diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/Release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/Release.yml
index c963488..352149c 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/Release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/Release.yml
@@ -175,14 +175,29 @@ jobs:
             sleep 2
           done
 
-          # Fetch file blob SHAs from next-release (inherited from base on creation)
+          # Fetch file blob SHA from BASE_BRANCH. next-release was just forked
+          # from base so the blob SHA matches; querying base avoids racing
+          # Gitea's per-endpoint propagation for the new branch (the /contents
+          # endpoint can still 500/404 after /branches reports 200). Returns
+          # empty only when the file genuinely does not exist on base.
           fetch_sha() {
             local path="$1" out meta code body
-            out=$(api_call GET "/contents/${path}?ref=next-release")
-            meta=$(meta_line "${out}"); code="${meta%%|*}"; body=$(body_lines "${out}")
-            if [ "${code}" = "200" ]; then
-              printf '%s' "${body}" | jq -r '.sha // empty'
-            fi
+            for i in $(seq 1 5); do
+              out=$(api_call GET "/contents/${path}?ref=${BASE_BRANCH}")
+              meta=$(meta_line "${out}"); code="${meta%%|*}"; body=$(body_lines "${out}")
+              if [ "${code}" = "200" ]; then
+                printf '%s' "${body}" | jq -r '.sha // empty'
+                return 0
+              fi
+              if [ "${code}" = "404" ]; then
+                return 0
+              fi
+              if [ "${i}" = "5" ]; then
+                echo "fetch_sha ${path} failed after 5 attempts (${meta}): ${body}" >&2
+                return 0
+              fi
+              sleep 2
+            done
           }
           CHANGELOG_SHA=$(fetch_sha "CHANGELOG.md")
           VERSION_SHA=$(fetch_sha ".version")