diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-image.yml b/.github/workflows/build-image.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..543bbe0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-image.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+name: build image
+
+# Publishes the runner toolchain image to ghcr.io.
+#
+# Why GitHub rather than our own Gitea Actions: the runners are host mode
+# (`ubuntu-latest:host`, no job containers) and their container drops ALL
+# capabilities with allowPrivilegeEscalation:false. Rootless buildah needs
+# newuidmap/user namespaces for its RUN steps, so building images there would
+# mean weakening the posture that hardening established. GitHub runners have
+# docker + buildx + QEMU already.
+#
+# Why ghcr.io rather than the Gitea registry: gitea.langenoja.se sits behind
+# Cloudflare, whose request-body cap returns 413 on a registry layer. The
+# cluster already pulls zegit's own images from ghcr.io and the runner
+# deployments already carry a github-registry-credentials pull secret, so this
+# reuses an established, trusted path instead of inventing one.
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      tag:
+        description: 'Image tag, e.g. 12.11.1-ci4 (upstream runner version + ci revision)'
+        required: true
+        type: string
+  push:
+    branches: [master]
+    paths:
+      - 'Dockerfile'
+      - '.github/workflows/build-image.yml'
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
+
+env:
+  IMAGE: ghcr.io/${{ github.repository }}
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    # GitHub-only: the Gitea mirror has no ghcr.io and no GITHUB_TOKEN.
+    if: ${{ github.server_url == 'https://github.com' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 45
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@34e114876b0b11c390a56381ad16ebd13914f8d5 # v4
+
+      # arm64 is not optional: forgejo-runner runs on arm64 nodes and
+      # zegit-runner on amd64, neither deployment sets a nodeSelector, and both
+      # use this one tag.
+      - uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@c7c53464625b32c7a7e944ae62b3e17d2b600130 # v3
+      - uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@8d2750c68a42422c14e847fe6c8ac0403b4cbd6f # v3
+
+      - uses: docker/login-action@c94ce9fb468520275223c153574b00df6fe4bcc9 # v3
+        with:
+          registry: ghcr.io
+          username: ${{ github.actor }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      # A master push VALIDATES the Dockerfile still builds on both arches but
+      # publishes nothing — only an explicit dispatch names a tag and pushes.
+      # Guessing a tag from a branch push would silently mint versions.
+      - id: meta
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
+            echo "push=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "tags=${IMAGE}:${{ inputs.tag }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "push=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "tags=${IMAGE}:ci-validation" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      - uses: docker/build-push-action@10e90e3645eae34f1e60eeb005ba3a3d33f178e8 # v6
+        with:
+          context: .
+          platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
+          push: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.push }}
+          tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
+          provenance: false
+          sbom: false
+
+      # Read the published index back rather than trusting the push's exit
+      # code, and fail if either architecture is absent — a single-arch image
+      # under this tag would CrashLoop on half the nodes.
+      - name: Verify both architectures were published
+        if: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.push == 'true' }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          out=$(docker buildx imagetools inspect "${IMAGE}:${{ inputs.tag }}")
+          echo "$out"
+          for want in amd64 arm64; do
+            echo "$out" | grep -q "linux/$want" || { echo "::error::published image is missing linux/$want"; exit 1; }
+          done
+          echo "✓ ${IMAGE}:${{ inputs.tag }} carries linux/amd64 and linux/arm64"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9ec1f51..1948f44 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -73,3 +73,24 @@ Two traps the script exists to prevent: pushing to the bare MagicDNS name
 namespace**, since a registry host is only recognised when it contains a dot or
 colon; and `docker push $_` pushes `.`, because `$_` is the last ARGUMENT of the
 build command, not its tag.
+
+### Automated builds
+
+`.github/workflows/build-image.yml` builds and publishes to
+**ghcr.io/zegit-zoo/zegit-forgejo-runner** on GitHub.
+
+Run it from the Actions tab (**build image** → Run workflow) with the tag, e.g.
+`12.11.1-ci4`. A push to `master` that touches the Dockerfile only VALIDATES
+that both architectures still build — it publishes nothing, because guessing a
+tag from a branch push would silently mint versions.
+
+It builds on GitHub rather than our own Gitea Actions because the runners are
+host mode (`ubuntu-latest:host`, no job containers) and drop ALL capabilities
+with `allowPrivilegeEscalation: false`; rootless buildah needs user namespaces
+for its RUN steps, so building there would mean weakening that posture. It
+publishes to ghcr.io rather than the Gitea registry because
+`gitea.langenoja.se` sits behind Cloudflare, whose body cap returns **413** on a
+registry layer — and the cluster already pulls zegit's own images from ghcr.io
+with an existing `github-registry-credentials` pull secret.
+
+`push-image.sh` remains for building by hand when you need it.