diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index 55fe655..6dc9d5f 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -200,14 +200,23 @@ jobs:
       # ── RELEASE ENGINE: commit the bump, tag, push ───────────────────────
       - name: Commit version bump and push tag
         if: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.release == 'true' }}
+        env:
+          REGISTRY_USER: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USER }}
+          REGISTRY_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           VERSION="${{ steps.plan.outputs.version }}"
           TAG="${{ steps.plan.outputs.tag }}"
+          # Secrets can arrive with a trailing newline (depending on how they were
+          # pasted); a stray CR/LF corrupts the remote URL ("credential url cannot
+          # be parsed"). Strip line breaks before building the URL. Passing them via
+          # env (not inline ${{ }}) also keeps a newline from breaking this script.
+          CI_USER="$(printf '%s' "${REGISTRY_USER}" | tr -d '\r\n')"
+          CI_TOKEN="$(printf '%s' "${REGISTRY_TOKEN}" | tr -d '\r\n')"
           git config user.name  "uo-link-ci"
           git config user.email "ci@whitlocktech.com"
           git remote set-url origin \
-            "https://${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USER }}:${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}@${GITEA_HOST}/${REPO}.git"
+            "https://${CI_USER}:${CI_TOKEN}@${GITEA_HOST}/${REPO}.git"
 
           git add "${WORKDIR}/Cargo.toml" "${WORKDIR}/Cargo.lock"
           if ! git diff --cached --quiet; then
@@ -222,14 +231,19 @@ jobs:
       # ── RELEASE ENGINE: create the Gitea release + upload assets ─────────
       - name: Create Gitea release and upload assets
         if: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.release == 'true' }}
+        env:
+          REGISTRY_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           TAG="${{ steps.plan.outputs.tag }}"
           API="https://${GITEA_HOST}/api/v1/repos/${REPO}"
           BODY="$(cat dist/CHANGELOG.md)"
+          # Same newline hygiene as the push step: a stray CR/LF in the token would
+          # corrupt the Authorization header.
+          CI_TOKEN="$(printf '%s' "${REGISTRY_TOKEN}" | tr -d '\r\n')"
 
           REL_ID="$(curl -sSf -X POST "${API}/releases" \
-            -H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}" \
+            -H "Authorization: token ${CI_TOKEN}" \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
             -d "$(jq -n --arg tag "$TAG" --arg body "$BODY" \
                    '{tag_name:$tag, name:$tag, body:$body, draft:false, prerelease:false}')" \
@@ -238,7 +252,7 @@ jobs:
 
           for f in "${BIN}-linux-x86_64" "${BIN}-windows-x86_64.exe" SHA256SUMS; do
             curl -sSf -X POST "${API}/releases/${REL_ID}/assets?name=${f}" \
-              -H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}" \
+              -H "Authorization: token ${CI_TOKEN}" \
               -F "attachment=@dist/${f}" >/dev/null
             echo "  uploaded ${f}"
           done