diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d1d306f9..d1bd8938 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -177,9 +177,9 @@ test:
 .PHONY: dist
 dist: dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-py3-none-any.whl dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION).tar.gz dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-docs-html.zip dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-docs-md.zip dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-build-epoch.txt
 dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-py3-none-any.whl: check test
-	SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH) flit build --setup-py --format wheel
+	SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH) python -m flit build --setup-py --format wheel
 dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION).tar.gz: check test
-	SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH) flit build --setup-py --format sdist
+	SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH) python -m flit build --setup-py --format sdist
 dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-docs-html.zip: docs-html
 	python -m zipfile -c dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-docs-html.zip docs/_build/html/
 dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-docs-md.zip: docs-md
@@ -204,6 +204,24 @@ docs/_build/markdown/Home.md: check test
 	$(MAKE) -C docs/ markdown
 	mv docs/_build/markdown/index.md docs/_build/markdown/Home.md
 
+# In rare cases (e.g. when Github goes down) it might be necessary to build and publish
+# a package release directly, instead of using the Github Actions workflows. The target
+# assumes that all credentials required by `twine` are available through environment
+# variables: https://twine.readthedocs.io/en/stable/#environment-variables
+emergency-release: emergency-release-pypi
+emergency-release-pypi:
+	if [ "$$(git branch --show-current)" != "main" ]; then \
+	  echo "Must be on the main branch to release" && exit 1; \
+	fi
+	if [ "$$(git status --porcelain)" != "" ]; then \
+	  echo "Changes detected, please stash or commit them first" && exit 1; \
+	fi
+	python -m commitizen --no-raise 21 bump --changelog --yes
+	git push
+	git push --tags
+	$(MAKE) dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-py3-none-any.whl dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION).tar.gz
+	# python -m twine upload --verbose --skip-existing dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION)-py3-none-any.whl dist/$(PACKAGE_NAME)-$(PACKAGE_VERSION).tar.gz
+
 # Prune the packages currently installed in the virtual environment down to the required
 # packages only. Pruning works in a roundabout way, where we first generate the wheels for
 # all installed packages into the build/wheelhouse/ folder. Next we wipe all packages and