diff --git a/packages/plugin/script/publish.ts b/packages/plugin/script/publish.ts
index de129918cd..fea8c7230c 100755
--- a/packages/plugin/script/publish.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin/script/publish.ts
@@ -11,22 +11,28 @@ async function published(name: string, version: string) {
 }
 
 await $`bun tsc`
-const pkg = await import("../package.json").then(
-  (m) => m.default as { name: string; version: string; exports: Record<string, string> },
-)
-const original = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(pkg))
+const originalText = await Bun.file("package.json").text()
+const pkg = JSON.parse(originalText) as {
+  name: string
+  version: string
+  exports: Record<string, string>
+}
 if (await published(pkg.name, pkg.version)) {
   console.log(`already published ${pkg.name}@${pkg.version}`)
-  process.exit(0)
-}
-for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(pkg.exports)) {
-  const file = value.replace("./src/", "./dist/").replace(".ts", "")
-  // @ts-ignore
-  pkg.exports[key] = {
-    import: file + ".js",
-    types: file + ".d.ts",
+} else {
+  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(pkg.exports)) {
+    const file = value.replace("./src/", "./dist/").replace(".ts", "")
+    // @ts-ignore
+    pkg.exports[key] = {
+      import: file + ".js",
+      types: file + ".d.ts",
+    }
+  }
+  await Bun.write("package.json", JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2))
+  try {
+    await $`bun pm pack`
+    await $`npm publish *.tgz --tag ${Script.channel} --access public`
+  } finally {
+    await Bun.write("package.json", originalText)
   }
 }
-await Bun.write("package.json", JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2))
-await $`bun pm pack && npm publish *.tgz --tag ${Script.channel} --access public`
-await Bun.write("package.json", JSON.stringify(original, null, 2))
diff --git a/packages/sdk/js/script/publish.ts b/packages/sdk/js/script/publish.ts
index b5e1211fc4..29426a41b7 100755
--- a/packages/sdk/js/script/publish.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/js/script/publish.ts
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@ async function published(name: string, version: string) {
   return (await $`npm view ${name}@${version} version`.nothrow()).exitCode === 0
 }
 
-const pkg = (await import("../package.json").then((m) => m.default)) as {
+const originalText = await Bun.file("package.json").text()
+const pkg = JSON.parse(originalText) as {
   name: string
   version: string
   exports: Record<string, unknown>
 }
-const original = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(pkg))
 function transformExports(exports: Record<string, unknown>) {
   return Object.fromEntries(
     Object.entries(exports).map(([key, value]) => {
@@ -33,10 +33,13 @@ function transformExports(exports: Record<string, unknown>) {
 }
 if (await published(pkg.name, pkg.version)) {
   console.log(`already published ${pkg.name}@${pkg.version}`)
-  process.exit(0)
+} else {
+  pkg.exports = transformExports(pkg.exports)
+  await Bun.write("package.json", JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2))
+  try {
+    await $`bun pm pack`
+    await $`npm publish *.tgz --tag ${Script.channel} --access public`
+  } finally {
+    await Bun.write("package.json", originalText)
+  }
 }
-pkg.exports = transformExports(pkg.exports)
-await Bun.write("package.json", JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2))
-await $`bun pm pack`
-await $`npm publish *.tgz --tag ${Script.channel} --access public`
-await Bun.write("package.json", JSON.stringify(original, null, 2))
diff --git a/script/publish.ts b/script/publish.ts
index 6cd244e0e6..c8e39a4b3d 100755
--- a/script/publish.ts
+++ b/script/publish.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,23 @@ const pkgjsons = await Array.fromAsync(
 ).then((arr) => arr.filter((x) => !x.includes("node_modules") && !x.includes("dist")))
 
 const extensionToml = fileURLToPath(new URL("../packages/extensions/zed/extension.toml", import.meta.url))
+const publishPackageJsons = ["packages/plugin/package.json", "packages/sdk/js/package.json"]
 
 async function hasChanges() {
   return (await $`git diff --quiet && git diff --cached --quiet`.nothrow()).exitCode !== 0
 }
 
+async function hasPublishPackageJsonChanges() {
+  if ((await $`git diff --quiet -- ${publishPackageJsons}`.nothrow()).exitCode !== 0) return true
+  return (await $`git diff --cached --quiet -- ${publishPackageJsons}`.nothrow()).exitCode !== 0
+}
+
+async function logPublishPackageJsonChanges() {
+  await $`git status --short -- ${publishPackageJsons}`
+  await $`git diff -- ${publishPackageJsons}`
+  await $`git diff --cached -- ${publishPackageJsons}`
+}
+
 async function releaseTagExists() {
   return (await $`git rev-parse -q --verify refs/tags/${tag}`.nothrow()).exitCode === 0
 }
@@ -76,6 +88,11 @@ if (Script.release) {
 
 if (Script.release && !Script.preview) {
   await $`git fetch origin`
+  if (await hasPublishPackageJsonChanges()) {
+    console.error("publish scripts left package.json changes before syncing dev")
+    await logPublishPackageJsonChanges()
+    throw new Error("packages/plugin/package.json or packages/sdk/js/package.json changed during publish")
+  }
   await $`git checkout -B dev origin/dev`
   await prepareReleaseFiles()
   if (await hasChanges()) {