diff --git a/src/releases.ts b/src/releases.ts
index 30310fd..49c48c5 100644
--- a/src/releases.ts
+++ b/src/releases.ts
@@ -428,8 +428,10 @@ function dbReleaseToMetadata(release: DbRelease, sku: string): ReleaseMetadata {
 }
 
 /**
- * Newest fully rolled out release for the prefix, or null when no release
- * has reached 100% yet (a prefix whose first release is still staged).
+ * Newest fully rolled out release that ships a binary for the SKU, or null
+ * when there is none: the prefix's first release is still staged, or the SKU
+ * is new and its first build has not reached 100% yet. The caller decides
+ * whether the device is in the staged release's bucket before it needs this.
  */
 async function getDefaultRelease(prefix: string, sku: string): Promise<DbRelease | null> {
   const rolledOutReleases = await prisma.release.findMany({
@@ -447,9 +449,7 @@ async function getDefaultRelease(prefix: string, sku: string): Promise<DbRelease
   const compatibleReleases = rolledOutReleases.filter(r => r.artifacts.length > 0);
 
   if (compatibleReleases.length === 0) {
-    throw new NotFoundError(
-      `No default ${prefix} release available for SKU "${sku}"`,
-    );
+    return null;
   }
 
   const latestVersion = semver.maxSatisfying(
diff --git a/test/releases.test.ts b/test/releases.test.ts
index 9d672bc..2f0c189 100644
--- a/test/releases.test.ts
+++ b/test/releases.test.ts
@@ -608,6 +608,21 @@ describe("Retrieve handler", () => {
         Retrieve(createMockRequest({ deviceId: "late-adopter" }), createMockResponse()),
       ).rejects.toThrow(/No (app|system) release is rolled out yet for SKU "jetkvm-v2"/);
     });
+
+    it("serves the first staged release for a new SKU when no 100% release ships it", async () => {
+      // The seeded 100% releases carry jetkvm-v2 only. The first SDMMC build
+      // is staged at 50%: early-adopter (bucket 8) is in, late-adopter (95) out.
+      await createDbRelease("app", "1.3.0", 50, [releaseArtifact("app", "1.3.0", SDMMC_SKU)]);
+      await createDbRelease("system", "1.3.0", 50, [releaseArtifact("system", "1.3.0", SDMMC_SKU)]);
+
+      const inBucket = createMockResponse();
+      await Retrieve(createMockRequest({ deviceId: "early-adopter", sku: SDMMC_SKU }), inBucket);
+      expect(jsonBody(inBucket)).toMatchObject({ appVersion: "1.3.0", systemVersion: "1.3.0" });
+
+      await expect(
+        Retrieve(createMockRequest({ deviceId: "late-adopter", sku: SDMMC_SKU }), createMockResponse()),
+      ).rejects.toThrow(/No (app|system) release is rolled out yet for SKU "jetkvm-v2-sdmmc"/);
+    });
   });
 
   describe("signature URL handling", () => {