diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-image-gitea.yml b/.github/workflows/build-image-gitea.yml
index c7ff791..3f3a069 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-image-gitea.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-image-gitea.yml
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ on:
         description: 'Image tag, e.g. 12.11.1-ci6 (upstream runner version + ci revision)'
         required: true
         type: string
+      sign_only:
+        description: 'Sign the already-published tag instead of building it (zegit#262: signs an image published before signing existed)'
+        required: false
+        default: false
+        type: boolean
   push:
     branches: [master]
     paths:
@@ -35,6 +40,7 @@ env:
   BUILDKIT_VERSION: v0.32.2
   REGISTRY: gitea.langenoja.se
   IMAGE_PATH: zegit-zoo/zegit-forgejo-runner
+  COSIGN_VERSION: v3.1.3
 
 jobs:
   build:
@@ -78,6 +84,7 @@ jobs:
           if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
             echo "push=true"  >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
             echo "tag=${{ inputs.tag }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "sign_only=${{ inputs.sign_only }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           else
             echo "push=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
             echo "tag=ci-validation" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
@@ -103,6 +110,7 @@ jobs:
             > "$HOME/.docker/config.json"
 
       - name: Build multi-arch
+        if: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.sign_only != 'true' }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           REF="${REGISTRY}/${IMAGE_PATH}:${{ steps.meta.outputs.tag }}"
@@ -165,6 +173,54 @@ jobs:
             --opt platform=linux/amd64,linux/arm64
           echo "✓ toolchain intact on linux/amd64 and linux/arm64"
 
+      # zegit#143/#262: a -ci<N> tag is only a name, and ZEGIT_CI_PACKAGE_TOKEN
+      # (readable by every zegit-zoo branch run) can push one. Consumers pin
+      # this image only when `cosign verify` accepts its digest with the
+      # runner-image public key, so every published digest is signed here.
+      # The private key is a REPOSITORY secret of the runner repos only, never
+      # an org secret. Classic .sig tag, no transparency log: the registry is
+      # private and verifiers use --insecure-ignore-tlog with a pinned key.
+      - name: Sign the published image by digest
+        if: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.push == 'true' }}
+        env:
+          COSIGN_KEY_PEM: ${{ secrets.RUNNER_IMAGE_COSIGN_KEY }}
+          COSIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.RUNNER_IMAGE_COSIGN_PASSWORD }}
+          TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ZEGIT_CI_PACKAGE_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if [ -z "${COSIGN_KEY_PEM:-}" ] || [ -z "${COSIGN_PASSWORD:-}" ]; then
+            echo "::error::RUNNER_IMAGE_COSIGN_KEY / RUNNER_IMAGE_COSIGN_PASSWORD are not visible to this run (repository secrets, zegit#262). An unsigned runner image is never pinned."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          case "$(uname -m)" in
+            x86_64) arch=amd64; sum=4629c757b7618056f8ddd7e2625ae9fdd94c0372a65049520bc7d9df9efc7f71;;
+            aarch64) arch=arm64; sum=c5d324e091826b0d7a78eb16fef316450b4eb9aaec045611c08ba06f5e73220a;;
+            *) echo "::error::unsupported arch $(uname -m)"; exit 1;;
+          esac
+          bin="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/.bin/cosign"
+          curl -fsSL -o "$bin" "https://github.com/sigstore/cosign/releases/download/${COSIGN_VERSION}/cosign-linux-${arch}"
+          echo "${sum}  ${bin}" | sha256sum -c -
+          chmod +x "$bin"
+          tag="${{ steps.meta.outputs.tag }}"
+          tmp=$(mktemp -d); trap 'rm -rf "$tmp"' EXIT
+          # Credentials go through 0600 curl configs, never argv (zegit#139).
+          ( umask 077; printf 'user = "zegit-zoo:%s"\n' "$TOKEN" > "$tmp/basic.cfg" )
+          tok=$(curl -fsS -K "$tmp/basic.cfg" "https://${REGISTRY}/v2/token?scope=repository:${IMAGE_PATH}:pull&service=container_registry" |
+            python3 -c 'import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin)["token"])')
+          ( umask 077; printf 'header = "Authorization: Bearer %s"\n' "$tok" > "$tmp/bearer.cfg" )
+          digest=$(curl -fsS -I -K "$tmp/bearer.cfg" \
+            -H 'Accept: application/vnd.oci.image.index.v1+json, application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.list.v2+json, application/vnd.oci.image.manifest.v1+json, application/vnd.docker.distribution.manifest.v2+json' \
+            "https://${REGISTRY}/v2/${IMAGE_PATH}/manifests/${tag}" | tr -d '\r' |
+            awk -F': ' 'tolower($1)=="docker-content-digest"{print $2}')
+          [[ "$digest" =~ ^sha256:[0-9a-f]{64}$ ]] || { echo "::error::no digest for ${IMAGE_PATH}:${tag}"; exit 1; }
+          ref="${REGISTRY}/${IMAGE_PATH}@${digest}"
+          printf '%s\n' "$COSIGN_KEY_PEM" > "$tmp/cosign.key"; chmod 600 "$tmp/cosign.key"
+          "$bin" sign --yes --key "$tmp/cosign.key" --tlog-upload=false \
+            --new-bundle-format=false --use-signing-config=false "$ref"
+          "$bin" public-key --key "$tmp/cosign.key" > "$tmp/cosign.pub"
+          "$bin" verify --key "$tmp/cosign.pub" --insecure-ignore-tlog "${REGISTRY}/${IMAGE_PATH}:${tag}@${digest}" >/dev/null
+          echo "✓ signed and verified ${REGISTRY}/${IMAGE_PATH}:${tag}@${digest}"
+
       - name: Summary
         run: |
           if [ "${{ steps.meta.outputs.push }}" = "true" ]; then