diff --git a/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml b/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml
index 79fbe60d..764a45b5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml
@@ -14,14 +14,21 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
     steps:
+      - name: Verify, that an image with the target release version as a tag, does not exis.
+        run: ./scripts/no_image_exists ${{ github.event.inputs.name }}
+
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
 
-      - name: Check that the image tag defined in the sec-scanner-config is the same as the release version (${{ github.event.inputs.name }}).
+      - name: Check that the image tag defined in the sec-scanner-config is the same as the release version (${{ github.event.inputs.name }})
         run: ./scripts/check_image.sh ${{ github.event.inputs.name }}
 
+      - name: Unit test
+        run: make test
+
+      - name: make build
+        run: make build
+
   create-draft:
     name: Create draft release
     needs: verify-head-status
@@ -46,6 +53,7 @@ jobs:
           RELEASE_ID=$(./scripts/create_draft_release.sh ${{ github.event.inputs.name }})
           echo "release_id=$RELEASE_ID" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
+      # This will trigger the prow release jobs.
       - name: Create lightweight tag
         run: |
           git tag ${{ github.event.inputs.name }}
diff --git a/scripts/no_image_exists.sh b/scripts/no_image_exists.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..5cb2eed2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/no_image_exists.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+TAG=${1:-latest}
+IMAGE=${2:-europe-docker.pkg.dev/kyma-project/prod/nats-manager}
+
+docker manifest inspect $IMAGE:$TAG
+
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+	echo "Error: image ${IMAGE}:${TAG} found."
+	exit 1
+else
+	echo "Image not found."
+	exit 0
+fi