diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index 6bba354..9a02ee6 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           repository: cartsnitch/infra
           token: ${{ secrets.CI_GITEA_TOKEN }}
-          ref: main
+          ref: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && 'main' || (github.ref == 'refs/heads/uat' && 'uat' || 'dev') }}
           path: infra
 
       - name: Install kustomize
@@ -142,8 +142,9 @@ jobs:
             echo "::notice::Refusing to push directly to protected branch — falling back to contents API"
             exit 0
           fi
-          PR_BODY=$(jq -n --arg head "$BRANCH" --arg body "Bumps apps/overlays/dev/kustomization.yaml auth newTag to \`${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}\` from cartsnitch/auth CI build $GITHUB_SHA." \
-            '{head: $head, base: "main", title: ("ci(dev): update auth image (" + env.GITHUB_SHA[:12] + ")"), body: $body}')
+          TITLE="ci(dev): update auth image (${GITHUB_SHA::12})"
+          PR_BODY=$(jq -n --arg head "cartsnitch:${BRANCH}" --arg base main --arg title "$TITLE" --arg body "Bumps apps/overlays/dev/kustomization.yaml auth newTag to \`${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}\` from cartsnitch/auth CI build $GITHUB_SHA." \
+            '{head: $head, base: $base, title: $title, body: $body}')
           PR_JSON=$(curl -sS -X POST \
             -H "Authorization: token ${CI_GITEA_TOKEN}" \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
@@ -163,6 +164,11 @@ jobs:
           if [ "${REVIEW_HTTP}" -lt 200 ] || [ "${REVIEW_HTTP}" -ge 300 ]; then
             echo "::notice::Failed to request reviewers for cartsnitch/infra PR #${PR_NUM} (HTTP ${REVIEW_HTTP}); continuing"
           fi
+          # CAR-1216: the in-job merge attempt is a best-effort fast-path only.
+          # `cartsnitch/infra` main requires a human approving review; the CI bot
+          # cannot self-approve. Treat any non-merged outcome (approvals pending,
+          # checks pending, any other Gitea message) as the GitOps approval gate
+          # — the PR is already opened and cs_savannah is requested as reviewer.
           MERGE_RESP=$(curl -sS -X POST \
             -H "Authorization: token ${CI_GITEA_TOKEN}" \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
@@ -170,16 +176,12 @@ jobs:
             "https://git.farh.net/api/v1/repos/cartsnitch/infra/pulls/${PR_NUM}/merge")
           MERGED=$(echo "$MERGE_RESP" | jq -r '.merged // false')
           if [ "$MERGED" = "true" ]; then
-            echo "PR #${PR_NUM} merged into cartsnitch/infra main"
-          elif echo "$MERGE_RESP" | grep -qi 'does not have enough approvals'; then
-            # GitOps approval gate: PR is correctly opened and surfaces in
-            # CTO queue via the reviewers request above. Treat as success
-            # so the job does not hard-fail on approvals.
-            echo "::notice::infra PR #${PR_NUM} opened and awaiting CTO (cs_savannah) approve+merge — GitOps approval gate, not a failure"
-            exit 0
+            echo "PR #${PR_NUM} merged into cartsnitch/infra dev"
           else
-            echo "::error::Auto-merge of cartsnitch/infra PR #${PR_NUM} failed: $MERGE_RESP"
-            exit 1
+            # CAR-1438: PR opened successfully; any non-merged outcome (empty body,
+            # approval-gate, pending checks) is the GitOps gate — not a failure.
+            echo "::notice::infra PR #${PR_NUM} opened — auto-merge not available (${MERGE_RESP:-empty response}); awaiting CTO (cs_savannah) approve+merge"
+            exit 0
           fi
 
   deploy-uat:
@@ -192,7 +194,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           repository: cartsnitch/infra
           token: ${{ secrets.CI_GITEA_TOKEN }}
-          ref: main
+          ref: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && 'main' || (github.ref == 'refs/heads/uat' && 'uat' || 'dev') }}
           path: infra
 
       - name: Install kustomize
@@ -241,8 +243,9 @@ jobs:
             echo "::notice::Refusing to push directly to protected branch — falling back to contents API"
             exit 0
           fi
-          PR_BODY=$(jq -n --arg head "$BRANCH" --arg body "Bumps apps/overlays/uat/kustomization.yaml auth newTag to \`${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}\` from cartsnitch/auth CI build $GITHUB_SHA." \
-            '{head: $head, base: "main", title: ("ci(uat): update auth image (" + env.GITHUB_SHA[:12] + ")"), body: $body}')
+          TITLE="ci(uat): update auth image (${GITHUB_SHA::12})"
+          PR_BODY=$(jq -n --arg head "cartsnitch:${BRANCH}" --arg base main --arg title "$TITLE" --arg body "Bumps apps/overlays/uat/kustomization.yaml auth newTag to \`${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}\` from cartsnitch/auth CI build $GITHUB_SHA." \
+            '{head: $head, base: $base, title: $title, body: $body}')
           PR_JSON=$(curl -sS -X POST \
             -H "Authorization: token ${CI_GITEA_TOKEN}" \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
@@ -262,6 +265,7 @@ jobs:
           if [ "${REVIEW_HTTP}" -lt 200 ] || [ "${REVIEW_HTTP}" -ge 300 ]; then
             echo "::notice::Failed to request reviewers for cartsnitch/infra PR #${PR_NUM} (HTTP ${REVIEW_HTTP}); continuing"
           fi
+          # CAR-1216: see deploy-dev — same never-fail on merge outcome.
           MERGE_RESP=$(curl -sS -X POST \
             -H "Authorization: token ${CI_GITEA_TOKEN}" \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
@@ -269,14 +273,11 @@ jobs:
             "https://git.farh.net/api/v1/repos/cartsnitch/infra/pulls/${PR_NUM}/merge")
           MERGED=$(echo "$MERGE_RESP" | jq -r '.merged // false')
           if [ "$MERGED" = "true" ]; then
-            echo "PR #${PR_NUM} merged into cartsnitch/infra main"
-          elif echo "$MERGE_RESP" | grep -qi 'does not have enough approvals'; then
-            # GitOps approval gate: PR is correctly opened and surfaces in
-            # CTO queue via the reviewers request above. Treat as success
-            # so the job does not hard-fail on approvals.
-            echo "::notice::infra PR #${PR_NUM} opened and awaiting CTO (cs_savannah) approve+merge — GitOps approval gate, not a failure"
-            exit 0
+            echo "PR #${PR_NUM} merged into cartsnitch/infra uat"
           else
-            echo "::error::Auto-merge of cartsnitch/infra PR #${PR_NUM} failed: $MERGE_RESP"
-            exit 1
+            # CAR-1438: PR opened successfully; any non-merged outcome (empty body,
+            # approval-gate, pending checks) is the GitOps gate — not a failure.
+            echo "::notice::infra PR #${PR_NUM} opened — auto-merge not available (${MERGE_RESP:-empty response}); awaiting CTO (cs_savannah) approve+merge"
+            exit 0
           fi
+