diff --git a/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/jobs/publish-npm.yml b/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/jobs/publish-npm.yml
index 0963f795f8f..a8d67a98dce 100644
--- a/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/jobs/publish-npm.yml
+++ b/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/jobs/publish-npm.yml
@@ -25,7 +25,9 @@ jobs:
       inputs:
         - input: pipelineArtifact
           artifactName: ${{ parameters.artifactName }}
-          itemPattern: "**/*.tgz"
+          # Download the whole artifact (the .tgz packages plus publish-npm-packages.ts, which the
+          # checkout-less release job runs to publish them).
+          itemPattern: "**"
           targetPath: $(Pipeline.Workspace)/${{ parameters.artifactName }}/
 
     strategy:
diff --git a/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/pack.yml b/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/pack.yml
index aa6b1c671b0..4b6ee2e2010 100644
--- a/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/pack.yml
+++ b/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/pack.yml
@@ -15,5 +15,8 @@ steps:
       echo "Create manifest of unpublished packages in $summaryFilePath"
 
       node eng/tsp-core/scripts/filter-unpublished-packages.ts "$outDir" --manifest $summaryFilePath
+
+      echo "Copy the publish script into the artifact so the (checkout-less) release job can run it"
+      Copy-Item eng/tsp-core/scripts/publish-npm-packages.ts "$outDir/publish-npm-packages.ts"
     name: pack_${{ parameters.name }}
     displayName: Pack packages ${{ parameters.artifactName }}
diff --git a/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/release/ado-feed-release.yml b/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/release/ado-feed-release.yml
index b53aa599347..83fd1ecd077 100644
--- a/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/release/ado-feed-release.yml
+++ b/eng/tsp-core/pipelines/templates/release/ado-feed-release.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-# cspell:ignore EPUBLISHCONFLICT
 parameters:
   - name: tag
     type: string
@@ -8,6 +7,9 @@ parameters:
   - name: registryUrl
     type: string
     default: https://pkgs.dev.azure.com/azure-sdk/public/_packaging/azure-sdk-for-js/npm/registry/
+  - name: nodeVersion
+    type: string
+    default: 24.16.0
 
 steps:
   # Publishing the packages directly to the Azure DevOps `azure-sdk-for-js` feed bypasses the
@@ -18,32 +20,17 @@ steps:
       npmrcPath: ${{ parameters.path }}/.npmrc
       registryUrl: ${{ parameters.registryUrl }}
 
-  - pwsh: |
-      $packageFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path . -Filter '*.tgz'
-      $hadError = $false
-      foreach ($file in $packageFiles.Name) {
-        Write-Host "npm publish $file --verbose --access public --tag ${{ parameters.tag }}"
-        $output = npm publish $file --verbose --access public --tag ${{ parameters.tag }} 2>&1
-        $output | ForEach-Object { Write-Host $_ }
-        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-          $text = $output -join "`n"
-          # Treat "version already exists" as a no-op, matching the npm/ESRP behavior of not
-          # republishing an existing version. Any other failure is a genuine error and must fail.
-          if ($text -match 'EPUBLISHCONFLICT' -or
-              $text -match 'cannot publish over the previously published versions' -or
-              $text -match 'You cannot publish over the previously published versions' -or
-              $text -match 'previously published version' -or
-              $text -match '\b409\b') {
-            Write-Warning "Version for $file already exists in the feed, skipping."
-          } else {
-            Write-Error "Failed to publish $file to the DevOps feed."
-            $hadError = $true
-          }
-        }
-      }
-      if ($hadError) {
-        exit 1
-      }
+  # This is a 1ES release (deployment) job, which forbids `checkout`, so publish-npm-packages.ts is
+  # shipped inside the packages artifact (copied there by the pack step) and run from there.
+  - task: NodeTool@0
+    inputs:
+      versionSpec: ${{ parameters.nodeVersion }}
+    displayName: Install Node.js
+    retryCountOnTaskFailure: 3
+
+  # The script publishes every *.tgz, treating "version already exists" (ADO feed immutability or an
+  # existing upstream copy on npmjs) as a skippable no-op while failing on any genuine error. It
+  # controls its own exit code, so there is no leaked pwsh $LASTEXITCODE to fail the task on a skip.
+  - script: node "${{ parameters.path }}/publish-npm-packages.ts" "${{ parameters.path }}" --tag ${{ parameters.tag }}
     displayName: Publish to DevOps feed (${{ parameters.tag }})
     condition: and(succeeded(), ne(variables['SkipPublishing'], 'true'))
-    workingDirectory: ${{ parameters.path }}
diff --git a/eng/tsp-core/scripts/publish-npm-packages.ts b/eng/tsp-core/scripts/publish-npm-packages.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8ec47e37508
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eng/tsp-core/scripts/publish-npm-packages.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+// cspell:ignore EPUBLISHCONFLICT endgroup logissue
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { readdirSync } from "node:fs";
+import { parseArgs } from "node:util";
+
+/**
+ * Publishes every `*.tgz` in a folder to the configured npm registry (the authenticated `.npmrc`
+ * is expected to already be present in the target folder).
+ *
+ * Azure DevOps Artifacts feeds are immutable, so re-publishing a version that already exists is
+ * rejected. We treat those "already exists" responses as a no-op (matching the npm/ESRP behavior of
+ * not republishing), while any other failure fails the process so genuine problems stay visible.
+ *
+ * Unlike the inline pwsh version, a non-zero `npm publish` exit is just `status` here — it never
+ * throws before we can inspect it, so the skip logic always runs and the process exit code is fully
+ * under our control (no leaked `$LASTEXITCODE`).
+ *
+ * The output is grouped per package (Azure DevOps `##[group]` / `##[endgroup]`) with a colored
+ * status symbol in each group header so the log reads like a clean summary that can be expanded for
+ * the verbose `npm publish` output.
+ */
+
+const npmCommand = process.platform === "win32" ? "npm.cmd" : "npm";
+
+// --- Tiny ANSI color + Azure DevOps logging helpers (no external dependencies) ------------------
+
+const useColor = !process.env.NO_COLOR;
+function color(code: number, text: string): string {
+  return useColor ? `\u001b[${code}m${text}\u001b[0m` : text;
+}
+const green = (t: string) => color(32, t);
+const yellow = (t: string) => color(33, t);
+const red = (t: string) => color(31, t);
+const dim = (t: string) => color(90, t);
+const bold = (t: string) => color(1, t);
+
+/** Start a collapsible Azure DevOps log group (renders as a plain line elsewhere). */
+function group(title: string): void {
+  console.log(`##[group]${title}`);
+}
+function endGroup(): void {
+  console.log(`##[endgroup]`);
+}
+
+type PublishStatus = "published" | "skipped" | "failed";
+
+const SYMBOL: Record<PublishStatus, string> = {
+  published: green("✓"),
+  skipped: yellow("↷"),
+  failed: red("✗"),
+};
+
+/**
+ * Messages that mean "this exact version is already available", which we treat as a skippable no-op.
+ * Matched against the combined stdout/stderr of `npm publish`.
+ *
+ * - `EPUBLISHCONFLICT` / `409` / "previously published version": standard npm re-publish conflict.
+ * - "already contains file": ADO feed immutability (HTTP 403) when the version was published before.
+ * - "exists in at least one of the feed('s upstream sources)": the version already exists upstream
+ *   (npmjs), so the feed refuses the copy (HTTP 403). Matched up to `feed` to avoid a literal
+ *   apostrophe.
+ */
+const ALREADY_PUBLISHED_PATTERNS: RegExp[] = [
+  /EPUBLISHCONFLICT/,
+  /cannot publish over the previously published versions/i,
+  /previously published version/i,
+  /already contains file/i,
+  /already contains .+ in package/i,
+  /exists in at least one of the feed/i,
+  /\b409\b/,
+];
+
+export function isAlreadyPublishedError(output: string): boolean {
+  return ALREADY_PUBLISHED_PATTERNS.some((pattern) => pattern.test(output));
+}
+
+/** Read `name` and `version` out of a `.tgz` for a nicer display than the flattened filename. */
+function readPackageId(folder: string, file: string): string {
+  const result = spawnSync("tar", ["-xzOf", file, "package/package.json"], {
+    cwd: folder,
+    encoding: "utf8",
+  });
+  if (result.status === 0 && result.stdout) {
+    try {
+      const pkg = JSON.parse(result.stdout);
+      if (pkg?.name && pkg?.version) {
+        return `${pkg.name}@${pkg.version}`;
+      }
+    } catch {
+      // fall through to filename
+    }
+  }
+  return file;
+}
+
+interface PublishOptions {
+  tag: string;
+  access: string;
+}
+
+interface PublishResult {
+  id: string;
+  file: string;
+  status: PublishStatus;
+}
+
+function publishPackage(folder: string, file: string, options: PublishOptions): PublishResult {
+  const id = readPackageId(folder, file);
+  const args = ["publish", file, "--access", options.access, "--tag", options.tag];
+
+  const result = spawnSync(npmCommand, args, { cwd: folder, encoding: "utf8" });
+  const output = `${result.stdout ?? ""}${result.stderr ?? ""}`.trim();
+
+  let status: PublishStatus;
+  if (result.status === 0) {
+    status = "published";
+  } else if (isAlreadyPublishedError(output)) {
+    status = "skipped";
+  } else {
+    status = "failed";
+  }
+
+  if (status === "failed") {
+    // Keep failures expanded (no collapsible group) so the error is immediately visible, and
+    // surface it in the Azure DevOps summary/annotations panel.
+    console.log(`${SYMBOL[status]} ${bold(id)} ${dim("—")} ${red("failed")}`);
+    console.log(dim(`$ npm ${args.join(" ")}`));
+    if (output) {
+      console.log(output);
+    }
+    console.log(`##vso[task.logissue type=error]Failed to publish ${id}`);
+  } else {
+    const detail = status === "published" ? green("published") : yellow("already in feed, skipped");
+    group(`${SYMBOL[status]} ${bold(id)} ${dim("—")} ${detail}`);
+    console.log(dim(`$ npm ${args.join(" ")}`));
+    if (output) {
+      console.log(output);
+    }
+    endGroup();
+  }
+
+  return { id, file, status };
+}
+
+function printSummary(results: PublishResult[]): void {
+  const published = results.filter((r) => r.status === "published");
+  const skipped = results.filter((r) => r.status === "skipped");
+  const failed = results.filter((r) => r.status === "failed");
+
+  console.log("");
+  console.log(bold("Publish summary"));
+  console.log(`  ${green("✓")} Published  ${published.length}`);
+  console.log(`  ${yellow("↷")} Skipped    ${skipped.length} ${dim("(already in feed)")}`);
+  console.log(`  ${red("✗")} Failed     ${failed.length}`);
+  if (failed.length > 0) {
+    console.log("");
+    for (const r of failed) {
+      console.log(`  ${red("✗")} ${r.id}`);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function main(): void {
+  const { values, positionals } = parseArgs({
+    args: process.argv.slice(2),
+    options: {
+      tag: { type: "string", default: "latest" },
+      access: { type: "string", default: "public" },
+    },
+    allowPositionals: true,
+  });
+
+  if (positionals.length < 1) {
+    console.error("Usage: publish-npm-packages <folder> [--tag <tag>] [--access <access>]");
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
+  const folder = positionals[0];
+  const files = readdirSync(folder)
+    .filter((f) => f.endsWith(".tgz"))
+    .sort();
+
+  if (files.length === 0) {
+    console.log(`No .tgz packages found in ${folder}, nothing to publish.`);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  console.log(
+    `Publishing ${bold(String(files.length))} package(s) with tag ${bold(values.tag as string)}`,
+  );
+
+  const results: PublishResult[] = [];
+  for (const file of files) {
+    results.push(
+      publishPackage(folder, file, {
+        tag: values.tag as string,
+        access: values.access as string,
+      }),
+    );
+  }
+
+  printSummary(results);
+
+  if (results.some((r) => r.status === "failed")) {
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+}
+
+main();