diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/diag-cache-probe.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/diag-cache-probe.yml
index 1096760..5ca1370 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/diag-cache-probe.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/diag-cache-probe.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ name: Diag — cache server reachability (#234)
 #
 # Steps that use bash features set `shell: bash`: inside a container the runner
 # defaults to `sh`, and a job-level `defaults` block is refused by the runner.
+# The runner starts those steps as `bash -e -o pipefail`, so every probe that
+# is expected to fail must swallow its own exit code (run 453 stopped at the
+# first TIMEOUT for that reason).
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -35,8 +38,8 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           echo "Runner-provided variables (names only):"
-          compgen -e | grep -E 'ACTIONS|RUNNER|FORGEJO|GITEA' | sort | sed 's/^/  /'
-          compgen -e | grep -E '_RUNNER_VERSION$' | while read -r v; do echo "  $v=${!v}"; done
+          compgen -e | grep -E 'ACTIONS|RUNNER|FORGEJO|GITEA' | sort | sed 's/^/  /' || true
+          compgen -e | grep -E '_RUNNER_VERSION$' | while read -r v; do echo "  $v=${!v}"; done || true
 
           url="${ACTIONS_CACHE_URL:-}"
           if [ -z "$url" ]; then
@@ -58,7 +61,7 @@ jobs:
           case "$host" in *:*) shown="[$host]" ;; esac
           echo
           echo "Cache address advertised by the runner: $scheme://$shown:$port/<path redacted>"
-          forge=$(getent ahostsv4 git.lacompagniemaximus.com | awk '{ print $1; exit }')
+          forge=$(getent ahostsv4 git.lacompagniemaximus.com | awk '{ print $1; exit }') || true
           echo "git.lacompagniemaximus.com resolves to (IPv4): ${forge:-unresolved}"
           echo "Container addresses: $(hostname -I 2>/dev/null || echo unknown)"
           gw_hex=$(awk '$2 == "00000000" { print $3; exit }' /proc/net/route)
@@ -71,8 +74,7 @@ jobs:
           probe() {
             local label=$1 h=$2 p=$3 start ms rc err verdict
             start=$(date +%s%N)
-            err=$(timeout 10 bash -c "exec 3<>/dev/tcp/$h/$p" 2>&1)
-            rc=$?
+            err=$(timeout 10 bash -c "exec 3<>/dev/tcp/$h/$p" 2>&1) && rc=0 || rc=$?
             ms=$(( ($(date +%s%N) - start) / 1000000 ))
             case $rc in
               0)   verdict="OPEN" ;;
@@ -114,7 +116,7 @@ jobs:
           key="diag-234-$(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ)-$RANDOM"
           mkdir -p probe-payload
           printf '%s' "$key" > probe-payload/stamp
-          echo "key=$key" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "key=$key" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-$FORGEJO_OUTPUT}"
           echo "payload key: $key"
 
       - name: Save it (actions/cache/save)