diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-check.yml b/.github/workflows/version-check.yml
index b24786d..49a5015 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-check.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ on:
       - 'socketdev/**'
       - 'pyproject.toml'
       - 'uv.lock'
+      # Included so a change to the check itself is exercised by its own PR.
+      - '.github/workflows/version-check.yml'
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -32,15 +34,29 @@ jobs:
           PR_VERSION=$(grep -o "__version__.*" socketdev/version.py | awk '{print $3}' | tr -d '"' | tr -d "'")
           echo "PR_VERSION=$PR_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
-          # Get version from main branch
-          git checkout origin/main
-          MAIN_VERSION=$(grep -o "__version__.*" socketdev/version.py | awk '{print $3}' | tr -d '"' | tr -d "'")
+          # Get version from main branch. Read it straight out of the ref:
+          # `git checkout origin/main` leaves the working tree detached on main,
+          # so the uv.lock guard below ends up diffing main against itself and
+          # never fires.
+          MAIN_VERSION=$(git show origin/main:socketdev/version.py | grep -o "__version__.*" | awk '{print $3}' | tr -d '"' | tr -d "'")
           echo "MAIN_VERSION=$MAIN_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
           export PR_VERSION
           export MAIN_VERSION
 
-          # Compare against both main and latest published PyPI release.
+          # Only enforce a bump when the PR actually changes shipped content.
+          # This workflow sits in its own paths filter so edits to it are
+          # exercised, but a CI-only change ships nothing and must not be told
+          # to cut a release. The comparison still runs and reports either way.
+          if git diff --name-only origin/main...HEAD \
+             | grep -qE '^(socketdev/|pyproject\.toml$|uv\.lock$)'; then
+            PACKAGE_CHANGED=true
+          else
+            PACKAGE_CHANGED=false
+          fi
+          export PACKAGE_CHANGED
+
+          # Compare against the latest published PyPI release.
           python3 <<'PY'
           import json
           import os
@@ -60,19 +76,47 @@ jobs:
                   published_versions.append(parsed)
 
           pypi_ver = max(published_versions) if published_versions else version.parse("0.0.0")
-          required_floor = max(main_ver, pypi_ver)
 
-          if pr_ver <= required_floor:
+          enforced = os.environ["PACKAGE_CHANGED"] == "true"
+
+          def reject(message):
+              print(message)
+              if enforced:
+                  raise SystemExit(1)
               print(
-                  f"❌ Version must be greater than main and PyPI! "
-                  f"Main: {main_ver}, PyPI: {pypi_ver}, PR: {pr_ver}"
+                  "ℹ️  Not enforced: this PR changes no packaged files, "
+                  "so it ships nothing that needs a new version."
+              )
+              raise SystemExit(0)
+
+          # The only hard requirement is that the version is ahead of what is
+          # actually released. Treating main's version as a second floor breaks
+          # the legitimate case where several PRs share one unreleased release:
+          # the first bumps main to the new version and the rest ride it without
+          # bumping again, which is what keeps them under a single changelog
+          # header. Main is therefore only a floor when this PR moves the
+          # version -- a change to it must go forwards, never backwards.
+          if pr_ver <= pypi_ver:
+              reject(
+                  f"❌ Version {pr_ver} is already published on PyPI "
+                  f"(latest release: {pypi_ver}). Bump it."
+              )
+
+          if pr_ver < main_ver:
+              reject(
+                  f"❌ Version moves backwards: main is {main_ver}, PR is {pr_ver}."
               )
-              raise SystemExit(1)
 
-          print(
-              f"✅ Version properly incremented. "
-              f"Main: {main_ver}, PyPI: {pypi_ver}, PR: {pr_ver}"
-          )
+          if pr_ver == main_ver:
+              print(
+                  f"✅ Riding main's unreleased {pr_ver} "
+                  f"(latest PyPI release: {pypi_ver})."
+              )
+          else:
+              print(
+                  f"✅ Version properly incremented. "
+                  f"Main: {main_ver}, PyPI: {pypi_ver}, PR: {pr_ver}"
+              )
           PY
 
       - name: Require uv.lock update when pyproject changes