diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/_lib/credentials.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/_lib/credentials.sh
index bbb942c..5a26689 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/_lib/credentials.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/_lib/credentials.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,12 @@
 # After loading, service-specific env vars are exported.
 # Run `load_credentials --help` for details.
 
-MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE="${MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE:-$HOME/src/jarvis-brain/credentials.json}"
+if [[ -z "${MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE:-}" ]]; then
+  for _cand in "$HOME/.config/mosaic/credentials.json" "$HOME/src/jarvis-brain/credentials.json"; do
+    if [[ -f "$_cand" ]]; then MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE="$_cand"; break; fi
+  done
+  : "${MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE:=$HOME/src/jarvis-brain/credentials.json}"
+fi
 
 _mosaic_require_jq() {
   if ! command -v jq &>/dev/null; then
@@ -34,6 +39,19 @@ _mosaic_read_cred() {
   jq -r "$jq_path // empty" "$MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE"
 }
 
+# Decide curl TLS flag for a target URL: validate public hosts (MITM matters on
+# WAN); allow self-signed only for private-network IP literals (trusted LAN) or an
+# explicit $MOSAIC_INSECURE_TLS opt-in. Echoes "-k" or "" (empty).
+_mosaic_tls_opt() {
+  local url="$1" host
+  [[ -n "${MOSAIC_INSECURE_TLS:-}" ]] && { echo "-k"; return; }
+  host=$(printf '%s' "$url" | sed -E 's#^[a-zA-Z]+://([^/:]+).*#\1#')
+  if [[ "$host" =~ ^(10\.|127\.|192\.168\.|172\.(1[6-9]|2[0-9]|3[01])\.) ]]; then
+    echo "-k"; return
+  fi
+  echo ""
+}
+
 # Sync Woodpecker credentials to ~/.woodpecker/<instance>.env
 # Only writes when values differ to avoid unnecessary disk writes.
 _mosaic_sync_woodpecker_env() {
@@ -261,7 +279,8 @@ mosaic_http() {
   local base_url="${4:-}"
 
   local response
-  response=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" -X "$method" \
+  local _tls; _tls=$(_mosaic_tls_opt "${base_url}${endpoint}")
+  response=$(curl -sS $_tls -w "\n%{http_code}" -X "$method" \
     -H "$auth_header" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     "${base_url}${endpoint}")
@@ -279,7 +298,8 @@ mosaic_http_post() {
   local base_url="${4:-}"
 
   local response
-  response=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" -X POST \
+  local _tls; _tls=$(_mosaic_tls_opt "${base_url}${endpoint}")
+  response=$(curl -sS $_tls -w "\n%{http_code}" -X POST \
     -H "$auth_header" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d "$data" \
@@ -297,7 +317,8 @@ mosaic_http_patch() {
   local base_url="${4:-}"
 
   local response
-  response=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" -X PATCH \
+  local _tls; _tls=$(_mosaic_tls_opt "${base_url}${endpoint}")
+  response=$(curl -sS $_tls -w "\n%{http_code}" -X PATCH \
     -H "$auth_header" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d "$data" \
diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh
index 7b9e8b6..1a47759 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh
@@ -72,6 +72,11 @@ elif values and all(v == "success" for v in values):
     print("success")
 elif any(v in {"pending", "running", "queued", "waiting"} for v in values):
     print("pending")
+elif not values and not state:
+    # No pipeline/status of any kind reported for this commit. Distinct from
+    # "unknown" (an ambiguous/unrecognized status that should keep polling):
+    # this signals a repo/commit that simply has no CI configured.
+    print("no-status")
 else:
     print("unknown")
 PY
@@ -142,6 +147,21 @@ gitea_get_commit_status_json() {
     curl -fsSL -H "User-Agent: curl/8" -H "Authorization: token ${token}" "$url"
 }
 
+gitea_get_default_branch() {
+    local host="$1"
+    local repo="$2"
+    local token="$3"
+    local url="https://${host}/api/v1/repos/${repo}"
+    curl -fsSL -H "User-Agent: curl/8" -H "Authorization: token ${token}" "$url" | python3 -c '
+import json, sys
+print((json.load(sys.stdin) or {}).get("default_branch", ""))
+'
+}
+
+github_get_default_branch() {
+    gh api "repos/${OWNER}/${REPO}" --jq '.default_branch'
+}
+
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     case "$1" in
         -n|--number)
@@ -245,6 +265,51 @@ else
     exit 1
 fi
 
+# No-CI determination is TWO-TIER (primary: CI history; secondary: empty-poll streak).
+#
+# PRIMARY — "does this repo run CI at all?" Probed once, up front, from the DEFAULT
+# BRANCH's commit status. A repo whose default branch carries CI statuses
+# demonstrably runs CI, so an EMPTY status on the PR head means the pipeline simply
+# has not registered YET (webhook/queue lag) — NOT that the repo is CI-less. In that
+# case we must NEVER fast-green; we keep polling until the pipeline registers or the
+# timeout fires (both safe). This closes the webhook-lag false-green: a slow-to-
+# register pipeline feeding a merge gate can no longer be mistaken for "no CI".
+#
+# SECONDARY — the empty-poll streak below applies ONLY to genuinely CI-less repos
+# (default branch also has no CI history, e.g. device-imaging class), where burning
+# the full timeout would be pure waste. There, NO_CI_MAX empty polls => fast-exit 0.
+#
+# Probe failure is treated conservatively as REPO_HAS_CI=1 (assume CI present): we
+# would rather wait-then-timeout than risk a false-green, per the merge-gate priority.
+REPO_HAS_CI=1
+detect_repo_ci() {
+    local def_branch def_status
+    # Every early exit returns 0: a probe miss must leave the conservative
+    # REPO_HAS_CI=1 default in place, never abort the caller under `set -e`.
+    if [[ "$PLATFORM" == "github" ]]; then
+        def_branch=$(github_get_default_branch 2>/dev/null) || {
+            echo "[pr-ci-wait] WARN: default-branch probe failed; assuming CI-enabled (will not fast-green on empty status)."; return 0; }
+        [[ -n "$def_branch" ]] || return 0
+        def_status=$(github_get_commit_status_json "$OWNER" "$REPO" "$def_branch" 2>/dev/null | extract_state_from_status_json) || return 0
+    else
+        def_branch=$(gitea_get_default_branch "$HOST" "$OWNER/$REPO" "$TOKEN" 2>/dev/null) || {
+            echo "[pr-ci-wait] WARN: default-branch probe failed; assuming CI-enabled (will not fast-green on empty status)."; return 0; }
+        [[ -n "$def_branch" ]] || return 0
+        def_status=$(gitea_get_commit_status_json "$HOST" "$OWNER/$REPO" "$TOKEN" "$def_branch" 2>/dev/null | extract_state_from_status_json) || return 0
+    fi
+    if [[ "$def_status" == "no-status" || -z "$def_status" ]]; then
+        REPO_HAS_CI=0
+        echo "[pr-ci-wait] default branch '${def_branch}' has no CI status history — treating repo as CI-less (empty-poll fast-exit enabled)."
+    else
+        REPO_HAS_CI=1
+        echo "[pr-ci-wait] default branch '${def_branch}' has CI history (state=${def_status}) — repo runs CI; empty status on PR head => awaiting registration, will not fast-green."
+    fi
+}
+detect_repo_ci || true
+
+NO_CI_STREAK=0
+NO_CI_MAX=3
+
 while true; do
     NOW_TS=$(date +%s)
     if (( NOW_TS > DEADLINE_TS )); then
@@ -272,11 +337,35 @@ while true; do
             echo "Error: CI reported ${STATE} for PR #$PR_NUMBER." >&2
             exit 1
             ;;
+        no-status)
+            if [[ "$REPO_HAS_CI" == "1" ]]; then
+                # PRIMARY tier: repo demonstrably runs CI but this commit's pipeline
+                # has not registered yet (webhook/queue lag). Do NOT fast-green — keep
+                # polling until it registers or the timeout fires. Reset the streak so
+                # a later genuine CI-less misread can't accumulate across this state.
+                NO_CI_STREAK=0
+                echo "[pr-ci-wait] empty status on PR head but repo runs CI — awaiting pipeline registration (webhook lag), not fast-greening."
+            else
+                # SECONDARY tier: genuinely CI-less repo (default branch has no CI
+                # history either). Empty polls => fast-exit green after NO_CI_MAX.
+                NO_CI_STREAK=$((NO_CI_STREAK + 1))
+                if (( NO_CI_STREAK >= NO_CI_MAX )); then
+                    echo "[INFO] no CI configured for this repo/commit (PR #$PR_NUMBER, ${NO_CI_STREAK} consecutive empty polls, default branch also CI-less); treating as green."
+                    exit 0
+                fi
+            fi
+            sleep "$INTERVAL_SEC"
+            ;;
         pending|unknown)
+            # A pipeline exists but hasn't reached a terminal state (or is
+            # transiently ambiguous) — keep waiting, and reset the no-CI streak
+            # since this commit is not in the "no CI at all" condition.
+            NO_CI_STREAK=0
             sleep "$INTERVAL_SEC"
             ;;
         *)
             echo "[pr-ci-wait] Unrecognized state '${STATE}', continuing to poll..."
+            NO_CI_STREAK=0
             sleep "$INTERVAL_SEC"
             ;;
     esac
diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/_lib.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/_lib.sh
index bb9c0e6..899fa1a 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/_lib.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/_lib.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ wp_resolve_repo_id() {
   local full_name="$1"
   local response http_code body repo_id
 
-  response=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" \
+  response=$(curl -sS -w "\n%{http_code}" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $WOODPECKER_TOKEN" \
     "${WOODPECKER_URL}/api/repos/lookup/${full_name}")
 
diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-list.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-list.sh
index d77ca37..60d9aa2 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-list.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-list.sh
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ fi
 # Resolve owner/repo to numeric ID (Woodpecker v3 API)
 REPO_ID=$(wp_resolve_repo_id "$REPO") || exit 1
 
-response=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" \
+response=$(curl -sS -w "\n%{http_code}" \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer $WOODPECKER_TOKEN" \
   "${WOODPECKER_URL}/api/repos/${REPO_ID}/pipelines?perPage=${LIMIT}")
 
diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-status.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-status.sh
index 6fbd186..0996eb8 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-status.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-status.sh
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ REPO_ID=$(wp_resolve_repo_id "$REPO") || exit 1
 _wp_fetch() {
   local ep="$1"
   local resp http_code body
-  resp=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" \
+  resp=$(curl -sS -w "\n%{http_code}" \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $WOODPECKER_TOKEN" \
     "$ep")
   http_code=$(echo "$resp" | tail -n1)
diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-trigger.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-trigger.sh
index d8e497a..5d31fd2 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-trigger.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/woodpecker/pipeline-trigger.sh
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ REPO_ID=$(wp_resolve_repo_id "$REPO") || exit 1
 
 echo "Triggering pipeline for $REPO on branch $BRANCH..."
 
-response=$(curl -sk -w "\n%{http_code}" -X POST \
+response=$(curl -sS -w "\n%{http_code}" -X POST \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer $WOODPECKER_TOKEN" \
   -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
   -d "$(jq -n --arg b "$BRANCH" '{branch: $b}')" \