diff --git a/.github/scripts/drop-failed-release.sh b/.github/scripts/drop-failed-release.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c5916d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/drop-failed-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Drops a release whose Build failed: deletes its release branch, so the next
+# push to main cuts a fresh release instead of failing on "release branch
+# already exists", then tries to close its publish request.
+#
+# Environment:
+#   BRANCH    Release branch whose Build failed, such as release/1.2.3.
+#   SHA       Commit that Build ran on. The branch is deleted only while it
+#             still points there.
+#   RUN_URL   The failed Build run.
+#   GH_TOKEN  Token that can delete branches here, and ideally close issues in
+#             the publish repository.
+# GITHUB_REPOSITORY and GITHUB_REPOSITORY_OWNER come from GitHub Actions.
+set -eu
+
+ref="refs/heads/$BRANCH"
+if ! git push --force-with-lease="$ref:$SHA" origin ":$ref"; then
+  # The lease fails when the branch is already gone (a rerun) or has moved on.
+  # Either way there is nothing to drop. Any other failure is a real one.
+  current=$(git ls-remote origin "$ref")
+  case "$current" in
+    "$SHA"*) exit 1 ;;
+  esac
+  printf '::notice::%s no longer points at %s. Nothing to drop.\n' "$BRANCH" "$SHA"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Craft files publish requests in <owner>/publish by default. Closing one is
+# tidying up: an open request whose branch is gone cannot publish anything.
+publish_repo="$GITHUB_REPOSITORY_OWNER/publish"
+title="publish: $GITHUB_REPOSITORY@${BRANCH#release/}"
+comment="Superseded: [Build failed]($RUN_URL) on \`$BRANCH\`, so its branch was deleted. The next push to \`main\` prepares a new release."
+# List open requests instead of searching: search lags behind new issues.
+if ! open_requests=$(gh issue list -R "$publish_repo" --state open --limit 1000 --json number,title); then
+  printf '::warning::Could not list publish requests. Close the one for %s by hand.\n' "$BRANCH"
+  exit 0
+fi
+number=$(jq -r --arg t "$title" 'map(select(.title == $t)) | first | .number // empty' <<EOF
+$open_requests
+EOF
+)
+if [ -n "$number" ] && ! gh issue close "$number" -R "$publish_repo" --comment "$comment"; then
+  printf '::warning::Could not close %s#%s. Close it by hand.\n' "$publish_repo" "$number"
+fi
diff --git a/.github/scripts/pipeline-issue.sh b/.github/scripts/pipeline-issue.sh
index 5fcc59b..ef8ecfa 100755
--- a/.github/scripts/pipeline-issue.sh
+++ b/.github/scripts/pipeline-issue.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # Keeps one issue open while the @sentry/api release pipeline is broken, so a
 # stuck release gets noticed. `report` opens the issue, or comments on it when
-# it is already open. `resolve` closes it.
+# it is already open. `resolve` closes it once the Release run RUN_ID has
+# prepared a release.
 #
 # Usage: pipeline-issue.sh report|resolve
 #
 # Environment:
 #   MESSAGE   Markdown for the new issue, comment, or closing comment.
-#   GH_TOKEN  Token with issues: write on this repository.
+#   RUN_ID    For `resolve`: the Release run that succeeded.
+#   GH_TOKEN  Token with issues: write and actions: read on this repository.
 # GITHUB_REPOSITORY comes from GitHub Actions.
 set -eu
 
@@ -24,6 +26,20 @@ case "$action" in
     ;;
 esac
 
+if [ "$action" = resolve ]; then
+  # Release also succeeds when preflight finds nothing to release or a release
+  # still pending, and neither shows that the pipeline works again.
+  jobs=$(gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$RUN_ID/jobs")
+  prepared=$(jq '[.jobs[].steps[]? | select(.name == "Prepare release" and .conclusion == "success")] | length' <<EOF
+$jobs
+EOF
+)
+  if [ "$prepared" -eq 0 ]; then
+    printf 'Release run %s did not prepare a release. Leaving the issue as it is.\n' "$RUN_ID"
+    exit 0
+  fi
+fi
+
 open_issues=$(gh issue list -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --state open --limit 1000 --json number,title)
 number=$(jq -r --arg t "$title" '[.[] | select(.title == $t)] | first | .number // empty' <<EOF
 $open_issues
@@ -46,7 +62,7 @@ if [ -n "$number" ]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
-body="The \`@sentry/api\` release pipeline needs attention. New failures are added here as comments, and the next successful Release run closes this issue.
+body="The \`@sentry/api\` release pipeline needs attention. New failures are added here as comments, and the next Release run that prepares a release closes this issue.
 
 $MESSAGE
 
diff --git a/.github/scripts/release-preflight.sh b/.github/scripts/release-preflight.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..475b5ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/release-preflight.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Decides whether an automatic Release run cuts a release from HEAD, a commit
+# whose Build passed on main. Writes proceed=true or proceed=false to
+# $GITHUB_OUTPUT. Each skip is a case where `craft prepare` would fail.
+set -eu
+
+skip() {
+  printf '::notice::%s\n' "$1"
+  printf 'proceed=false\n' >>"$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+  exit 0
+}
+
+# "Release branch already exists". Once that release merges into main, the
+# Release run for the merge commit releases whatever landed meanwhile.
+pending=$(git ls-remote --heads origin 'refs/heads/release/*')
+if [ -n "$pending" ]; then
+  skip 'A release is still pending.'
+fi
+
+# Craft takes the next version from the latest tag in HEAD's history. A newer
+# tag outside it means HEAD predates a release, and craft would cut that
+# version again.
+base=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)
+tags=$(git tag --sort=-version:refname)
+newest=${tags%%[[:space:]]*}
+if [ "$newest" != "$base" ]; then
+  skip "HEAD predates release $newest."
+fi
+
+# "No commits found since the last release". Release merges count as released.
+unreleased=$(git rev-list --no-merges "$base..HEAD")
+if [ -z "$unreleased" ]; then
+  skip "Nothing to release since $base."
+fi
+
+printf 'proceed=true\n' >>"$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-pipeline-health.yml b/.github/workflows/release-pipeline-health.yml
index 5ed5c46..cd86236 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-pipeline-health.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-pipeline-health.yml
@@ -9,22 +9,20 @@ on:
       - completed
     branches:
       - main
+      - release/**
   schedule:
     - cron: "23 8 * * *"
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
+  # Read the steps of a Release run, to tell a prepared release from a skip.
+  actions: read
   contents: read
   issues: write
 
-# One writer at a time, so two failures cannot open two issues.
-concurrency:
-  group: release-pipeline-health
-  cancel-in-progress: false
-
 jobs:
-  # Build and Release on main: report failures, and close the issue once a
-  # Release succeeds.
+  # Build and Release on main and release branches: report failures, and close
+  # the issue once a Release run prepares a release.
   report-run:
     name: Report ${{ github.event.workflow_run.name }} result
     if: >-
@@ -35,6 +33,12 @@ jobs:
         github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'failure' ||
         (github.event.workflow_run.name == 'Release' && github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success')
       )
+    # One issue writer at a time, so two failures cannot open two issues. Only
+    # the issue writers share this group: a queued run replaces the one waiting
+    # before it, and that must never drop a failed release.
+    concurrency:
+      group: release-pipeline-issue
+      cancel-in-progress: false
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
       GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -46,20 +50,56 @@ jobs:
       - name: Report the failure
         if: github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'failure'
         env:
-          MESSAGE: ${{ env.RUN_LINK }} failed on `main` at ${{ env.COMMIT_LINK }}.
+          MESSAGE: ${{ env.RUN_LINK }} failed on `${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch }}` at ${{ env.COMMIT_LINK }}.
         run: .github/scripts/pipeline-issue.sh report
 
       - name: Close the issue
         if: github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success'
         env:
-          MESSAGE: ${{ env.RUN_LINK }} succeeded on `main` at ${{ env.COMMIT_LINK }}.
+          MESSAGE: ${{ env.RUN_LINK }} prepared a release from `${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch }}` at ${{ env.COMMIT_LINK }}.
+          RUN_ID: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
         run: .github/scripts/pipeline-issue.sh resolve
 
+  # A release branch whose Build failed can never publish, and craft refuses to
+  # cut that version again while the branch exists. Drop it so the next push
+  # to main releases again.
+  drop-failed-release:
+    name: Drop the failed release
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name == 'workflow_run' &&
+      github.event.workflow_run.name == 'Build' &&
+      github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push' &&
+      github.event.workflow_run.head_repository.full_name == github.repository &&
+      github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'failure' &&
+      startsWith(github.event.workflow_run.head_branch, 'release/')
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Get auth token
+        id: token
+        uses: actions/create-github-app-token@f8d387b68d61c58ab83c6c016672934102569859 # v3.0.0
+        with:
+          app-id: ${{ vars.SENTRY_RELEASE_BOT_CLIENT_ID }}
+          private-key: ${{ secrets.SENTRY_RELEASE_BOT_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6
+        with:
+          token: ${{ steps.token.outputs.token }}
+
+      - run: .github/scripts/drop-failed-release.sh
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.token.outputs.token }}
+          BRANCH: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch }}
+          SHA: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha }}
+          RUN_URL: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.html_url }}
+
   # Catch releases that are stuck without a failing run, such as a release
   # branch that never merged.
   check-staleness:
     name: Check for a stuck release
     if: github.event_name != 'workflow_run'
+    concurrency:
+      group: release-pipeline-issue
+      cancel-in-progress: false
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
       GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index bbc24ce..6c520eb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
 name: Release
 
 on:
-  push:
+  # Release only commits whose Build passed on main, so a broken build cannot
+  # cut a release branch whose CI then fails.
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows:
+      - Build
+    types:
+      - completed
     branches:
       - main
 
@@ -28,18 +34,21 @@ jobs:
   release:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     name: Release a new version
-    # Craft merges release branches by SHA, producing "Merge commit '...'".
+    # Only commits whose Build passed on main, pushed to this repository.
+    # Release merges run too: preflight releases the commits that landed while
+    # that release was pending, and does nothing when there are none.
     if: >-
       github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
       (
-        !startsWith(github.event.head_commit.message, 'Merge branch ''release/') &&
-        !(github.actor == 'sentry-release-bot[bot]' &&
-          startsWith(github.event.head_commit.message, 'Merge commit '))
+        github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' &&
+        github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push' &&
+        github.event.workflow_run.head_repository.full_name == github.repository
       )
-    # Apply concurrency after the guard so skipped merges cannot cancel a release.
+    # Apply concurrency after the guard so skipped runs cannot take the queue.
+    # Never cancel a running release: it may have pushed its branch already.
     concurrency:
       group: release
-      cancel-in-progress: true
+      cancel-in-progress: false
     steps:
       - name: Get auth token
         id: token
@@ -52,13 +61,28 @@ jobs:
         with:
           token: ${{ steps.token.outputs.token }}
           fetch-depth: 0
+          # The commit whose Build passed. Manual runs use the ref they were
+          # dispatched on.
+          ref: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha }}
+
+      # Craft prepares from the current branch and expects the default branch,
+      # so put a local main on the commit that Build checked.
+      - name: Put main on the built commit
+        if: github.event_name == 'workflow_run'
+        run: git checkout -B main
 
       - name: Setup Node.js
         uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4
         with:
           node-version: 24
 
+      - name: Check what to release
+        id: preflight
+        if: github.event_name == 'workflow_run'
+        run: .github/scripts/release-preflight.sh
+
       - name: Prepare release
+        if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || steps.preflight.outputs.proceed == 'true'
         uses: getsentry/craft@2e29b0819113d334c15da3d8cac2138cb9dc111a # 3.9.0
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ steps.token.outputs.token }}