diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index 0f457cd..fc496d9 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -310,3 +310,51 @@ jobs:
           name: playwright-traces-${{ github.run_id }}
           path: apps/pwa/test-results/
           retention-days: 14
+
+  publish:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Push to main only — never on pull_request (D-03). No dev-bypass flag in this job (T-08-09).
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      # Compute both image tags per D-04:
+      #   :latest        — moving pointer for easy pulls
+      #   :<milestone>-<shortsha> — immutable, rollback-traceable (e.g. v1.1-4303a1b)
+      # GITHUB_SHA is confirmed available in Gitea Actions (probe P-13).
+      # MILESTONE is read from the workflow-level env var (set to v1.1 above) — update at milestone boundaries.
+      - name: Compute image tags
+        id: tags
+        run: |
+          SHORT_SHA=${GITHUB_SHA:0:7}
+          MILESTONE="${{ env.MILESTONE }}"
+          echo "latest=git.bergerhouse.net/luckberg/familysync-api:latest" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "sha_tag=git.bergerhouse.net/luckberg/familysync-api:${MILESTONE}-${SHORT_SHA}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      # Pitfall 13 (load-bearing security step): PAT piped via stdin — never via -p/--password.
+      # GITEA_TOKEN/GITHUB_TOKEN cannot push packages; a PAT with write:package scope is required
+      # (confirmed: Gitea forum + registry docs). Token is masked by Gitea's secret-log scrubber
+      # and never echoed elsewhere or set as a plain env var.
+      - name: Docker login
+        run: |
+          echo "${{ secrets.GITEA_REGISTRY_PAT }}" | \
+          docker login git.bergerhouse.net \
+            --username luckberg \
+            --password-stdin
+
+      # Build from REPO ROOT (T-08-10): the Dockerfile copies the pnpm workspace manifest +
+      # lockfile from the root context; building from apps/api/ would fail to find them.
+      - name: Build and push
+        run: |
+          docker build --target production \
+            -f apps/api/Dockerfile \
+            -t ${{ steps.tags.outputs.latest }} \
+            -t ${{ steps.tags.outputs.sha_tag }} \
+            .
+          docker push ${{ steps.tags.outputs.latest }}
+          docker push ${{ steps.tags.outputs.sha_tag }}
+
+      # Always drop the stored credential from the runner after push (defence in depth).
+      - name: Docker logout
+        if: always()
+        run: docker logout git.bergerhouse.net || true