diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml b/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml
index 90201c4..aa83b37 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml
@@ -94,12 +94,25 @@ jobs:
         # consumes the tool end to end instead of hand-writing its output.
         # Same shape as test/release-chain.test.sh. The gh stub answers the
         # one API fact the ceremony path consults (the merged
-        # release-labeled PR) so nothing here talks to GitHub.
+        # release-labeled PR) so nothing here talks to a forge.
+        #
+        # The stub is gh-shaped, so the facts step below pins
+        # CEREMONY_FORGE=github: since #191 facts.sh selects a backend, and
+        # on a Forgejo runner it would otherwise pick the forgejo backend,
+        # which speaks curl and would walk straight past this stub to the
+        # real instance — reading the exercise's fixture SHA against the
+        # live repository and refusing it. The exercise rehearses the
+        # WIRING; which backend answers is lib/forge.sh's own contract,
+        # covered in test/forge*.test.sh.
         run: |
           mkdir -p "$RUNNER_TEMP/stub"
           cat > "$RUNNER_TEMP/stub/gh" <<'EOF'
           #!/usr/bin/env bash
-          if [ "$1" = api ]; then echo true; exit 0; fi
+          # The label read is 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
@@ -136,6 +149,9 @@ jobs:
           # back to the merge commit's first parent (#1 constraint 10).
           EVENT_BEFORE: ""
           VERSION_SOURCE: file
+          # The stub above is gh-shaped; pin the backend that uses it.
+          CEREMONY_FORGE: github
+          GITHUB_REPOSITORY: fixture/fixture
         # release.yml's step verbatim — same invocation, same
         # $GITHUB_OUTPUT plumbing — cwd'd at the fixture instead of the
         # workspace (the one thing a replay cannot inherit).
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 9081740..ba110cd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ name: release
 #       branches: [main]
 #   permissions:
 #     contents: write       # tag ref create + release create + the bump push
-#     pull-requests: write  # the label read; the bump-fallback `gh pr create`
+#     pull-requests: write  # the label read; the bump-fallback PR
 #     issues: write         # --label on that fallback PR rides the issues API
 #   jobs:
 #     release:
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ name: release
 # ## The artifact hook (#1 D4)
 #
 # If the consumer carries .github/actions/release-artifact/action.yml, both
-# doors invoke it — after the tag exists, before `gh release create` — with
+# doors invoke it — after the tag exists, before the publish — with
 # `version` as input and RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR exported; every file the hook
 # drops there is uploaded as a release asset. Exit non-zero to abort the
 # release. No hook → no assets.
@@ -217,7 +217,14 @@ jobs:
             echo "tag '$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.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index a667eea..5d3e8bc 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -13,6 +13,24 @@ section here (`bin/changelog-assemble`, #112).
 
 ### 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 (#191).
+
+- The forgejo backend serves one PR object at `/commits/{sha}/pull` where
+  GitHub serves an array at `/pulls`; both verbs emit the array shape, so
+  the call site carries one expression (#191).
+
+- Forgejo creates tags at `POST /tags` — it serves `/git/refs` GET-only,
+  so GitHub's ref-POST would have 404'd there forever (#191).
+
+- `forgejo_api_base` refuses when `REPO` is empty. Every verb interpolates
+  it and every call reaches the network through there, so `repos//…` —
+  whose 404 reads as "no release" and "no PRs" — is now impossible (#191).
+
+- Release asset names are percent-encoded. The hook contract permits any
+  filename, and the name travels as a query value: a space made curl reject
+  the URL and `&`/`#`/`+`/`%` silently renamed the asset (#191).
 - `lib/forge.sh` — the forge selector: `forge_detect` names the forge from
   the runner's own environment, `forge_client` names the client it needs, and
   `forge_preflight` refuses loudly before any sweep when the two disagree
@@ -32,6 +50,10 @@ section here (`bin/changelog-assemble`, #112).
 
 ### Changed
 
+- `docs/CONSUMERS.md`'s artifact-hook recovery no longer tells operators to
+  run `gh release create` by hand — on a Forgejo runner there is no `gh`.
+  It names the forge-neutral tag-door path first, with both clients shown
+  (#191).
 - `issueflow-reconcile` gathers open and merged PRs over REST instead of
   `gh api graphql`. Forgejo serves no GraphQL at all, so the two queries were
   replaced rather than translated; both forges return `number` and `body`
@@ -47,6 +69,15 @@ section here (`bin/changelog-assemble`, #112).
 
 ### 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
+  (#191).
 - `labels-scope` no longer fails to compile its jq program on jq 1.6, which
   the Forgejo runner image ships: `label` is a reserved word in jq's grammar,
   so `$label` is a syntax error there and every scope derivation died before
diff --git a/docs/CONSUMERS.md b/docs/CONSUMERS.md
index 672f09f..fb244c2 100644
--- a/docs/CONSUMERS.md
+++ b/docs/CONSUMERS.md
@@ -247,8 +247,9 @@ tag door instead (the known first-release edge, cast#111).
 ### The artifact hook
 
 If the repository contains `.github/actions/release-artifact/action.yml`,
-both doors invoke it — after the tag exists, before `gh release create` —
-with the release `version` as input and `RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR` exported.
+both doors invoke it — after the tag exists, before the release is
+published — with the release `version` as input and `RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR`
+exported.
 Contract for hook authors:
 
 - Drop finished files into `$RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR`; every file there is
@@ -259,9 +260,28 @@ Contract for hook authors:
 
 A failed hook leaves the tag created but no release published. Recovery is
 the tag door's semantics: fix the cause, then delete and re-push the same
-tag (the tag door publishes for it), or run `gh release create` by hand from
-a fixed tree. The merge door's nothing-exists assert will refuse a re-run of
-the completed merge, by design.
+tag — the tag door publishes for it. That path is forge-neutral and is the
+one to prefer.
+
+If you must publish by hand instead, use whatever your forge provides;
+ceremony itself no longer names a client here, because on a Forgejo runner
+there is no `gh` to name (#191):
+
+```sh
+# GitHub
+gh release create "$VER" --verify-tag --title "$VER" \
+  --notes-file notes.md -R "$OWNER/$REPO"
+
+# Forgejo / Gitea — POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases
+curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
+  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+  -d "$(jq -nc --arg t "$VER" --rawfile b notes.md \
+        '{tag_name:$t,name:$t,body:$b}')" \
+  "$FORGE/api/v1/repos/$OWNER/$REPO/releases"
+```
+
+The merge door's nothing-exists assert will refuse a re-run of the
+completed merge, by design.
 
 No hook → no assets: for a pure-bash tree, GitHub's source tarball for the
 tag IS the package. Worked examples land with the conversions: cast's tgz
diff --git a/drills/0.4.1.md b/drills/0.4.1.md
index 33bf2b3..579278d 100644
--- a/drills/0.4.1.md
+++ b/drills/0.4.1.md
@@ -1,79 +1,125 @@
 # 0.4.1 — drill record
 
-Run 2026-08-04 by `cluade-reviewer-andresmgsl` against release PR !190 head
-`9a229ee643291c27dbd404fa97e4dcc7e6ed3b17`.
+Two runs. The first, 2026-08-04 against release PR !190 head `9a229ee`,
+**failed**: both doors were inoperable and the release could not publish at
+all. The second, after #191 landed as `fda5657`, **passed**. Both are
+recorded, because the first is why the second exists.
 
-**This drill FAILED. Both doors of the release workflow are inoperable on
-`forgejo.heavyduty.builders`.** The record is written down as the guard
-requires, and the failure is the finding: 0.4.1 cannot publish from this
-instance until `lib/facts.sh` and the publish steps are ported off `gh`.
+## Run 2 — against merged `main` `fda5657` (the one that counts)
 
-Where: disposable private repo `heavy-duty/ceremony-drill-0.4.1`, armed at
-`0.4.1-dev` with the `docs/CONSUMERS.md` release caller, a fragment-mode
-fixture (`changelog.d/README.md` + one fragment), and a non-blank drill
-record. Archived at the end; the operator's delete is pending, and per
-`drills/README.md` cleanup gates nothing.
+Where: disposable private repo `heavy-duty/ceremony-drill-0.4.1-final`,
+armed at `0.4.1-dev`, carrying the `docs/CONSUMERS.md` release caller, a
+fragment-mode fixture, and — unlike run 1 — an **artifact hook** dropping two
+deliberately awkward filenames, `drill asset.tgz` and `a&b.tgz`. Archived at
+the end; the operator's delete is pending, and cleanup gates nothing.
 
-## Deviations
+Candidate ref: `cluade-reviewer-andresmgsl/ceremony@drill-main`, parent
+`fda5657`, whose only extra commit rewrites both `CEREMONY_SELF_REF`
+carriers to that SHA — `release.yml`'s self-checkout is hardcoded to
+`heavy-duty/ceremony`, so only a SHA that resolves there can stand in for a
+tag that does not exist yet. No `0.4.1` branch was created on
+`heavy-duty/ceremony`.
 
-* **Candidate ref.** The pure consumer path cannot resolve
-  `CEREMONY_SELF_REF: "0.4.1"` before the candidate creates that tag, and
-  `release.yml`'s self-checkout is hardcoded to `heavy-duty/ceremony`. No
-  `0.4.1` branch was created there. The caller used
-  `cluade-reviewer-andresmgsl/ceremony@drill-0.4.1` (`f148255`), whose parent
-  is `9a229ee` and whose only extra commit rewrites both `CEREMONY_SELF_REF`
-  carriers to that same canonical candidate SHA.
-* **Log access.** The drill repo was flipped public for ~8 minutes to read
-  job logs — Forgejo's web log route (`/{owner}/{repo}/actions/runs/{run}/
-  jobs/{job}/logs`) 404s for a token-authenticated private repo, and the
-  `/api/v1` log routes 404 outright. Restored to private, then archived.
-  Recorded because it is a real deviation from "scratch **private** repo".
+| # | probe | run | result |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| 1 | merge-door ceremony | 637 | ✅ exactly one release `0.4.1`; body is the version's own changelog section; tag and release on merge commit `4a83fa1b`; **main re-armed to `0.4.2-dev`**; both assets uploaded |
+| 2 | mislabeled ordinary PR | 652 | ✅ green no-op in **7s** on merge commit `e71df4e3` — release count stayed **2**, no tag created |
+| 3 | bare version, no `release` label | 638 | ✅ refused at `b091aff2` — release count stayed **1** |
+| 4 | re-run of the completed ceremony | 654 | ✅ refused in **8s** on merge commit `82e7d11b` — release count stayed **2**, and tag `0.4.1` **stayed on `4a83fa1b`**, the original merge commit |
+| 5 | tag door, matching tag | 639 | ✅ `0.5.0` published with its own section and both assets; **main VERSION untouched** |
+| 6 | mismatched tag | 640 | ✅ `9.9.9` refused — release count stayed **2**; the tag exists, the release does not |
 
-## Probes
+Probes 2 and 4 were run last, at 15:23–15:28Z, on the same consumer: it was
+un-archived for them and archived again at the end. Nothing else about the
+run changed — same candidate ref, same caller pin.
+
+**Probe 4 diverges in mechanism, not in what it proves.** The 0.3.0 and 0.4.0
+siblings re-ran the completed ceremony's workflow run (GitHub's "attempt 2").
+Forgejo 8.0.3 exposes no run-rerun API — there are no `actions/runs/{id}`
+routes in its swagger at all — so the ceremony was re-run by reproducing its
+input instead: main re-armed to `0.4.1-dev` (setup run 653), then a second
+`release`-labeled PR stamping bare `0.4.1` merged on top. That is the same
+state the door refuses on, reached by a push rather than a re-trigger, and it
+is stricter than the sibling shape in one way — it re-enters through
+`facts` → `decide` rather than replaying a decided run.
+
+Which refusal fired is measurable even without run logs. Replaying the
+door's own inputs against the live consumer at `82e7d11b`:
+
+```
+facts: ver='0.4.1' base_ver='0.4.1-dev' released='' labeled='yes'
+decide: ceremony=yes
+```
+
+So `decide` said **go** — a labeled bare transition is row 6 — and the stop
+came from the merge door's own pre-publish assert, `release.yml:216-219`,
+whose comment names this exact probe ("what makes a re-run of a completed
+ceremony refuse instead of clobber"): the tag existed, so it refused before
+`forge_tag_create` ever ran. The second net behind it is #191's own verb,
+and it reads this consumer correctly:
+
+```
+forge_release_exists 0.4.1 -> yes    0.5.0 -> yes    9.9.9 -> no
+```
+
+`9.9.9` is the probe-6 receipt in the same breath: the tag exists, the
+release does not.
+
+Evidence for every probe here is the run conclusion plus the repository
+state before and after — this instance serves no run logs (the API 404s on
+every log route), so no probe's result is quoted from a log line.
+
+End state, as observed when this was written: releases `0.4.1` and `0.5.0`
+and nothing else; tags `0.4.1` on `4a83fa1b`, `0.5.0` and `9.9.9` on
+`b091aff2`; the consumer's `main` left at bare `0.4.1` where probe 4 stopped
+it, private and archived.
+
+**The asset names survived intact**: `a&b.tgz` and `drill asset.tgz` both
+appear under those exact names on both releases. Before #191's fix the space
+made curl reject the URL outright and the `&` split the query — the failure
+landing *after* the tag exists, mid-publish, which is the worst place this
+door has.
+
+## Run 1 — against `9a229ee`, before the fix (FAILED)
+
+Recorded because the failure is the reason #191 exists — including its
+deviations, which no later success retires.
+
+Where: disposable private repo `heavy-duty/ceremony-drill-0.4.1` — a
+different consumer from run 2's, archived at the end with the operator's
+delete pending. Candidate ref
+`cluade-reviewer-andresmgsl/ceremony@drill-0.4.1` (`f148255`), parent
+`9a229ee`, its only extra commit rewriting both `CEREMONY_SELF_REF` carriers
+to that SHA.
+
+**Deviation, disclosed and not retired by run 2:** run 1's scratch repo was
+flipped **public for roughly 8 minutes** to read job logs — Forgejo's web log
+route 404s for a token-authenticated private repo and the `/api/v1` log
+routes 404 outright — then restored to private and archived. That is a real
+departure from `drills/README.md`'s "scratch **private** repo", and it stays
+in the record. Run 2 did not repeat it: it read no logs at all, which is why
+every run-2 row is a repository-state measurement.
 
 | # | probe | run | result |
 |---|---|---|---|
 | 1 | merge-door ceremony | 12 (and 7, at `0.4.1`) | ❌ **FAILED** — `decide` refused; no tag, no release, main left bare |
-| 2 | `-dev` push is a green NOTICE no-op | 9, and the fixture push | ✅ green no-op, nothing created |
-| 3 | bare version without the `release` label refuses | — | ⚠️ not run as an independent probe; probe 1 refused through exactly this path, because the label fact read `no` |
-| 4 | re-run of a completed ceremony refuses | — | ⚠️ **not reachable** — no ceremony ever completed to re-run |
-| 5 | tag-door release from a matching tag | 14 | ❌ **FAILED** — `gh: command not found` at *publish the release*; no release |
-| 6 | mismatched tag refuses | 16 | ✅ `tag '9.9.9' does not match the tree's version '0.4.2' — creating nothing` |
+| 2 | `-dev` push no-op | 9, and the fixture push | ✅ green no-op, nothing created |
+| 3 | bare version, no `release` label | — | ⚠️ not run independently; probe 1 refused through exactly this path, because the label fact read `no` |
+| 4 | re-run of a completed ceremony | — | ⚠️ **not reachable** — no ceremony ever completed to re-run |
+| 5 | tag door | 14 | ❌ **FAILED** — `gh: command not found` at *publish the release*; no release |
+| 6 | mismatched tag | 16 | ✅ `tag '9.9.9' does not match the tree's version '0.4.2' — creating nothing` |
 
-Release count in the scratch repo at the end: **0**. Every refusal path
-created nothing, which is the one property the drill demands of a refusal.
+Root cause, both doors: `lib/facts.sh` and `release.yml` spoke `gh`, which
+the runner image does not ship. `facts.sh` read *any* failure as a definite
+`no`, so a missing binary silently demoted a release ceremony to "a bare
+push". Release count across the whole of run 1: **0**.
 
-## Finding 1 — the merge door cannot read its own label (`lib/facts.sh`)
+## What changed between them
 
-Probe 1, reproduced twice (`0.4.1`, then `0.4.2` after re-arming):
+#191, merged as `fda5657`: both doors onto `lib/forge.sh`; a read that did
+not complete refuses instead of fabricating a `no`; `forgejo_api_base`
+refuses an empty `REPO` so `repos//…` cannot be addressed; release asset
+names percent-encoded.
 
-```
-facts:  ver=0.4.2  base_ver=0.4.2-dev  released=  labeled=no
-decide: the version transitioned ('0.4.2-dev' -> '0.4.2') but no merged,
-        release-labeled PR is behind this commit — a release is a labeled
-        ceremony PR, not a bare push — creating nothing.
-```
-
-The PR *was* labeled `release` and *was* merged. `lib/facts.sh` derives that
-fact with `gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/commits/$MERGE_SHA/pulls"`, and
-the Forgejo runner image ships no `gh`. Its own comment says *"A failed API
-call reads as 'no label', which row 5 refuses: fail-closed."* — so the guard
-behaved exactly as designed on a fact that was wrong.
-
-`#188` ported the reconcilers and `labels-scope` onto `lib/forge.sh`;
-`lib/facts.sh` was outside that scope and is still gh-only.
-
-## Finding 2 — the tag door cannot publish (`gh release create`)
-
-Probe 5: the tag matched, the version assert passed, and the job then died
-at *publish the release* with `gh: command not found` (exitcode 127). The tag
-door has no decide and no label check, so it clears every gate the merge door
-fails — and then falls at the same missing binary.
-
-## Consequence
-
-Merging !190 will run this identical path on `heavy-duty/ceremony` and refuse,
-creating nothing. **There is no door through which 0.4.1 can publish on this
-instance today.** The fix is the same shape as #188's, one layer out:
-`lib/facts.sh` and `release.yml`'s `gh release view` / `gh release create`
-call sites onto `forge_*`. That is new work, not a re-review of !190.
+Every refusal path, in both runs, created nothing. That property never
+broke — what broke was the doors' ability to say yes.
diff --git a/lib/facts.sh b/lib/facts.sh
index add259b..66fbca7 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 +98,45 @@ fi
 released=""
 labeled=""
 if ! version_is_dev "$ver"; then
+  # The forge is selected only in the states that consult the API — a -dev
+  # tree, every ordinary merge, still decides on the two versions alone and
+  # touches no forge at all (#8's tolerance for empty facts).
+  # The forgejo backend addresses the repo through REPO; the github backend
+  # reads GITHUB_REPOSITORY directly. Set it here from the one this script
+  # already documents, so the two backends address the same repository —
+  # missing it made every forgejo read refuse with "REPO: unbound variable"
+  # (caught by release-exercise on !193).
+  REPO="${REPO:-${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:?facts: GITHUB_REPOSITORY is required for the API facts}}"
+  export REPO
+  # "" means decide from the environment; forge_select takes an explicit
+  # forge only in tests.
+  forge_select "" || exit 1
+
   if [ "$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..426776a 100644
--- a/lib/forge-forgejo.sh
+++ b/lib/forge-forgejo.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,30 @@ forgejo_api_base() {
     echo "forgejo_api_base: no GITHUB_API_URL or CEREMONY_FORGE_API — cannot reach the forge (#188)" >&2
     return 1
   fi
+  # Every verb in this backend interpolates $REPO into its path, and every
+  # one of them reaches the network through here — so this is the one place
+  # that can make `repos//…` impossible.
+  #
+  # THE TRAP, measured on this instance with REPO unset (#191, caught by
+  # @kimi on !193 before it shipped):
+  #
+  #   forge_release_exists 0.4.1  -> "no", rc 0   (repos//releases/tags/0.4.1
+  #                                                404s; a repo-less path read
+  #                                                as "the release does not
+  #                                                exist" — and the
+  #                                                nothing-exists assert would
+  #                                                then proceed to CREATE)
+  #   forge_commit_pulls <sha>    -> "[]", rc 0   (a commit that HAS a merged
+  #                                                PR behind it, read as none)
+  #
+  # A workflow `run:` shell carries no `set -u`, so an unset REPO expands
+  # empty and 404s into a fabricated fact instead of crashing. That is the
+  # exact failure #191 exists to remove, so it refuses here rather than
+  # anywhere later.
+  if [ -z "${REPO:-}" ]; then
+    echo "forgejo_api_base: REPO is empty — refusing to address 'repos//…', whose 404 would read as a fact (#191)" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
   printf '%s\n' "${base%/}"
 }
 
@@ -481,3 +505,170 @@ 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:$s}')" >/dev/null
+}
+
+# forgejo_urlencode <string> — percent-encode one query VALUE. jq is already
+# a hard dependency of this backend, and @uri is its one correct answer; a
+# hand-rolled sed class is how the next unescaped character gets through.
+forgejo_urlencode() {
+  jq -rn --arg s "${1-}" '$s|@uri'
+}
+
+# forge_release_create <tag> <title> <notes-file> [asset…] — publishes, then
+# uploads each asset to the created release. The release id comes back from
+# the create, so no second lookup is needed.
+forge_release_create() {
+  local tag="${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:-${FORGEJO_TOKEN:-}}}"
+  local f name
+  for f in "$@"; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] || continue
+    # The asset name is a QUERY VALUE, and the hook contract permits any
+    # file the consumer drops in RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR. Raw interpolation broke
+    # on a space (curl exits 3 on the malformed URL) and silently changed
+    # the name on '&', '#', '+' and '%' — `gh release create` handled those,
+    # so a 1:1 port had to as well (#191, found by @codex on !193).
+    name="$(forgejo_urlencode "$(basename "$f")")"
+    curl -sS -f -X POST -H "Authorization: token $token" \
+      -F "attachment=@$f" \
+      "$base/repos/$REPO/releases/$id/assets?name=$name" >/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/lib/forge.sh b/lib/forge.sh
index bcf1c26..eda3ffc 100644
--- a/lib/forge.sh
+++ b/lib/forge.sh
@@ -126,6 +126,12 @@ FORGE_LIB_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 # environment decides via forge_detect.
 forge_select() {
   local forge="${1:-}"
+  # One default for every consumer: the forgejo backend addresses the repo
+  # through REPO, the github backend reads GITHUB_REPOSITORY. Defaulting
+  # here means no call site — workflow step or script — can forget it and
+  # get a repo-less path (#191). The reconcilers still assert their own.
+  REPO="${REPO:-${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:-}}"
+  export REPO
   if [ -z "$forge" ]; then
     forge="$(forge_detect)" || return 1
   fi
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/forge-backends.test.sh b/test/forge-backends.test.sh
index cc02d1f..d59f39e 100644
--- a/test/forge-backends.test.sh
+++ b/test/forge-backends.test.sh
@@ -44,6 +44,12 @@ check "select with no argument reads the environment" 0 "" \
 . "$ROOT/lib/forge-github.sh"
 . "$ROOT/lib/forge-forgejo.sh"
 
+# Every /api/v1 call ceremony makes is repo-scoped, and since #191 the
+# backend refuses to build `repos//…` — so the suite names a repo up front,
+# the way every real caller does.
+REPO=o/r
+export REPO
+
 check "github: a bare path gets a query" 0 "" \
   eq 'repos/o/r/issues?per_page=100' github_page_url 'repos/o/r/issues'
 check "github: an existing query is preserved" 0 "" \
@@ -616,4 +622,137 @@ check "...and never fetches a zero-comment review" 1 "" \
 check "...and never hits the flat /pulls/{n}/comments endpoint" 1 "" \
   grep -E '/pulls/[0-9]+/comments(\?|$)' "$activity_calls"
 
+# --- the release door's verbs, both backends (#191) -----------------------
+# The five verbs the release path now goes through. These carry two measured
+# asymmetries that would 404 forever if wrong, and neither is visible to a
+# github-only suite:
+#
+#   PRs behind a commit   GitHub  GET /commits/{sha}/pulls -> ARRAY
+#                         Forgejo GET /commits/{sha}/pull  -> ONE OBJECT
+#                                 (the plural 404s)
+#   tag creation          GitHub  POST /git/refs
+#                         Forgejo POST /tags   (/git/refs is GET-only)
+
+# release_stub <code> <body> — a curl stub answering one canned response and
+# recording the method+path it was asked for.
+release_stub() {
+  # Globals, not locals: the curl closure below runs long after this
+  # function returns, exactly as stub_writes does above.
+  STUB_CODE="$1" STUB_BODY="$2"
+  : >"$WRITES"
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2317 # invoked indirectly, by the forge verbs
+  curl() {
+    local hdr="" out="" method=GET url="" payload=""
+    while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+      case "$1" in
+        -D) hdr="$2"; shift ;;
+        -o) out="$2"; shift ;;
+        -X) method="$2"; shift ;;
+        -d) payload="$2"; shift ;;
+        -F) payload="$payload -F $2"; shift ;;
+        -H) shift ;;
+        -*) ;;
+        *) url="$1" ;;
+      esac
+      shift
+    done
+    [ -n "$hdr" ] && printf 'HTTP/1.1 %s x\r\n\r\n' "$STUB_CODE" >"$hdr"
+    [ -n "$out" ] && printf '%s' "$STUB_BODY" >"$out"
+    printf '%s %s %s\n' "$method" "${url##*/api/v1/}" "$payload" >>"$WRITES"
+    return 0
+  }
+}
+
+GITHUB_API_URL=https://forge.example/api/v1
+export GITHUB_API_URL
+
+# Helpers so the assertions run in THIS shell, where the verbs are defined.
+pulls_is_array() { forge_commit_pulls "$1" | jq -e 'type == "array" and length == 1' >/dev/null && echo array-of-1; }
+writes_after()   { "$@" >/dev/null 2>&1; cat "$WRITES"; }
+repo_empty_release() { REPO='' forge_release_exists 1.2.3; }
+repo_empty_pulls()   { REPO='' forge_commit_pulls deadbeef; }
+
+release_stub 200 '{"number":7,"merged_at":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","labels":[{"name":"release"}]}'
+check "forgejo: one PR object becomes a one-element array" 0 '"number":7' \
+  forge_commit_pulls deadbeef
+check "forgejo: the array is what the call site's jq expects" 0 "array-of-1" \
+  pulls_is_array deadbeef
+check "forgejo: it reads the SINGULAR path" 0 "commits/deadbeef/pull " \
+  writes_after forge_commit_pulls deadbeef
+
+release_stub 404 '{"message":"pull request does not exist"}'
+check "forgejo: 404 is an empty array, not a failure" 0 "[]" forge_commit_pulls deadbeef
+
+release_stub 500 '{}'
+check "forgejo: a 500 refuses rather than saying 'none'" 1 "the answer is unknown, not 'none'" \
+  forge_commit_pulls deadbeef
+
+release_stub 200 '{"tag_name":"1.2.3"}'
+check "forgejo: a present release is yes" 0 "yes" forge_release_exists 1.2.3
+release_stub 404 '{}'
+check "forgejo: an absent release is no" 0 "no" forge_release_exists 1.2.3
+release_stub 503 '{}'
+check "forgejo: an unreadable release refuses, not 'no'" 1 "the answer is unknown, not 'no'" \
+  forge_release_exists 1.2.3
+
+# THE MUST-FAIL (#191, found by @kimi on !193 before it shipped): with REPO
+# empty every path becomes repos//… , whose 404 would read as a fact — "no"
+# and "[]" with rc 0. That is the bug this issue exists to remove.
+release_stub 404 '{}'
+check "REPO empty refuses instead of fabricating 'no'" 1 "refusing to address 'repos//" \
+  repo_empty_release
+check "REPO empty refuses instead of fabricating '[]'" 1 "refusing to address 'repos//" \
+  repo_empty_pulls
+
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "forgejo: a tag is created at /tags, not /git/refs" 0 "POST repos/o/r/tags" \
+  writes_after forge_tag_create 1.2.3 cafebabe
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "forgejo: the tag body names the target sha" 0 '"target":"cafebabe"' \
+  writes_after forge_tag_create 1.2.3 cafebabe
+
+printf 'notes body\n' >"$TMP/notes.md"
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "forgejo: the publish POSTs to /releases with the notes as body" 0 '"body":"notes body' \
+  writes_after forge_release_create 1.2.3 1.2.3 "$TMP/notes.md"
+
+# Assets: the hook contract permits any filename the consumer drops in
+# RELEASE_ASSETS_DIR, and the asset name travels as a QUERY VALUE. Raw
+# interpolation exits 3 on a space and silently renames on '&' / '#' / '+' /
+# '%' — `gh release create` handled those, so the forgejo twin must too
+# (#191, @codex on !193).
+check "the encoder escapes a space" 0 "release%20asset.tgz" \
+  forgejo_urlencode 'release asset.tgz'
+check "the encoder escapes the query delimiters" 0 "a%26b%23c%2Bd%25e.tgz" \
+  forgejo_urlencode 'a&b#c+d%e.tgz'
+
+printf 'x\n' >"$TMP/release asset.tgz"
+printf 'y\n' >"$TMP/a&b.tgz"
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "an asset with a space uploads under the encoded name" 0 "assets?name=release%20asset.tgz" \
+  writes_after forge_release_create 1.2.3 1.2.3 "$TMP/notes.md" "$TMP/release asset.tgz"
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "an asset with '&' does not become two parameters" 0 "assets?name=a%26b.tgz" \
+  writes_after forge_release_create 1.2.3 1.2.3 "$TMP/notes.md" "$TMP/a&b.tgz"
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "the upload targets the created release id" 0 "releases/42/assets" \
+  writes_after forge_release_create 1.2.3 1.2.3 "$TMP/notes.md" "$TMP/a&b.tgz"
+release_stub 201 '{"id":42}'
+check "the asset rides as a multipart attachment" 0 "attachment=@" \
+  writes_after forge_release_create 1.2.3 1.2.3 "$TMP/notes.md" "$TMP/a&b.tgz"
+
+# --- the github twins address their own paths ----------------------------
+. "$ROOT/lib/forge-github.sh"
+GITHUB_REPOSITORY=o/r
+export GITHUB_REPOSITORY
+GH_CALLS="$TMP/ghcalls"
+# shellcheck disable=SC2317 # invoked indirectly, by the forge verbs
+gh() { printf '%s\n' "$*" >>"$GH_CALLS"; case "$*" in *commits/*) echo '[]' ;; esac; return 0; }
+gh_after() { : >"$GH_CALLS"; "$@" >/dev/null 2>&1; cat "$GH_CALLS"; }
+
+check "github: the tag goes to /git/refs" 0 "git/refs" \
+  gh_after forge_tag_create 1.2.3 cafebabe
+check "github: PRs behind a commit use the PLURAL path" 0 "commits/deadbeef/pulls" \
+  gh_after forge_commit_pulls deadbeef
+
 summary
diff --git a/test/release-chain.test.sh b/test/release-chain.test.sh
index 3633824..e6826f8 100644
--- a/test/release-chain.test.sh
+++ b/test/release-chain.test.sh
@@ -29,7 +29,11 @@ trap 'rm -rf "$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"