diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
index 904662e..46db216 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -24,22 +24,17 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Cache pip wheels
-        # continue-on-error: act_runner's cache backend has been broken on
-        # this homelab setup since 2026-05-15 — bolt.db + cache/ dir exist
-        # but the action's JS bundle now fails to load at all
-        # ("Cannot find module .../dist/restore/index.js"), hard-failing
-        # the whole job. The install step that follows handles cold caches
-        # natively (uv pip / pip install both work without it), so net
-        # cost of disabling the cache here is ~30s of wheel downloads per
-        # job. Re-enable once the runner-side cache backend is fixed.
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/cache@v4
-        with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
-          key: pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-${{ hashFiles('requirements.txt') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-
+      # Cache step removed 2026-05-26: act_runner's cache backend has been
+      # broken on this homelab runner since 2026-05-15 (first as request-
+      # timeout warnings, then as hard "Cannot find module .../dist/restore/
+      # index.js" failures that tank the whole job). The cache step targeted
+      # ~/.cache/pip but the install below uses `uv pip install` primarily,
+      # whose own cache lives at ~/.cache/uv — so the cache step's real
+      # benefit was marginal even when working. Cost of removal: ~30s of
+      # wheel downloads per job. Future re-enable: mount ~/.cache/uv as a
+      # docker volume at the runner level (skips actions/cache entirely),
+      # or fix the runner-side cache backend (clear /var/run/act/actions/*,
+      # pin act_runner version, etc.).
 
       - name: Install Python deps
         # ruff is pre-installed in the ci-python image (see CI-Runner/CI-python/
@@ -133,22 +128,6 @@ jobs:
           --health-retries 10
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Cache pip wheels
-        # continue-on-error: act_runner's cache backend has been broken on
-        # this homelab setup since 2026-05-15 — bolt.db + cache/ dir exist
-        # but the action's JS bundle now fails to load at all
-        # ("Cannot find module .../dist/restore/index.js"), hard-failing
-        # the whole job. The install step that follows handles cold caches
-        # natively (uv pip / pip install both work without it), so net
-        # cost of disabling the cache here is ~30s of wheel downloads per
-        # job. Re-enable once the runner-side cache backend is fixed.
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/cache@v4
-        with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
-          key: pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-${{ hashFiles('requirements.txt') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-
       - name: API integration shard (resolve service IPs, migrate, test)
         run: |
           set -eux
@@ -207,22 +186,6 @@ jobs:
           --health-retries 10
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Cache pip wheels
-        # continue-on-error: act_runner's cache backend has been broken on
-        # this homelab setup since 2026-05-15 — bolt.db + cache/ dir exist
-        # but the action's JS bundle now fails to load at all
-        # ("Cannot find module .../dist/restore/index.js"), hard-failing
-        # the whole job. The install step that follows handles cold caches
-        # natively (uv pip / pip install both work without it), so net
-        # cost of disabling the cache here is ~30s of wheel downloads per
-        # job. Re-enable once the runner-side cache backend is fixed.
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/cache@v4
-        with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
-          key: pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-${{ hashFiles('requirements.txt') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-
       - name: Importer integration shard (resolve service IPs, migrate, test)
         run: |
           set -eux
@@ -281,22 +244,6 @@ jobs:
           --health-retries 10
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Cache pip wheels
-        # continue-on-error: act_runner's cache backend has been broken on
-        # this homelab setup since 2026-05-15 — bolt.db + cache/ dir exist
-        # but the action's JS bundle now fails to load at all
-        # ("Cannot find module .../dist/restore/index.js"), hard-failing
-        # the whole job. The install step that follows handles cold caches
-        # natively (uv pip / pip install both work without it), so net
-        # cost of disabling the cache here is ~30s of wheel downloads per
-        # job. Re-enable once the runner-side cache backend is fixed.
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/cache@v4
-        with:
-          path: ~/.cache/pip
-          key: pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-${{ hashFiles('requirements.txt') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            pip-${{ runner.os }}-py314-
       - name: Core integration shard (everything not api / importer / migration / phash / sidecar / scan / archive / backfill)
         run: |
           set -eux