diff --git a/packages/shared/next/next.config.base.js b/packages/shared/next/next.config.base.js
index 388f5c7ef..4585ba454 100644
--- a/packages/shared/next/next.config.base.js
+++ b/packages/shared/next/next.config.base.js
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ const sentryWebpackPluginOptions = {};
 //
 // 1. Initialize the SDK on client page load (See `sentry.client.config.ts`)
 //
-// 2. Upload sourcemaps (using the settings defined in `sentry.properties`)
+// 2. Upload sourcemaps, using the settings defined in `sentry.properties`.
+//    Sourcemaps are only uploaded if SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN is defined.
 //
-// Irritatingly, it insists that we also provide it (empty)
-// sentry.server.config.ts and sentry.edge.config.ts files too, even though we
-// are not using those parts.
+// Irritatingly, Sentry insists that we create empty sentry.server.config.ts and
+// sentry.edge.config.ts files, even though we are not using those parts.
 module.exports = withSentryConfig(nextConfig, sentryWebpackPluginOptions);
diff --git a/packages/shared/sentry/config/sentry.config.base.ts b/packages/shared/sentry/config/sentry.config.base.ts
index 60a2d4623..ebbe4a265 100644
--- a/packages/shared/sentry/config/sentry.config.base.ts
+++ b/packages/shared/sentry/config/sentry.config.base.ts
@@ -11,31 +11,9 @@ export const initSentry = async (dsn: string) => {
     // Don't initialize Sentry if the user has opted out of crash reporting
     if (optedOut()) return;
 
-    // [Note: Specifying the Sentry release]
-    //
-    // Sentry supports automatically deducing the release, and if running the
-    // `sentry-cli release propose-version` command directly, it can indeed find
-    // and use the git SHA as the release, but I've been unable to get that
-    // automated detection to work with the Sentry webpack plugin.
-    //
-    // The other recommended approach, and what we were using earlier, is
-    // specify the release param in the `sentryWebpackPluginOptions` (second)
-    // argument to `withSentryConfig`. However, we selectively turn off Sentry
-    // to disable sourcemap uploads when the auth token is not available, and
-    // Sentry's documentation states that
-    //
-    // > Disable SentryWebPackPlugin... Note that [when doing so] you'll also
-    // > have to explicitly set a `release` value in your `Sentry.init()`.
-    //
-    // https://docs.sentry.io/platforms/javascript/guides/nextjs/manual-setup/#disable-sentrywebpackplugin
-    //
-    // So we just keep things simple and always specify the release here (and
-    // only here).
-    const release = process.env.GIT_SHA;
-
     Sentry.init({
         dsn,
-        release,
+        release: process.env.GIT_SHA,
         attachStacktrace: true,
         autoSessionTracking: false,
         tunnel: 'https://sentry-reporter.ente.io',