+            channels: { }
+            """;
+
+            var settings = new AsyncApiReaderSettings();
+            var reader = new AsyncApiStringReader(settings);
+
+            // Act
+            var deserialized = reader.Read(spec, out var diagnostic);
+            var actual = deserialized.Serialize(AsyncApiVersion.AsyncApi2_0, AsyncApiFormat.Yaml);
+
+            // Assert
+            actual.Should()
+                .BePlatformAgnosticEquivalentTo(spec);
+        }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file