diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b13a6f754..cf4fe5473 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -910,7 +910,7 @@ ifeq ($(IS_FACEBOOK_TREE),yes)
 	$(MAKE) -C facebook clean)
 endif
 	$(QUIET)$(call silent_on_success,Building infer and manuals,\
-	$(MAKE) $(INFER_GROFF_MANUALS))
+	$(MAKE) IS_FACEBOOK_TREE=no $(INFER_GROFF_MANUALS))
 	$(QUIET)$(MKDIR_P) "$(WEBSITE_DIR)"/static/man/next "$(WEBSITE_DIR)"/static/odoc/next
 	$(QUIET)$(call silent_on_success,Copying man pages,\
 	$(REMOVE) "$(WEBSITE_DIR)"/static/man/*; \
@@ -922,19 +922,25 @@ endif
 	$(QUIET)$(call silent_on_success,Copying OCaml modules documentation,\
 	rsync -a --delete $(BUILD_DIR)/default/_doc/_html/ "$(WEBSITE_DIR)"/static/odoc/next/)
 	$(QUIET)$(call silent_on_success,Building infer,\
-	$(MAKE) src_build)
+	$(MAKE) IS_FACEBOOK_TREE=no src_build)
 	$(QUIET)$(call silent_on_success,Calling 'infer help --write-website',\
 	$(INFER_BIN) help --write-website "$(WEBSITE_DIR)")
 
 .PHONY: new-website-version
+# note: deletes already-created new version if already there to make it easier to update new
+# versions while preparing a release
 new-website-version: doc-publish
 #	this will version docs/ appropriately
 	cd $(WEBSITE_DIR) && \
+	rm -rf versioned_*/version-$(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)* ; \
+	sed -i -e '/"$(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)"/d' versions.json ; \
 	yarn run docusaurus docs:version $(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)
 #	copy static versioned resources
 	cd $(WEBSITE_DIR)/static/man && \
+	rm -fr $(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/ ; \
 	cp -a next/ $(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/
 	cd $(WEBSITE_DIR)/static/odoc && \
+	rm -fr $(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/ ; \
 	cp -a next/ $(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/
 #	adjust intra-doc paths in new doc version
 	cd $(WEBSITE_DIR)/versioned_docs/version-$(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/ && \
@@ -944,8 +950,10 @@ new-website-version: doc-publish
 	cd $(WEBSITE_DIR)/versioned_docs/version-$(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/ && \
 	find . -type f -not -name versions.md \
 	  -exec sed -i -e 's#/next/#/$(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH)/#g' \{\} \+
-#	adjust versions.md, the page where users can navigate to other versions of the docs
+#	adjust versions.md, the page where users can navigate to other versions of the docs, unless
+#	it was already changed by an earlier run of this rule
 	cd $(WEBSITE_DIR)/ && \
+	grep -q -F 'latest released version ($(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH))' docs/versions.md || \
 	find docs versioned_docs -name versions.md \
 	  -exec sed -i -e 's#^- \[latest released version (\([^)]*\))\](/docs/getting-started)$$#- [latest released version ($(INFER_MAJOR).$(INFER_MINOR).$(INFER_PATCH))](/docs/getting-started)\n- [previous version (\1)](/docs/\1/getting-started)#' \{\} \+