diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/build.yml b/.gitea/workflows/build.yml
index cbf0412..7b291f8 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/build.yml
@@ -10,18 +10,18 @@ name: Build
 # This project's CI/CD scope is intentionally just test/build/push --
 # deployment is being split into a separate project.
 #
-# Requires secrets.GITEA_TOKEN (auto-injected by Gitea Actions; needs the
-# "packages" permission scope to push images).
+# Requires secrets.CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD -- a personal access token
+# (write:package scope) from the pushing account, stored manually as a repo
+# secret. The auto-injected secrets.GITEA_TOKEN does NOT work for this: it
+# never grants package-registry access regardless of the workflow's own
+# `permissions:` block -- a known Gitea limitation, not a config mistake
+# (https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/issues/23642).
 
 on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
   workflow_dispatch:
 
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-  packages: write
-
 jobs:
   build-and-push:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Log in to the container registry
         env:
-          GITEA_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
-        run: echo "$GITEA_TOKEN" | docker login code.aneur.in -u "${{ gitea.actor }}" --password-stdin
+          CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+        run: echo "$CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | docker login code.aneur.in -u "${{ gitea.actor }}" --password-stdin
 
       - name: Promote the current "latest" to "previous"
         run: |
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index 5e32314..90dad22 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -10,17 +10,17 @@ name: Release
 # Assumes tags are cut from commits already on main (and so already covered
 # by ci.yml's checks) -- this workflow doesn't run the test suite itself.
 #
-# Requires secrets.GITEA_TOKEN (auto-injected; needs the "packages"
-# permission scope to push images).
+# Requires secrets.CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD -- a personal access token
+# (write:package scope) from the pushing account, stored manually as a repo
+# secret. The auto-injected secrets.GITEA_TOKEN does NOT work for this: it
+# never grants package-registry access regardless of the workflow's own
+# `permissions:` block -- a known Gitea limitation, not a config mistake
+# (https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/issues/23642).
 
 on:
   push:
     tags: ['*']
 
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-  packages: write
-
 jobs:
   build-and-push:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Log in to the container registry
         env:
-          GITEA_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITEA_TOKEN }}
-        run: echo "$GITEA_TOKEN" | docker login code.aneur.in -u "${{ gitea.actor }}" --password-stdin
+          CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
+        run: echo "$CONTAINER_REGISTRY_PASSWORD" | docker login code.aneur.in -u "${{ gitea.actor }}" --password-stdin
 
       - name: Build and push the image
         run: |