diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 5073f2e11a..013c47e73f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
     "lint:markdown": "markdownlint-cli2",
     "lint:standard": "standard | snazzy",
     "lint:typescript": "eslint -c types/.eslintrc.json types/**/*.d.ts test/types/**/*.test-d.ts",
-    "prepublishOnly": "tap --no-check-coverage test/build/**.test.js",
+    "prepublishOnly": "PREPUBLISH=true tap --no-check-coverage test/build/**.test.js",
     "test": "npm run lint && npm run unit && npm run test:typescript",
     "test:ci": "npm run unit -- -R terse --cov --coverage-report=lcovonly && npm run test:typescript",
     "test:report": "npm run lint && npm run unit:report && npm run test:typescript",
diff --git a/test/build/error-serializer.test.js b/test/build/error-serializer.test.js
index d2ca8db6d0..8e8c8b12a2 100644
--- a/test/build/error-serializer.test.js
+++ b/test/build/error-serializer.test.js
@@ -23,7 +23,9 @@ test('check generated code syntax', async (t) => {
   t.equal(result[0].fatalErrorCount, 0)
 })
 
-test('ensure the current error serializer is latest', async (t) => {
+const isPrebublish = !!process.env.PREPUBLISH
+
+test('ensure the current error serializer is latest', { skip: !isPrebublish }, async (t) => {
   t.plan(1)
 
   const current = await fs.promises.readFile(path.resolve('lib/error-serializer.js'))