diff --git a/release.sh b/release.sh
index 0f4ab4086..c2d8a1344 100755
--- a/release.sh
+++ b/release.sh
@@ -11,7 +11,17 @@
 set -e
 
 jq --version > /dev/null || (echo "jq is required: please install it"; kill $$)
-hub --version > /dev/null || (echo "hub is required: please install it"; kill $$)
+if [[ `command -v hub` ]] && [[ `hub --version` =~ hub[[:space:]]version[[:space:]]([0-9]*).([0-9]*) ]]; then
+    HUB_VERSION_MAJOR=${BASH_REMATCH[1]}
+    HUB_VERSION_MINOR=${BASH_REMATCH[2]}
+    if [[ $HUB_VERSION_MAJOR -lt 2 ]] || [[ $HUB_VERSION_MAJOR -eq 2 && $HUB_VERSION_MINOR -lt 5 ]]; then
+        echo "hub version 2.5 is required, you have $HUB_VERSION_MAJOR.$HUB_VERSION_MINOR installed"
+        exit
+    fi
+else
+    echo "hub is required: please install it"
+    exit
+fi
 
 USAGE="$0 [-xz] [-c changelog_file] vX.Y.Z"
 
@@ -45,7 +55,8 @@ fi
 skip_changelog=
 skip_jsdoc=
 changelog_file="CHANGELOG.md"
-while getopts hc:xz f; do
+expected_npm_user="matrixdotorg"
+while getopts hc:u:xz f; do
     case $f in
         h)
             help
@@ -60,6 +71,9 @@ while getopts hc:xz f; do
         z)
             skip_jsdoc=1
             ;;
+        u)
+            expected_npm_user="$OPTARG"
+            ;;
     esac
 done
 shift `expr $OPTIND - 1`
@@ -74,6 +88,12 @@ if [ -z "$skip_changelog" ]; then
     update_changelog -h > /dev/null || (echo "github-changelog-generator is required: please install it"; exit)
 fi
 
+actual_npm_user=`npm whoami`;
+if [ $expected_npm_user != $actual_npm_user ]; then
+    echo "you need to be logged into npm as $expected_npm_user, but you are logged in as $actual_npm_user" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
 # ignore leading v on release
 release="${1#v}"
 tag="v${release}"