diff --git a/docs/networking/network.md b/docs/networking/network.md
index a288374c..1efcf70a 100644
--- a/docs/networking/network.md
+++ b/docs/networking/network.md
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ wiring is runtime:
 - the `hyperhive-isolated-dns` oneshot (`nix/agent-modules/network.nix`), gated on that
   marker, rewrites `/etc/resolv.conf` to `nameserver <gateway-ip>` at boot.
   It's ordered `before` the harness (`hive-ag3nt`), the matrix daemon, and
-  `tea-login` so the resolver is correct before the first DNS lookup.
+  the forge-token fetch so the resolver is correct before the first DNS lookup.
 
 **Why isolation is safe**: hive-c0re's control-plane sockets are unix
 domain sockets bind-mounted into containers, not network listeners — see
diff --git a/docs/process/conventions.md b/docs/process/conventions.md
index efd6bf10..7db2237e 100644
--- a/docs/process/conventions.md
+++ b/docs/process/conventions.md
@@ -502,13 +502,9 @@ sparingly) or build just the suspect check, for example `nix build
 ## Best-effort oneshot services
 
 The harness ships a family of one-shot systemd services that
-configure agent-side surfaces from values hive-c0re writes into
-the state dir at provisioning time:
+configure agent-side surfaces from values delivered to the agent at
+provisioning time:
 
-- `tea-login` — writes `~/.config/tea/config.yml` from the
-  `forge-token` written by `hive-c0re::forge::ensure_user_for`,
-  so `tea repos create` / `tea pulls create` work without
-  interactive prompts.
 - `forge-avatar-sync` — uploads `services.hyperhive.agent.icon` SVG to the
   agent's Forgejo profile, so the icon shows up on commits / PRs /
   issue comments.
@@ -538,13 +534,10 @@ Shape contract — every one of these:
    by the `.path` watchers that re-fire on token appearance (see
    `docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md::Matrix per-agent daemon`).
 
-The artefact lives under the agent user's home where applicable
-(`~/.config/tea/config.yml`) and is chown'd to that user, but the
-service itself stays root-owned so the bootstrap ordering doesn't
-need a user-existence check before each fire.
+The service stays root-owned so the bootstrap ordering doesn't need a
+user-existence check before each fire.
 
 This pattern keeps the rebuild path resilient: any failure inside
-these services degrades the corresponding surface (no tea config,
-no avatar) but never blocks the container from coming up. The
+these services degrades the corresponding surface (no avatar) but never blocks the container from coming up. The
 operator notices through `journalctl -u <unit>` rather than a
 broken switch-to-configuration.
diff --git a/docs/process/gotchas.md b/docs/process/gotchas.md
index 6401176e..4571624c 100644
--- a/docs/process/gotchas.md
+++ b/docs/process/gotchas.md
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ connects to the compositor at `127.0.0.1:<vnc_port>`.
   must never block on weston signalling readiness. A misconfigured
   weston degrades to a `Restart=on-failure` loop visible in
   `journalctl`, it doesn't abort the `nixos-container update`.
-  Same reasoning as the `tea-login` unit in `nix/agent-modules/forge.nix`.
+  Same reasoning as the best-effort oneshots in `docs/process/conventions.md`.
 - **`[core] idle-time=0`**: disables weston's 300-second idle
   timeout. Without it the VNC desktop fades to black and
   desktop-shell shows its click-to-unlock screen — useless for an
diff --git a/docs/turn-loop/config.md b/docs/turn-loop/config.md
index 50549231..e50213da 100644
--- a/docs/turn-loop/config.md
+++ b/docs/turn-loop/config.md
@@ -137,11 +137,9 @@ services.hyperhive.agent.forge.url = "http://forge.example:3000";  # default: nu
 services.hyperhive.agent.matrix.url = "https://matrix.example";    # default: null
 ```
 
-**`services.hyperhive.agent.forge.url`** — base URL of the Forgejo instance. Used by
-a one-shot boot unit (`tea-login`) that writes `~/.config/tea/config.yml`
-directly from the agent's `forge-token`, so `tea` and `hive-forge`
-work without an interactive auth step. The unit is a no-op when
-`forge-token` is absent. Override when the agent should connect to a
+**`services.hyperhive.agent.forge.url`** — base URL of the Forgejo instance. It scopes
+the git credential helper to this forge and is where `forge-avatar-sync`
+uploads the agent's icon. Override when the agent should connect to a
 Forgejo on a different host or port (for example a swarm peer's forge).
 Validated: must be an `http://` or `https://` URL, or `null`.
 
@@ -149,7 +147,7 @@ Validated: must be an `http://` or `https://` URL, or `null`.
 loopback default would only ever be correct when the forge shares the
 agent's network namespace, and inside a container `localhost` is the
 agent itself, so the default was a value that built fine and then talked
-to the wrong machine. With `null` the `tea-login` and `forge-avatar-sync`
+to the wrong machine. With `null` the credential helper and `forge-avatar-sync`
 units aren't generated at all: an absent integration rather than a
 misdirected one. You don't normally set this — hive-c0re renders the
 host's real forge URL into every agent, and refuses to write a meta
diff --git a/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs b/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs
index f39e3095..a701e4a5 100644
--- a/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs
+++ b/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs
@@ -351,7 +351,12 @@ fn agent_links(label: &str, gui_enabled: bool) -> Vec<AgentLink> {
         });
     }
 
-    if crate::paths::state_dir().join("forge-token").is_file() {
+    // Either copy of the forge token: the one fetched from the swarm secret
+    // store (`HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE`), or the state-dir file the hive used
+    // to write.
+    let fetched_token = std::env::var_os("HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE")
+        .is_some_and(|p| std::path::Path::new(&p).is_file());
+    if fetched_token || crate::paths::state_dir().join("forge-token").is_file() {
         links.push(AgentLink {
             url: format!("/{label}"),
             icon: "🔨".to_owned(),
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/meta.rs b/hive-c0re/src/meta.rs
index 3f26dd4b..e510ab40 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/meta.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/meta.rs
@@ -642,7 +642,7 @@ const FORWARDED_VARS: &[&str] = &[
 /// Map of forwarded env var -> the agent option carrying the same value.
 ///
 /// Both exist because they're consumed at different times: the option is baked
-/// into scripts at build time (tea-login bakes `FORGE_URL` from it), the env
+/// into scripts at build time (forge-avatar-sync bakes `FORGE_URL` from it), the env
 /// var is read at runtime. Setting only one leaves the other on its default,
 /// which is how a hive ends up with two disagreeing answers for one value.
 ///
@@ -1242,7 +1242,7 @@ where
               # resolve the agent's durable state dir without hard-coding it.
               # `environment.variables` only writes /etc/environment (login
               # shells); `systemd.globalEnvironment` is the analogue for
-              # systemd units so tea-login / forge-avatar-sync /
+              # systemd units so forge-avatar-sync /
               # hive-matrix-daemon etc. can read `$HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR`
               # without each service having to redeclare it.
               environment.variables = {
@@ -1259,7 +1259,7 @@ where
     // Forwarded vars (HIVE_FORGE_URL etc.) also go into globalEnvironment,
     // not just the harness service env below, so EVERY service + shell in
     // the container inherits them — crucially the bash-task runner (where
-    // `hive-forge` + `git` actually run), plus the matrix daemon, tea-login
+    // `hive-forge` + `git` actually run), plus the matrix daemon, forge-avatar-sync
     // and interactive shells. Scoped to the harness service alone they were
     // invisible to bash tasks: harmless in shared netns (the localhost
     // default works) but broken under isolation, where the in-cluster
@@ -2081,7 +2081,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn render_flake_sets_service_url_options_from_forwarded_env() {
         // The forwarded env vars must ALSO become option assignments, because
         // the two are consumed at different times: the option is baked into
-        // scripts at build time (tea-login's FORGE_URL), the env var is read at
+        // scripts at build time (forge-avatar-sync's FORGE_URL), the env var is read at
         // runtime. Emitting only the env var leaves the option on its default,
         // which is how a hive ends up with two disagreeing answers for the same
         // URL.
diff --git a/hive-forge-notify/src/bin/hive-forge-notify/main.rs b/hive-forge-notify/src/bin/hive-forge-notify/main.rs
index b1786c87..f9717ed6 100644
--- a/hive-forge-notify/src/bin/hive-forge-notify/main.rs
+++ b/hive-forge-notify/src/bin/hive-forge-notify/main.rs
@@ -37,23 +37,17 @@ async fn forgejo_loop(state_dir: String, socket: std::path::PathBuf) {
         }
     };
 
-    let token_path = format!("{state_dir}/forge-token");
-    // Retry reading the token to handle races where hive-priv provisions
-    // it after the harness starts, or where a parent-container chown
-    // briefly makes the file unreadable.
-    let token = {
+    let token_paths = hive_forge_notify::forge_token_paths(&state_dir);
+    // Retry reading the token to handle races where the agent's fetch of
+    // it from the swarm secret store lands after this unit starts, or where
+    // a parent-container chown briefly makes the file unreadable.
+    let mut token = {
         let mut attempts = 0u32;
         loop {
-            match tokio::fs::read_to_string(&token_path).await {
-                Ok(t) => {
-                    let t = t.trim().to_owned();
-                    if !t.is_empty() {
-                        break t;
-                    }
-                    debug!("forge_notify: empty forge token at {token_path}");
-                }
-                Err(e) => debug!("forge_notify: cannot read token at {token_path}: {e}"),
+            if let Some(t) = hive_forge_notify::read_first_token(&token_paths) {
+                break t;
             }
+            debug!(?token_paths, "forge_notify: no forge token yet");
             attempts += 1;
             if attempts >= TOKEN_RETRY_MAX {
                 debug!(
@@ -65,7 +59,7 @@ async fn forgejo_loop(state_dir: String, socket: std::path::PathBuf) {
         }
     };
 
-    let Some(source) = ForgejoSource::new(&forge_url, &token) else {
+    let Some(mut source) = ForgejoSource::new(&forge_url, &token) else {
         return;
     };
 
@@ -111,6 +105,18 @@ async fn forgejo_loop(state_dir: String, socket: std::path::PathBuf) {
 
     loop {
         interval.tick().await;
+        // The swarm rotates the token when it goes stale, and the agent's
+        // fetch replaces the file; pick the new one up rather than polling
+        // with a revoked token for the rest of this process's life.
+        if let Some(t) = hive_forge_notify::read_first_token(&token_paths)
+            && t != token
+            && let Some(s) = ForgejoSource::new(&forge_url, &t)
+        {
+            info!("forge_notify: forge token changed on disk; using the new one");
+            token = t;
+            source = s;
+            own_login.clear();
+        }
         if own_login.is_empty() {
             own_login = resolve_own_login(&client, &source).await;
             if !own_login.is_empty() {
diff --git a/hive-forge-notify/src/lib.rs b/hive-forge-notify/src/lib.rs
index 95f1cf2d..702ba922 100644
--- a/hive-forge-notify/src/lib.rs
+++ b/hive-forge-notify/src/lib.rs
@@ -70,3 +70,76 @@ pub fn init_tracing() {
 pub fn state_dir() -> String {
     std::env::var("HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR").unwrap_or_default()
 }
+
+/// Where this agent's forge token is read from, first match wins:
+/// `HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE` (the copy the agent fetched from the swarm secret
+/// store, set by `nix/agent-modules/forge-token.nix`), then
+/// `<state_dir>/forge-token` (the file the hive used to write, still the only
+/// copy on an agent without a store identity).
+#[must_use]
+pub fn forge_token_paths(state_dir: &str) -> Vec<std::path::PathBuf> {
+    let mut paths = Vec::with_capacity(2);
+    if let Ok(fetched) = std::env::var("HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE")
+        && !fetched.is_empty()
+    {
+        paths.push(std::path::PathBuf::from(fetched));
+    }
+    paths.push(std::path::Path::new(state_dir).join("forge-token"));
+    paths
+}
+
+/// The first non-empty token among `paths`, trimmed. `None` when none of
+/// them holds one.
+#[must_use]
+pub fn read_first_token(paths: &[std::path::PathBuf]) -> Option<String> {
+    paths.iter().find_map(|p| {
+        let t = std::fs::read_to_string(p).ok()?;
+        let t = t.trim();
+        (!t.is_empty()).then(|| t.to_owned())
+    })
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod token_tests {
+    use super::read_first_token;
+
+    fn scratch(tag: &str) -> std::path::PathBuf {
+        let ts = std::time::SystemTime::now()
+            .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+            .map_or(0, |d| d.as_nanos());
+        let dir = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("hive-forge-notify-token-{tag}-{ts}"));
+        std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir).expect("create scratch dir");
+        dir
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn the_fetched_token_wins_over_the_state_file() {
+        let dir = scratch("wins");
+        let (fetched, state) = (dir.join("fetched"), dir.join("forge-token"));
+        std::fs::write(&fetched, "new\n").expect("write");
+        std::fs::write(&state, "old\n").expect("write");
+        assert_eq!(read_first_token(&[fetched, state]).as_deref(), Some("new"));
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn a_missing_or_empty_fetched_token_falls_back_to_the_state_file() {
+        let dir = scratch("fallback");
+        let (fetched, state) = (dir.join("fetched"), dir.join("forge-token"));
+        std::fs::write(&state, "old\n").expect("write");
+        assert_eq!(
+            read_first_token(&[fetched.clone(), state.clone()]).as_deref(),
+            Some("old")
+        );
+        std::fs::write(&fetched, "\n").expect("write");
+        assert_eq!(read_first_token(&[fetched, state]).as_deref(), Some("old"));
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn no_token_anywhere_is_none() {
+        let dir = scratch("none");
+        assert_eq!(read_first_token(&[dir.join("a"), dir.join("b")]), None);
+        let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/hive-forge/src/client.rs b/hive-forge/src/client.rs
index a33f87e1..cfe86bdb 100644
--- a/hive-forge/src/client.rs
+++ b/hive-forge/src/client.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-//! App-level Forgejo client wrapper. Identity is the per-agent token
-//! under `${HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR}/forge-token`. REST calls go through
+//! App-level Forgejo client wrapper. Identity is the per-agent token at
+//! `$HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE`, else `${HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR}/forge-token`
+//! (see `read_token`). REST calls go through
 //! the typed [`forgejo_api::sync::Forgejo`] client (exposed via
 //! [`Client::api`]); a minimal raw `reqwest` client remains for the
 //! few *web-router* routes Forgejo does not serve under `/api/v1/`
@@ -462,9 +463,20 @@ fn state_dir() -> PathBuf {
     }
 }
 
-/// Locate and read the forge token. Falls back to `$PWD/forge-token`
-/// when `HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR` isn't set, matching the bash helper.
+/// Locate and read the forge token: `HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE` first (the
+/// copy the agent fetched from the swarm secret store, set by
+/// `nix/agent-modules/forge-token.nix`) when it names a non-empty file,
+/// otherwise `<state dir>/forge-token`, the file the hive used to write.
+/// The state dir falls back to `$PWD` when `HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR` isn't
+/// set, matching the bash helper.
 fn read_token() -> Result<String> {
+    if let Ok(fetched) = std::env::var("HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE")
+        && !fetched.is_empty()
+        && let Ok(raw) = std::fs::read_to_string(&fetched)
+        && !raw.trim().is_empty()
+    {
+        return Ok(raw.trim().to_owned());
+    }
     let path = state_dir().join("forge-token");
     let raw = std::fs::read_to_string(&path)
         .with_context(|| format!("hive-forge: no forge-token at {}", path.display()))?;
diff --git a/hive-forge/tests/credential_helper.rs b/hive-forge/tests/credential_helper.rs
index e15947a4..77936bb6 100644
--- a/hive-forge/tests/credential_helper.rs
+++ b/hive-forge/tests/credential_helper.rs
@@ -29,7 +29,23 @@ fn scratch_state_dir(tag: &str) -> PathBuf {
 /// `state_dir`, feeding `request` as the git credential-protocol
 /// request body on stdin. Returns `(exit success, stdout, stderr)`.
 fn run_get(base_url: &str, state_dir: &Path, request: &str) -> (bool, String, String) {
-    let mut child = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_hive-forge"))
+    run_get_with(base_url, state_dir, None, request)
+}
+
+/// [`run_get`], with `HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE` set to `fetched` when given and
+/// removed otherwise, so the caller's own environment never leaks in.
+fn run_get_with(
+    base_url: &str,
+    state_dir: &Path,
+    fetched: Option<&Path>,
+    request: &str,
+) -> (bool, String, String) {
+    let mut cmd = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_hive-forge"));
+    match fetched {
+        Some(p) => cmd.env("HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE", p),
+        None => cmd.env_remove("HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE"),
+    };
+    let mut child = cmd
         .arg("credential-helper")
         .arg("get")
         .env("HIVE_FORGE_URL", base_url)
@@ -111,3 +127,46 @@ fn credential_helper_get_still_works_with_no_host_line() {
     );
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
 }
+
+/// The token the agent fetched from the swarm secret store wins over the
+/// state-dir file the hive used to write, so a rotated token takes effect
+/// even while the old file is still on disk.
+#[test]
+fn the_fetched_token_wins_over_the_state_file() {
+    let dir = scratch_state_dir("fetched");
+    let fetched = dir.join("fetched-token");
+    std::fs::write(&fetched, "fetched-token-value\n").expect("seed fetched token");
+    let (ok, stdout, stderr) = run_get_with(
+        "http://forge.internal.example",
+        &dir,
+        Some(&fetched),
+        "protocol=https\nhost=forge.internal.example\n",
+    );
+    assert!(ok, "stderr={stderr}");
+    assert!(
+        stdout.contains("password=fetched-token-value"),
+        "stdout={stdout}"
+    );
+    assert!(!stdout.contains(TOKEN), "stdout={stdout}");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+}
+
+/// An agent whose token was not minted yet has the variable set and no file
+/// behind it; it keeps working off the state-dir file.
+#[test]
+fn a_fetched_token_that_is_not_there_falls_back_to_the_state_file() {
+    let dir = scratch_state_dir("fallback");
+    let missing = dir.join("never-fetched");
+    let (ok, stdout, stderr) = run_get_with(
+        "http://forge.internal.example",
+        &dir,
+        Some(&missing),
+        "protocol=https\nhost=forge.internal.example\n",
+    );
+    assert!(ok, "stderr={stderr}");
+    assert!(
+        stdout.contains(&format!("password={TOKEN}")),
+        "stdout={stdout}"
+    );
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&dir);
+}
diff --git a/nix/agent-modules/default.nix b/nix/agent-modules/default.nix
index a244ad02..68a93b9f 100644
--- a/nix/agent-modules/default.nix
+++ b/nix/agent-modules/default.nix
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ in
     ./dashboard-links.nix
     ./docs.nix
     ./forge.nix
+    ./forge-token.nix
     ./frontend.nix
     ./github.nix
     ./logs.nix
diff --git a/nix/agent-modules/forge-token.nix b/nix/agent-modules/forge-token.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..58ca6a94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/agent-modules/forge-token.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+# This agent's own forge access token, fetched from the swarm secret store by
+# the agent itself.
+#
+# `swarm-controller` mints the token with the forge's admin API and writes it
+# to `swarm/agents/<agent>/forge-token`
+# (`swarm_secret_client::forge::agent_token_path`); no hive is in that chain.
+# This unit logs in to the store with the certificate ./bao.nix already proves
+# it can log in with, and reads its own path. The shape is ./queue-identity.nix's,
+# for the same reason: a hive handing the token over would be the hive reading
+# a secret on the agent's behalf.
+#
+# Unlike the queue credential this one rotates: the controller replaces the
+# token when the forge's copy stops matching the stored one. So the unit is
+# re-run by a timer, and it swaps the file in by rename, only when the value
+# changed, so a reader never sees half a token and a watcher on the file
+# (forge-avatar-sync.path) fires only on a real change.
+#
+# Consumers read `services.hyperhive.agent.forge.tokenFile` first and fall back
+# to `<state>/forge-token`, the file the hive wrote before this existed.
+{
+  pkgs,
+  lib,
+  config,
+  ...
+}:
+let
+  cfg = config.services.hyperhive.agent.bao;
+
+  # The name `swarm-controller` minted the token under — see ./queue-identity.nix.
+  agentName = config.services.hyperhive.agent.user.name;
+
+  # The same three ids ./bao.nix and ./queue-identity.nix load.
+  certCredential = "hive-agent-bao-cert";
+  keyCredential = "hive-agent-bao-key";
+  serverCaCredential = "hive-agent-bao-server-ca";
+
+  unitName = "hive-agent-forge-token";
+
+  # The nix half of `swarm_secret_client::forge::agent_token_path` plus
+  # `path::MOUNT`.
+  tokenPath = "secret/swarm/agents/${agentName}/forge-token";
+
+  runtimeDir = unitName;
+  tokenFile = "/run/${runtimeDir}/token";
+  # Beside the token, so the rename that replaces it stays in one directory.
+  stagingFile = "/run/${runtimeDir}/token.new";
+
+  # The store's address is the whole switch, as in ./bao.nix and
+  # ./queue-identity.nix.
+  configured = cfg.addr != null;
+in
+{
+  options.services.hyperhive.agent.forge.tokenFile = lib.mkOption {
+    type = lib.types.str;
+    readOnly = true;
+    default = tokenFile;
+    description = ''
+      Path this agent's own forge token is fetched to. Read-only: it is a
+      fact about where `${unitName}.service` writes, not a knob.
+
+      🩸 A PATH and never a value. The file is `0400` to the agent user.
+
+      The file exists only once the swarm has minted a token for this agent
+      and the agent has a store identity to fetch it with. Until then every
+      consumer falls back to `$HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR/forge-token`.
+    '';
+  };
+
+  config = lib.mkIf configured {
+    # Every unit and the bash-task runner (where `hive-forge` and `git` run)
+    # resolve the token through this, the same way they find
+    # `$HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR`. A path, never the value.
+    systemd.globalEnvironment.HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE = tokenFile;
+    environment.variables.HIVE_FORGE_TOKEN_FILE = tokenFile;
+
+    systemd.services.${unitName} = {
+      description = "fetch this agent's own forge token from the secret store";
+      after = [
+        "network.target"
+        # Ordering only, for the reason ./queue-identity.nix gives.
+        "hive-agent-bao-identity.service"
+      ];
+      before = [ "hive-forge-notify.service" ];
+      wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
+      path = [
+        pkgs.openbao
+        pkgs.coreutils
+        pkgs.diffutils
+      ];
+      startLimitBurst = 4;
+      startLimitIntervalSec = 300;
+      serviceConfig = {
+        Type = "oneshot";
+        # Not `RemainAfterExit`, unlike the queue fetch: the timer below has to
+        # be able to start this unit again, and an active unit cannot be
+        # started. `RuntimeDirectoryPreserve` is what keeps the directory, and
+        # the token in it, alive between runs instead.
+        RemainAfterExit = false;
+        TimeoutStartSec = 30;
+        Restart = "on-failure";
+        RestartSec = 15;
+        User = agentName;
+        Group = agentName;
+        RuntimeDirectory = runtimeDir;
+        RuntimeDirectoryMode = "0700";
+        RuntimeDirectoryPreserve = "yes";
+        UMask = "0377";
+        LoadCredential = [
+          certCredential
+          keyCredential
+          serverCaCredential
+        ];
+      };
+      environment = {
+        BAO_ADDR = cfg.addr;
+        BAO_CLIENT_CERT = "%d/${certCredential}";
+        BAO_CLIENT_KEY = "%d/${keyCredential}";
+      };
+      script = ''
+        set -euo pipefail
+
+        # No identity delivered: ./bao.nix's check reports that; saying it
+        # twice adds nothing.
+        for id in ${lib.escapeShellArg certCredential} ${lib.escapeShellArg keyCredential}; do
+          if [ ! -s "$CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/$id" ]; then
+            echo "this agent has no store identity, so it cannot fetch its own forge token." >&2
+            exit 0
+          fi
+        done
+
+        if [ -s "$CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/${serverCaCredential}" ]; then
+          export BAO_CACERT="$CREDENTIALS_DIRECTORY/${serverCaCredential}"
+        fi
+
+        err="$(mktemp)"
+        trap 'rm -f "$err" ${lib.escapeShellArg stagingFile}' EXIT
+
+        if ! BAO_TOKEN="$(bao login -method=cert -token-only 2>"$err")"; then
+          echo "this agent's certificate was refused by the swarm secret store at $BAO_ADDR." >&2
+          if [ -s "$err" ]; then cat "$err" >&2; fi
+          exit 1
+        fi
+        export BAO_TOKEN
+
+        # 🩸 Degrades rather than fails, for the reason ./queue-identity.nix
+        # gives: the policy stanza that let the login read `bao-mtls` covers
+        # this path too, so a refusal here is a token not minted yet. The
+        # file already in place, if any, is kept: a store that is briefly
+        # unreachable must not take a working token away.
+        #
+        # ⚠️ Written by redirect, never echoed: the field is the secret. The
+        # staging file is removed first so the redirect creates it — a file
+        # `UMask=0377` left behind is `0400` and could not be reopened for
+        # writing.
+        rm -f ${lib.escapeShellArg stagingFile}
+        if ! bao kv get -field=value ${lib.escapeShellArg tokenPath} > ${lib.escapeShellArg stagingFile} 2>"$err"; then
+          echo "no forge token at ${tokenPath} yet; consumers keep using the state-dir token if there is one." >&2
+          if [ -s "$err" ]; then cat "$err" >&2; fi
+          exit 0
+        fi
+
+        if cmp -s ${lib.escapeShellArg stagingFile} ${lib.escapeShellArg tokenFile}; then
+          echo "this agent's forge token at ${tokenPath} is unchanged."
+          exit 0
+        fi
+        mv -f ${lib.escapeShellArg stagingFile} ${lib.escapeShellArg tokenFile}
+        echo "fetched this agent's forge token from ${tokenPath}."
+      '';
+    };
+
+    # The controller re-checks every agent's token every five minutes; this
+    # picks up a rotation within about ten more.
+    systemd.timers.${unitName} = {
+      description = "re-fetch this agent's forge token from the secret store";
+      wantedBy = [ "timers.target" ];
+      timerConfig = {
+        OnUnitInactiveSec = "10min";
+        RandomizedDelaySec = "1min";
+      };
+    };
+  };
+}
diff --git a/nix/agent-modules/forge.nix b/nix/agent-modules/forge.nix
index 694b479e..19dc9649 100644
--- a/nix/agent-modules/forge.nix
+++ b/nix/agent-modules/forge.nix
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-# In-container forge (Forgejo) integration: the `tea` CLI login
-# oneshot, the `hive-forge` verb CLI on PATH, and the icon → forge
-# avatar sync.
+# In-container forge (Forgejo) integration: the `hive-forge` verb CLI on
+# PATH, the git credential helper, the notification poller, and the icon →
+# forge avatar sync. The token itself is fetched by ./forge-token.nix.
 {
   pkgs,
   lib,
@@ -9,7 +9,18 @@
 }:
 let
   userName = config.services.hyperhive.agent.user.name;
-  homeDir = "/home/${userName}";
+  # The token the agent fetched from the swarm secret store
+  # (./forge-token.nix), then the state-dir file the hive used to write,
+  # which is still the only copy for an agent without a store identity.
+  # Both are PATHS; each reader below takes the first that holds a token.
+  fetchedTokenFile = config.services.hyperhive.agent.forge.tokenFile;
+  stateTokenFile = "/agents/${userName}/state/forge-token";
+  pickTokenFile = ''
+    TOKEN_FILE=
+    for f in ${lib.escapeShellArg fetchedTokenFile} ${lib.escapeShellArg stateTokenFile}; do
+      if [ -s "$f" ] && [ -r "$f" ]; then TOKEN_FILE="$f"; break; fi
+    done
+  '';
   # Same 512×512 rasterization of the agent icon the matrix avatar
   # sync uses (./matrix.nix — identical derivation, same store path).
   # Only forced when an icon is configured AND a forge is (the avatar-sync
@@ -20,7 +31,7 @@ let
 
   # git credential helper for the hive forge --- the exact shape
   # `./github.nix` uses for github.com, for the same two reasons: the token
-  # is read from the agent's state file AT INVOCATION (so a re-issued token
+  # is read from its file AT INVOCATION (so a re-issued token
   # takes effect with no rebuild), and the token PATH is baked in at build
   # time rather than read from the environment, because claude's Bash tool
   # runs `bash -c` in a minimal env that never sources `/etc/set-environment`.
@@ -32,8 +43,8 @@ let
   gitCredHelper = pkgs.writeShellScriptBin "git-credential-hive-forge" ''
     # git credential-helper protocol: only `get` needs an answer.
     [ "''${1:-}" = "get" ] || exit 0
-    TOKEN_FILE="/agents/${userName}/state/forge-token"
-    [ -r "$TOKEN_FILE" ] || exit 0
+    ${pickTokenFile}
+    [ -n "$TOKEN_FILE" ] || exit 0
     printf 'username=%s\n' ${lib.escapeShellArg userName}
     printf 'password=%s\n' "$(cat "$TOKEN_FILE")"
   '';
@@ -44,20 +55,16 @@ in
     default = null;
     example = "http://forge.internal:3000";
     description = ''
-      Base URL of the hyperhive-managed Forgejo. Used at container
-      boot by a oneshot systemd unit that calls
-      `tea login add --url <this> --token "$(cat $HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR/forge-token)"`
-      (= `/agents/<name>/state/forge-token`) so the agent's claude can
-      shell out to `tea` without an extra auth dance. No-op when the
-      forge-token file is missing (i.e. hive-forge isn't running on
-      the host).
+      Base URL of the hyperhive-managed Forgejo. Scopes the git
+      credential helper to this forge, and is where the avatar sync
+      uploads the agent's icon.
 
       **`null` means "no forge", not "guess one".** There is deliberately
       no loopback default: the forge may run on a different host from
       the agents, and inside an agent's network namespace `localhost`
       reaches the agent rather than the forge, so a default would be a
       value that builds fine and then talks to the wrong machine.
-      When this is `null` the tea-login and avatar-sync units are not
+      When this is `null` the credential helper and avatar-sync units are not
       generated at all --- an absent integration, never a misdirected
       one.
 
@@ -88,10 +95,6 @@ in
     ];
 
     environment.systemPackages = [
-      # tea: gitea/forgejo CLI client. Configured at boot by the
-      # tea-login oneshot below if /state/forge-token is present, so
-      # claude can `tea repos create`, `tea pulls create`, etc.
-      pkgs.tea
       # hive-forge <verb>: CLI wrapping common Forgejo REST API operations
       # (view, pr, issue, comment, assign, close, labels, branches, etc.).
       # The per-bin split package — narrow closure, no hivectl/wireguard.
@@ -178,94 +181,22 @@ in
       };
     };
 
-    # One-shot: tea config.yml from the seeded forge token. Shape
-    # contract (always exit 0, no set -e, skip-silently, re-runnable):
-    # docs/process/conventions.md::Best-effort oneshot services.
-    # Not generated at all when no forge is configured: an absent
-    # integration rather than one pointed at a guessed address.
-    systemd.services.tea-login = lib.mkIf (config.services.hyperhive.agent.forge.url != null) {
-      description = "configure tea CLI from hive-forge token (best-effort)";
-      wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
-      after = [ "local-fs.target" ];
-      serviceConfig = {
-        Type = "oneshot";
-        RemainAfterExit = true;
-        # Pin the journal identity (else it's the `script` store-path wrapper).
-        SyslogIdentifier = "tea-login";
-      };
-      path = [
-        pkgs.curl
-        pkgs.jq
-        pkgs.coreutils
-      ];
-      environment.HOME_DIR = homeDir;
-      environment.AGENT_USER = userName;
-      script = ''
-                # No `set -e`: best-effort posture (see docs pointer above).
-                FORGE_URL=${lib.escapeShellArg config.services.hyperhive.agent.forge.url}
-                # $HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR is system-wide via the meta flake.
-                TOKEN_FILE="$HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR/forge-token"
-                if [ ! -f "$TOKEN_FILE" ]; then
-                  echo "tea-login: no forge-token at $TOKEN_FILE; skipping"
-                  exit 0
-                fi
-                TOKEN=$(cat "$TOKEN_FILE")
-                # Resolve the agent username from the forge API.
-                USER=$(curl -sf --max-time 5 \
-                  -H "Authorization: token $TOKEN" \
-                  "$FORGE_URL/api/v1/user" \
-                  | jq -r '.login // empty' 2>/dev/null || true)
-                if [ -z "$USER" ]; then
-                  echo "tea-login: could not resolve username from forge API; skipping"
-                  exit 0
-                fi
-                # Config under the agent user's home, chown'd to them;
-                # service stays root-owned (see docs pointer above).
-                CONFIG="$HOME_DIR/.config/tea/config.yml"
-                mkdir -p "$(dirname "$CONFIG")" || true
-                cat > "$CONFIG" << EOF
-        logins:
-            - name: forge
-              url: $FORGE_URL
-              token: $TOKEN
-              default: true
-              ssh_host: ""
-              ssh_key: ""
-              insecure: false
-              ssh_agent: false
-              user: $USER
-        preferences:
-            editor: false
-            flag_defaults:
-                remote: ""
-        EOF
-                chown -R "$AGENT_USER:$AGENT_USER" "$HOME_DIR/.config" 2>/dev/null || true
-                echo "tea-login: configured for $FORGE_URL as $USER (config at $CONFIG)"
-      '';
-    };
-
-    # Path-trigger sibling: re-fires forge-avatar-sync when
-    # `<state>/forge-token` is written. On first agent deployment the
-    # container boots before hive-c0re has provisioned the forge-token, so
-    # the service fires too early and exits with "no forge-token found".
-    # Without this path unit, RemainAfterExit=true would prevent systemd
-    # from ever re-running the service. See
-    # docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md::forge-avatar-sync.
+    # Path-trigger sibling: re-fires forge-avatar-sync when the fetched
+    # forge token (./forge-token.nix) appears or is replaced. On first
+    # agent deployment the container can boot before the swarm has minted
+    # the token, so the service fires too early and exits with "no
+    # forge-token found". Without this path unit, nothing would ever
+    # re-run it. See docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md::forge-avatar-sync.
     #
     # PathChanged=, not PathExists=: a PathExists= condition that already
     # holds re-activates the unit immediately every time the path unit
     # re-arms, and a oneshot re-arms it by deactivating — so it loops until
     # systemd's start limit stops it. PathChanged= does not fire on an
-    # already-present path, and hive-priv writes this file in place
-    # (write_state_file_nofollow: O_TRUNC, no rename), so close-after-write
-    # still triggers it. Same directive and same reason as
-    # swarm-controller.nix's queue-credential watcher.
+    # already-present path, and does fire on the rename the fetch unit
+    # swaps a new token in with. The fetch renames only when the value
+    # changed, so its timer does not re-upload the avatar every tick.
     #
-    # ⚠️ This agent's own token, not a glob over `/agents/*/`. Every agent's
-    # state dir is visible from inside every container, so a wildcard here
-    # watches paths this unit has no business reacting to.
-    # The service reads `$HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR/forge-token`; this is the same
-    # file, spelled the way `tea-login` above already spells it.
+    # ⚠️ This agent's own token, not a glob.
     #
     # ⚠️ Gated on the SAME condition as the service it triggers, not just on
     # the icon: a `.path` unit whose `Unit=` does not exist is a unit pulled
@@ -278,7 +209,7 @@ in
         {
           description = "trigger forge-avatar-sync when forge-token appears";
           wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
-          pathConfig.PathChanged = "/agents/${userName}/state/forge-token";
+          pathConfig.PathChanged = fetchedTokenFile;
         };
 
     # One-shot: services.hyperhive.agent.icon → Forgejo profile avatar. Shape contract:
@@ -295,7 +226,7 @@ in
         {
           description = "sync agent icon to Forgejo user avatar (best-effort)";
           wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
-          after = [ "tea-login.service" ];
+          after = [ "hive-agent-forge-token.service" ];
           serviceConfig = {
             Type = "oneshot";
             RemainAfterExit = false;
@@ -309,10 +240,8 @@ in
           ];
           script = ''
             FORGE_URL=${lib.escapeShellArg config.services.hyperhive.agent.forge.url}
-            # $HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR is set system-wide by the meta flake
-            # (systemd.globalEnvironment) to `/agents/<name>/state`.
-            TOKEN_FILE="$HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR/forge-token"
-            if [ ! -f "$TOKEN_FILE" ]; then
+            ${pickTokenFile}
+            if [ -z "$TOKEN_FILE" ]; then
               echo "forge-avatar-sync: no forge-token found; skipping"
               exit 0
             fi
diff --git a/nix/agent-modules/network.nix b/nix/agent-modules/network.nix
index 64adf66b..bf9f9d6a 100644
--- a/nix/agent-modules/network.nix
+++ b/nix/agent-modules/network.nix
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     # `/etc/hyperhive-bridge-dns` (containing the gateway IP) since
     # isolation is always on; the oneshot reads it and rewrites
     # resolv.conf on every boot. Ordered before the first DNS consumer
-    # (tea-login) and the network targets so name resolution works for
+    # (the forge-token fetch) and the network targets so name resolution works for
     # the very first turn.
     systemd.services.hyperhive-isolated-dns = {
       description = "point resolv.conf at the hive bridge resolver (isolated containers)";
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
       # is a harmless no-op when matrix is disabled (the unit is absent).
       before = [
         "network-online.target"
-        "tea-login.service"
+        "hive-agent-forge-token.service"
         "hive-agent.service"
         "hive-matrix-daemon.service"
       ];
diff --git a/swarmctl/src/agent.rs b/swarmctl/src/agent.rs
index 7b6811d1..e6b57bf5 100644
--- a/swarmctl/src/agent.rs
+++ b/swarmctl/src/agent.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-//! `swarmctl agent create` and `swarmctl agent mint-identity` — queue work
-//! on the swarm-controller's job graph.
+//! `swarmctl agent create`, `swarmctl agent mint-identity` and `swarmctl agent
+//! mint-forge-token` — queue work on the swarm-controller's job graph.
 //!
 //! Each POSTs and returns as soon as the work is *inserted*. Both verbs
 //! print the queued node id and stop: creation's last node only *publishes*
@@ -64,6 +64,12 @@ struct MintIdentityResponse {
     node_id: u64,
 }
 
+/// Success body of `POST /api/agents/{name}/forge-token`, which takes no body.
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct MintForgeTokenResponse {
+    node_id: u64,
+}
+
 /// Run `swarmctl agent create`.
 ///
 /// Synchronous on purpose: every other verb in this crate is, and this is
@@ -137,6 +143,33 @@ pub(crate) fn mint_identity(socket: &Path, name: &str, hive: &str) -> Result<()>
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Run `swarmctl agent mint-forge-token`.
+///
+/// Synchronous for the same reason [`create`] is, and built on the same
+/// round trip. No `--hive`: the token's store path has no hive in it.
+pub(crate) fn mint_forge_token(socket: &Path, name: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    let name = parse_ident(name, "agent name")?;
+
+    let rt = tokio::runtime::Builder::new_current_thread()
+        .enable_io()
+        .build()
+        .context("starting a tokio runtime for the controller request")?;
+    let resp: MintForgeTokenResponse = rt.block_on(post(
+        socket,
+        &format!("/api/agents/{name}/forge-token"),
+        &serde_json::json!({}),
+        "mint-forge-token",
+    ))?;
+
+    println!("queued: job node {}", resp.node_id);
+    println!(
+        "agent {name:?}'s forge token will be checked once the job graph runs, and minted \
+         only if it is missing or stale; `swarmctl` does not wait for it. The agent picks a \
+         new token up on its next fetch"
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 /// One `POST /api/agents` round trip over the controller's unix socket.
 async fn post_create(socket: &Path, name: &str, hive: &str) -> Result<CreateAgentResponse> {
     post(
diff --git a/swarmctl/src/main.rs b/swarmctl/src/main.rs
index 78eef948..7832e335 100644
--- a/swarmctl/src/main.rs
+++ b/swarmctl/src/main.rs
@@ -184,6 +184,15 @@ enum AgentVerb {
     /// Queues and returns, the same way `agent create` does — watch the
     /// swarm UI's job view for the outcome.
     MintIdentity(AgentMintIdentityArgs),
+    /// Check one agent's forge token, and mint it if it's missing or stale.
+    ///
+    /// swarm-controller does this for every agent with a store identity at
+    /// start and every five minutes; this is for when waiting isn't an
+    /// option. It leaves a current token alone.
+    ///
+    /// Queues and returns, the same way `agent create` does — watch the
+    /// swarm UI's job view for the outcome.
+    MintForgeToken(AgentMintForgeTokenArgs),
 }
 
 #[derive(Args)]
@@ -210,6 +219,19 @@ struct AgentCreateArgs {
     controller_socket: Option<PathBuf>,
 }
 
+#[derive(Args)]
+struct AgentMintForgeTokenArgs {
+    /// Name of an agent that already exists.
+    name: String,
+    /// swarm-controller's unix socket.
+    ///
+    /// Supplied by the nix module that installs this binary, from the same
+    /// `socketPath` option the daemon binds; falls back to
+    /// `SWARM_CONTROLLER_SOCKET`.
+    #[arg(long, value_name = "PATH")]
+    controller_socket: Option<PathBuf>,
+}
+
 #[derive(Args)]
 struct AgentMintIdentityArgs {
     /// Name of an agent that already exists.
@@ -308,6 +330,13 @@ fn main() -> Result<()> {
             let socket = path_from(args.controller_socket, "SWARM_CONTROLLER_SOCKET")?;
             agent::mint_identity(&socket, &args.name, &args.hive)
         }
+        // Same socket-resolution reasoning as `Create` above.
+        Verb::Agent {
+            command: AgentVerb::MintForgeToken(args),
+        } => {
+            let socket = path_from(args.controller_socket, "SWARM_CONTROLLER_SOCKET")?;
+            agent::mint_forge_token(&socket, &args.name)
+        }
         // Resolved lazily, inside the one arm that actually touches the
         // deployment env vars — see the `MarkdownDocs` doc comment above
         // for why an unconditional resolve up front would be wrong.
@@ -697,6 +726,31 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn the_forge_token_verb_takes_an_agent_and_no_hive() {
+        let cli = Cli::try_parse_from(["swarmctl", "agent", "mint-forge-token", "scribe"])
+            .expect("the minimal form parses");
+        let Verb::Agent {
+            command: AgentVerb::MintForgeToken(args),
+        } = cli.command
+        else {
+            panic!("expected `agent mint-forge-token`");
+        };
+        assert_eq!(args.name, "scribe");
+        assert!(
+            Cli::try_parse_from([
+                "swarmctl",
+                "agent",
+                "mint-forge-token",
+                "scribe",
+                "--hive",
+                "a"
+            ])
+            .is_err(),
+            "the token has no hive, so the verb must not take one"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn parses_authelia_hash_output() {
         let out = "Random Password: hunter2\nDigest: $argon2id$v=19$m=65536$abc\n";