diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 5796310..cb853cd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: src/${{ matrix.package }}
         run: |
           if [ -d "tests" ] || [ -d "test" ]; then
-            uv run pytest
+            uv run --frozen pytest
           else
             echo "No tests directory, skipping"
           fi
diff --git a/scripts/release.py b/scripts/release.py
index e4ce127..b3dcf0c 100755
--- a/scripts/release.py
+++ b/scripts/release.py
@@ -113,7 +113,9 @@ def has_changes(path: Path, git_hash: GitHash) -> bool:
         )
 
         changed_files = [Path(f) for f in output.stdout.splitlines()]
-        relevant_files = [f for f in changed_files if f.suffix in [".py", ".ts"]]
+        # .md counts as a change: READMEs ship inside the published package
+        # (npm tarball / PyPI long_description)
+        relevant_files = [f for f in changed_files if f.suffix in [".py", ".ts", ".md"]]
         return len(relevant_files) >= 1
     except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
         return False