diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index 8c7517a..2ed8038 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-# ci-sync: 2026-05-30T02:24:12Z
+# ci-sync: 2026-05-30T02:28:28Z
 # Homelab CI — Node/pages lane (git-ci-01) + secret scan (git-ci-02)
 name: CI
 
@@ -50,7 +50,15 @@ jobs:
             exit 0
           fi
 
-          if [ -f package-lock.json ]; then npm ci; else npm install; fi
+          if [ -f package-lock.json ]; then
+            if ! npm ci; then
+              echo "npm ci failed (lock file out of sync?) — falling back to npm install"
+              rm -rf node_modules
+              npm install
+            fi
+          else
+            npm install
+          fi
 
           if [ -f playwright.config.ts ] || [ -f playwright.config.js ] || [ -f playwright.config.mjs ] \
              || grep -q '@playwright/test' package.json 2>/dev/null; then