diff --git a/nix/module-eval.nix b/nix/module-eval.nix
index 5b017afe..29d70fa2 100644
--- a/nix/module-eval.nix
+++ b/nix/module-eval.nix
@@ -49,19 +49,42 @@ let
           };
           boot.loader.grub.enable = false;
           system.stateVersion = "25.11";
-          services.hyperhive = {
+          # `recursiveUpdate`, not `//`: a plain `//` only merges the
+          # *top-level* keys of `extra` in, so an `extra` that touches a
+          # nested attr under an existing top-level key (e.g. `swarm.*`)
+          # silently drops every sibling under that key instead of merging
+          # into it — the same class of bug as the `services.hyperhive`
+          # double-nesting mistake this stub already had to dodge once,
+          # just one level down. `recursiveUpdate` merges nested attrsets
+          # all the way down instead.
+          services.hyperhive = lib.recursiveUpdate {
             enable = true;
             hiveName = "h1";
             swarm.domain = "t.local";
             swarm.hives.h1.domain = "h1.t.local";
-          }
-          // extra;
+          } extra;
         }
       ];
     }).config;
 
   allLocal = hive { enableAllLocalDefaults = true; };
   bare = hive { };
+  withCi = hive { swarm.forge.ci.enable = true; };
+
+  # A priority collision is a property of the *option*, not
+  # of the merged value's interior — nix throws the moment the value is
+  # demanded at all, so `seq`-ing each `serviceConfig` value to WHNF is
+  # both necessary and sufficient. `deepSeq` over-specifies this: it keeps
+  # walking *into* the resulting value after the merge already succeeded,
+  # and a package/derivation-shaped value's `override`/`overrideAttrs`
+  # self-reference sends it into nixpkgs' fixpoint machinery and blows the
+  # stack (measured — this is not a hypothetical).
+  forceCiServiceConfigs =
+    let
+      svcs = withCi.containers.hive-ci.config.systemd.services;
+      vals = lib.concatMap (s: builtins.attrValues (s.serviceConfig or { })) (builtins.attrValues svcs);
+    in
+    builtins.foldl' (acc: v: builtins.seq v acc) true vals;
 
   # Each case: a name stating the property, and `ok`.
   cases = [
@@ -100,6 +123,17 @@ let
       ok =
         !(builtins.hasAttr "= /.well-known/matrix/client" bare.services.nginx.virtualHosts."_".locations);
     }
+    {
+      # main got eval-borked twice by this exact class of bug (once on the
+      # unit's `Restart` key, once on `RestartSec`) — a nixpkgs bump to
+      # `gitea-actions-runner.nix` adds a plain `serviceConfig.*`
+      # definition that collides with one of ours, and nix refuses to
+      # merge two plain definitions at *host* eval. No other check
+      # instantiates a host with `containers.hive-ci` actually enabled, so
+      # the collision only surfaces on operator deploy, not in CI.
+      name = "the CI container's unit definitions merge without a priority collision";
+      ok = forceCiServiceConfigs;
+    }
   ];
 
   bad = builtins.filter (c: !c.ok) cases;