diff --git a/.github/workflows/post-releasenotes.yml b/.github/workflows/post-releasenotes.yml
index 15a811d35..fc6b47a91 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/post-releasenotes.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/post-releasenotes.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ on:
   push:
     branches:
     - master
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+    - master
 
 env:
   GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
@@ -14,6 +17,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: checkout sources
       uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+    # since we are running this step on a pull request, we will skip build numbers in releases
     - name: atomically create or retrieve the build number and assemble release notes
       id: version_number
       run: |
@@ -22,6 +26,7 @@ jobs:
 
     # ironically, we have to upload a file, otherwise this won't create a release with just the release notes
     - name: publish release
+      if: github.event_name == 'push'
       uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
       with:
         tag_name: v$(<release-version)
diff --git a/scripts/get-atomic-buildnr.sh b/scripts/get-atomic-buildnr.sh
index 613a04222..d20dde78d 100644
--- a/scripts/get-atomic-buildnr.sh
+++ b/scripts/get-atomic-buildnr.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ git remote set-url origin "$url"
 git push origin main
 echo "build number prior to get-or-create was $(<latest-subsurface-buildnumber)"
 cd ..
-bash -x subsurface/scripts/get-or-create-build-nr.sh "$1" &> /dev/null
+bash -x subsurface/scripts/get-or-create-build-nr.sh "$1"
 echo "build number after get-or-create is $(<subsurface/latest-subsurface-buildnumber)"
 cp nightly-builds/latest-subsurface-buildnumber subsurface
 [[ -n $3 ]] && echo "$3" > subsurface/latest-subsurface-buildnumber-extension