diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 059951f..b2f53d4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -293,6 +293,39 @@ jobs:
             | sort -k2 > SHA256SUMS
           cat SHA256SUMS
 
+      # ORDER MATTERS: everything that belongs on the Release, and the
+      # provenance for it, is produced BEFORE the Release exists. Releases in
+      # this repository are immutable — publishing one freezes its assets — so
+      # the old order (create with SHA256SUMS, then upload the SBOM, then
+      # attest) failed with "HTTP 422: Cannot upload assets to an immutable
+      # release" at the SBOM upload, and the attestation step behind it never
+      # ran. v0.4.3 through v0.4.6 shipped with SHA256SUMS only and no
+      # attestation, while the comment below told users to verify one.
+
+      # SPDX JSON SBOM of the released commit. Written to a file and attached
+      # at creation rather than by the action itself: its own release upload
+      # only works on `release` events, and this workflow runs on push.
+      - name: Generate SBOM (SPDX JSON)
+        uses: anchore/sbom-action@3ad7283483fc7af8ff2b4ea19663c2d5ca935e26 # v0.24.2
+        with:
+          path: .
+          format: spdx-json
+          output-file: sbom.spdx.json
+          upload-artifact: false
+          upload-release-assets: false
+
+      # Provenance for what users actually run: every installer listed in
+      # SHA256SUMS, by digest. Verify one with
+      #   gh attestation verify install.sh --repo resq-software/dev
+      # Attestations are stored against the repository, not the Release, so
+      # this step does not depend on it — and running it first means a
+      # workflow_dispatch re-run still attests a version whose Release
+      # already exists.
+      - name: Attest build provenance
+        uses: actions/attest-build-provenance@4d101475d8b20a2381f78447822ac1eab6504dd8 # v4.2.2
+        with:
+          subject-checksums: SHA256SUMS
+
       - name: Create GitHub Release
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -300,10 +333,11 @@ jobs:
           set -euo pipefail
 
           # Idempotent alongside the tag step: a re-run must not fail because
-          # the release already exists.
+          # the release already exists. An immutable Release cannot be changed,
+          # so there is nothing to refresh; say what it carries and stop.
           if gh release view "$TAG" --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "release $TAG already exists; refreshing SHA256SUMS only"
-            gh release upload "$TAG" SHA256SUMS --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --clobber
+            assets="$(gh release view "$TAG" --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --json assets --jq '[.assets[].name] | join(", ")')"
+            echo "release $TAG already exists and is immutable; leaving it as is (assets: ${assets:-none})"
             exit 0
           fi
 
@@ -335,37 +369,12 @@ jobs:
             cat SHA256SUMS
             echo '```'
           } > NOTES.md
-          gh release create "$TAG" SHA256SUMS \
+          # Every asset in the one call that publishes: after it, none can be added.
+          gh release create "$TAG" SHA256SUMS sbom.spdx.json \
             --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" \
             --title "$TAG" \
             --notes-file NOTES.md
 
-      # SPDX JSON SBOM of the released commit. Written to a file and uploaded
-      # below rather than by the action itself: its own release upload only
-      # works on `release` events, and this workflow runs on push.
-      - name: Generate SBOM (SPDX JSON)
-        uses: anchore/sbom-action@3ad7283483fc7af8ff2b4ea19663c2d5ca935e26 # v0.24.2
-        with:
-          path: .
-          format: spdx-json
-          output-file: sbom.spdx.json
-          upload-artifact: false
-          upload-release-assets: false
-
-      - name: Attach the SBOM to the Release
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-        # --clobber keeps a re-run idempotent, like the SHA256SUMS refresh above.
-        run: gh release upload "$TAG" sbom.spdx.json --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --clobber
-
-      # Provenance for what users actually run: every installer listed in
-      # SHA256SUMS, by digest. Verify one with
-      #   gh attestation verify install.sh --repo resq-software/dev
-      - name: Attest build provenance
-        uses: actions/attest-build-provenance@4d101475d8b20a2381f78447822ac1eab6504dd8 # v4.2.2
-        with:
-          subject-checksums: SHA256SUMS
-
   bump:
     name: propose pin bump
     needs: verify