diff --git a/.github/workflows/compat.yml b/.github/workflows/compat.yml
index b32cafa..6b82622 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/compat.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/compat.yml
@@ -193,24 +193,36 @@ jobs:
           API: ${{ github.server_url }}/api/v1/repos/${{ github.repository }}
           TITLE: "Incompatible with upcoming TrueNAS: ${{ steps.report.outputs.refs }}"
         run: |
-          body="$(jq -Rs . < /tmp/issue.md)"
-          title="$(printf '%s' "$TITLE" | jq -Rs .)"
+          # python3, not jq: jq is not guaranteed on a self-hosted runner, and a bug
+          # report that dies on a missing tool is a warning system that does not warn.
+          python3 - <<'PY'
+          import json, os, urllib.error, urllib.request
 
-          # Same title => same issue. Comment on it instead of filing a new one.
-          number="$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
-            "$API/issues?state=all&type=issues" \
-            | jq -r --arg t "$TITLE" '.[] | select(.title == $t) | .number' | head -1)"
+          api, token, title = os.environ["API"], os.environ["TOKEN"], os.environ["TITLE"]
+          with open("/tmp/issue.md", encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+              body = fh.read()
+          headers = {"Authorization": f"token {token}",
+                     "Content-Type": "application/json"}
 
-          if [ -n "$number" ]; then
-            curl -sS -X POST "$API/issues/$number/comments" \
-              -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "$(printf '{"body":%s}' "$body")" -o /dev/null -w 'comment -> %{http_code}\n'
-            curl -sS -X PATCH "$API/issues/$number" \
-              -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d '{"state":"open"}' -o /dev/null -w 'reopen -> %{http_code}\n'
-          else
-            curl -sS -X POST "$API/issues" \
-              -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "$(printf '{"title":%s,"body":%s}' "$title" "$body")" \
-              -o /dev/null -w 'create -> %{http_code}\n'
-          fi
+          def call(url, method, data=None):
+              req = urllib.request.Request(
+                  url, method=method, headers=headers,
+                  data=json.dumps(data).encode() if data else None)
+              with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as r:  # noqa: S310
+                  return json.load(r) if r.length != 0 else {}
+
+          # Same title => same issue. Comment on it rather than filing a new one every
+          # morning: a bot that duplicates itself daily gets muted, and then it is not
+          # a warning system any more.
+          issues = call(f"{api}/issues?state=all&type=issues", "GET")
+          match = next((i for i in issues if i["title"] == title), None)
+
+          if match:
+              n = match["number"]
+              call(f"{api}/issues/{n}/comments", "POST", {"body": body})
+              call(f"{api}/issues/{n}", "PATCH", {"state": "open"})
+              print(f"commented on and reopened issue #{n}")
+          else:
+              made = call(f"{api}/issues", "POST", {"title": title, "body": body})
+              print(f"filed issue #{made['number']}")
+          PY
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 612389b..e9cb0d6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -164,27 +164,45 @@ jobs:
             *-rc*|*-beta*|*-alpha*) prerelease=true ;;
           esac
 
-          # jq -Rs so the notes are JSON-encoded properly: the changelog is full of
-          # quotes, backticks and newlines, and hand-built JSON would mangle them.
-          body="$(jq -Rs . < /tmp/notes.md)"
-          payload="$(printf '{"tag_name":%s,"name":%s,"body":%s,"prerelease":%s}' \
-            "$(printf '%s' "$TAG" | jq -Rs .)" \
-            "$(printf '%s' "$TAG" | jq -Rs .)" \
-            "$body" "$prerelease")"
+          # python3, not jq. The changelog is full of quotes, backticks and newlines,
+          # so the body must be properly JSON-encoded -- but `jq` is not guaranteed on
+          # a self-hosted Gitea runner, and a publish step that dies on a missing tool
+          # leaves a tag with no release behind it. python3 is guaranteed: setup-python
+          # ran above.
+          python3 - "$TAG" "$API" "$TOKEN" "$prerelease" <<'PY'
+          import json, sys, urllib.error, urllib.request
 
-          existing="$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
-            "$API/releases/tags/$TAG" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+          tag, api, token, prerelease = sys.argv[1:5]
+          with open("/tmp/notes.md", encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+              body = fh.read()
 
-          if [ -n "$existing" ]; then
-            id="$(printf '%s' "$existing" | jq -r .id)"
-            echo "Release $TAG exists (id=$id) — updating notes."
-            curl -sS -X PATCH "$API/releases/$id" \
-              -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "$payload" -o /dev/null -w 'PATCH -> %{http_code}\n'
-          else
-            curl -sS -X POST "$API/releases" \
-              -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
-              -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-              -d "$payload" -o /dev/null -w 'POST -> %{http_code}\n'
-          fi
+          payload = {
+              "tag_name": tag, "name": tag, "body": body,
+              "prerelease": prerelease == "true",
+          }
+          headers = {
+              "Authorization": f"token {token}",
+              "Content-Type": "application/json",
+          }
+
+          def call(url, method, data=None):
+              req = urllib.request.Request(
+                  url, method=method, headers=headers,
+                  data=json.dumps(data).encode() if data else None)
+              with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as r:  # noqa: S310
+                  return r.status, json.load(r) if r.length != 0 else {}
+
+          try:
+              _, existing = call(f"{api}/releases/tags/{tag}", "GET")
+          except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+              if e.code != 404:
+                  raise
+              existing = None
+
+          if existing:
+              status, _ = call(f"{api}/releases/{existing['id']}", "PATCH", payload)
+              print(f"updated release {tag} -> {status}")
+          else:
+              status, _ = call(f"{api}/releases", "POST", payload)
+              print(f"created release {tag} (prerelease={payload['prerelease']}) -> {status}")
+          PY
diff --git a/tests/test_release_notes.py b/tests/test_release_notes.py
index a818c5d..b4b33b2 100644
--- a/tests/test_release_notes.py
+++ b/tests/test_release_notes.py
@@ -205,3 +205,31 @@ class TestSignificance:
         assert version_tuple("0.4.2") > version_tuple("0.4.1")
         # Pre-release suffixes are dropped, not ranked above the release.
         assert version_tuple("v0.5.0-rc1") == version_tuple("v0.5.0")
+
+
+class TestCandidateNotesResolveToTheBaseVersion:
+    """`notes v0.6.0-rc1` must return v0.6.0's section.
+
+    A candidate ships the same code as the release it is a candidate for, and the
+    CHANGELOG only ever has the one section. Without this, the release workflow cut
+    v0.6.0-rc1, passed every gate, and then died extracting the body -- so the tag
+    existed but nothing was ever published. Caught in an rc, which is the entire
+    point of having them.
+    """
+
+    CHANGELOG = "# C\n\n## v0.6.0 — 2026-07-13\n\n### Added\n- the thing\n\n## v0.5.1 — 2026-07-13\n\n- older\n"
+
+    def test_an_rc_resolves_to_its_base_version(self):
+        body = extract_notes(self.CHANGELOG, "v0.6.0-rc1")
+        assert "the thing" in body
+        assert "older" not in body
+
+    def test_rc10_too(self):
+        assert "the thing" in extract_notes(self.CHANGELOG, "v0.6.0-rc10")
+
+    def test_the_plain_version_still_works(self):
+        assert "the thing" in extract_notes(self.CHANGELOG, "v0.6.0")
+
+    def test_a_genuinely_missing_section_still_raises(self):
+        with pytest.raises(KeyError):
+            extract_notes(self.CHANGELOG, "v9.9.9-rc1")
diff --git a/tools/release_notes.py b/tools/release_notes.py
index f76391b..c797081 100644
--- a/tools/release_notes.py
+++ b/tools/release_notes.py
@@ -107,10 +107,15 @@ def changelog_versions(text: str) -> list[str]:
 def extract_notes(text: str, version: str) -> str:
     """The body of one version's section, without its heading.
 
+    A release candidate resolves to its BASE version: v0.6.0-rc2 ships the same code
+    as v0.6.0 and therefore the same notes, and the CHANGELOG only ever has the one
+    section. Without this, the release workflow cut the tag, passed every gate, and
+    then died extracting the body -- so the candidate existed but was never published.
+
     Raises KeyError if the version has no section -- a release with an empty or
     wrong body is worse than a failed release.
     """
-    want = normalise(version)
+    want = base_version(version)
     lines = text.splitlines()
 
     start = None