diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 8a613a6d..25e4fff4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ push/%:
 	docker push $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):$(GIT_MASTER_HEAD_SHA)
 
 refresh/%:
-	docker pull $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):latest
+# skip if error: a stack might not be on dockerhub yet
+	-docker pull $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):latest
 
 release-all: environment-check \
 	$(patsubst %,refresh/%, $(ALL_STACKS)) \
@@ -50,4 +51,5 @@ release-all: environment-check \
 	$(patsubst %,push/%, $(ALL_STACKS))
 
 tag/%:
-	docker tag $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):latest $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):$(GIT_MASTER_HEAD_SHA)
+# always tag the latest build with the git sha
+	docker tag -f $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):latest $(OWNER)/$(notdir $@):$(GIT_MASTER_HEAD_SHA)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3ca93604..702fa65d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -64,3 +64,9 @@ make release-all DARGS=--no-cache
 ```
 
 This will take time as the entire set of stacks will rebuild.
+
+When there's a new stack, do the following **before** trying to `make release-all`:
+
+1. Create a new repo in the `jupyter` org on Docker Hub named after the stack folder in the git repo.
+2. Grant the `stacks` team permission to write to the repo.
+3. Copy/paste the short and long descriptions from one of the other docker-stacks repos on Docker Hub. Modify the appropriate values.
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