diff --git a/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml b/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml
index 413223f66..8a9933397 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml
@@ -15,6 +15,17 @@ on:
         description: 'Commit message'
         default: "Add reference results"
         type: string
+      tutorials_ref_source:
+        description: 'Use tutorials from'
+        default: 'reference_versions.yaml'
+        type: choice
+        options:
+            - 'reference_versions.yaml'
+            - 'workflow branch'
+      build_args:
+        description: 'Optional overrides for reference_versions.yaml (e.g. TUTORIALS_REF:my-branch)'
+        required: false
+        type: string
       clean_docker:
         description: 'Run docker-system-prune before running tests'
         default: 'FALSE'
@@ -34,8 +45,10 @@ jobs:
   generate_reference_results_manual:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/generate-reference-results.yml
     with: 
+      suites: ${{ inputs.suites }}
       from_ref: ${{ inputs.from_ref }}
       commit_msg: ${{ inputs.commit_msg }}
-      suites: ${{ inputs.suites }}
+      tutorials_ref_source: ${{ inputs.tutorials_ref_source }}
+      build_args: ${{ inputs.build_args }}
       clean_docker: ${{ inputs.clean_docker }}
       log_level: ${{ inputs.log_level }}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results.yml b/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results.yml
index fd9493fa5..6d94b8b6a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/generate-reference-results.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ on:
         description: 'Commit message'
         default: "Add reference results"
         type: string
+      tutorials_ref_source:
+        description: 'Where to take TUTORIALS_REF from when build_args is empty'
+        default: 'reference_versions.yaml'
+        type: string
+      build_args:
+        description: 'Comma-separated overrides for reference_versions.yaml (e.g. TUTORIALS_REF:my-branch)'
+        default: ''
+        type: string
       clean_docker:
         description: 'Run docker-system-prune before running tests'
         default: 'FALSE'
@@ -33,9 +41,16 @@ jobs:
         echo "- Test suites: \`${{ inputs.suites || 'all (no filter)' }}\`"
         echo "- Git branch to commit to: \`${{ inputs.from_ref }}\`"
         echo "- Commit message:  \`${{ inputs.commit_msg }}\`"
+        if [ -n "${{ inputs.build_args }}" ]; then
+          echo "- Build args override: \`${{ inputs.build_args }}\`"
+        elif [ "${{ inputs.tutorials_ref_source }}" = "workflow branch" ]; then
+          echo "- Tutorials source: workflow branch (\`TUTORIALS_REF:${{ inputs.from_ref }}\`)"
+        else
+          echo "- Tutorials source: \`reference_versions.yaml\`"
+        fi
         echo "- Run \`docker-system-prune\` before running tests: \`${{ inputs.clean_docker }}\`"
         echo "- Log level: \`${{ inputs.log_level }}\`"
-        echo "- Running \`generate_reference_results.py --suite ${{inputs.suites}} --log_level ${{inputs.log_level}}\`"
+        echo "- Running \`generate_reference_results.py --suites ${{ inputs.suites }} --log_level ${{ inputs.log_level }}\`"
         } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
     - name: Move LFS URL to local LFS server
       run: |
@@ -70,7 +85,15 @@ jobs:
         if [ -n "${{ inputs.suites }}" ]; then
           SUITES_ARGS+=(--suites "${{ inputs.suites }}")
         fi
-        python generate_reference_results.py --log_level="${{inputs.log_level}}" "${SUITES_ARGS[@]}"
+        BUILD_ARGS_STR="${{ inputs.build_args }}"
+        if [ -z "$BUILD_ARGS_STR" ] && [ "${{ inputs.tutorials_ref_source }}" = "workflow branch" ]; then
+          BUILD_ARGS_STR="TUTORIALS_REF:${{ inputs.from_ref }}"
+        fi
+        BUILD_ARGS=()
+        if [ -n "$BUILD_ARGS_STR" ]; then
+          BUILD_ARGS=(--build_args "$BUILD_ARGS_STR")
+        fi
+        python generate_reference_results.py --log_level="${{ inputs.log_level }}" "${BUILD_ARGS[@]}" "${SUITES_ARGS[@]}"
         cd ../../
     - name: Create commit
       if: success()
diff --git a/changelog-entries/844.md b/changelog-entries/844.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d1ecd82ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog-entries/844.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- `generate_reference_results.py` accepts `--build_args` to override values from `reference_versions.yaml` (e.g. `TUTORIALS_REF` on a feature branch). The generate-reference-results workflow uses `reference_versions.yaml` by default and can optionally use the workflow branch ([#869](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/pull/869)).
diff --git a/tools/tests/README.md b/tools/tests/README.md
index 6f48f7461..f9b430a9a 100644
--- a/tools/tests/README.md
+++ b/tools/tests/README.md
@@ -166,7 +166,11 @@ run-before: ./set-case.sh 1d3d
 
 You will need to define a reference results file. The reference results can and should be generated on GitHub using the [Generate reference results (manual)](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/actions/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml) workflow for the respective test suite. You might want to temporarily set the `selected` test suite for requesting results only for a subset of test cases.
 
-Note that you will need to define the `TUTORIALS_REF` in the file [`reference_versions.yaml`](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/actions/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml) to match the respective branch. Restore that to `develop` after that. See a [related issue](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/issues/844).
+By default, the [Generate reference results (manual)](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/actions/workflows/generate-reference-results-manual.yml) workflow uses `TUTORIALS_REF` from [`reference_versions.yaml`](https://github.com/precice/tutorials/blob/develop/tools/tests/reference_versions.yaml). For a feature branch, set Use tutorials from to `workflow branch`, or pass `TUTORIALS_REF` via `--build_args` (locally) or the optional `build_args` workflow input.
+
+{% note %}
+The two options cannot be combined: defining any overrides to `reference_versions.yaml` will ignore the option to use the tutorials from the workflow branch.
+{% endnote %}
 
 The results will be added to a Git LFS, but you will need special push access: just use the aforementioned GitHub Actions workflow, instead.
 
diff --git a/tools/tests/generate_reference_results.py b/tools/tests/generate_reference_results.py
index b52486b75..0787cc6e4 100644
--- a/tools/tests/generate_reference_results.py
+++ b/tools/tests/generate_reference_results.py
@@ -118,6 +118,11 @@ def main():
                              'If not specified, all suites are used.')
     parser.add_argument('--log_level', choices=['DEBUG', 'INFO', 'WARNING', 'ERROR', 'CRITICAL'],
                         default='INFO', help='Set the logging level')
+    parser.add_argument(
+        '--build_args',
+        type=str,
+        help='Comma-separated overrides for reference_versions.yaml '
+             '(e.g., "TUTORIALS_REF:my-feature-branch")')
 
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
@@ -162,8 +167,13 @@ def main():
         test_suites = all_test_suites
         logging.info("No --suites filter specified, generating reference results for all suites.")
 
-    # Read in parameters
+    # Read in parameters from reference_versions.yaml, applying any CLI overrides.
     build_args = SystemtestArguments.from_yaml(PRECICE_TESTS_DIR / "reference_versions.yaml")
+    overrides = SystemtestArguments.from_args(args.build_args)
+    if overrides.arguments:
+        build_args = SystemtestArguments(
+            {**build_args.arguments, **overrides.arguments})
+        logging.info(f"Applied build argument overrides: {overrides}")
     systemtests_to_run = set()
 
     for test_suite in test_suites: