diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs b/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
index 67e15f9..1e6da8d 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
@@ -77,6 +77,11 @@ pub async fn approve(coord: Arc<Coordinator>, id: i64) -> Result<()> {
                 )
                 .await;
                 drop(guard);
+                if result.is_ok()
+                    && let Err(e) = crate::forge::ensure_user_for(&agent_bg).await
+                {
+                    tracing::warn!(agent = %agent_bg, error = ?e, "forge: ensure_user after spawn failed");
+                }
                 if let Err(e) = finish_approval(&coord_bg, &approval_bg, result, None) {
                     tracing::warn!(agent = %agent_bg, error = ?e, "spawn approval failed");
                 }
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs b/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9b7db8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+//! Optional Forgejo wiring. When the `hive-forge` nixos-container is
+//! present and running, hive-c0re ensures every agent (and the
+//! manager) has a corresponding forgejo user with an API token
+//! written to `<agent-state>/forge-token` — visible inside the
+//! container as `/state/forge-token`. Idempotent: skips creation
+//! when the user already exists, skips token issuance when the file
+//! is already there.
+//!
+//! No-op when `hive-forge` isn't enabled (detected via
+//! `nixos-container list`), so operators who don't run the bundled
+//! forge pay nothing.
+
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+
+use anyhow::{Context, Result};
+use tokio::process::Command;
+
+use crate::coordinator::Coordinator;
+
+const FORGE_CONTAINER: &str = "hive-forge";
+const TOKEN_NAME_PREFIX: &str = "hyperhive";
+/// Forgejo scopes the agent's token gets. `write:repository` covers
+/// clone/push/repo-create on the user's own repos; `write:issue` is
+/// what PRs and comments ride under; `read:user` is mandatory for
+/// the token-owner endpoint clients use to introspect.
+const TOKEN_SCOPES: &str = "read:user,write:repository,write:issue";
+
+/// Token file inside the agent's bind-mounted state dir (visible as
+/// `/state/forge-token` from inside the container).
+fn token_path(name: &str) -> PathBuf {
+    Coordinator::agent_notes_dir(name).join("forge-token")
+}
+
+/// Probe whether `hive-forge` exists as a nixos-container. Cheap —
+/// `nixos-container list` is just a directory scan in /etc.
+pub async fn is_present() -> bool {
+    let Ok(out) = Command::new("nixos-container")
+        .arg("list")
+        .output()
+        .await
+    else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    if !out.status.success() {
+        return false;
+    }
+    String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout)
+        .lines()
+        .any(|l| l.trim() == FORGE_CONTAINER)
+}
+
+/// Run `forgejo admin <args>` inside the hive-forge container as the
+/// forgejo user (the only uid with write access to the state dir).
+/// Returns stdout on success; bails with stderr context on failure.
+async fn forge_admin(args: &[&str]) -> Result<String> {
+    let mut cmd = Command::new("nixos-container");
+    // `runuser` (util-linux, always present in a NixOS container)
+    // beats `sudo` here — sudo isn't installed unless `security.sudo`
+    // is enabled, and we don't want to depend on that.
+    cmd.args(["run", FORGE_CONTAINER, "--", "runuser", "-u", "forgejo", "--", "forgejo", "admin"]);
+    cmd.args(args);
+    let out = cmd
+        .output()
+        .await
+        .context("invoke nixos-container run hive-forge -- forgejo admin")?;
+    if !out.status.success() {
+        anyhow::bail!(
+            "forgejo admin {} failed ({}): {}",
+            args.join(" "),
+            out.status,
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).trim(),
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout).into_owned())
+}
+
+/// Pull the access token out of forgejo's success message. Format
+/// has shifted across versions (table form vs. "Access token was
+/// successfully created: <hex>"), so just hunt the output for the
+/// first long hex-looking word.
+fn extract_token(output: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    output
+        .split(|c: char| c.is_whitespace() || c == ',' || c == ':')
+        .find(|w| w.len() >= 32 && w.chars().all(|c| c.is_ascii_hexdigit()))
+        .map(str::to_owned)
+}
+
+/// Ensure a forgejo user named `name` exists. Idempotent: forgejo
+/// returns a "user already exists" error which we treat as success.
+async fn ensure_user_exists(name: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let result = forge_admin(&[
+        "user",
+        "create",
+        "--username",
+        name,
+        "--email",
+        &format!("{name}@hive.local"),
+        "--random-password",
+        "--must-change-password=false",
+    ])
+    .await;
+    match result {
+        Ok(_) => {
+            tracing::info!(%name, "forge: created user");
+            Ok(())
+        }
+        Err(e) => {
+            // Forgejo's "already exists" error wording varies; just
+            // try the next step and let token issuance surface a
+            // real failure if the user truly isn't there.
+            let msg = format!("{e:#}");
+            if msg.contains("already exists") || msg.contains("user already") {
+                tracing::debug!(%name, "forge: user already exists");
+                Ok(())
+            } else {
+                tracing::warn!(%name, error = %msg, "forge: user create unclear; trying token anyway");
+                Ok(())
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Mint a fresh access token for `name` and persist it to
+/// `<state>/forge-token` (0600). Token name is suffixed with a
+/// monotonic clock so re-issuing doesn't collide with an existing
+/// token of the same name in the DB.
+async fn mint_and_persist_token(name: &str, path: &Path) -> Result<()> {
+    let token_name = format!(
+        "{TOKEN_NAME_PREFIX}-{}",
+        std::time::SystemTime::now()
+            .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+            .map(|d| d.as_secs())
+            .unwrap_or(0)
+    );
+    let stdout = forge_admin(&[
+        "user",
+        "generate-access-token",
+        "--username",
+        name,
+        "--token-name",
+        &token_name,
+        "--scopes",
+        TOKEN_SCOPES,
+    ])
+    .await?;
+    let token = extract_token(&stdout)
+        .with_context(|| format!("parse token from forgejo output: {stdout:?}"))?;
+    if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(parent).ok();
+    }
+    std::fs::write(path, format!("{token}\n"))
+        .with_context(|| format!("write token to {}", path.display()))?;
+    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+    let _ = std::fs::set_permissions(path, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o600));
+    tracing::info!(%name, path = %path.display(), %token_name, "forge: persisted access token");
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// Ensure `name` has a forgejo user + token file. No-op when the
+/// token file is already present. Safe to call on every spawn and
+/// on every hive-c0re startup.
+pub async fn ensure_user_for(name: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    if !is_present().await {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    let path = token_path(name);
+    if path.exists() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    ensure_user_exists(name).await?;
+    mint_and_persist_token(name, &path).await
+}
+
+/// Sweep every existing container (manager + sub-agents) and ensure
+/// each has a forgejo user + token. Called once at hive-c0re
+/// startup. Per-agent failures are logged but don't abort the sweep.
+pub async fn ensure_all() {
+    if !is_present().await {
+        tracing::debug!("forge: hive-forge container absent, skipping user sweep");
+        return;
+    }
+    let Ok(containers) = crate::lifecycle::list().await else {
+        tracing::warn!("forge: nixos-container list failed; skipping user sweep");
+        return;
+    };
+    for c in containers {
+        let name = if c == crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME {
+            c
+        } else if let Some(n) = c.strip_prefix(crate::lifecycle::AGENT_PREFIX) {
+            n.to_owned()
+        } else {
+            continue;
+        };
+        if let Err(e) = ensure_user_for(&name).await {
+            tracing::warn!(%name, error = ?e, "forge: ensure_user failed");
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/main.rs b/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
index 8d03682..3ebbabe 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ mod coordinator;
 mod crash_watch;
 mod dashboard;
 mod events_vacuum;
+mod forge;
 mod lifecycle;
 mod manager_server;
 mod meta;
@@ -134,6 +135,13 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
                     tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "auto-update task failed");
                 }
             });
+            // Forge user sweep: ensure every existing container has a
+            // forgejo user + access token. No-op when the hive-forge
+            // container isn't running. Backgrounded — touches the
+            // forge state dir via `nixos-container run` which is slow.
+            tokio::spawn(async move {
+                forge::ensure_all().await;
+            });
             // Periodic broker vacuum: drop delivered messages older than
             // 30 days. Undelivered messages are always kept (still in
             // flight). Runs hourly; first sweep happens immediately.