diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/build.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/build.yml
index 457987c5b..6eacbba73 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/build.yml
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@
 # the STRAW_SIGNING_KEYSTORE_B64 secret (the same androiddebugkey the whole
 # series is signed with — vaulted as "Sulkta — Straw fdroid signing keystore").
 #
-# Publish path mirrors scripts/publish-fdroid.sh: drop the APK into the Lucy
-# fdroid repo + re-sign the index (both via the host docker socket, keystore
-# never leaves Lucy), then stream the signed repo to Rackham web168 over a
-# scoped, forced-command deploy key (STRAW_FDROID_RACKHAM_KEY).
+# Publish is ROOTLESS (#444): the signed APK is handed to a forced-command
+# script on the Lucy host (key STRAW_FDROID_LUCY_KEY, pinned to that one script
+# via restrict,command=). The host does the fdroid index re-sign + the Rackham
+# rsync — the signing keystore never enters this CI container, and this job no
+# longer needs the host docker socket. The host script re-verifies the APK
+# signer before publishing.
 name: build-apk
 
 on:
@@ -102,31 +104,32 @@ jobs:
           echo "STRAW_VC=$VC" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           echo "STRAW_APK=$NAME" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
-      # ---- Publish: only on a real push to main, AFTER the build above passed ----
-      - name: Publish to fdroid (Lucy repo + index re-sign, via host docker socket)
-        if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
-          FDROID=git.sulkta.com/sulkta-infra/fdroid-sulkta:latest
-          # Stream the APK into the host-mounted fdroid repo (helper runs as the
-          # fdroid uid so ownership matches).
-          docker run --rm -i -u 1000:1000 -v /mnt/cache/appdata/fdroid-sulkta/repo:/repo \
-            --entrypoint sh "$FDROID" -c "cat > /repo/${STRAW_APK}" < "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/${STRAW_APK}"
-          # Re-sign the index (the index keystore lives only on Lucy).
-          docker run --rm -u 1000:1000 -v /mnt/cache/appdata/fdroid-sulkta:/repo "$FDROID" update
-
-      - name: Publish to Rackham (rsync signed repo to web168)
+      # ---- Publish (rootless, no docker socket): hand the signed APK to the
+      #      Lucy host forced-command. The host re-verifies the signer, re-signs
+      #      the fdroid index (keystore stays on Lucy), and rsyncs to Rackham. ----
+      - name: Publish to fdroid via Lucy host forced-command
         if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
         env:
-          RACKHAM_KEY: ${{ secrets.STRAW_FDROID_RACKHAM_KEY }}
+          LUCY_KEY: ${{ secrets.STRAW_FDROID_LUCY_KEY }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh && echo "$RACKHAM_KEY" > ~/.ssh/id_deploy && chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_deploy
-          ssh-keyscan -H 142.44.213.229 >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts 2>/dev/null
-          FDROID=git.sulkta.com/sulkta-infra/fdroid-sulkta:latest
-          # tar the signed repo out of the host-mounted volume and stream it to
-          # the forced-command deploy key on Rackham (which untars + sudo-rsyncs).
-          docker run --rm -u 1000:1000 -v /mnt/cache/appdata/fdroid-sulkta:/src \
-            --entrypoint sh "$FDROID" -c 'tar c -C /src repo' \
-            | ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_deploy kayos@142.44.213.229
-          echo "Published vc=${STRAW_VC} to fdroid.sulkta.com"
+          install -d -m700 "$HOME/.ssh"
+          printf '%s\n' "$LUCY_KEY" > "$HOME/.ssh/id_lucy"
+          chmod 600 "$HOME/.ssh/id_lucy"
+          # Pin the Lucy host key (no TOFU).
+          printf '%s\n' '192.168.0.5 ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIIk1uDXaIz6MC3f5IymRHQ9B/azLx4XRrkTNb2F/xRP4' \
+            > "$HOME/.ssh/known_hosts_lucy"
+          # Hand off the signed APK on stdin. Host exit codes: 0 = published,
+          # 3 = already published (benign no-op on a same-commit re-run),
+          # anything else = real failure.
+          set +e
+          ssh -i "$HOME/.ssh/id_lucy" -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -o BatchMode=yes \
+              -o StrictHostKeyChecking=yes -o UserKnownHostsFile="$HOME/.ssh/known_hosts_lucy" \
+              root@192.168.0.5 "publish ${STRAW_APK}" < "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/${STRAW_APK}"
+          rc=$?
+          set -e
+          case "$rc" in
+            0) echo "Published vc=${STRAW_VC} to fdroid.sulkta.com (rootless — no docker socket)";;
+            3) echo "vc=${STRAW_VC} already published — nothing to do";;
+            *) echo "::error::fdroid publish failed (rc=$rc)"; exit "$rc";;
+          esac