diff --git a/tasks/libs/ciproviders/github_api.py b/tasks/libs/ciproviders/github_api.py
index 54a3ba49a43f1..f5337fd1333ce 100644
--- a/tasks/libs/ciproviders/github_api.py
+++ b/tasks/libs/ciproviders/github_api.py
@@ -519,14 +519,37 @@ def get_token_from_app(app_id_env='GITHUB_APP_ID', pkey_env='GITHUB_KEY_B64'):
         auth_token = integration.get_access_token(install_id)
         print(auth_token.token)
 
-    def create_label(self, name, color, description=""):
+    def create_label(self, name, color, description="", exist_ok=False):
         """
         Creates a label in the given GitHub repository.
         """
-        return self._repository.create_label(name, color, description)
 
-    def create_milestone(self, title):
-        self._repository.create_milestone(title)
+        try:
+            return self._repository.create_label(name, color, description)
+        except GithubException as e:
+            if not (
+                e.status == 422
+                and len(e.data["errors"]) == 1
+                and e.data["errors"][0]["code"] == "already_exists"
+                and exist_ok
+            ):
+                raise e
+
+    def create_milestone(self, title, exist_ok=False):
+        """
+        Creates a milestone in the given GitHub repository.
+        """
+
+        try:
+            return self._repository.create_milestone(title)
+        except GithubException as e:
+            if not (
+                e.status == 422
+                and len(e.data["errors"]) == 1
+                and e.data["errors"][0]["code"] == "already_exists"
+                and exist_ok
+            ):
+                raise e
 
     def create_release(self, tag, message, draft=True):
         return self._repository.create_git_release(
diff --git a/tasks/release.py b/tasks/release.py
index c692d5c5a4ffe..ad2de76ecb58b 100644
--- a/tasks/release.py
+++ b/tasks/release.py
@@ -706,6 +706,7 @@ def create_release_branches(ctx, base_directory="~/dd", major_version: int = 7,
             f'backport/{release_branch}',
             BACKPORT_LABEL_COLOR,
             f'Automatically create a backport PR to {release_branch}',
+            exist_ok=True,
         )
 
         # Step 2 - Create PRs with new settings in datadog-agent repository
@@ -1207,7 +1208,6 @@ def update_current_milestone(ctx, major_version: int = 7, upstream="origin"):
     """
     Create a PR to bump the current_milestone in the release.json file
     """
-    import github
 
     gh = GithubAPI()
 
@@ -1216,14 +1216,7 @@ def update_current_milestone(ctx, major_version: int = 7, upstream="origin"):
     next.devel = False
 
     print(f"Creating the {next} milestone...")
-
-    try:
-        gh.create_milestone(str(next))
-    except github.GithubException as e:
-        if e.status == 422:
-            print(f"Milestone {next} already exists")
-        else:
-            raise e
+    gh.create_milestone(str(next), exist_ok=True)
 
     with agent_context(ctx, get_default_branch(major=major_version)):
         milestone_branch = f"release_milestone-{int(time.time())}"