diff --git a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js
index d36b7fe6c374f..79c00eb68ad0c 100644
--- a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js
+++ b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/lib/publish.js
@@ -177,8 +177,23 @@ const buildMetadata = async (registry, manifest, tarballData, spec, opts) => {
       )
     }
 
-    const visibility =
-      await npmFetch.json(`${registry}/-/package/${spec.escapedName}/visibility`, opts)
+    // Some registries (e.g. GH packages) require auth to check visibility,
+    // and always return 404 when no auth is supplied. In this case we assume
+    // the package is always private and require `--access public` to publish
+    // with provenance.
+    let visibility = { public: false }
+    if (opts.provenance === true && opts.access !== 'public') {
+      try {
+        const res = await npmFetch
+          .json(`${registry}/-/package/${spec.escapedName}/visibility`, opts)
+        visibility = res
+      } catch (err) {
+        if (err.code !== 'E404') {
+          throw err
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
     if (!visibility.public && opts.provenance === true && opts.access !== 'public') {
       throw Object.assign(
         /* eslint-disable-next-line max-len */
diff --git a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js
index fa68f4d98052d..ea4ea26a999dd 100644
--- a/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js
+++ b/workspaces/libnpmpublish/test/publish.js
@@ -776,7 +776,6 @@ t.test('publish existing package with provenance in gha', async t => {
     .post('/api/v1/log/entries')
     .reply(201, rekorEntry)
 
-  registry.getVisibility({ spec, visibility: { public: true } })
   registry.nock.put(`/${spec.escapedName}`, body => {
     const bundleAttachment = body._attachments['@npmcli/libnpmpublish-test-1.0.0.sigstore']
     const bundle = JSON.parse(bundleAttachment.data)
@@ -855,6 +854,80 @@ t.test('publish new/private package with provenance in gha - no access', async t
   )
 })
 
+t.test('publish new package with provenance in gha when visibility 404s - no access', async t => {
+  const oidcURL = 'https://mock.oidc'
+  const requestToken = 'decafbad'
+  mockGlobals(t, {
+    'process.env': {
+      CI: true,
+      GITHUB_ACTIONS: true,
+      ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL: oidcURL,
+      ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_TOKEN: requestToken,
+    },
+  })
+  const { publish } = t.mock('..', { 'ci-info': t.mock('ci-info') })
+  const registry = new MockRegistry({
+    tap: t,
+    registry: opts.registry,
+    authorization: token,
+    strict: true,
+  })
+  const manifest = {
+    name: '@npmcli/libnpmpublish-test',
+    version: '1.0.0',
+    description: 'test libnpmpublish package',
+  }
+  const spec = npa(manifest.name)
+  registry.nock.get(`/-/package/${npa(spec).escapedName}/visibility`)
+    .reply(404)
+
+  await t.rejects(
+    publish(manifest, Buffer.from(''), {
+      ...opts,
+      access: null,
+      provenance: true,
+    }),
+    { code: 'EUSAGE' }
+  )
+})
+
+t.test('publish new package with provenance in gha when visibility 500s - no access', async t => {
+  const oidcURL = 'https://mock.oidc'
+  const requestToken = 'decafbad'
+  mockGlobals(t, {
+    'process.env': {
+      CI: true,
+      GITHUB_ACTIONS: true,
+      ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL: oidcURL,
+      ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_TOKEN: requestToken,
+    },
+  })
+  const { publish } = t.mock('..', { 'ci-info': t.mock('ci-info') })
+  const registry = new MockRegistry({
+    tap: t,
+    registry: opts.registry,
+    authorization: token,
+    strict: true,
+  })
+  const manifest = {
+    name: '@npmcli/libnpmpublish-test',
+    version: '1.0.0',
+    description: 'test libnpmpublish package',
+  }
+  const spec = npa(manifest.name)
+  registry.nock.get(`/-/package/${npa(spec).escapedName}/visibility`)
+    .reply(500)
+
+  await t.rejects(
+    publish(manifest, Buffer.from(''), {
+      ...opts,
+      access: null,
+      provenance: true,
+    }),
+    { code: 'E500' }
+  )
+})
+
 t.test('automatic provenance in unsupported environment', async t => {
   mockGlobals(t, {
     'process.env': {