diff --git a/internal/releasecheck/publisher_tag_binding_test.go b/internal/releasecheck/publisher_tag_binding_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0019eaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/releasecheck/publisher_tag_binding_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+package releasecheck
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// GitHub clears a release's tag when an update omits tag_name. Model that
+// mutation before returning the response: checking the response is too late
+// once a newly published release has become immutable.
+func TestPublisherPatchesPreserveEachBoundReleaseTag(t *testing.T) {
+	publish := readReleaseFile(t, "../../scripts/publish-release.sh")
+	start := strings.Index(publish, "initial_release_state() {")
+	end := strings.Index(publish, "\nrequire_remote_tag_object() {")
+	if start < 0 || end <= start {
+		t.Fatal("could not isolate bound publisher mutation functions")
+	}
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name, initial, invoke, want string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:    "publish candidate",
+			initial: "v2.10.9 true false false 12345",
+			invoke:  "publish_bound_release",
+			want:    "v2.10.9 false false true 12345 false",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "restore mutable candidate to draft",
+			initial: "v2.10.9 false false false 12345",
+			invoke:  "secure_failed_publication_state",
+			want:    "v2.10.9 true false false 12345 false",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "promote candidate to Latest",
+			initial: "v2.10.9 false false true 12345",
+			invoke:  "set_latest_by_release_id 12345 v2.10.9 true",
+			want:    "v2.10.9 false false true 12345 true",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "restore previous Latest with its own tag",
+			initial: "v2.10.8 false false true 12344",
+			invoke:  "set_latest_by_release_id 12344 v2.10.8 true",
+			want:    "v2.10.8 false false true 12344 true",
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "clear candidate Latest",
+			initial: "v2.10.9 false false true 12345",
+			invoke:  "set_latest_by_release_id 12345 v2.10.9 false",
+			want:    "v2.10.9 false false true 12345 false",
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			dir := t.TempDir()
+			script := filepath.Join(dir, "patch-tag.sh")
+			body := `#!/bin/bash
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+TAG=v2.10.9
+REPO=mock/repo
+EXPECTED_RELEASE_ID=12345
+expected_prerelease=false
+MAX_RELEASE_VERSION_BYTES=128
+printf '%s\n' "$TEST_INITIAL" > "$TEST_STATE/release"
+gh_with_timeout() {
+  local tag draft prerelease immutable id endpoint field latest=unchanged
+  read -r tag draft prerelease immutable id < "$TEST_STATE/release"
+  if [[ "$1" == api && "$2" == "repos/${REPO}/releases/${id}" ]]; then
+    cat "$TEST_STATE/release"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  [[ "$1" == api && "$2" == --method && "$3" == PATCH ]] || return 90
+  endpoint=$4
+  [[ "$endpoint" == "repos/${REPO}/releases/${id}" ]] || return 91
+  shift 4
+  # Match the real API's omission behavior, not the desired caller behavior.
+  tag=untagged-fixture
+  while (( $# )); do
+    case "$1" in
+      -f|-F)
+        field=$2
+        case "$field" in
+          tag_name=*) tag=${field#*=} ;;
+          draft=true) draft=true; immutable=false ;;
+          draft=false) draft=false; immutable=true ;;
+          prerelease=*) prerelease=${field#*=} ;;
+          make_latest=*) latest=${field#*=} ;;
+          *) return 92 ;;
+        esac
+        shift 2
+        ;;
+      --jq) shift 2 ;;
+      *) return 93 ;;
+    esac
+  done
+  printf '%s %s %s %s %s\n' "$tag" "$draft" "$prerelease" "$immutable" "$id" > "$TEST_STATE/release"
+  printf '%s %s %s %s %s %s\n' "$tag" "$draft" "$prerelease" "$immutable" "$id" "$latest" >> "$TEST_STATE/mutations"
+  cat "$TEST_STATE/release"
+}
+` + publish[start:end] + "\n" + tc.invoke + "\n"
+			if err := os.WriteFile(script, []byte(body), 0o700); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			cmd := exec.Command("/bin/bash", "-p", script)
+			cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "TEST_STATE="+dir, "TEST_INITIAL="+tc.initial)
+			if out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput(); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("bound release tag was lost during PATCH: %v\n%s", err, out)
+			}
+			mutations, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(dir, "mutations"))
+			if err != nil || string(mutations) != tc.want+"\n" {
+				t.Fatalf("mutations = %q, %v; want exactly %q", mutations, err, tc.want+"\n")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/scripts/publish-release.sh b/scripts/publish-release.sh
index 49366f5..d345f96 100755
--- a/scripts/publish-release.sh
+++ b/scripts/publish-release.sh
@@ -646,6 +646,7 @@ require_draft() {
 publish_bound_release() {
   local state actual_tag actual_draft actual_prerelease actual_immutable actual_id extra
   state="$(gh_with_timeout api --method PATCH "repos/${REPO}/releases/${EXPECTED_RELEASE_ID}" \
+    -f "tag_name=${TAG}" \
     -F draft=false -F "prerelease=${expected_prerelease}" -f make_latest=false \
     --jq '. | (.tag_name|tostring) + " " + (.draft|tostring) + " " + (.prerelease|tostring) + " " + (.immutable|tostring) + " " + (.id|tostring)')" \
     || return 1
@@ -685,6 +686,7 @@ secure_failed_publication_state() {
   fi
 
   rollback_state="$(gh_with_timeout api --method PATCH "repos/${REPO}/releases/${EXPECTED_RELEASE_ID}" \
+    -f "tag_name=${TAG}" \
     -F draft=true -F "prerelease=${expected_prerelease}" -f make_latest=false \
     --jq '. | (.tag_name|tostring) + " " + (.draft|tostring) + " " + (.prerelease|tostring) + " " + (.immutable|tostring) + " " + (.id|tostring)')" \
     || { echo "could not return mutable Release $EXPECTED_RELEASE_ID to draft" >&2; return 1; }
@@ -719,6 +721,7 @@ set_latest_by_release_id() {
     && ( "$make_latest" == true || "$make_latest" == false ) ]] \
     || { echo "invalid bound Release identity for Latest update" >&2; return 1; }
   state="$(gh_with_timeout api --method PATCH "repos/${REPO}/releases/${release_id}" \
+    -f "tag_name=${tag}" \
     -f "make_latest=${make_latest}" \
     --jq '. | (.tag_name|tostring) + " " + (.draft|tostring) + " " + (.prerelease|tostring) + " " + (.immutable|tostring) + " " + (.id|tostring)')" \
     || return 1