diff --git a/.github/workflows/cut-prerelease.yaml b/.github/workflows/cut-prerelease.yaml
index c3c31450f..e740c2978 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cut-prerelease.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cut-prerelease.yaml
@@ -48,8 +48,7 @@ concurrency:
   group: cut-prerelease
   cancel-in-progress: false
 
-# The tag write happens via the app token, not GITHUB_TOKEN, so the job needs
-# only read scope on the default token.
+# Tag and branch writes use the app token so their push events trigger CI.
 permissions:
   contents: read
 
@@ -58,6 +57,9 @@ jobs:
     name: Cut ${{ inputs.tag }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 10
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      actions: write
 
     steps:
       # Pure-input validation first — no token minted, no checkout, so a bad tag
@@ -345,13 +347,14 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build the frozen line's packages artifact
         if: steps.freeze.outputs.created == 'true'
         env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
+          # workflow_dispatch can trigger a run with GITHUB_TOKEN.
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
           BRANCH: release-${{ steps.parse.outputs.line }}
         run: |
           if gh workflow run build-release.yaml --ref "$BRANCH"; then
             echo "Dispatched build-release.yaml for $BRANCH; it publishes cozystack-packages:$BRANCH."
           else
-            echo "::warning::Could not dispatch build-release.yaml for $BRANCH (the CI app may lack 'actions: write')."
+            echo "::warning::Could not dispatch build-release.yaml for $BRANCH."
             echo "::warning::Until it runs, cozystack-packages:$BRANCH does not exist, and PRs onto $BRANCH test the image refs committed in the tree rather than the line's own build."
             echo "::warning::Start it by hand: gh workflow run build-release.yaml --ref $BRANCH"
           fi
diff --git a/hack/release-freeze-contract.bats b/hack/release-freeze-contract.bats
index 30a6e20bb..197734a2f 100644
--- a/hack/release-freeze-contract.bats
+++ b/hack/release-freeze-contract.bats
@@ -204,6 +204,39 @@ step_line() {
   [ "${count:-0}" -eq 1 ]
 }
 
+@test "initial line build dispatch has Actions access and preserves failure recovery" {
+  step="$(STEP_NAME="Build the frozen line's packages artifact" yq -o=json '.jobs.cut.steps[] | select(.name == strenv(STEP_NAME))' "$CUT")"
+  script="$(printf '%s\n' "$step" | yq -r '.run')"
+  token="$(printf '%s\n' "$step" | yq -r '.env.GH_TOKEN')"
+  [ -n "$script" ] && [ "$script" != null ]
+  case "$token" in
+    '${{ github.token }}'|'${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}') token=workflow-token ;;
+    '${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}') token=app-token ;;
+    *) echo "Unknown dispatch credential: $token"; return 1 ;;
+  esac
+  actions="$(yq -r '(.jobs.cut.permissions // .permissions).actions // "none"' "$CUT")"
+
+  # The installed CI app has no Actions permission; the workflow token only
+  # gets it when the effective job permissions request it.
+  gh() {
+    [ "$*" = 'workflow run build-release.yaml --ref release-1.7' ] || return 2
+    [ "$GH_TOKEN" = workflow-token ] && [ "$ACTIONS_PERMISSION" = write ] || return 1
+    return "$DISPATCH_STATUS"
+  }
+  export -f gh
+
+  run env GH_TOKEN="$token" ACTIONS_PERMISSION="$actions" BRANCH=release-1.7 \
+    DISPATCH_STATUS=0 bash -e -c "$script"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *'Dispatched build-release.yaml for release-1.7;'* ]]
+
+  run env GH_TOKEN="$token" ACTIONS_PERMISSION="$actions" BRANCH=release-1.7 \
+    DISPATCH_STATUS=1 bash -e -c "$script"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *'::warning::Could not dispatch build-release.yaml for release-1.7'* ]]
+  [[ "$output" == *'Start it by hand: gh workflow run build-release.yaml --ref release-1.7'* ]]
+}
+
 @test "build-release refuses a dispatch from anything but a line branch" {
   BUILD_RELEASE="$REPO_ROOT/.github/workflows/build-release.yaml"
   [ -f "$BUILD_RELEASE" ]