diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/build-release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/build-release.yml
index 773303a..1c7a8ff 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/build-release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/build-release.yml
@@ -240,23 +240,23 @@ jobs:
         id: release_notes
         run: |
           VERSION="${{ steps.tag_name.outputs.VERSION }}"
-          echo "## 📱 JellyTau $VERSION Release" > release_notes.md
+          echo "## JellyTau $VERSION Release" > release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "### 📦 Downloads" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "### Downloads" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "#### Linux" >> release_notes.md
           echo "- **AppImage** - Run directly on most Linux distributions" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "- **DEB** - Install via `sudo dpkg -i jellytau_*.deb` (Ubuntu/Debian)" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "- **DEB** - Install via \`sudo dpkg -i jellytau_*.deb\` (Ubuntu/Debian)" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "#### Android" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "- **APK** - Install via `adb install jellytau-release.apk` or sideload via file manager" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "- **APK** - Install via \`adb install jellytau-release.apk\` or sideload via file manager" >> release_notes.md
           echo "- **AAB** - Upload to Google Play Console or testing platforms" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "### ✨ What's New" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "### What's New" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for detailed changes." >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "### 🔧 Installation" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "### Installation" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "#### Linux (AppImage)" >> release_notes.md
           echo "\`\`\`bash" >> release_notes.md
@@ -274,11 +274,11 @@ jobs:
           echo "- Sideload: Download APK and install via file manager or ADB" >> release_notes.md
           echo "- Play Store: Coming soon" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "### 🐛 Known Issues" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "### Known Issues" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "See [GitHub Issues](../../issues) for reported bugs." >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "### 📝 Requirements" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "### Requirements" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "**Linux:**" >> release_notes.md
           echo "- 64-bit Linux system" >> release_notes.md
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "- 50MB free storage" >> release_notes.md
           echo "" >> release_notes.md
           echo "---" >> release_notes.md
-          echo "Built with Tauri, SvelteKit, and Rust 🦀" >> release_notes.md
+          echo "Built with Tauri, SvelteKit, and Rust" >> release_notes.md
 
       - name: Publish Gitea release & upload assets
         env:
@@ -313,11 +313,20 @@ jobs:
             '{tag_name:$tag, name:$name, body:$body, draft:false, prerelease:$pre}')
 
           echo "📦 Creating release $VERSION on $REPO"
-          RESP=$(curl -fsS -X POST "$API/repos/$REPO/releases" \
+          # -f drops on HTTP error; capture status so an existing release (409) is handled gracefully.
+          HTTP=$(curl -sS -o resp.json -w '%{http_code}' -X POST "$API/repos/$REPO/releases" \
             -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
             -d "$PAYLOAD")
-          RELEASE_ID=$(echo "$RESP" | jq -r '.id')
+          if [ "$HTTP" = "201" ]; then
+            RELEASE_ID=$(jq -r '.id' resp.json)
+          elif [ "$HTTP" = "409" ]; then
+            echo "ℹ️  Release $VERSION already exists; fetching its id to upload assets"
+            RELEASE_ID=$(curl -fsS "$API/repos/$REPO/releases/tags/$VERSION" \
+              -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" | jq -r '.id')
+          else
+            echo "❌ Failed to create release (HTTP $HTTP):"; cat resp.json; exit 1
+          fi
           echo "Release id=$RELEASE_ID"
 
           for f in artifacts/android/* artifacts/linux/*; do