diff --git a/cmd/ninja/cmd/plugin.go b/cmd/ninja/cmd/plugin.go
index 2665d05..305fb43 100644
--- a/cmd/ninja/cmd/plugin.go
+++ b/cmd/ninja/cmd/plugin.go
@@ -299,28 +299,10 @@ func newPluginPublishCmd() *cobra.Command {
 				return err
 			}
 
-			// Run the tracked-yet-gitignored warning BEFORE the dirty check so
-			// the developer sees it even on the aborted-publish path; the spec
-			// asks for this warning to be unconditional.
-			gitignoredTrackedWarning(".", os.Stderr)
-
-			if !allowDirty {
-				out, _ := exec.Command("git", "status", "--porcelain").Output()
-				if len(strings.TrimSpace(string(out))) > 0 {
-					return fmt.Errorf("working tree dirty; commit or pass --allow-dirty")
-				}
-			} else {
-				// `git stash create` only captures tracked content, so untracked
-				// files would be silently dropped from the archive. Warn loudly.
-				untrackedFilesWarning(".", os.Stderr)
+			if err := emitPublishWarnings(".", allowDirty, os.Stderr); err != nil {
+				return err
 			}
 
-			// `git archive` does not recurse into submodules, so any submodule
-			// paths will appear as empty directories in the tarball. Detect via
-			// .gitmodules so this works even for submodules that haven't been
-			// initialised yet.
-			submoduleWarning(".", os.Stderr)
-
 			archiveBytes, err := archive.BuildSourceArchive(".")
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("build archive: %w", err)
@@ -676,6 +658,38 @@ func untrackedFilesWarning(repoDir string, w io.Writer) {
 	fmt.Fprintln(w, "  (run `git add <file>` if they should be shipped)")
 }
 
+// emitPublishWarnings runs the publish-time warning helpers in the order the
+// CLI expects:
+//
+//  1. gitignoredTrackedWarning is unconditional so the developer sees it even
+//     when the publish is about to abort.
+//  2. If allowDirty is false the working tree must be clean — a dirty tree
+//     returns an error and the remaining warnings (which are only useful on
+//     the proceeding-publish path) are skipped.
+//  3. If allowDirty is true the untracked-files warning fires so the user
+//     knows those files won't be in the archive.
+//  4. submoduleWarning is unconditional on the proceeding path because
+//     `git archive` does not recurse into submodules.
+func emitPublishWarnings(repoDir string, allowDirty bool, w io.Writer) error {
+	gitignoredTrackedWarning(repoDir, w)
+
+	if !allowDirty {
+		cmd := exec.Command("git", "status", "--porcelain")
+		cmd.Dir = repoDir
+		out, _ := cmd.Output()
+		if len(strings.TrimSpace(string(out))) > 0 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("working tree dirty; commit or pass --allow-dirty")
+		}
+	} else {
+		// `git stash create` only captures tracked content, so untracked
+		// files would be silently dropped from the archive. Warn loudly.
+		untrackedFilesWarning(repoDir, w)
+	}
+
+	submoduleWarning(repoDir, w)
+	return nil
+}
+
 // submoduleWarning writes a warning to w if repoDir contains submodules.
 // `git archive` doesn't recurse into them so they ship as empty directories;
 // detection is via .gitmodules so it fires even for uninitialised submodules.