diff --git a/scripts/pr.sh b/scripts/pr.sh
index d764d44..d0705a6 100755
--- a/scripts/pr.sh
+++ b/scripts/pr.sh
@@ -99,14 +99,17 @@ await_merge() { # await_merge <branch>: waits up to 40 minutes
   die "the pull request of $1 is not merged after 40 minutes: gh pr checks $1"
 }
 
-# Back on main after the merge; in a worktree main is checked out elsewhere,
-# so this continues detached on origin/main.
+# Back on main after the merge, when the local main can simply follow
+# origin/main. Otherwise (main is checked out in another worktree, or holds
+# commits origin/main lacks) this continues detached on origin/main and leaves
+# the local main as it is.
 leave_branch() {
   git fetch --quiet origin main
-  if git switch --quiet main 2>/dev/null; then
-    git pull --quiet --ff-only
+  if git merge-base --is-ancestor main origin/main 2>/dev/null && git switch --quiet main 2>/dev/null; then
+    git merge --quiet --ff-only origin/main
   else
     git switch --quiet --detach origin/main
+    echo "==> continuing detached on origin/main; the local main is left as it is"
   fi
   git branch -D "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
 }
diff --git a/scripts/test_pr.sh b/scripts/test_pr.sh
index 0020750..4a1d2d0 100755
--- a/scripts/test_pr.sh
+++ b/scripts/test_pr.sh
@@ -201,6 +201,16 @@ git -C "$repo" switch -q main
 git -C "$repo" commit -q --allow-empty -m "local only"
 check "release: refused on a main ahead of origin" 1 release patch x VERSION release.yml VERSION
 
+setup VERSION 1.2.3
+ci_tag v1.2.4
+git -C "$repo" switch -q main
+git -C "$repo" commit -q --allow-empty -m "unpushed work on the local main"
+local_main=$(git -C "$repo" rev-parse main)
+git -C "$repo" switch -q feat
+check "release: a local main with unpushed commits does not stop it" 0 release patch x VERSION release.yml VERSION
+expect "release: the local main is left as it was" test "$(git -C "$repo" rev-parse main)" = "$local_main"
+expect "release: continues detached on origin/main" test "$(git -C "$repo" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" = HEAD
+
 setup VERSION 1.2.3
 ci_tag v2.0.0
 check "release: major" 0 release major x VERSION release.yml VERSION