diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index a05b4d6..c24e7af 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -175,13 +175,21 @@ jobs:
           echo "$FORMATTED_CHANGELOG" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "EOF" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
-      - name: Create or Update Release
+      - name: Create Release
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           VERSION: ${{ steps.create_tag.outputs.new_tag }}
         run: |
           DEB_VERSION=$(echo $VERSION | sed 's/^v//')
 
+          # Always delete existing release first (handles re-runs)
+          if gh release view $VERSION &>/dev/null; then
+            echo "Deleting existing release $VERSION..."
+            gh release delete $VERSION --yes --cleanup-tag=false
+            echo "Waiting for GitHub to process deletion..."
+            sleep 10
+          fi
+
           cat > /tmp/release_notes.md << 'NOTES'
           ${{ steps.changelog.outputs.changelog }}
 
@@ -221,17 +229,8 @@ jobs:
           ```
           NOTES
 
-          # Check if release already exists
-          if gh release view $VERSION &>/dev/null; then
-            echo "Release $VERSION exists, updating assets with --clobber..."
-            gh release upload $VERSION --clobber \
-              dist/sekai-cli-* dist/*.deb dist/checksums.txt dist/*.sig
-            # Update release notes
-            gh release edit $VERSION --notes-file /tmp/release_notes.md
-          else
-            echo "Creating new release $VERSION..."
-            gh release create $VERSION \
-              --title "Release $VERSION" \
-              --notes-file /tmp/release_notes.md \
-              dist/sekai-cli-* dist/*.deb dist/checksums.txt dist/*.sig
-          fi
+          echo "Creating release $VERSION..."
+          gh release create $VERSION \
+            --title "Release $VERSION" \
+            --notes-file /tmp/release_notes.md \
+            dist/sekai-cli-* dist/*.deb dist/checksums.txt dist/*.sig