- The `build-tag` flag is reintroduced to conversion-gen and defaulter-gen which allow users to inject custom build tag during code generation process. ([#128259](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/128259), [@dinhxuanvu](https://github.com/dinhxuanvu)) [SIG API Machinery]

### Other (Cleanup or Flake)

- Build etcd image v3.5.12 ([#123069](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/123069), [@bzsuni](https://github.com/bzsuni)) [SIG API Machinery and Etcd]

## Dependencies

### Added
_Nothing has changed._

- Kube-apiserver: fixes a 1.27+ regression watching a single namespace via the deprecated /api/v1/watch/namespaces/$name endpoint where watch events were not delivered after the watch was established ([#126150](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/126150), [@xyz-li](https://github.com/xyz-li)) [SIG API Machinery and Testing]

- Fixed incorrect "v1 Binding is deprecated in v1.6+" warning in kube-scheduler log. ([#125540](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/125540), [@pohly](https://github.com/pohly)) [SIG API Machinery]
- Fixed the comment for the Job's managedBy field. ([#124793](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/124793), [@mimowo](https://github.com/mimowo)) [SIG API Machinery and Apps]

- Kube-apiserver: fixes a potential crash serving CustomResourceDefinitions that combine an invalid schema and CEL validation rules. ([#126167](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/126167), [@cici37](https://github.com/cici37)) [SIG API Machinery and Testing]

- Kube-apiserver: resolved a regression that treated `304 Not Modified` responses from aggregated API servers as internal errors ([#112530](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/112530), [@liggitt](https://github.com/liggitt)) [SIG API Machinery]

  being written to the API audit log. (#94986, @tkashem) [SIG API Machinery, Auth, Cloud Provider and Testing]
- Create HPA v2 from v2beta2 with some fields changed. (#102534, @wangyysde) [SIG API Machinery, Apps, Auth, Autoscaling and Testing]

- Restore --verify-only function in code generation wrappers. ([#123261](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/123261), [@skitt](https://github.com/skitt)) [SIG API Machinery]
- Sample-apiserver manifest example will have correct RBAC ([#123479](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/123479), [@Jefftree](https://github.com/Jefftree)) [SIG API Machinery and Testing]

- Update the Event series starting count when emitting isomorphic events from 1 to 2. ([#119376](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/119376), [@dgrisonnet](https://github.com/dgrisonnet)) [SIG API Machinery and Testing]

## Dependencies

### Added
_Nothing has changed._

### Changed

- Mark Job onPodConditions as optional in pod failure policy ([#120210](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/120210), [@mimowo](https://github.com/mimowo)) [SIG API Machinery and Apps]

### Feature