diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml
index 245289d1..af99da7b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml
@@ -101,3 +101,4 @@ jobs:
           registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org/
           npm-token: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
           include-build-step: true
+          node-version: 16
diff --git a/.projenrc.ts b/.projenrc.ts
index 37445758..69885491 100644
--- a/.projenrc.ts
+++ b/.projenrc.ts
@@ -155,6 +155,8 @@ publishReleaseGithubWorkflow.addJobs({
           'registry-url': 'https://registry.npmjs.org/',
           'npm-token': '${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}',
           'include-build-step': true,
+          // FIXME: v16 is a workaround with the problem revealed on v20: deps are not bundled upon publish.
+          'node-version': 16,
         },
       },
     ]),