diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 2ea776e..9f1fcf7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -107,7 +107,11 @@ jobs:
         id: semver
         run: |
           set -e
-          git fetch --tags
+          # remove any local tags to avoid "would clobber existing tag" errors
+          for t in $(git tag -l); do
+            git tag -d "$t" || true
+          done
+          git fetch --tags --force || true
           describe=$(git describe --tags --match "v[0-9]*" --abbrev=7 2>/dev/null || true)
           if [ -z "$describe" ]; then
             version="0.1.0"