diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index cf1e73b..a0312aa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -684,6 +684,11 @@ jobs:
             mkdir -p "$repo"
             ostree --repo="$repo" init --mode=archive-z2
           fi
+          # git drops empty directories: a checked-out site/repo lacks
+          # refs/remotes and refs/mirrors, and `build-update-repo
+          # --generate-static-deltas` aborts with
+          # "opendir(refs/remotes): No such file or directory" without them.
+          mkdir -p "$repo/refs/remotes" "$repo/refs/mirrors"
           ls -la dist/*.flatpak
           for bundle in dist/*.flatpak; do
             flatpak build-import-bundle \
@@ -1092,6 +1097,10 @@ jobs:
             echo "::warning::Snap Store queued a human review (allow-installation). The .snap is on the GitHub Release."
             exit 0
           fi
+          if grep -F -q "Waiting for previous upload(s)" "$log"; then
+            echo "::error::Snap Store publish failed: an older upload is still in the review queue. Reject and remove it at https://dashboard.snapcraft.io/ (the upload page lists it), then re-run this job."
+            exit "$status"
+          fi
           echo "::error::Snap Store publish failed (exit $status) for a reason other than allow-installation review."
           exit "$status"
 
diff --git a/tests/test_release_integrity.py b/tests/test_release_integrity.py
index 11553b3..50ec83a 100644
--- a/tests/test_release_integrity.py
+++ b/tests/test_release_integrity.py
@@ -292,3 +292,17 @@ def test_the_remote_publish_is_stable_gated_and_keeps_history():
         "continue-on-error" not in block
     ), "a tolerated checkout failure falls through to the empty-repo path"
     assert ".flatpakref" in block, "no app ref is written for one-command installs"
+
+
+def test_the_remote_publish_recreates_dirs_git_drops() -> None:
+    """git does not track empty directories, so a site/repo checked out from
+    gh-pages comes back without refs/remotes or refs/mirrors — and
+    `flatpak build-update-repo --generate-static-deltas` aborts on
+    `opendir(refs/remotes): No such file or directory` when it enumerates refs
+    for deltas. v0.18.3 hit exactly this on the first real remote publish."""
+    block = _jobs()["publish-flatpak-remote"]
+    mkdir = 'mkdir -p "$repo/refs/remotes" "$repo/refs/mirrors"'
+    assert mkdir in block, "the copied-back repo must re-create the ref dirs git dropped"
+    assert block.index(mkdir) < block.index(
+        "flatpak build-update-repo"
+    ), "the dirs must exist before build-update-repo enumerates refs"