diff --git a/commands/bootstrap.sh b/commands/bootstrap.sh
index b20617d..c7cce46 100755
--- a/commands/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/commands/bootstrap.sh
@@ -747,10 +747,21 @@ if [ "$HOST" = "yes" ]; then
         printf '%s/%s/raw/branch/%s/install.sh\n' "$BOX_HOST" "$BOX_REPO" "$BOX_REF" ;;
     esac
   }
-  # Prefer the first candidate for the operator-facing manual path; the
-  # install loop below walks the full list when the network is live.
+  # Operator-facing recovery command. On multi-candidate hosts (Forgejo)
+  # list every URL — taking only the first would hand BOX_REF=main a
+  # /raw/tag/main URL that 404s (#111 review: "tells the operator to run a
+  # command that 404s"). After a live probe succeeds, the install loop
+  # rewrites BOX_MANUAL to the URL that actually worked.
   BOX_INSTALL_URL="$(box_install_urls | head -n1)"
-  BOX_MANUAL="curl -fsSL ${BOX_INSTALL_URL} | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=${BOX_REF} bash"
+  BOX_MANUAL=""
+  while IFS= read -r _box_manual_url; do
+    _box_manual_cmd="curl -fsSL ${_box_manual_url} | BOX_YES=1 BOX_REF=${BOX_REF} bash"
+    if [ -z "$BOX_MANUAL" ]; then
+      BOX_MANUAL="$_box_manual_cmd"
+    else
+      BOX_MANUAL="${BOX_MANUAL}; if that 404s: ${_box_manual_cmd}"
+    fi
+  done < <(box_install_urls)
   if [ "${RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL:-}" = "1" ]; then
     log "RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL=1 — skipping box install; to prepare Incus by hand later: ${BOX_MANUAL}"
   elif ! command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
diff --git a/test/cli.sh b/test/cli.sh
index 4812aac..e77a2aa 100644
--- a/test/cli.sh
+++ b/test/cli.sh
@@ -265,6 +265,46 @@ check "bootstrap: non-GitHub box install tries /raw/tag/ first" 0 "" \
 # shellcheck disable=SC2016
 check "bootstrap: non-GitHub box install falls back to /raw/branch/" 0 "" \
   grep -qF 'raw/branch/%s/install.sh' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+# Drive box_install_urls for real (codex/claude: grep-only cannot catch
+# order or emission bugs). Extract with the release.sh awk idiom; the
+# function is nested under `if [ "$HOST" = "yes" ]` so strip two spaces.
+BIU_DIR="$(mktemp -d)"
+BIU="$BIU_DIR/box-install-urls.sh"
+awk '/^  box_install_urls\(\) \{/,/^  \}/' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh" \
+  | sed 's/^  //' > "$BIU"
+check "bootstrap: box_install_urls extracted (guards the awk)" 0 "raw" cat "$BIU"
+biu_line() { # biu_line HOST REF N — the Nth candidate (1-based)
+  local host="$1" ref="$2" n="$3"
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2016  # $1/$2 are the inner bash -c positionals
+  env BOX_HOST="$host" BOX_REPO=heavy-duty/box BOX_REF="$ref" \
+    bash -c 'set -euo pipefail; . "$1"; box_install_urls | sed -n "${2}p"' \
+    _ "$BIU" "$n"
+}
+biu_count() { # biu_count HOST REF — how many candidates
+  local host="$1" ref="$2"
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2016  # $1 is the inner bash -c positional
+  env BOX_HOST="$host" BOX_REPO=heavy-duty/box BOX_REF="$ref" \
+    bash -c 'set -euo pipefail; . "$1"; box_install_urls | grep -c .' \
+    _ "$BIU"
+}
+check "bootstrap: box_install_urls GitHub is a single raw.githubusercontent.com URL" 0 \
+  "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/heavy-duty/box/0.9.0/install.sh" \
+  biu_line https://github.com 0.9.0 1
+check "bootstrap: box_install_urls GitHub emits exactly one candidate" 0 "1" \
+  biu_count https://github.com 0.9.0
+check "bootstrap: box_install_urls Forgejo tag-first for a version pin" 0 \
+  "https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/box/raw/tag/0.9.0/install.sh" \
+  biu_line https://forgejo.example 0.9.0 1
+check "bootstrap: box_install_urls Forgejo branch second" 0 \
+  "https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/box/raw/branch/0.9.0/install.sh" \
+  biu_line https://forgejo.example 0.9.0 2
+check "bootstrap: box_install_urls Forgejo tag-first even for BOX_REF=main" 0 \
+  "https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/box/raw/tag/main/install.sh" \
+  biu_line https://forgejo.example main 1
+# BOX_MANUAL must not hand the operator only a 404ing first candidate.
+check "bootstrap: BOX_MANUAL names the branch fallback when tag may 404" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF 'if that 404s:' "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
+rm -rf "$BIU_DIR"
 # Opt-out for rehearsals / offline / hand-managed hosts.
 check "bootstrap: box install honors RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL opt-out" 0 "" \
   grep -q "RIG_SKIP_BOX_INSTALL" "$ROOT/commands/bootstrap.sh"
diff --git a/test/release.sh b/test/release.sh
index b5b7bd0..2bd3f0e 100644
--- a/test/release.sh
+++ b/test/release.sh
@@ -42,10 +42,14 @@ FAKEHOME="$WORK/home"; mkdir -p "$FAKEHOME"
 # inline; extract them here and drive them for real (the valid_version awk
 # idiom from test/cli.sh), against a stub curl — never the network.
 RL="$WORK/installer-fns.sh"
-awk '/^resolve_latest_tag\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh" > "$RL"
-awk '/^ref_candidate_urls\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh" >> "$RL"
-awk '/^release_tag_url\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh" >> "$RL"
-awk '/^install_script_url\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh" >> "$RL"
+# Grouped redirect — shellcheck SC2129 flags four individual >> to the same
+# file (crossed the threshold when release_tag_url joined the extract set).
+{
+  awk '/^resolve_latest_tag\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh"
+  awk '/^ref_candidate_urls\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh"
+  awk '/^release_tag_url\(\) \{/,/^\}/'    "$ROOT/install.sh"
+  awk '/^install_script_url\(\) \{/,/^\}/' "$ROOT/install.sh"
+} > "$RL"
 check "installer fns extracted (guards the awk)" 0 "redirect_url" cat "$RL"
 
 STUB="$WORK/stub"; mkdir -p "$STUB"
@@ -142,6 +146,10 @@ check "resolve: RIG_HOST is the releases/latest origin" 0 "0.2.0" \
 check "resolve: the probe hit the Forgejo host" 0 \
   "https://forgejo.example/heavy-duty/rig/releases/latest" \
   cat "$rlt_log"
+# Forgejo's no-release path is a 404 (not GitHub's /releases redirect) —
+# curl -f fails and || return 1 fires. Drive that branch under RIG_HOST.
+check "resolve: Forgejo no-release is a failing curl (404), not a /releases redirect" 1 "" \
+  rlt RIG_HOST=https://forgejo.example CURL_STUB_FAIL=1
 
 # --- the three channels, driven through the REAL installer -------------------
 # Full install.sh runs against throwaway roots with the stub curl on PATH: the