diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 1a56efa..d4c7d80 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -3,13 +3,24 @@ name: Release
 on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
+  # Retries npm publish for a release whose tag already exists. Keep this in
+  # release.yml: npm trusted publishing is bound to this workflow file.
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      tag:
+        description: 'Existing release tag to publish, e.g. deploygate--v1.5.2'
+        required: true
+        type: string
 
 jobs:
   release-please:
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: write
-      id-token: write
+    outputs:
+      release_created: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created }}
+      tag_name: ${{ steps.release.outputs.tag_name }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v3
         id: app-token
@@ -55,24 +66,72 @@ jobs:
             git push origin "HEAD:${BRANCH}"
           fi
 
-      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
-        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+  publish:
+    needs: release-please
+    if: ${{ !cancelled() && (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || (needs.release-please.result == 'success' && needs.release-please.outputs.release_created == 'true')) }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+    env:
+      TAG: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.tag || needs.release-please.outputs.tag_name }}
+    steps:
+      - run: |
+          if ! printf '%s' "$TAG" | grep -Eq '^deploygate--v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$'; then
+            echo "::error::Invalid release tag (expected deploygate--vX.Y.Z)"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+        with:
+          ref: refs/tags/${{ env.TAG }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
 
-      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
+      # Only publish commits that went through main, so a manual run cannot
+      # publish a tag pointing at unreviewed code.
+      - run: |
+          if ! git merge-base --is-ancestor HEAD origin/main; then
+            echo "::error::${TAG} is not reachable from main; refusing to publish"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - id: check
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${TAG#deploygate--v}"
+          PKG_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
+          if [ "$PKG_VERSION" != "$VERSION" ]; then
+            echo "::error::package.json version ${PKG_VERSION} does not match tag ${TAG}"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          # Only an explicit E404 means "not published yet". Any other registry
+          # error stops the run instead of attempting a publish.
+          if PUBLISHED=$(npm view "@deploygate/mcp@${VERSION}" version 2>"$RUNNER_TEMP/npm-view.err"); then
+            if [ "$PUBLISHED" = "$VERSION" ]; then
+              echo "::notice::@deploygate/mcp@${VERSION} is already on npm; skipping publish"
+              echo "skip=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+              exit 0
+            fi
+          elif ! grep -q E404 "$RUNNER_TEMP/npm-view.err"; then
+            cat "$RUNNER_TEMP/npm-view.err"
+            echo "::error::Could not check npm for @deploygate/mcp@${VERSION}"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "skip=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.check.outputs.skip == 'false' }}
         uses: actions/setup-node@v7
         with:
           node-version: 24
           cache: npm
           registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
 
-      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
+      - if: ${{ steps.check.outputs.skip == 'false' }}
         run: npm install -g npm@latest
 
-      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
+      - if: ${{ steps.check.outputs.skip == 'false' }}
         run: npm ci
 
-      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
-        run: npm run bundle
-
-      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
+      # No `npm run bundle` here: the plugin/scripts/bundle.js committed at the
+      # tag is published as-is, so npm and git ship the same file.
+      - if: ${{ steps.check.outputs.skip == 'false' }}
         run: npm publish
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1564c6c..e0b372f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -226,6 +226,13 @@ End users can pin to a tag with:
 
 Without a pin, `claude plugin install` follows `main`. Users can fetch the latest published tag with `claude plugin update deploygate`.
 
+### Retrying a failed npm publish
+
+If the tag `deploygate--vX.Y.Z` and its GitHub Release exist but `npm publish` failed, do not delete the tag: that breaks release-please's baseline.
+
+- If the failure was transient or outside the repository (an npm outage, a registry or trusted-publisher setting), fix it and go to Actions → Release → Run workflow, then enter the tag. The workflow checks out the tag and publishes the files committed there, including `plugin/scripts/bundle.js`. It refuses tags that are not reachable from `main`, and does nothing if that version is already on npm.
+- If the failure was caused by the tagged files themselves (for example a broken `package-lock.json`), a retry fails again because the tag cannot change. Merge a `fix:` PR to `main` and ship it as the next release instead.
+
 ## Support & Project Status
 
 This plugin is open-source software provided **as-is on a best-effort