diff --git a/deploy/BUILD b/deploy/BUILD
index 6fbc826355..4d02942c74 100644
--- a/deploy/BUILD
+++ b/deploy/BUILD
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ ts_project(
     name = "release_src",
     srcs = [
         "deploy_test.ts",
+        "mocks.ts",
         "program.ts",
         "release.ts",
     ],
diff --git a/deploy/mocks.ts b/deploy/mocks.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..31f11b0bee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/mocks.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+export const Github = {
+	rest: {
+		repos: {
+			uploadReleaseAsset({
+				owner,
+				repo,
+				release_id,
+			}: {
+				owner: string;
+				repo: string;
+				release_id: number;
+			}) {
+				if (!owner)
+					throw new Error('invalid release asset: missing owner.');
+				if (!repo)
+					throw new Error('invalid release asset: missing repo.');
+				if (!release_id)
+					throw new Error(
+						'invalid release asset: missing release_id.'
+					);
+			},
+
+			createRelease({
+				owner,
+				repo,
+				tag_name,
+				body,
+				generate_release_notes,
+				name,
+				target_commitish,
+			}: {
+				owner: string;
+				repo: string;
+				tag_name: string;
+				body: string;
+				generate_release_notes: boolean;
+				name: string;
+				target_commitish: string;
+			}) {
+				for (const v of [
+					owner,
+					repo,
+					tag_name,
+					body,
+					generate_release_notes,
+					name,
+					target_commitish,
+				]) {
+					if (v === undefined || v === null || v === '')
+						throw new Error(
+							`A parameter is empty. ${JSON.stringify({
+								owner,
+								repo,
+								tag_name,
+								body,
+								generate_release_notes,
+								name,
+								target_commitish,
+							})}`
+						);
+				}
+				return { data: { id: 9000 } };
+			},
+		},
+	},
+};
+
+export const context = {
+	sha: '123fakesha',
+	ref: '123fakeref!',
+	repo: {
+		owner: 'fake!',
+		repo: 'fake!',
+	},
+};
diff --git a/deploy/program.ts b/deploy/program.ts
index 5c61a3a02e..c5578b4211 100644
--- a/deploy/program.ts
+++ b/deploy/program.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
 import fs from 'fs/promises';
 import child_process from 'child_process';
 import { promisify } from 'util';
-import { context, getOctokit } from '@actions/github';
+import { context as githubCtx, getOctokit } from '@actions/github';
 import { Command } from 'commander';
 import { runfiles } from '@bazel/runfiles';
+import { Github as mockGithub, context as mockContext } from './mocks';
 
 const Program = new Command();
 
@@ -156,15 +157,15 @@ export const program = Program.name('release')
 	)
 	.option('--dryRun <bool>', 'Perform a dry run.', false)
 	.action(async dryRun => {
+		const context = dryRun ? mockContext : githubCtx;
+		const Github = dryRun
+			? mockGithub
+			: getOctokit(process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN']!);
+
 		const syntheticVersion = `v0.0.0-${new Date().getTime()}-${
 			context.sha
 		}`;
 
-		const Github =
-			dryRun == false
-				? getOctokit(process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN']!)
-				: undefined;
-
 		const releaser = release(
 			artifact(
 				'recursive_vassals.zip',
@@ -178,55 +179,38 @@ export const program = Program.name('release')
 			npmPackage('svgshot', '//ts/cmd/svgshot/npm_pkg.publish.sh')
 		);
 
-		if (!dryRun && Github === undefined)
-			throw new Error('Unable to initialize Github API.');
-
 		releaser({
-			uploadReleaseAsset:
-				dryRun == false && Github !== undefined
-					? async ({ name, release_id, data }) =>
-							void (await Github.rest.repos.uploadReleaseAsset({
-								owner: context.repo.owner,
-								repo: context.repo.repo,
-								release_id: await release_id,
-								name,
-								// https://github.com/octokit/octokit.js/discussions/2087#discussioncomment-646569
-								data: data as unknown as string,
-							}))
-					: async ({ name, release_id, data }) => {
-							if (name === '') throw new Error('Name is empty');
-							if (!release_id)
-								throw new Error('Release_id is empty');
-							if (!data) throw new Error('data is empty');
-					  },
-
-			createRelease:
-				Github !== undefined
-					? async ({ body }) => ({
-							release_id: (
-								await Github.rest.repos.createRelease({
-									// could probably use a spread operator here
-									// but i also think that would be uglier...
-									owner: context.repo.owner,
-									repo: context.repo.repo,
-
-									tag_name: syntheticVersion,
-
-									body,
-
-									generate_release_notes: true,
-
-									name: syntheticVersion,
-
-									target_commitish: context.ref,
-								})
-							).data.id,
-					  })
-					: async ({ body }) => {
-							if (body === '')
-								throw new Error(`Release body is empty.`);
-							return { release_id: 0 };
-					  },
+			uploadReleaseAsset: async ({ name, release_id, data }) =>
+				void (await Github.rest.repos.uploadReleaseAsset({
+					owner: context.repo.owner,
+					repo: context.repo.repo,
+					release_id: await release_id,
+					name,
+					// https://github.com/octokit/octokit.js/discussions/2087#discussioncomment-646569
+					data: data as unknown as string,
+				})),
+
+			createRelease: async ({ body }) => ({
+				release_id: (
+					await Github.rest.repos.createRelease({
+						// could probably use a spread operator here
+						// but i also think that would be uglier...
+						owner: context.repo.owner,
+						repo: context.repo.repo,
+
+						tag_name: syntheticVersion,
+
+						body,
+
+						generate_release_notes: true,
+
+						name: syntheticVersion,
+
+						target_commitish: context.ref,
+					})
+				).data.id,
+			}),
+
 			dryRun: dryRun,
 
 			releaseNotes,