diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/cd.yml b/.gitea/workflows/cd.yml
index 46b64a7..0c3cdae 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/cd.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/cd.yml
@@ -54,18 +54,41 @@ jobs:
           SHA=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
           echo "sha-tag=${SHA}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
+      # infra#241: buildctl, NOT buildah. Rootless buildah in gitea-runner's
+      # hardened securityContext (capabilities: drop [ALL],
+      # allowPrivilegeEscalation: false) cannot remap the UID/GID range
+      # newuidmap/newgidmap need on a fresh base-image pull, and it has no OCI
+      # runtime at all. buildctl talks to the host's buildkitd over a socket, so
+      # the privileged extraction happens in buildkitd on the host and never in
+      # this pod. Same pattern as mathias/infra's segment-embedder.yml.
+      #
+      # This matters MORE in a template than anywhere else: every repo generated
+      # from here inherits its CI, so a buildah-based template manufactures new
+      # instances of a bug that has already cost this estate several red builds.
       - name: Build and push to local registry
         run: |
+          set -e
+          BUILDKIT_HOST="unix:///run/buildkit/buildkitd.sock"
           REGISTRY="localhost:5000"
           REF="${REGISTRY}/${{ env.IMAGE }}:${{ steps.meta.outputs.sha-tag }}"
-          buildah build \
-            --label "org.opencontainers.image.revision=${{ github.sha }}" \
-            -t ${REF} \
-            -t ${REGISTRY}/${{ env.IMAGE }}:latest \
-            .
-          buildah push --tls-verify=false ${REF}
-          buildah push --tls-verify=false ${REGISTRY}/${{ env.IMAGE }}:latest
-          echo "✓ Image pushed to ${REF}"
+          TAR_FILE="$(mktemp)"
+          trap 'rm -f "$TAR_FILE"' EXIT
+
+          buildctl --addr "$BUILDKIT_HOST" build \
+            --frontend dockerfile.v0 \
+            --local context=. \
+            --local dockerfile=. \
+            --opt label:org.opencontainers.image.revision="${{ github.sha }}" \
+            --output type=oci,dest="$TAR_FILE"
+
+          # buildctl has no registry-push equivalent to `buildah push`; skopeo
+          # copies the OCI archive up. Two copies because the buildah version
+          # tagged both :sha and :latest.
+          skopeo copy --dest-tls-verify=false \
+            oci-archive:"$TAR_FILE" docker://${REF}
+          skopeo copy --dest-tls-verify=false \
+            oci-archive:"$TAR_FILE" docker://${REGISTRY}/${{ env.IMAGE }}:latest
+          echo "✓ Image pushed to ${REF} and :latest"
 
   deploy:
     name: Deploy via GitOps