diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-to.sh b/.github/workflows/publish-to.sh
index 17f98518..277c755d 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-to.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-to.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,13 @@ v="${1%%+*}"
 t="${2}"
 
 cd lib
-sed -i '' "s/export const version = '[^']\{1,\}';\$/export const version = \'${v}\';/" {,tdf3/}src/version.ts
+for f in {,tdf3/}src/version.ts; do
+  if ! sed "s/export const version = \'[^']\{1,\}\';\$/export const version = \'${v}\';/" $f >${f}.tmp; then
+    echo "Failed to insert version [${v}] into file [$f]"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  mv "${f}.tmp" "${f}"
+done
 npm --no-git-tag-version --allow-same-version version "$v" --tag "$t"
 npm publish --access public
 
diff --git a/scripts/bump-version.sh b/scripts/bump-version.sh
index 81718456..d455e439 100755
--- a/scripts/bump-version.sh
+++ b/scripts/bump-version.sh
@@ -35,17 +35,23 @@ for x in "${packages[@]:1}"; do
   )
 done
 
-if ! sed -i '' "s/version=${old_version}/version=${new_version}/" "Makefile"; then
+# multiplatform `sed -i`: https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/92907
+case $(sed --help 2>&1) in
+  *GNU*) sed_i () { sed -i "$@"; };;
+  *) sed_i () { sed -i '' "$@"; };;
+esac
+
+if ! sed_i "s/version=${old_version}/version=${new_version}/" "Makefile"; then
   echo "Unable to change version in makefile"
   exit 1
 fi
 
-if ! sed -i '' "s/export const version = '[^']\{1,\}';\$/export const version = \'${new_version}\';/" lib{,/tdf3}/src/version.ts; then
+if ! sed_i "s/export const version = '[^']\{1,\}';\$/export const version = \'${new_version}\';/" lib{,/tdf3}/src/version.ts; then
   echo "Unable to change version in version files"
   exit 1
 fi
 
-if ! sed -i '' "s/export const version = '[^']\{1,\}';\$/export const version = \'${new_version}\';/" lib{,/tdf3}/src/version.ts; then
+if ! sed_i "s/export const version = '[^']\{1,\}';\$/export const version = \'${new_version}\';/" lib{,/tdf3}/src/version.ts; then
   echo "Unable to change version in version files"
   exit 1
 fi
diff --git a/scripts/check-version-is.sh b/scripts/check-version-is.sh
index e49e8010..c1a8edb7 100755
--- a/scripts/check-version-is.sh
+++ b/scripts/check-version-is.sh
@@ -7,19 +7,23 @@ lib_version="$(cd lib && node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
 
 expected_version="${1:-$lib_version}"
 
-if ! grep -Fxq "version=${expected_version}" "Makefile"; then
-  echo "::error file=Makefile::Makefile missing version line [version=${expected_version}]"
+if ! grep --fixed-strings --line-regexp --quiet "version=${expected_version}" "Makefile"; then
+  if grep --quiet "^version=" "Makefile"; then
+    echo "::error file=Makefile,line=$(sed -n  '/version/=' $f)::Incorrect version line, should be setting it to [${expected_version}]"
+  else
+    echo "::error file=Makefile::Makefile missing version line [version=${expected_version}]"
+  fi
   exit 1
 fi
 
 for f in lib{,/tdf3}/src/version.ts; do
-  if ! grep -Fxq "export const version = '${expected_version}'" "$f"; then
-    if grep -Fxq "export const version" "$f"; then
+  if ! grep --fixed-strings --line-regexp --quiet "export const version = '${expected_version}';" "$f"; then
+    if grep --quiet "^export const version" "$f"; then
       echo "::error file=$f,line=$(sed -n  '/export const version/=' $f)::Incorrect version line, should be setting it to [${expected_version}]"
-      exit 1
     else
       echo "::error file=$f::Missing version line [version=${expected_version}]"
     fi
+    exit 1
   fi
 done
 
@@ -31,6 +35,8 @@ for x in lib cli cli-commonjs web-app; do
   fi
 done
 
-if [[ "${GITHUB_ACTION}" ]]; then
+if [[ "${GITHUB_ACTION:-}" ]]; then
   echo "TARGET_VERSION=$expected_version" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+else
+  echo "SUCCESS: TARGET_VERSION=$expected_version"
 fi