diff --git a/packages/grafana-toolkit/bin/grafana-toolkit.dist.js b/packages/grafana-toolkit/bin/grafana-toolkit.dist.js
index a1cff04187d..a48b032c8f1 100755
--- a/packages/grafana-toolkit/bin/grafana-toolkit.dist.js
+++ b/packages/grafana-toolkit/bin/grafana-toolkit.dist.js
@@ -4,10 +4,16 @@ const fs = require('fs');
 
 entrypoint = () => {
   const defaultEntryPoint = '../src/cli/index.js';
-  // We are running in dev mode. Don't use compiled binaries, rather use the dev entrypoint.
-  if (fs.existsSync(`${process.env['HOME']}/.config/yarn/link/@grafana/toolkit`)) {
-    console.log('Running in linked mode');
-    return `${__dirname}/grafana-toolkit.js`;
+  const toolkitDirectory = `${process.env['PWD']}/node_modules/@grafana/toolkit`;
+
+  // IF we have a toolkit directory AND linked grafana toolkit AND the toolkit dir is a symbolic lik
+  // THEN run everything in linked mode
+  if (fs.existsSync(toolkitDirectory)) {
+    const tkStat = fs.lstatSync(toolkitDirectory);
+    if (fs.existsSync(`${process.env['HOME']}/.config/yarn/link/@grafana/toolkit`) && tkStat.isSymbolicLink()) {
+      console.log('Running in linked mode');
+      return `${__dirname}/grafana-toolkit.js`;
+    }
   }
 
   // We are using npx, and a relative path does not find index.js
diff --git a/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/tasks/plugin.utils.ts b/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/tasks/plugin.utils.ts
index 63076ffb498..8d6acc7188e 100755
--- a/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/tasks/plugin.utils.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/tasks/plugin.utils.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ import path = require('path');
 import execa = require('execa');
 
 interface Command extends Array<any> {}
+const DEFAULT_EMAIL_ADDRESS = 'eng@graafna.com';
+const DEFAULT_USERNAME = 'CircleCI Automation';
 
 const releaseNotes = async (): Promise<string> => {
   const { stdout } = await execa.shell(`awk \'BEGIN {FS="##"; RS=""} FNR==3 {print; exit}\' CHANGELOG.md`);
@@ -62,12 +64,10 @@ const prepareRelease = useSpinner<any>('Preparing release', async ({ dryrun, ver
   const distContentDir = path.resolve(distDir, getPluginId());
   const pluginJsonFile = path.resolve(distContentDir, 'plugin.json');
   const pluginJson = getPluginJson(pluginJsonFile);
-  const GIT_EMAIL = 'eng@grafana.com';
-  const GIT_USERNAME = 'CircleCI Automation';
 
   const githubPublishScript: Command = [
-    ['git', ['config', 'user.email', GIT_EMAIL]],
-    ['git', ['config', 'user.name', GIT_USERNAME]],
+    ['git', ['config', 'user.email', DEFAULT_EMAIL_ADDRESS]],
+    ['git', ['config', 'user.name', DEFAULT_USERNAME]],
     await checkoutBranch(`release-${pluginJson.info.version}`),
     ['cp', ['-rf', distContentDir, 'dist']],
     ['git', ['add', '--force', distDir], { dryrun }],
@@ -138,14 +138,14 @@ const prepareRelease = useSpinner<any>('Preparing release', async ({ dryrun, ver
 interface GithubPublishReleaseOptions {
   commitHash?: string;
   githubToken: string;
-  gitRepoOwner: string;
+  githubEmail: string;
   gitRepoName: string;
 }
 
 const createRelease = useSpinner<GithubPublishReleaseOptions>(
   'Creating release',
-  async ({ commitHash, githubToken, gitRepoName, gitRepoOwner }) => {
-    const gitRelease = new GitHubRelease(githubToken, gitRepoOwner, gitRepoName, await releaseNotes(), commitHash);
+  async ({ commitHash, githubEmail, githubToken, gitRepoName }) => {
+    const gitRelease = new GitHubRelease(githubToken, githubEmail, gitRepoName, await releaseNotes(), commitHash);
     return gitRelease.release();
   }
 );
@@ -159,16 +159,31 @@ export interface GithubPublishOptions {
 
 const githubPublishRunner: TaskRunner<GithubPublishOptions> = async ({ dryrun, verbose, commitHash }) => {
   if (!process.env['CIRCLE_REPOSITORY_URL']) {
-    throw `The release plugin requires you specify the repository url as environment variable CIRCLE_REPOSITORY_URL`;
+    throw new Error(
+      'The release plugin requires you specify the repository url as environment variable CIRCLE_REPOSITORY_URL'
+    );
   }
 
-  if (!process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN']) {
-    throw `Github publish requires that you set the environment variable GITHUB_TOKEN to a valid github api token.
-    See: https://github.com/settings/tokens for more details.`;
+  if (!process.env['GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN']) {
+    // Try to use GITHUB_TOKEN, which may be set.
+    if (process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN']) {
+      process.env['GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN'] = process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN'];
+    } else {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Github publish requires that you set the environment variable GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN to a valid github api token.
+        See: https://github.com/settings/tokens for more details.`
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (!process.env['GITHUB_USERNAME']) {
+    // We can default this one
+    process.env['GITHUB_USERNAME'] = DEFAULT_EMAIL_ADDRESS;
   }
 
   const parsedUrl = gitUrlParse(process.env['CIRCLE_REPOSITORY_URL']);
-  const githubToken = process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN'];
+  const githubToken = process.env['GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN'];
+  const githubEmail = process.env['GITHUB_USERNAME'];
 
   await prepareRelease({
     dryrun,
@@ -177,8 +192,8 @@ const githubPublishRunner: TaskRunner<GithubPublishOptions> = async ({ dryrun, v
 
   await createRelease({
     commitHash,
+    githubEmail,
     githubToken,
-    gitRepoOwner: parsedUrl.owner,
     gitRepoName: parsedUrl.name,
   });
 };
diff --git a/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.test.ts b/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..74fedc2a759
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+import { GitHubRelease } from './githubRelease';
+
+describe('GithubRelease', () => {
+  it('should initialise a GithubRelease', () => {
+    process.env.GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN = '12345';
+    process.env.GITHUB_USERNAME = 'test@grafana.com';
+    const github = new GitHubRelease('A token', 'A username', 'A repo', 'Some release notes');
+    expect(github).toBeInstanceOf(GitHubRelease);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.ts b/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.ts
index 976060e2469..2d30b2e1a53 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-toolkit/src/cli/utils/githubRelease.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ class GitHubRelease {
     this.commitHash = commitHash;
 
     this.git = new GithubClient({
+      required: true,
       repo: repository,
     });
   }
@@ -97,7 +98,9 @@ class GitHubRelease {
         `https://uploads.github.com/repos/${this.username}/${this.repository}/releases/${newReleaseResponse.data.id}/assets`
       );
     } catch (reason) {
-      console.error('error', reason);
+      console.error(reason.data?.message ?? reason);
+      // Rethrow the error so that we can trigger a non-zero exit code to circle-ci
+      throw reason;
     }
   }
 }