diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index 8d1dc317..6e89d541 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -98,6 +98,31 @@ jobs:
           echo "code=${COMMIT_COUNT}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "::notice::APK version: ${VERSION_NAME} (code=${COMMIT_COUNT})"
 
+      # Checked BEFORE the expensive work, not after it. "Attach APK to gitea
+      # Release" below resolves the release by tag and fails if it is absent —
+      # but that is the final step, so a tag pushed without a release built an
+      # APK for several minutes first and only then discovered it had nowhere to
+      # put it. Same check, seconds in instead of minutes.
+      #
+      # Releases are normally created through the API (which creates the tag and
+      # the release together, so this passes). A bare `git push origin vX` is the
+      # case this catches.
+      - name: Release must exist for this tag
+        shell: bash
+        working-directory: ${{ github.workspace }}
+        env:
+          CI_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CI_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          TAG="${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/}"
+          if ! curl -fsSL -o /dev/null \
+            -H "Authorization: token ${CI_TOKEN}" \
+            "https://git.fabledsword.com/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/releases/tags/${TAG}"; then
+            echo "::error::no release exists for ${TAG}. Create the release (which creates the tag) rather than pushing a bare tag — otherwise there is nothing to attach the APK to."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "::notice::release found for ${TAG}"
+
       - name: Cache Gradle dirs
         uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
@@ -376,4 +401,25 @@ jobs:
             exit 1
           fi
 
-          echo "::notice::${TAG} verified — APK attached: ${APK}"
+          echo "::notice::APK attached: ${APK}"
+
+      # The other half. Checking only the APK would report success on a release
+      # whose image push failed — which is precisely the second thing that was
+      # missing when v2026.08.07 had to be re-cut. `always()` on this job means
+      # it runs even when image-release failed, so without this the guard would
+      # cheerfully verify an incomplete release.
+      - name: Immutable image tag must exist
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          TAG="${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/}"
+          IMAGE="git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/minstrel"
+
+          echo "${{ secrets.CI_TOKEN }}" \
+            | docker login git.fabledsword.com -u "${{ github.actor }}" --password-stdin
+
+          if ! docker manifest inspect "${IMAGE}:${TAG}" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "::error::image ${IMAGE}:${TAG} was never pushed — the release tag has no immutable image, so there is nothing to pin or roll back to. Re-run this workflow run."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "::notice::image verified: ${IMAGE}:${TAG}"