diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index f3a841b..386f63c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -205,7 +205,8 @@ jobs:
               }
             });
           ' <<<"$metadata"
-      - name: Publish npm package
+      - id: publish
+        name: Publish npm package
         run: npm publish --provenance --access public
       - name: Verify npm publication is publicly discoverable
         shell: bash
@@ -213,6 +214,7 @@ jobs:
           VERSION: ${{ inputs.release_tag || github.ref_name }}
         run: node scripts/verify-npm-publication.mjs "${VERSION#v}"
       - name: Attach npm package to GitHub release
+        if: always() && steps.publish.outcome == 'success'
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
           RELEASE_TAG: ${{ inputs.release_tag || github.ref_name }}
diff --git a/npm/package.test.mjs b/npm/package.test.mjs
index d0f329a..4b7fa85 100644
--- a/npm/package.test.mjs
+++ b/npm/package.test.mjs
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ test("release verifies npm discovery before publishing MCP Registry metadata", a
   assert.match(workflow, /node scripts\/verify-npm-publication\.mjs/);
 });
 
-test("publication verification requires the public latest tag and a fresh npx runtime", async () => {
+test("publication verification requires the public latest tag and a resolvable version", async () => {
   const workspace = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "gitcontribute-publication-check-"));
   try {
     const client = join(workspace, "registry-client");
@@ -95,7 +95,6 @@ const args = process.argv.slice(2);
 fs.appendFileSync(process.env.GITCONTRIBUTE_TEST_CALL_LOG, JSON.stringify(args) + "\\n");
 if (args[0] === "view" && args[2] === "dist-tags.latest") process.stdout.write('"1.2.3"\\n');
 else if (args[0] === "view" && args[1] === "gitcontribute@1.2.3" && args[2] === "version") process.stdout.write('"1.2.3"\\n');
-else if (args[0] === "--yes") process.stdout.write('{"version":"1.2.3"}\\n');
 else process.exitCode = 1;
 `);
     await chmod(client, 0o755);
@@ -105,7 +104,6 @@ else process.exitCode = 1;
       env: {
         ...process.env,
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_COMMAND: client,
-        GITCONTRIBUTE_NPX_COMMAND: client,
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_ATTEMPTS: "1",
         GITCONTRIBUTE_TEST_CALL_LOG: log,
       },
@@ -115,7 +113,6 @@ else process.exitCode = 1;
     assert.deepEqual(calls, [
       ["view", "gitcontribute", "dist-tags.latest", "--json", "--prefer-online", "--registry=https://registry.npmjs.org"],
       ["view", "gitcontribute@1.2.3", "version", "--json", "--prefer-online", "--registry=https://registry.npmjs.org"],
-      ["--yes", "--prefer-online", "gitcontribute@latest", "metadata", "--json"],
     ]);
   } finally {
     await rm(workspace, { recursive: true, force: true });
@@ -134,7 +131,6 @@ fs.writeFileSync(process.env.GITCONTRIBUTE_TEST_ATTEMPTS, String(count + 1));
 if (count === 0) process.exitCode = 1;
 else if (process.argv[2] === "view" && process.argv[4] === "dist-tags.latest") process.stdout.write('"1.2.3"\\n');
 else if (process.argv[2] === "view" && process.argv[3] === "gitcontribute@1.2.3" && process.argv[4] === "version") process.stdout.write('"1.2.3"\\n');
-else if (process.argv[2] === "--yes") process.stdout.write('{"version":"1.2.3"}\\n');
 else process.exitCode = 1;
 `);
     await chmod(client, 0o755);
@@ -144,14 +140,13 @@ else process.exitCode = 1;
       env: {
         ...process.env,
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_COMMAND: client,
-        GITCONTRIBUTE_NPX_COMMAND: client,
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_ATTEMPTS: "2",
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_DELAY_MS: "1",
         GITCONTRIBUTE_TEST_ATTEMPTS: state,
       },
     });
     assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr || result.stdout);
-    assert.equal(await readFile(state, "utf8"), "4");
+    assert.equal(await readFile(state, "utf8"), "3");
   } finally {
     await rm(workspace, { recursive: true, force: true });
   }
@@ -169,7 +164,6 @@ fs.writeFileSync(process.env.GITCONTRIBUTE_TEST_ATTEMPTS, String(count + 1));
 if (count === 0) setInterval(() => {}, 1_000);
 else if (process.argv[2] === "view" && process.argv[4] === "dist-tags.latest") process.stdout.write('"1.2.3"\\n');
 else if (process.argv[2] === "view" && process.argv[3] === "gitcontribute@1.2.3" && process.argv[4] === "version") process.stdout.write('"1.2.3"\\n');
-else if (process.argv[2] === "--yes") process.stdout.write('{"version":"1.2.3"}\\n');
 else process.exitCode = 1;
 `);
     await chmod(client, 0o755);
@@ -179,7 +173,6 @@ else process.exitCode = 1;
       env: {
         ...process.env,
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_COMMAND: client,
-        GITCONTRIBUTE_NPX_COMMAND: client,
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_ATTEMPTS: "2",
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_DELAY_MS: "1",
         GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS: "500",
@@ -187,7 +180,7 @@ else process.exitCode = 1;
       },
     });
     assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr || result.stdout);
-    assert.equal(await readFile(state, "utf8"), "4");
+    assert.equal(await readFile(state, "utf8"), "3");
   } finally {
     await rm(workspace, { recursive: true, force: true });
   }
diff --git a/scripts/verify-npm-publication.mjs b/scripts/verify-npm-publication.mjs
index 1f03adc..f9e3aaf 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-npm-publication.mjs
+++ b/scripts/verify-npm-publication.mjs
@@ -3,28 +3,29 @@ import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
 const expectedVersion = process.argv[2];
 if (!expectedVersion) throw new Error("expected version argument is required");
 
+// Public discoverability is a registry-metadata property: the version must be
+// resolvable and the `latest` dist-tag must point at it. The published binary
+// is already smoke-tested earlier in the release job via the local tarball, so
+// re-resolving `@latest` through npx here would only re-download the native
+// tarball to re-confirm metadata that `npm view` already proves. That extra
+// round-trip was the flaky straggler that failed the 3.0.0 release.
 const registry = "https://registry.npmjs.org";
-const attempts = positiveInteger("GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_ATTEMPTS", 10, 30);
-const delayMS = positiveInteger("GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_DELAY_MS", 6_000, 60_000);
+const attempts = positiveInteger("GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_ATTEMPTS", 30, 60);
+const delayMS = positiveInteger("GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_DELAY_MS", 5_000, 60_000);
 const probeTimeoutMS = positiveInteger("GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_PUBLICATION_PROBE_TIMEOUT_MS", 30_000, 120_000);
 const npm = process.env.GITCONTRIBUTE_NPM_COMMAND || "npm";
-const npx = process.env.GITCONTRIBUTE_NPX_COMMAND || "npx";
 
 for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= attempts; attempt += 1) {
   try {
     const latest = await output(npm, ["view", "gitcontribute", "dist-tags.latest", "--json", "--prefer-online", `--registry=${registry}`]);
     const published = await output(npm, ["view", `gitcontribute@${expectedVersion}`, "version", "--json", "--prefer-online", `--registry=${registry}`]);
     if (jsonString(latest) === expectedVersion && jsonString(published) === expectedVersion) {
-      const metadata = await output(npx, ["--yes", "--prefer-online", "gitcontribute@latest", "metadata", "--json"]);
-      if (JSON.parse(metadata).version === expectedVersion) {
-        console.log(`npm release ${expectedVersion} is publicly discoverable`);
-        process.exit(0);
-      }
+      console.log(`npm release ${expectedVersion} is publicly discoverable`);
+      process.exit(0);
     }
   } catch {
-    // Registry propagation and fresh npx resolution are expected to be
-    // transient immediately after publication. The bounded retry loop owns
-    // those probes as one operation.
+    // Registry propagation is expected to be transient immediately after
+    // publication. The bounded retry loop owns those probes as one operation.
   }
   if (attempt < attempts) await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, delayMS));
 }