When GitHub fails to create a release, there are several potential causes. Files that exceed GitHub's size limit (100 MB per file) may prevent successful release creation; consider using Git LFS for large files. Conflicting tags, especially if they preexist with the same name, can also cause errors. List tags with `git tag` and delete conflicts using `git tag -d ` before retrying. Ensure you have push and release permissions for the repository. Lastly, if the release process involves GitHub Actions, verify the workflow’s permissions and ensure necessary access scopes (like `repo` and `workflow`) are assigned to your token. Following these steps typically resolves issues, allowing the release to proceed as expected.