diff --git a/.nx/version-plans/version-plan-1769115988858.md b/.nx/version-plans/version-plan-1769115988858.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..6c450ac23e99a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nx/version-plans/version-plan-1769115988858.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+__default__: patch
+---
+
+Release 0.81.1
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0f05e8a14be9dc..95f5467c89a6e4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@react-native-macos/monorepo",
-  "version": "0.81.0-rc0",
+  "version": "0.81.0",
   "license": "MIT",
   "packageManager": "yarn@4.12.0",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/packages/nx-release-version/package.json b/packages/nx-release-version/package.json
index 314c8388a7d598..45119c8897da99 100644
--- a/packages/nx-release-version/package.json
+++ b/packages/nx-release-version/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@react-native-macos/nx-release-version",
-  "version": "0.81.0-rc0",
+  "version": "0.81.0",
   "description": "Nx Release Version Actions for React Native macOS",
   "homepage": "https://github.com/microsoft/react-native-macos/tree/HEAD/packages/nx-release-version#readme",
   "license": "MIT",
diff --git a/packages/react-native/local-cli/runMacOS/runMacOS.js b/packages/react-native/local-cli/runMacOS/runMacOS.js
index e171d776937f63..9fad4f6555c681 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/local-cli/runMacOS/runMacOS.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/local-cli/runMacOS/runMacOS.js
@@ -35,12 +35,27 @@
  * }} ProjectConfig
  */
 
-const chalk = require('chalk');
-const child_process = require('child_process');
-const path = require('path');
+const child_process = require('node:child_process');
+const path = require('node:path');
 
-const {logger, CLIError, getDefaultUserTerminal} = (() => {
-  const cli = require.resolve('@react-native-community/cli/package.json');
+const colors = (() => {
+  const {WriteStream} = require('node:tty');
+  if (WriteStream.prototype.hasColors() &&
+    !process.env.NODE_TEST_CONTEXT &&
+    process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'test'
+  ) {
+    return {
+      bold: (s) => '\u001B[1m' + s + '\u001B[22m',
+      dim: (s) => '\u001B[2m' + s + '\u001B[22m',
+    }
+  }
+
+  const passthrough = (s) => s;
+  return { bold: passthrough, dim: passthrough };
+})();
+
+const {logger, CLIError, getDefaultUserTerminal} = ((projectRoot = process.cwd()) => {
+  const cli = require.resolve('@react-native-community/cli/package.json', {paths: [projectRoot]});
   const options = {paths: [path.dirname(cli)]};
   const tools = require.resolve('@react-native-community/cli-tools', options);
   return require(tools);
@@ -92,7 +107,7 @@ function parseArgs(ctx, args) {
   logger.info(
     `Found Xcode ${
       xcodeProject.isWorkspace ? 'workspace' : 'project'
-    } "${chalk.bold(xcodeProject.name)}"`,
+    } "${colors.bold(xcodeProject.name)}"`,
   );
 
   return {sourceDir, xcodeProject, scheme};
@@ -146,7 +161,7 @@ async function run(sourceDir, xcodeProject, scheme, args) {
     .trim();
 
   logger.info(
-    `Launching app "${chalk.bold(bundleID)}" from "${chalk.bold(appPath)}"`,
+    `Launching app "${colors.bold(bundleID)}" from "${colors.bold(appPath)}"`,
   );
 
   child_process.exec(
@@ -179,7 +194,7 @@ function buildProject(sourceDir, xcodeProject, scheme, args) {
       scheme,
     ];
     logger.info(
-      `Building ${chalk.dim(
+      `Building ${colors.dim(
         `(using "xcodebuild ${xcodebuildArgs.join(' ')}")`,
       )}`,
     );
diff --git a/packages/react-native/package.json b/packages/react-native/package.json
index 666825082cd283..3a9b3bdf568f3c 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/package.json
+++ b/packages/react-native/package.json
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@
       {
         "name": "FBReactNativeSpec",
         "type": "all",
-        "ios": {
+        "macos": {
           "modules": {
             "AccessibilityManager": {
               "unstableRequiresMainQueueSetup": true
diff --git a/packages/react-native/react-native.config.js b/packages/react-native/react-native.config.js
index 46579f1475b48b..4fc760e979c04d 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/react-native.config.js
+++ b/packages/react-native/react-native.config.js
@@ -71,8 +71,14 @@ try {
 // [macOS
 let apple;
 try {
+  const iosPath = require.resolve('@react-native-community/cli-platform-ios', {
+    paths: [process.cwd()],
+  });
   // $FlowFixMe[untyped-import]
-  apple = require('@react-native-community/cli-platform-apple');
+  apple = findCommunityPlatformPackage(
+    '@react-native-community/cli-platform-apple',
+    iosPath,
+  );
 } catch {
   if (verbose) {
     console.warn(
@@ -156,7 +162,7 @@ if (android != null) {
 
 // [macOS
 config.commands.push(...macosCommands);
-if (apple != null) {
+if (apple) {
   config.platforms.macos = {
     linkConfig: () => {
       return {
diff --git a/packages/react-native/scripts/codegen/__tests__/__snapshots__/generate-artifacts-executor-test.js.snap b/packages/react-native/scripts/codegen/__tests__/__snapshots__/generate-artifacts-executor-test.js.snap
index 72417e5e0f655d..5d6fce2dac5fe8 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/scripts/codegen/__tests__/__snapshots__/generate-artifacts-executor-test.js.snap
+++ b/packages/react-native/scripts/codegen/__tests__/__snapshots__/generate-artifacts-executor-test.js.snap
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@ exports[`execute test-app "ReactAppDependencyProvider.podspec" should match snap
 # This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
 # LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 
-version = \\"0.81.0-rc0\\"
+version = \\"0.81.0\\"
 source = { :git => 'https://github.com/facebook/react-native.git' }
 if version == '1000.0.0'
   # This is an unpublished version, use the latest commit hash of the react-native repo, which we’re presumably in.
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ exports[`execute test-app "ReactCodegen.podspec" should match snapshot 1`] = `
 # This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
 # LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 
-version = \\"0.81.0-rc0\\"
+version = \\"0.81.0\\"
 source = { :git => 'https://github.com/facebook/react-native.git' }
 if version == '1000.0.0'
   # This is an unpublished version, use the latest commit hash of the react-native repo, which we’re presumably in.
@@ -840,7 +840,7 @@ exports[`execute test-app-legacy "ReactAppDependencyProvider.podspec" should mat
 # This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
 # LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 
-version = \\"0.81.0-rc0\\"
+version = \\"0.81.0\\"
 source = { :git => 'https://github.com/facebook/react-native.git' }
 if version == '1000.0.0'
   # This is an unpublished version, use the latest commit hash of the react-native repo, which we’re presumably in.
@@ -878,7 +878,7 @@ exports[`execute test-app-legacy "ReactCodegen.podspec" should match snapshot 1`
 # This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
 # LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 
-version = \\"0.81.0-rc0\\"
+version = \\"0.81.0\\"
 source = { :git => 'https://github.com/facebook/react-native.git' }
 if version == '1000.0.0'
   # This is an unpublished version, use the latest commit hash of the react-native repo, which we’re presumably in.