diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7dbf850ee..60815c8ad 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ bootstrap-tools: $(TEMPDIR)
 .PHONY: bootstrap-go
 bootstrap-go:
 	go mod download
+	go mod tidy # note: it is important that the go.sum is kept in a consistent state at all times (especially during release)
 
 .PHONY: bootstrap
 bootstrap: $(RESULTSDIR) bootstrap-go bootstrap-tools ## Download and install all go dependencies (+ prep tooling in the ./tmp dir)