diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f464b1b..b614d7b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -107,6 +107,10 @@ The Action expects a pull request base ref and a Markdown or reStructuredText ch
 PR's labels from the API rather than from the event, so re-running an older run sees the labels the PR has now; the job
 needs `pull-requests: read` for that.
 
+Opening a PR with labels, as `gh pr create --label` does, fires `labeled` a moment after `opened`. A label event within
+a minute of opening passes at once, since the run for `opened` reads the labels when it checks. Do not cancel runs in
+progress with a `concurrency` group: the cancelled run would show as a failed check while the other one passes.
+
 ## Refresh release tools
 
 Call `upgrade-release-tools.yaml` from a scheduled or manual workflow. Its read-only job refreshes the universal
diff --git a/changelog.d/+skip-opening-labels.feature.md b/changelog.d/+skip-opening-labels.feature.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a49441e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/+skip-opening-labels.feature.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+`validate-news` passes at once for a label added or removed within a minute of a pull request opening, as
+`gh pr create --label` does, since the run for the opening already checks the current labels.
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 4290b36..912b684 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -473,6 +473,12 @@ def _expression(
         return "Bot" if environment.get("BOT_AUTHOR") == "true" else "User"
     if expression == "github.event.pull_request.number":
         return environment.get("PULL_NUMBER", "7")
+    if expression == "github.event.action":
+        return environment.get("EVENT_ACTION", "opened")
+    if expression == "github.event.pull_request.created_at":
+        return environment.get("CREATED_AT", "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z")
+    if expression == "github.event.pull_request.updated_at":
+        return environment.get("UPDATED_AT", "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z")
     raise ValueError(f"unsupported GitHub step environment: {expression}")  # pragma: no cover - new syntax only
 
 
diff --git a/tests/validate_news/test_news.py b/tests/validate_news/test_news.py
index 41c7e23..46e9d49 100644
--- a/tests/validate_news/test_news.py
+++ b/tests/validate_news/test_news.py
@@ -461,3 +461,37 @@ def test_validate_news_explains_choices(
     )
 
     assert explanation in result.stdout
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("event", "updated", "checked"),
+    [
+        pytest.param("labeled", "2026-01-01T00:00:02Z", False, id="labeled-at-opening"),
+        pytest.param("unlabeled", "2026-01-01T00:00:59Z", False, id="unlabeled-at-opening"),
+        pytest.param("labeled", "2026-01-01T00:01:00Z", True, id="labeled-later"),
+        pytest.param("synchronize", "2026-01-01T00:00:02Z", True, id="pushed-at-opening"),
+    ],
+)
+def test_validate_news_skips_labels_set_while_opening(
+    repository: Path,
+    tmp_path: Path,
+    action_scripts: Path,
+    event: str,
+    updated: str,
+    checked: bool,
+    github_api: tuple[HTTPServer, dict[str, str]],
+) -> None:
+    result = action(
+        repository,
+        tmp_path,
+        action_scripts,
+        "validate-news",
+        version="0.2.0",
+        BASE_REF="main",
+        BOT_AUTHOR="false",
+        EVENT_ACTION=event,
+        CREATED_AT="2026-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+        UPDATED_AT=updated,
+        **_current_labels(github_api, "false"),
+    )
+    assert (result.returncode, "add a changelog fragment" in result.stderr) == ((1, True) if checked else (0, False))
diff --git a/validate-news/action.yml b/validate-news/action.yml
index fe6de80..81a049d 100644
--- a/validate-news/action.yml
+++ b/validate-news/action.yml
@@ -28,8 +28,25 @@ inputs:
 runs:
   using: composite
   steps:
+    - id: opening
+      name: 🧭 Skip labels set while opening
+      if: github.event.action == 'labeled' || github.event.action == 'unlabeled'
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        CREATED: ${{ github.event.pull_request.created_at }}
+        UPDATED: ${{ github.event.pull_request.updated_at }}
+      run: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        # `gh pr create --label` labels a pull request right after opening it, so `labeled` fires beside `opened`. The
+        # run for `opened` reads the current labels when it checks, which leaves this run nothing to add.
+        seconds=$(($(date -d "$UPDATED" +%s) - $(date -d "$CREATED" +%s)))
+        if ((seconds < 60)); then
+          echo "News check skipped: labels changed ${seconds}s after opening, which the run for opening covers"
+          echo 'skip=true' >>"$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        fi
     - id: news-change
       name: 🧭 Check whether news inputs changed
+      if: steps.opening.outputs.skip != 'true'
       shell: bash
       env:
         BASE_REF: ${{ github.base_ref }}
@@ -91,6 +108,7 @@ runs:
         echo "Changed fragments: $(plural "$(<"$RUNNER_TEMP/news-fragment-count")" fragment) valid against origin/$BASE_REF"
     - id: labels
       name: 🏷️ Read the current labels
+      if: steps.opening.outputs.skip != 'true'
       shell: bash
       env:
         GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -103,6 +121,7 @@ runs:
         echo "Current labels of #$PULL: skip news $([[ "$skip" == true ]] && echo present || echo absent)"
         echo "skip=$skip" >>"$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
     - name: 🔍 Require news for human changes
+      if: steps.opening.outputs.skip != 'true'
       shell: bash
       env:
         SKIP_NEWS: ${{ steps.labels.outputs.skip }}
@@ -124,6 +143,7 @@ runs:
         fi
     - id: lock-change
       name: 🧭 Check whether release inputs changed
+      if: steps.opening.outputs.skip != 'true'
       shell: bash
       env:
         BASE_REF: ${{ github.base_ref }}