diff --git a/docs/devops/single_azure_vm/setup.sh b/docs/devops/single_azure_vm/setup.sh
index 9612754f..aa9dcf07 100755
--- a/docs/devops/single_azure_vm/setup.sh
+++ b/docs/devops/single_azure_vm/setup.sh
@@ -363,12 +363,15 @@ phase5_publish() {
       continue
     }
 
-    # Single publish attempt — "already exists" errors are expected and OK
-    if (cd "$pkg_dir" && pnpm publish --registry "$registry_url" --no-git-checks 2>&1); then
+    # Single publish attempt — "already exists" (409) errors are expected and OK
+    local pub_output
+    if pub_output=$(cd "$pkg_dir" && pnpm publish --registry "$registry_url" --no-git-checks 2>&1); then
+      published=$((published + 1))
+    elif echo "$pub_output" | grep -qi 'already exists\|409\|conflict'; then
       published=$((published + 1))
     else
-      # 409 Conflict (already published) is fine; real errors are rare
-      published=$((published + 1))
+      warn "  Failed to publish ${pkg_name}: $(echo "$pub_output" | tail -1)"
+      skipped=$((skipped + 1))
     fi
   done