diff --git a/docs/publishing.md b/docs/publishing.md
index 0789cf7..941fbfd 100644
--- a/docs/publishing.md
+++ b/docs/publishing.md
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@ npm view loop-engineer name version dist-tags --json
 
 An npm `E404` response means the package has no public release at the time of the check. It does not reserve the name.
 
+`npm login` authenticates the CLI but does not satisfy the publish security requirement by itself. Enable two-factor authentication on the npm account before the first publish:
+
+```bash
+npm profile enable-2fa auth-and-writes
+```
+
+npm will open the browser and ask you to register a security key or platform authenticator. A granular access token with write access and **Bypass 2FA** can also publish, but interactive 2FA avoids storing a long-lived publishing credential.
+
 ## Prepare the release
 
 Update `package.json`, `package-lock.json` and `CHANGELOG.md` in the same pull request. The CLI version comes from `package.json`, so these commands must print the same version:
@@ -70,6 +78,8 @@ npm view loop-engineer name version dist-tags --json
 
 `git status --short` must print nothing. npm does not allow a publisher to replace an existing version. Fix a failed release with a new patch version instead of reusing the old version number.
 
+If npm returns `E403` with “Two-factor authentication ... is required,” finish the account 2FA setup and run the same publish command again. npm prompts for the second factor during the publish. Do not place a one-time code or access token in the repository, shell scripts or documentation.
+
 Create and push the Git tag only after npm confirms the release:
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 6d4a99a..ca78c47 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     "node": ">=20"
   },
   "bin": {
-    "loopeng": "./dist/index.js"
+    "loopeng": "dist/index.js"
   },
   "main": "./dist/index.js",
   "files": [
diff --git a/scripts/verify-package.mjs b/scripts/verify-package.mjs
index 6a59d4a..eb79f0b 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-package.mjs
+++ b/scripts/verify-package.mjs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 /* global process */
 
-import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { execFileSync, spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import path from 'node:path';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
@@ -56,8 +56,25 @@ export function validatePackManifest(manifest) {
   );
 }
 
+export function validatePackageMetadata(packageJson) {
+  assert(packageJson.name === 'loop-engineer', 'package.json must name loop-engineer.');
+  assert(typeof packageJson.version === 'string', 'package.json must define a version.');
+  assert(
+    packageJson.bin?.loopeng === 'dist/index.js',
+    'package.json bin.loopeng must use dist/index.js without a leading ./ for npm publish.',
+  );
+}
+
+export function npmPublishNeedsPackFallback(result) {
+  const output = `${result.stdout ?? ''}\n${result.stderr ?? ''}`;
+  return (
+    result.status !== 0 && /cannot publish over the previously published versions/i.test(output)
+  );
+}
+
 export function verifyEntrypoint(root = process.cwd()) {
   const packageJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(path.join(root, 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+  validatePackageMetadata(packageJson);
   const relativeEntrypoint = packageJson.bin?.loopeng;
   assert(typeof relativeEntrypoint === 'string', 'package.json must define the loopeng binary.');
 
@@ -81,13 +98,23 @@ export function verifyEntrypoint(root = process.cwd()) {
 }
 
 function main() {
-  const output = execFileSync('npm', ['pack', '--dry-run', '--json', '--ignore-scripts'], {
+  const publishResult = spawnSync('npm', ['publish', '--dry-run', '--json', '--ignore-scripts'], {
     encoding: 'utf8',
   });
-  const manifests = JSON.parse(output);
-  assert(manifests.length === 1, `Expected one package manifest, received ${manifests.length}.`);
+  const result = npmPublishNeedsPackFallback(publishResult)
+    ? spawnSync('npm', ['pack', '--dry-run', '--json', '--ignore-scripts'], {
+        encoding: 'utf8',
+      })
+    : publishResult;
+  const npmWarnings = `${publishResult.stderr ?? ''}\n${result.stderr ?? ''}`;
+  assert(result.status === 0, `npm publish --dry-run failed:\n${result.stderr.trim()}`);
+  assert(
+    !npmWarnings.includes('auto-corrected') && !npmWarnings.includes('invalid and removed'),
+    `npm would rewrite package.json during publish:\n${npmWarnings.trim()}`,
+  );
 
-  const manifest = manifests[0];
+  const parsedManifest = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+  const manifest = Array.isArray(parsedManifest) ? parsedManifest[0] : parsedManifest;
   validatePackManifest(manifest);
   const { version } = verifyEntrypoint();
   const size = new Intl.NumberFormat('en', { maximumFractionDigits: 1 }).format(
diff --git a/tests/unit/package-verifier.test.ts b/tests/unit/package-verifier.test.ts
index 1c091d8..18011d3 100644
--- a/tests/unit/package-verifier.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/package-verifier.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 // Build tooling stays in scripts/ and does not ship as a TypeScript library.
 // @ts-expect-error The verifier is an ESM build script with no declaration file.
-import { validatePackManifest } from '../../scripts/verify-package.mjs';
+import * as packageVerifier from '../../scripts/verify-package.mjs';
+
+const { npmPublishNeedsPackFallback, validatePackageMetadata, validatePackManifest } =
+  packageVerifier;
 
 const validManifest = {
   name: 'loop-engineer',
@@ -19,6 +22,33 @@ const validManifest = {
 };
 
 describe('npm package verifier', () => {
+  it('falls back to a pack dry run when the version already exists on npm', () => {
+    expect(
+      npmPublishNeedsPackFallback({
+        status: 1,
+        stdout: '',
+        stderr: 'npm error You cannot publish over the previously published versions: 0.1.0.',
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      npmPublishNeedsPackFallback({
+        status: 1,
+        stdout: '',
+        stderr: 'npm error code E403\nnpm error Two-factor authentication is required.',
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('requires the canonical npm binary path', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      validatePackageMetadata({
+        name: 'loop-engineer',
+        version: '0.1.0',
+        bin: { loopeng: './dist/index.js' },
+      }),
+    ).toThrow(/dist\/index\.js without a leading/);
+  });
+
   it('accepts the publishable package contract', () => {
     expect(() => validatePackManifest(validManifest)).not.toThrow();
   });