diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 31eceb0..fb55182 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 .env
-gitea-dump
\ No newline at end of file
+gitea-dump
+.DS_Store
+runner_data/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 421dec7..36a8621 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -111,4 +111,71 @@ restore the DB backup that matches the version you’re rolling back to.
 - The Mermaid size cap (`GITEA__markup__MERMAID_MAX_SOURCE_CHARACTERS=50000`) and the
   Jupyter renderer env vars carry forward unchanged across versions.
 - Major Gitea versions occasionally change bundled git requirements; the official
-  image ships its own git, so host git version is irrelevant here.
\ No newline at end of file
+  image ships its own git, so host git version is irrelevant here.
+
+### Actions runner, CORS & OAuth (for the ever-near site)
+
+The `ever-near` site uses Sveltia CMS backed by this Gitea instance. That needs three
+things Gitea didn't have before: **Actions** (to build + deploy on push), **CORS**
+(so the CMS in the browser can call the Gitea API), and an **OAuth2 app** (so editors
+sign in with PKCE instead of a personal token). `docker-compose.yml` now enables the
+first two via env vars and adds a `runner` service behind a `runner` profile.
+
+**1. Ship the updated compose file and runner config to the VPS:**
+```bash
+scp docker-compose.yml runner_config.yaml ubuntu@vps-123c23bd.vps.ovh.net:~/gitea/
+```
+
+**2. Rebuild the server.** The compose network is now pinned to the literal name `gitea`
+(so job containers can join it — see `runner_config.yaml`), which is a one-time network
+change, so do a clean `down`/`up` (~10s downtime; Caddy restarts too):
+```bash
+cd ~/gitea
+sudo docker compose down
+sudo docker compose up -d --build
+sudo docker compose logs -f server   # watch for actions/cors config lines on boot
+```
+
+**3. Enable Actions on the repo** (one-off, in the web UI):
+`gitea.jms.rocks/jameshtwose/ever-near` → Settings → Actions → Enable Actions.
+
+**4. Get a runner registration token** (pick one):
+- Web UI: Site Administration → Actions → Runners → copy the **Registration token**.
+- Or CLI: `sudo docker exec gitea_server gitea --config /data/gitea/conf/app.ini actions generate-runner-token`
+
+**5. Put the token in `~/gitea/.env`** (gitignored, never committed):
+```bash
+printf 'GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN=%s\n' '<TOKEN>' >> ~/gitea/.env
+```
+
+**6. Start the runner** (separate profile so it only runs once the token is set):
+```bash
+sudo docker compose --profile runner up -d runner
+sudo docker compose logs -f runner   # should log "Runner registered successfully"
+```
+The first workflow run pulls the job image `docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest`
+(Node, git, Docker CLI) — give it a minute. `runner_config.yaml` attaches each job
+container to the `gitea` network so `actions/checkout` can resolve `server:3000`.
+
+**7. Register the OAuth2 app for Sveltia CMS** (web UI, no server restart):
+- Site Administration → OAuth2 Applications → **Add a new OAuth2 application**.
+- Application name: `ever-near CMS`
+- Redirect URI: `https://ever-near.web.app/admin/index.html`
+- **Uncheck "Confidential client"** (PKCE needs a public client).
+- Copy the **Client ID** into `ever-near/public/admin/config.yml` as `app_id`, commit,
+  and push — the Gitea Action rebuilds + redeploys the site with it.
+
+**Gotchas**
+- **Job containers must join the `gitea` network** or `actions/checkout` fails with
+  `Could not resolve host: server`. That's what `runner_config.yaml`
+  (`container.network: gitea`) does — don't remove it. The compose network is pinned to
+  the literal name `gitea` via `networks.gitea.name` so the config matches regardless of
+  the compose project name.
+- `uses: actions/checkout@v4` / `actions/setup-node@v4` resolve through Gitea's default
+  actions mirror (`gitea.com/actions/*`). If a job can't find an action, set
+  `GITEA__actions__DEFAULT_ACTIONS_URL=https://gitea.com` (already the default) or
+  reference the action fully: `uses: https://gitea.com/actions/checkout@v4`.
+- CORS is scoped to `ever-near.web.app` only. Add more origins to
+  `GITEA__cors__ALLOW_DOMAINS` (comma-separated) if you connect a custom domain later.
+- The runner is behind the `runner` profile; a plain `docker compose up -d` won't start
+  it. Use `docker compose --profile runner up -d runner`.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 3257454..d02f95c 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 networks:
   gitea:
     external: false
+    name: gitea
 
 services:
   # 1. Gitea Core Engine (SQLite Variant)
@@ -36,6 +37,14 @@ services:
       - GITEA__markup.jupyter__RENDER_COMMAND=jupyter-nbconvert --stdin --stdout --to html --template basic
       - GITEA__markup.jupyter__IS_INPUT_FILE=false
       - GITEA__markup.sanitizer.jupyter.img__ALLOW_DATA_URI_IMAGES=true
+      # Gitea Actions — lets .gitea/workflows/*.yml run on push
+      - GITEA__actions__ENABLED=true
+      # No self-signup — only an admin creates accounts, so only invited users exist
+      - GITEA__service__DISABLE_REGISTRATION=true
+      # CORS — lets the Sveltia CMS on Firebase call the Gitea API from the browser
+      - GITEA__cors__ENABLED=true
+      - GITEA__cors__SCHEME=https
+      - GITEA__cors__ALLOW_DOMAINS=ever-near.web.app,ever-near.me
     ports:
       - "127.0.0.1:3000:3000"
       - "2222:22"
@@ -53,4 +62,28 @@ services:
       - ./caddy_data:/data
       - ./caddy_config:/config
     networks:
-      - gitea
\ No newline at end of file
+      - gitea
+
+  # 3. Gitea Actions runner — executes workflow jobs in Docker containers.
+  #    Behind a profile so it only starts once you've set the registration token
+  #    in .env (GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN) — see README §Actions runner.
+  runner:
+    image: gitea/runner:latest
+    container_name: gitea_runner
+    restart: always
+    profiles: [runner]
+    depends_on:
+      - server
+    networks:
+      - gitea
+    volumes:
+      - ./runner_data:/data
+      - ./runner_config.yaml:/config.yaml:ro
+      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
+    environment:
+      - CONFIG_FILE=/config.yaml
+      - GITEA_INSTANCE_URL=http://server:3000
+      - GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN=${GITEA_RUNNER_REGISTRATION_TOKEN:-}
+      - GITEA_RUNNER_NAME=ever-near-runner
+      # Map the workflow's `runs-on: ubuntu-latest` to this job image
+      - GITEA_RUNNER_LABELS=ubuntu-latest:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-latest
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/runner_config.yaml b/runner_config.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d29dc81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runner_config.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# act_runner config. Only the job-container network is overridden so workflow jobs
+# (actions/checkout, etc.) can resolve `server` on this compose network — everything
+# else uses act_runner's built-in defaults. See README §Actions runner.
+container:
+  network: gitea
\ No newline at end of file