diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
similarity index 63%
rename from .gitea/workflows/release.yml
rename to .gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index 9ffcdbc..55b87f7 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -1,23 +1,52 @@
-name: release
+name: CI
 
-# Auto-tag every push to main with a semver bump derived from the latest
-# commit footer:
-#   Bump-Type: major  → vX.0.0
-#   Bump-Type: minor  → v0.Y.0
-#   (default)         → v0.0.Z (patch)
+# Two jobs, in order:
 #
-# Skips when the latest commit is itself the auto-tagger (commit message
-# contains "[skip-release]") to prevent recursion. Tag is pushed back
-# to the repo using the GITEA_TOKEN provided by act_runner.
+#   gate — `task check` (structure, frontmatter, manifest/tag parity) plus
+#          `task test` (hooks, doctor, release-skip). Runs on every push and
+#          every PR. Before this existed the suite ran nowhere: CI reported
+#          green having tested nothing (#22).
+#
+#   tag  — auto-tags a push to main with a semver bump derived from the latest
+#          commit footer:
+#            Bump-Type: major  → vX.0.0
+#            Bump-Type: minor  → v0.Y.0
+#            (default)         → v0.0.Z (patch)
+#          Skips when the commit carries the `Skip-Release: true` trailer (the
+#          tagger's own manifest bump) to prevent recursion. Gated on `gate`,
+#          so a red check cannot ship a tag.
 
-on:
+"on":
   push:
-    branches:
-      - main
+    branches: ["**"]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
 
 jobs:
-  tag:
+  gate:
+    name: Check / Test
     runs-on: self-hosted
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          # `task check` compares plugin.json's version to `git describe`;
+          # a shallow checkout has no tags and would skip that assertion.
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Verify toolchain
+        run: task --version
+
+      - name: Structure gate
+        run: task check
+
+      - name: Shell test suite
+        run: task test
+
+  tag:
+    name: Tag release
+    needs: gate
+    runs-on: self-hosted
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
     steps:
       - name: checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -72,16 +101,19 @@ jobs:
           manifest=.claude-plugin/plugin.json
           version="${TAG#v}"
           current=$(sed -n 's/.*"version"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' "$manifest" | head -1)
+          git tag -a "$TAG" -m "release $TAG"
+
           if [ "$current" != "$version" ]; then
             sed -i "s/\"version\"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*\"$current\"/\"version\": \"$version\"/" "$manifest"
             git add "$manifest"
             # The trailer below stops this push from re-triggering the tagger.
             git commit -m "chore(release): plugin.json version $version" -m "Skip-Release: true"
-            git push origin HEAD:main
+            # Commit and tag go up in ONE push: the gate job runs `task check`
+            # on the bump commit, and that asserts manifest == latest tag. Two
+            # separate pushes leave a window where it legitimately fails.
+            git push origin HEAD:main "$TAG"
             echo "bumped $manifest to $version"
+          else
+            git push origin "$TAG"
           fi
-
-          git tag -a "$TAG" -m "release $TAG"
-          # gitea-actions checkout uses an x-access-token URL; reuse it.
-          git push origin "$TAG"
           echo "pushed $TAG"
diff --git a/tests/ci_gate_test.sh b/tests/ci_gate_test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c410955
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ci_gate_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Tests for the CI gate workflow.
+#
+# The regression these exist for: this repo had a release workflow that
+# auto-tagged every push to main, and a `task check` / `task test` suite that
+# nothing ever ran. CI reported green having tested nothing — a gate that
+# fails *open*. These assertions pin the wiring so it cannot silently regress.
+
+set -u
+
+ROOT=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")/.." && pwd)
+SUT="$ROOT/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml"
+
+pass=0
+fail=0
+
+ok() { pass=$((pass + 1)); printf '  ok   %s\n' "$1"; }
+no() { fail=$((fail + 1)); printf '  FAIL %s\n' "$1"; }
+
+if [ ! -f "$SUT" ]; then
+  printf 'FAIL: %s does not exist\n' "$SUT"
+  exit 1
+fi
+ok 'ci.yml exists'
+
+# A pull_request trigger is what gives tbd_ship a CI run to read on the head
+# commit of a branch; without one it fails closed and never merges (#22).
+grep -qE '^  pull_request:' "$SUT" \
+  && ok 'runs on pull_request' \
+  || no 'runs on pull_request'
+
+grep -qE '^ +push:' "$SUT" \
+  && ok 'runs on push' \
+  || no 'runs on push'
+
+grep -qE '^ +- *(run: *)?task check$|task check' "$SUT" \
+  && ok 'gate runs task check' \
+  || no 'gate runs task check'
+
+grep -qE 'task test' "$SUT" \
+  && ok 'gate runs task test' \
+  || no 'gate runs task test'
+
+# The point of the gate: tagging must not happen on a red check.
+tag_job=$(awk '/^  tag:/{f=1} f&&/^  [a-z][a-z_-]*:/&&!/^  tag:/{f=0} f' "$SUT")
+printf '%s' "$tag_job" | grep -qE '^ +needs: *gate' \
+  && ok 'tag job needs the gate' \
+  || no 'tag job needs the gate'
+
+# The old workflow file must be gone, or two workflows race on the same push
+# and the ungated one still tags.
+[ ! -f "$ROOT/.gitea/workflows/release.yml" ] \
+  && ok 'ungated release.yml removed' \
+  || no 'ungated release.yml removed'
+
+printf '\nci_gate: %d passed, %d failed\n' "$pass" "$fail"
+[ "$fail" -eq 0 ]