diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index d604f0e..556b841 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ name: release
 #       branches: [main]
 #   permissions:
 #     contents: write       # tag ref create + release create + the bump push
-#     pull-requests: write  # the label read; the bump-fallback `gh pr create`
+#     pull-requests: write  # the label read; the bump-fallback PR
 #     issues: write         # --label on that fallback PR rides the issues API
 #   jobs:
 #     release:
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ name: release
 # ## The artifact hook (#1 D4)
 #
 # If the consumer carries .github/actions/release-artifact/action.yml, both
-# doors invoke it — after the tag exists, before `gh release create` — with
+# doors invoke it — after the tag exists, before the publish — with
 # `version` as input and RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR exported; every file the hook
 # drops there is uploaded as a release asset. Exit non-zero to abort the
 # release. No hook → no assets.
@@ -217,7 +217,14 @@ jobs:
             echo "tag '$VER' already exists — this release already happened, or a manual tag won the race; refusing to re-release, creating nothing." >&2
             exit 1
           fi
-          if gh release view "$VER" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --json name >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+          . "$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/forge.sh"
+          forge_select ""
+          if ! exists="$(forge_release_exists "$VER")"; then
+            echo "could not read whether release '$VER' exists — refusing rather than assuming it does not (#191)." >&2
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          if [ "$exists" = yes ]; then
             echo "release '$VER' already exists — refusing to re-release, creating nothing." >&2
             exit 1
           fi
@@ -231,8 +238,10 @@ jobs:
         # the tag door cannot double-fire off this tag — and this job is
         # the only chance to publish (the sources' central comment).
         run: |
-          gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/git/refs" \
-            -f "ref=refs/tags/$VER" -f "sha=$MERGE_SHA"
+          # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+          . "$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/forge.sh"
+          forge_select ""
+          forge_tag_create "$VER" "$MERGE_SHA"
       - name: artifact hook — the consumer's own release-artifact action
         # Runs after the tag exists, before the publish (#1 D4). The local
         # path resolves in the consumer checkout at the workspace root —
@@ -253,9 +262,10 @@ jobs:
           for f in "$RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR"/*; do
             if [ -e "$f" ]; then assets+=("$f"); fi
           done
-          gh release create "$VER" --verify-tag --title "$VER" \
-            --notes-file "$RUNNER_TEMP/notes.md" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" \
-            "${assets[@]}"
+          # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+          . "$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/forge.sh"
+          forge_select ""
+          forge_release_create "$VER" "$VER" "$RUNNER_TEMP/notes.md" "${assets[@]}"
       # The post-release bump, folded into the release act (the sources'
       # operator decision: a mechanical one-liner deserves no PR of its
       # own). X.Y.(Z+1)-dev is arithmetic, not judgment (version_next_dev
@@ -294,10 +304,13 @@ jobs:
             echo "direct push refused (branch protection?) — opening the bump PR instead" >&2
             git checkout -b "chore/bump-$next"
             git push origin "chore/bump-$next"
-            gh pr create -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --head "chore/bump-$next" \
-              --title "chore: bump main to $next" \
-              --body "The post-release re-arm, opened by release.yml because the direct push was refused. One version bump, nothing else — never leave main armed to impersonate $VER." \
-              --label release
+            # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+            . "$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/forge.sh"
+            forge_select ""
+            forge_pr_create "chore/bump-$next" main \
+              "chore: bump main to $next" \
+              "The post-release re-arm, opened by release.yml because the direct push was refused. One version bump, nothing else — never leave main armed to impersonate $VER." \
+              release
           fi
 
   release-on-tag:
@@ -366,6 +379,7 @@ jobs:
           for f in "$RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR"/*; do
             if [ -e "$f" ]; then assets+=("$f"); fi
           done
-          gh release create "$VER" --verify-tag --title "$VER" \
-            --notes-file "$RUNNER_TEMP/notes.md" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" \
-            "${assets[@]}"
+          # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+          . "$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/forge.sh"
+          forge_select ""
+          forge_release_create "$VER" "$VER" "$RUNNER_TEMP/notes.md" "${assets[@]}"
diff --git a/changelog.d/191.md b/changelog.d/191.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e78682
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/191.md
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+### Fixed
+
+- The release doors run on a Forgejo consumer. `lib/facts.sh` and
+  `release.yml` gathered and published through `gh`, which the runner image
+  does not ship, so the merge door read `labeled=no` for a correctly labeled
+  ceremony PR and the tag door died at the publish (#191).
+
+- A release fact that could not be read is no longer reported as a definite
+  `no`. A completed read finding no label is still `no` and still
+  fail-closed; a read that did not complete refuses and emits no fact — the
+  distinction that demoted a ceremony PR to "a bare push" (#191).
+
+### Added
+
+- `forge_release_exists`, `forge_commit_pulls`, `forge_tag_create`,
+  `forge_release_create` and `forge_pr_create` on both backends, so the
+  release path names no client. Forgejo serves one PR object at
+  `/commits/{sha}/pull` where GitHub serves an array at `/pulls`, and
+  creates tags at `/tags` where GitHub POSTs to `/git/refs`; both verbs emit
+  the GitHub shape so the call sites carry one expression (#191).
diff --git a/lib/facts.sh b/lib/facts.sh
index add259b..5c5ceda 100644
--- a/lib/facts.sh
+++ b/lib/facts.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 # lib/decide.sh (issue #8) is pure: it consumes four facts and renders the
 # 5-state verdict. This script is the impure half that establishes those
 # facts. It runs inside the consumer's checkout (the working directory),
-# talks to git and gh, and prints the facts in $GITHUB_OUTPUT form:
+# talks to git and the forge shim, and prints the facts in $GITHUB_OUTPUT form:
 #
 #   ver=…  base_ver=…  released=(yes|no|empty)  labeled=(yes|no|empty)
 #
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
 #   MERGE_SHA           the pushed head (github.sha)
 #   EVENT_BEFORE        github.event.before — may be empty or all-zeros
 #   GITHUB_REPOSITORY   for the two API facts
-#   GH_TOKEN            for gh (unused when no API state is consulted)
+#   GH_TOKEN            for the forge client (unused when no API state is
+#                       consulted)
 #
 # The API calls run only in the states that consult them (decide tolerates
 # empty facts — issue #8): RELEASED only for a bare unchanged version,
@@ -24,8 +25,11 @@
 # decides on the two versions alone and never touches the API.
 set -euo pipefail
 
+_facts_lib="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 # shellcheck source=lib/version.sh
-. "$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/version.sh"
+. "$_facts_lib/version.sh"
+# shellcheck source=lib/forge.sh
+. "$_facts_lib/forge.sh"
 
 : "${VERSION_SOURCE:?facts: VERSION_SOURCE is required}"
 : "${MERGE_SHA:?facts: MERGE_SHA is required}"
@@ -94,25 +98,38 @@ fi
 released=""
 labeled=""
 if ! version_is_dev "$ver"; then
+  # The forge is selected only in the states that consult the API — a -dev
+  # tree, every ordinary merge, still decides on the two versions alone and
+  # touches no forge at all (#8's tolerance for empty facts).
+  # "" means decide from the environment; forge_select takes an explicit
+  # forge only in tests.
+  forge_select "" || exit 1
+
   if [ "$base_ver" = "$ver" ]; then
-    # Any gh failure reads as "not released" — the sources' semantics; the
-    # verdict this feeds (row 4) is a refusal, and the ceremony path
-    # re-checks existence in the nothing-exists assert before creating
-    # anything.
-    if gh release view "$ver" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --json name >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-      released=yes
-    else
-      released=no
+    # Row 4's input. Before #191 any failure here read as "not released",
+    # which is safe only because row 4 refuses either way. It is still a
+    # lie about what was observed, so an unreadable answer refuses.
+    if ! released="$(forge_release_exists "$ver")"; then
+      echo "facts: could not read whether '$ver' is already released — refusing rather than reporting 'no' (#191)" >&2
+      exit 1
     fi
   else
-    # The sources' exact jq: merged PRs only, `release` among the label
-    # names. Read via the API because a push event carries no PR payload —
-    # and the PR itself lives on a fork (the trigger comment in the
-    # workflow). A failed API call reads as "no label", which row 5
-    # refuses: fail-closed.
-    if gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/commits/$MERGE_SHA/pulls" \
-        -q '[.[] | select(.merged_at != null) | .labels[].name] | index("release") != null' \
-        | grep -qx true; then
+    # Row 5's input, and the one that cost a release: a push event carries
+    # no PR payload, so the label is read from the API. The old code turned
+    # ANY failure into labeled=no, and on a Forgejo runner — no `gh` — that
+    # demoted a correctly labeled, correctly merged ceremony PR into "a bare
+    # push", refusing the release and creating nothing. Measured in the
+    # 0.4.1 drill, twice (drills/0.4.1.md).
+    #
+    # Now: a completed read that finds no merged release-labeled PR is still
+    # `no` and still fail-closed. A read that did not complete refuses.
+    if ! pulls="$(forge_commit_pulls "$MERGE_SHA")"; then
+      echo "facts: could not read the pull requests behind '$MERGE_SHA' — refusing rather than reporting 'no label' (#191)" >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    # One jq expression for both forges: the backends agree on the shape.
+    if printf '%s' "$pulls" \
+      | jq -e '[.[] | select(.merged_at != null) | .labels[].name] | index("release") != null' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
       labeled=yes
     else
       labeled=no
diff --git a/lib/forge-forgejo.sh b/lib/forge-forgejo.sh
index 1aae741..94915f1 100644
--- a/lib/forge-forgejo.sh
+++ b/lib/forge-forgejo.sh
@@ -481,3 +481,157 @@ forge_pr_activity() {
       --jq '.[].created_at' || return 1
   done < <(jq -r '.[] | select((.comments_count // 0) > 0) | .id' <<<"$reviews")
 }
+
+# --- the release door's facts (#191) --------------------------------------
+# Two reads the merge and tag doors depend on. Both answer a QUESTION, and
+# both distinguish "the read completed and the answer is no" from "the read
+# did not complete" — the distinction lib/facts.sh got wrong before #191,
+# where any failure became a definite `no` and a release ceremony was
+# silently demoted to a bare push.
+#
+# Measured on forgejo.heavyduty.builders (8.0.3+gitea-1.22.0), 2026-08-04:
+#
+#   GET /repos/{o}/{r}/releases/tags/0.4.0   -> 200   (present)
+#   GET /repos/{o}/{r}/releases/tags/9.9.9   -> 404   (absent — a real answer)
+#
+#   GET /repos/{o}/{r}/commits/{sha}/pull    -> 200, a SINGLE PR object
+#   GET /repos/{o}/{r}/commits/{sha}/pulls   -> 404 page not found
+#   ...on a commit with no PR                -> 404 {"message":"pull request
+#                                                    does not exist …"}
+#
+# The singular/plural split is the asymmetry: GitHub serves an ARRAY at
+# /pulls, Forgejo serves one OBJECT at /pull. Both verbs below emit the
+# GitHub shape — a JSON array — so lib/facts.sh carries one jq expression
+# for both forges, which is the whole point of the shim.
+
+# forgejo_read_code <endpoint> <body-file> — the raw GET, printing the HTTP
+# status on stdout. Separate from forge_api because these two call sites
+# must SEE a 404 rather than have it collapsed into a failure.
+forgejo_read_code() {
+  local endpoint="$1" body="$2" base token hdr rc
+  base="$(forgejo_api_base)" || return 1
+  token="${GH_TOKEN:-${GITHUB_TOKEN:-${FORGEJO_TOKEN:-}}}"
+  hdr="$(mktemp)"
+  curl -sS -D "$hdr" -o "$body" -H "Authorization: token $token" "$base/$endpoint"
+  rc=$?
+  if [ "$rc" -ne 0 ]; then
+    rm -f "$hdr"
+    echo "forge: GET $endpoint failed to send" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+  tr -d '\r' <"$hdr" | awk '/^HTTP\// { c = $2 } END { print c }'
+  rm -f "$hdr"
+}
+
+# forge_release_exists <tag> — prints `yes` or `no`. A non-zero exit means
+# the read did not complete and the answer is UNKNOWN; the caller must not
+# treat that as `no` (#191).
+forge_release_exists() {
+  local tag="${1:?forge_release_exists: tag required}" body code
+  body="$(mktemp)"
+  code="$(forgejo_read_code "repos/$REPO/releases/tags/$tag" "$body")" || { rm -f "$body"; return 1; }
+  rm -f "$body"
+  case "$code" in
+    2*) echo yes ;;
+    404) echo no ;;
+    *)
+      echo "forge_release_exists: HTTP $code reading release '$tag' — the answer is unknown, not 'no'" >&2
+      return 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+# forge_commit_pulls <sha> — the pull requests whose merge produced <sha>, as
+# a JSON ARRAY in GitHub's shape. An empty array is a completed read that
+# found nothing; a non-zero exit is a read that did not complete.
+forge_commit_pulls() {
+  local sha="${1:?forge_commit_pulls: sha required}" body code out
+  body="$(mktemp)"
+  code="$(forgejo_read_code "repos/$REPO/commits/$sha/pull" "$body")" || { rm -f "$body"; return 1; }
+  case "$code" in
+    2*)
+      # One object -> a one-element array, so the call site's jq is the
+      # same expression it runs against GitHub.
+      if ! out="$(jq -c '[.]' <"$body" 2>/dev/null)"; then
+        rm -f "$body"
+        echo "forge_commit_pulls: unreadable JSON for '$sha'" >&2
+        return 1
+      fi
+      printf '%s\n' "$out"
+      ;;
+    404) printf '[]\n' ;;
+    *)
+      rm -f "$body"
+      echo "forge_commit_pulls: HTTP $code reading the PR for '$sha' — the answer is unknown, not 'none'" >&2
+      return 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+  rm -f "$body"
+}
+
+# --- the release door's writes (#191) -------------------------------------
+# Confirmed against this instance's own swagger, 2026-08-04:
+#
+#   POST /repos/{o}/{r}/tags                  -> exists   (tag creation)
+#   GET  /repos/{o}/{r}/git/refs              -> GET ONLY (no POST)
+#   POST /repos/{o}/{r}/releases              -> exists
+#   POST /repos/{o}/{r}/releases/{id}/assets  -> exists
+#
+# The asymmetry worth naming: GitHub creates a tag by POSTing a ref to
+# /git/refs; Forgejo does not serve POST there at all and creates tags at
+# /tags instead. A 1:1 port of the gh call would 404 forever.
+
+# forge_tag_create <tag> <sha>
+forge_tag_create() {
+  local tag="${1:?forge_tag_create: tag required}" sha="${2:?forge_tag_create: sha required}"
+  forgejo_write POST "repos/$REPO/tags" \
+    "$(jq -nc --arg t "$tag" --arg s "$sha" '{tag_name:$t,target:$s}')" >/dev/null
+}
+
+# forge_release_create <tag> <title> <notes-file> [asset…] — publishes, then
+# uploads each asset to the created release. The release id comes back from
+# the create, so no second lookup is needed.
+forge_release_create() {
+  local tag="${1:?forge_release_create: tag required}" title="${2:?forge_release_create: title required}"
+  local notes="${3:?forge_release_create: notes file required}" out id base token
+  shift 3
+  out="$(forgejo_write POST "repos/$REPO/releases" \
+    "$(jq -nc --arg t "$tag" --arg n "$title" --rawfile b "$notes" \
+        '{tag_name:$t,name:$n,body:$b,draft:false,prerelease:false}')")" || return 1
+  id="$(printf '%s' "$out" | jq -r '.id // empty')"
+  [ -n "$id" ] || { echo "forge_release_create: the create returned no release id" >&2; return 1; }
+  [ "$#" -gt 0 ] || return 0
+  base="$(forgejo_api_base)" || return 1
+  token="${GH_TOKEN:-${GITHUB_TOKEN:-${FORGEJO_TOKEN:-}}}"
+  local f
+  for f in "$@"; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] || continue
+    curl -sS -f -X POST -H "Authorization: token $token" \
+      -F "attachment=@$f" \
+      "$base/repos/$REPO/releases/$id/assets?name=$(basename "$f")" >/dev/null \
+      || { echo "forge_release_create: asset upload failed for '$f'" >&2; return 1; }
+  done
+}
+
+# forge_pr_create <head> <base> <title> <body> <label…> — POST /pulls takes
+# label IDs, not names (the same asymmetry the issue-label writes carry), so
+# the names are resolved first through forgejo_label_ids.
+forge_pr_create() {
+  local head="${1:?forge_pr_create: head required}" base="${2:?forge_pr_create: base required}"
+  local title="${3:?forge_pr_create: title required}" body="${4:?forge_pr_create: body required}"
+  shift 4
+  local ids='[]' map name id
+  if [ "$#" -gt 0 ]; then
+    map="$(forgejo_label_ids)" || return 1
+    ids='['
+    for name in "$@"; do
+      id="$(printf '%s\n' "$map" | awk -F'\t' -v n="$name" '$1 == n { print $2; exit }')"
+      [ -n "$id" ] || { echo "forge_pr_create: no label '$name' in this repo" >&2; return 1; }
+      ids="$ids$id,"
+    done
+    ids="${ids%,}]"
+  fi
+  forgejo_write POST "repos/$REPO/pulls" \
+    "$(jq -nc --arg h "$head" --arg b "$base" --arg t "$title" --arg d "$body" \
+        --argjson l "$ids" '{head:$h,base:$b,title:$t,body:$d,labels:$l}')" >/dev/null
+}
diff --git a/lib/forge-github.sh b/lib/forge-github.sh
index c3e9351..36307e1 100644
--- a/lib/forge-github.sh
+++ b/lib/forge-github.sh
@@ -156,3 +156,80 @@ forge_pr_activity() {
   forge_api --paginate "repos/$REPO/pulls/$n/comments" --jq '.[].created_at' || return 1
   forge_api --paginate "repos/$REPO/pulls/$n/commits" --jq '.[].commit.committer.date' || return 1
 }
+
+# --- the release door's facts (#191) --------------------------------------
+# The github twins of the forgejo backend's two release-door reads. Term 5
+# discipline applies: these are the `gh` calls lib/facts.sh carried before
+# the port, with one behaviour added — a read that did not complete is
+# reported as such instead of collapsing into a definite `no`.
+
+# forge_release_exists <tag> — prints `yes` or `no`; non-zero exit means the
+# read did not complete and the answer is UNKNOWN (#191).
+forge_release_exists() {
+  local tag="${1:?forge_release_exists: tag required}" errf err rc
+  errf="$(mktemp)"
+  if gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/releases/tags/$tag" --jq .tag_name >/dev/null 2>"$errf"; then
+    rm -f "$errf"
+    echo yes
+    return 0
+  fi
+  rc=$?
+  err="$(cat "$errf")"; rm -f "$errf"
+  # gh's 404 text is stable and is the only failure that is an ANSWER.
+  case "$err" in
+    *"HTTP 404"*) echo no; return 0 ;;
+  esac
+  echo "forge_release_exists: gh exited $rc reading release '$tag' — the answer is unknown, not 'no': $err" >&2
+  return 1
+}
+
+# forge_commit_pulls <sha> — the pull requests whose merge produced <sha>, as
+# a JSON array. GitHub serves the array directly; the forgejo twin builds
+# one from its single-object endpoint so this call site is identical.
+forge_commit_pulls() {
+  local sha="${1:?forge_commit_pulls: sha required}" errf out rc err
+  errf="$(mktemp)"
+  if out="$(gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/commits/$sha/pulls" 2>"$errf")"; then
+    rm -f "$errf"
+    printf '%s\n' "$out"
+    return 0
+  fi
+  rc=$?
+  err="$(cat "$errf")"; rm -f "$errf"
+  case "$err" in
+    *"HTTP 404"*) printf '[]\n'; return 0 ;;
+  esac
+  echo "forge_commit_pulls: gh exited $rc reading the PRs for '$sha' — the answer is unknown, not 'none': $err" >&2
+  return 1
+}
+
+# --- the release door's writes (#191) -------------------------------------
+# The gh calls the workflow carried before the port, moved behind the shim
+# so the call sites stop naming a client. Term 5: same flags, same order.
+
+# forge_tag_create <tag> <sha>
+forge_tag_create() {
+  local tag="${1:?forge_tag_create: tag required}" sha="${2:?forge_tag_create: sha required}"
+  gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/git/refs" -f "ref=refs/tags/$tag" -f "sha=$sha" >/dev/null
+}
+
+# forge_release_create <tag> <title> <notes-file> [asset…]
+forge_release_create() {
+  local tag="${1:?forge_release_create: tag required}" title="${2:?forge_release_create: title required}"
+  local notes="${3:?forge_release_create: notes file required}"
+  shift 3
+  gh release create "$tag" --verify-tag --title "$title" \
+    --notes-file "$notes" -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" "$@"
+}
+
+# forge_pr_create <head> <base> <title> <body> <label…> — the release's
+# bump-fallback PR (#191). gh takes repeated --label flags.
+forge_pr_create() {
+  local head="${1:?forge_pr_create: head required}" base="${2:?forge_pr_create: base required}"
+  local title="${3:?forge_pr_create: title required}" body="${4:?forge_pr_create: body required}"
+  shift 4
+  local args=() l
+  for l in "$@"; do args+=(--label "$l"); done
+  gh pr create -R "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --head "$head" --base "$base" \
+    --title "$title" --body "$body" "${args[@]}"
+}
diff --git a/test/facts.test.sh b/test/facts.test.sh
index ad2a9e3..b1387b2 100644
--- a/test/facts.test.sh
+++ b/test/facts.test.sh
@@ -29,20 +29,39 @@ ZEROS="0000000000000000000000000000000000000000"
 mkdir -p "$TMP/stub"
 cat >"$TMP/stub/gh" <<'EOF'
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Every mode below answers the call shape the shim now makes (#191):
+#   labeled  -> gh api repos/{r}/commits/{sha}/pulls   (a JSON ARRAY)
+#   released -> gh api repos/{r}/releases/tags/{tag}
+# The *-unreadable modes are the ones that matter: they fail the way a real
+# client fails when it cannot reach the forge, and must NOT be reported as a
+# definite answer.
 case "${GH_STUB:-none}" in
-  labeled-yes | labeled-no)
-    if [ "$1" != api ]; then
-      echo "gh stub: expected an api call, got: gh $*" >&2
-      exit 97
-    fi
-    [ "${GH_STUB}" = labeled-yes ] && echo true || echo false
+  labeled-yes)
+    echo '[{"merged_at":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","labels":[{"name":"release"}]}]'
     ;;
-  released-yes | released-no)
-    if [ "$1" != release ]; then
-      echo "gh stub: expected a release call, got: gh $*" >&2
-      exit 97
-    fi
-    [ "${GH_STUB}" = released-yes ] && exit 0 || exit 1
+  labeled-no)
+    echo '[{"merged_at":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","labels":[{"name":"enhancement"}]}]'
+    ;;
+  labeled-none)
+    # A completed read that found no PR at all — still an answer.
+    echo '[]'
+    ;;
+  labeled-unmerged)
+    # A PR carrying the label but never merged: the label alone is not a
+    # ceremony (the `merged_at != null` half of the contract).
+    echo '[{"merged_at":null,"labels":[{"name":"release"}]}]'
+    ;;
+  labeled-unreadable | released-unreadable)
+    echo "gh: Connection refused (HTTP 000)" >&2
+    exit 1
+    ;;
+  released-yes)
+    echo "$2" | grep -q 'releases/tags/' || { echo "gh stub: expected a releases/tags read, got: gh $*" >&2; exit 97; }
+    echo "0.0.0"
+    ;;
+  released-no)
+    echo "gh: Not Found (HTTP 404)" >&2
+    exit 1
     ;;
   *)
     echo "gh stub: gh must not be called in this state (gh $*)" >&2
@@ -74,6 +93,7 @@ facts_in() {
   shift
   (cd "$TMP/$dir" \
     && env PATH="$TMP/stub:$PATH" GITHUB_REPOSITORY=fixture/fixture GH_TOKEN=stub \
+      CEREMONY_FORGE=github \
       "$@" bash "$FACTS")
 }
 
@@ -214,4 +234,37 @@ nv_head="$(commit no-version README.md "with no version at the head either")"
 check "no version at the head fails loudly" 1 "no such file" \
   facts_in no-version VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$nv_head" EVENT_BEFORE="$nv_base"
 
+# --- #191: a read that did not complete is not an answer ------------------
+# The bug this suite missed before: lib/facts.sh turned ANY failure of the
+# label read into `labeled=no`, and decide's row 5 then refused a correctly
+# labeled, correctly merged ceremony PR as "a bare push". On a Forgejo
+# runner — no `gh` on the image — that was every release. Measured twice in
+# the 0.4.1 drill (drills/0.4.1.md) before it was fixed.
+#
+# The contract now: a COMPLETED read that finds nothing is still `no` and
+# still fail-closed; a read that could not complete refuses, loudly, and
+# emits no fact at all.
+
+check "a completed read with no PR behind the commit is labeled=no" 0 "labeled=no" \
+  facts_in ceremony VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$head_sha" EVENT_BEFORE="$base_sha" GH_STUB=labeled-none
+check "a labeled but UNMERGED PR is labeled=no" 0 "labeled=no" \
+  facts_in ceremony VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$head_sha" EVENT_BEFORE="$base_sha" GH_STUB=labeled-unmerged
+
+check "an unreadable label read refuses instead of saying no" 1 "refusing rather than reporting 'no label'" \
+  facts_in ceremony VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$head_sha" EVENT_BEFORE="$base_sha" GH_STUB=labeled-unreadable
+# ...and emits no fact: a refusal that still printed labeled=no would be the
+# same bug wearing a diagnostic.
+check "the refusal emits no labeled fact at all" 1 "" \
+  facts_in ceremony VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$head_sha" EVENT_BEFORE="$base_sha" GH_STUB=labeled-unreadable
+if facts_in ceremony VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$head_sha" EVENT_BEFORE="$base_sha" GH_STUB=labeled-unreadable 2>/dev/null | grep -q '^labeled='; then
+  echo "FAIL: the refusal printed a labeled= line" >&2
+  FAIL=$((FAIL + 1))
+else
+  echo "ok: no labeled= line survives the refusal"
+  PASS=$((PASS + 1))
+fi
+
+check "an unreadable release read refuses instead of saying no" 1 "refusing rather than reporting 'no'" \
+  facts_in window VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$win_head" EVENT_BEFORE="$win_base" GH_STUB=released-unreadable
+
 summary
diff --git a/test/release-chain.test.sh b/test/release-chain.test.sh
index 3633824..e6826f8 100644
--- a/test/release-chain.test.sh
+++ b/test/release-chain.test.sh
@@ -29,7 +29,11 @@ trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT
 mkdir -p "$TMP/stub"
 cat >"$TMP/stub/gh" <<'EOF'
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-if [ "$1" = api ]; then echo true; exit 0; fi
+# The label read is now GET commits/{sha}/pulls, a JSON array (#191).
+if [ "$1" = api ]; then
+  echo '[{"merged_at":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","labels":[{"name":"release"}]}]'
+  exit 0
+fi
 echo "gh stub: unexpected call: gh $*" >&2
 exit 97
 EOF
@@ -83,6 +87,7 @@ chain() {
   (
     cd "${3:-$TMP/repo}" || exit 1
     facts_out="$(env PATH="${4:-$TMP/stub}:$PATH" GITHUB_REPOSITORY=fixture/fixture \
+      CEREMONY_FORGE=github \
       GH_TOKEN=stub VERSION_SOURCE=file MERGE_SHA="$1" EVENT_BEFORE="$2" \
       bash "$FACTS")" || exit 1
     printf '%s\n' "$facts_out"