diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 73d0f64..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,53 +0,0 @@
-name: publish
-
-on:
-  release:
-    types: [published]
-
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-  id-token: write
-
-jobs:
-  publish:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    environment: npm-publish
-    steps:
-      - name: Identify package from release tag
-        id: pkg
-        run: |
-          TAG="${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}"
-          case "$TAG" in
-            "@userlike/messenger-internal@"*)
-              echo "tgz=packages/messenger-internal/package.tgz" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-              echo "name=@userlike/messenger-internal" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-              ;;
-            "@userlike/messenger@"*)
-              echo "tgz=packages/messenger/package.tgz" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-              echo "name=@userlike/messenger" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-              ;;
-            *)
-              echo "::error::Unknown release tag '$TAG'"
-              exit 1
-              ;;
-          esac
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@48b55a011bda9f5d6aeb4c2d9c7362e8dae4041e # v6.4.0
-        with:
-          node-version: "24"
-          cache: yarn
-          registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org
-      - run: corepack enable
-      - run: npm install -g npm@^11.15.0
-      - run: yarn install --immutable
-      - name: Build all packages (topological)
-        run: yarn workspaces foreach -At --no-private run build
-      - name: Pack all packages (substitutes workspace:* to concrete version)
-        run: yarn workspaces foreach -At --no-private pack
-      - name: Stage-publish ${{ steps.pkg.outputs.name }}
-        run: npm stage publish ${{ steps.pkg.outputs.tgz }}
-      - name: Summary
-        run: |
-          echo "Staged ${{ steps.pkg.outputs.name }} on npm. Approve via npmjs.com or 'npm stage promote'." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
-          echo "" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
-          echo "If both packages are released together: promote messenger-internal *before* messenger, since messenger's package.json pins a specific internal version." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
index 603bf92..181d068 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
@@ -7,12 +7,60 @@ on:
 permissions:
   contents: write
   pull-requests: write
+  id-token: write
 
 jobs:
   release-please:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: npm-publish
     steps:
       - uses: googleapis/release-please-action@45996ed1f6d02564a971a2fa1b5860e934307cf7 # v5.0.0
+        id: release
         with:
           config-file: release-please-config.json
           manifest-file: .release-please-manifest.json
+
+      # Publish steps run only when release-please created releases.
+      # This avoids the "GITHUB_TOKEN cannot trigger workflows" gotcha that
+      # made the standalone publish.yml fail to fire after Release PR merges.
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        uses: actions/setup-node@48b55a011bda9f5d6aeb4c2d9c7362e8dae4041e # v6.4.0
+        with:
+          node-version: "24"
+          cache: yarn
+          registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        run: corepack enable
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        run: npm install -g npm@^11.15.0
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        run: yarn install --immutable
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        name: Build all packages (topological)
+        run: yarn workspaces foreach -At --no-private run build
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        name: Pack all packages (substitutes workspace:* to concrete version)
+        run: yarn workspaces foreach -At --no-private pack
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs['packages/messenger-internal--release_created'] == 'true' }}
+        name: Stage-publish @userlike/messenger-internal (must go first - messenger depends on it)
+        run: npm stage publish packages/messenger-internal/package.tgz
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs['packages/messenger--release_created'] == 'true' }}
+        name: Stage-publish @userlike/messenger
+        run: npm stage publish packages/messenger/package.tgz
+
+      - if: ${{ steps.release.outputs.releases_created == 'true' }}
+        name: Summary
+        run: |
+          echo "Packages staged on npm. Approve via npmjs.com or 'npm stage promote'." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          echo "" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          echo "If both packages are released together: promote messenger-internal *before* messenger, since messenger's package.json pins a specific internal version." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"