diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 2845007..d15f48e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -37,8 +37,13 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           python -m venv .poet-venv
           . .poet-venv/bin/activate
-          pip install --upgrade pip setuptools wheel
+          pip install --upgrade pip
+          # homebrew-pypi-poet (last released 2018) still imports pkg_resources,
+          # which setuptools >=81 no longer bundles. Pin to a setuptools that
+          # still ships it.
+          pip install 'setuptools<70' wheel
           pip install homebrew-pypi-poet .
+          python -c "import pkg_resources; print('pkg_resources OK:', pkg_resources.__file__)"
           poet dsmview > resources.rb
           echo "--- resources.rb ---"
           cat resources.rb