diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/renovate.yml b/.gitea/workflows/renovate.yml
index 2ac261d..6ff887b 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/renovate.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/renovate.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,18 @@
 # repo root. This workflow only controls *when* Renovate runs and how
 # it authenticates against Gitea.
 #
+# Implementation note — we run the official `renovate/renovate` Docker
+# image directly via `docker run` rather than the `renovatebot/github-
+# action` wrapper. The wrapper relies on act_runner being able to
+# resolve arbitrary GitHub tags via go-git, which is brittle (we hit
+# `reference not found` on `@v40`). Going straight to the image:
+#  * decouples from action-tag resolution issues;
+#  * pins the Renovate runtime version explicitly (reproducible);
+#  * one fewer layer of indirection to debug.
+#
+# Renovate clones the repo itself using RENOVATE_TOKEN — no
+# `actions/checkout` step, no host bind-mount needed.
+#
 # Authentication: a Gitea Personal Access Token issued for the dedicated
 # `apf-portal-bot` user, stored as the RENOVATE_TOKEN secret. The full
 # bot-onboarding procedure lives in docs/development.md → "Dependency
@@ -26,12 +38,22 @@ jobs:
   renovate:
     runs-on: [self-hosted, on-prem]
     steps:
-      - uses: renovatebot/github-action@v40
-        with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.RENOVATE_TOKEN }}
-          configurationFile: renovate.json
+      - name: Run Renovate
+        # Pin to the major; the bot will propose its own bumps once
+        # it is healthy (Renovate self-updates the workflow files it
+        # finds in the repo it manages).
+        run: |
+          docker run --rm \
+            --name "renovate-${{ github.run_id }}" \
+            -e RENOVATE_TOKEN \
+            -e RENOVATE_PLATFORM \
+            -e RENOVATE_ENDPOINT \
+            -e RENOVATE_AUTODISCOVER \
+            -e RENOVATE_REPOSITORIES \
+            -e LOG_LEVEL \
+            renovate/renovate:40
         env:
-          # Tell Renovate this is Gitea, not GitHub.
+          RENOVATE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.RENOVATE_TOKEN }}
           RENOVATE_PLATFORM: gitea
           # Gitea API endpoint — derived from the workflow's own server
           # URL so a Gitea → GitLab migration only requires changing