diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 887b6fb..158a501 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -90,10 +90,21 @@ jobs:
             echo "$NAME@$VERSION is already on the registry - nothing to do"
             exit 0
           fi
-          if npm publish --provenance --access public; then
+          out="$RUNNER_TEMP/publish.log"
+          if npm publish --provenance --access public >"$out" 2>&1; then
+            cat "$out"
             echo "published $NAME@$VERSION"
             exit 0
           fi
+          cat "$out"
+          # npm view lags a publish by minutes: right after the first version
+          # went out by hand, it still answers 404 while the registry already
+          # refuses to publish that version again. Measured on 0.1.0: the tag
+          # run reached this step two minutes after the hand publish.
+          if grep -q "cannot publish over the previously published version" "$out"; then
+            echo "$NAME@$VERSION is already on the registry (npm view does not show it yet) - nothing to do"
+            exit 0
+          fi
           if npm view "$NAME" version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             echo "::error::$NAME is on the registry, but publishing $VERSION failed - see the npm output above (the Trusted Publisher not pointing at this repository and release.yml?)"
             exit 1