diff --git a/scripts/release.js b/scripts/release.js
index 4eabe911b..49a11a552 100644
--- a/scripts/release.js
+++ b/scripts/release.js
@@ -347,9 +347,7 @@ async function publishPackage(pkgName, version) {
   step(`Publishing ${pkgName}...`)
   try {
     await run(
-      // note: use of yarn is intentional here as we rely on its publishing
-      // behavior.
-      'npm',
+      'pnpm',
       [
         'publish',
         ...(releaseTag ? ['--tag', releaseTag] : []),