diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/nix-update.yml b/.gitea/workflows/nix-update.yml
index c012532..213def9 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/nix-update.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/nix-update.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,12 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         run: |
+          # Clean up any previous runs to avoid "destination path already exists" errors
+          if [ -d "/tmp/nixpkgs" ]; then
+            echo "Cleaning up existing /tmp/nixpkgs directory..."
+            rm -rf /tmp/nixpkgs
+          fi
+
           # Disable terminal prompts for all git operations
           export GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT=0
           export GIT_ASKPASS="/bin/echo"
@@ -33,10 +39,11 @@ jobs:
 
           cd /tmp/nixpkgs
 
-          # Configure git author/committer
-          git config --global user.name "${{ env.GIT_AUTHOR_NAME }}"
-          git config --global user.email "${{ env.GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL }}"
-          git config --global init.defaultBranch master
+          # Configure git author/committer (local to this repo)
+          # Removing --global to avoid polluting the runner's user config
+          git config user.name "${{ env.GIT_AUTHOR_NAME }}"
+          git config user.email "${{ env.GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL }}"
+          git config init.defaultBranch master
 
           # Verify checkout
           git status
@@ -45,8 +52,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check for available packages to update
         id: check-packages
         run: |
+          cd /tmp/nixpkgs
           echo "Found packages in pkgs/ directory:"
-          ls -1 pkgs/ | grep -v default.nix | grep -v AGENTS.md || echo "No package directories found"
+          if [ -d "pkgs" ]; then
+             find pkgs -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d -not -name default.nix | grep -v AGENTS.md || echo "No packages found"
+          else
+             echo "pkgs directory not found"
+          fi
 
           # Check if flake.nix exists
           if [ -f "flake.nix" ]; then
@@ -60,6 +72,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Update packages
         id: update
         run: |
+          cd /tmp/nixpkgs
           set -e
 
           # Create timestamp for branch naming
@@ -92,7 +105,11 @@ jobs:
             echo "Checking all packages for updates..."
 
             # Get list of package directories (exclude default.nix and AGENTS.md)
-            PACKAGES=$(find pkgs -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d -not -name default.nix -not -name AGENTS.md -exec basename {} \; 2>/dev/null | sort)
+            if [ -d "pkgs" ]; then
+              PACKAGES=$(find pkgs -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d -not -name default.nix -not -name AGENTS.md -exec basename {} \; 2>/dev/null | sort)
+            else
+              PACKAGES=""
+            fi
 
             if [ -z "$PACKAGES" ]; then
               echo "No packages found to update"
@@ -153,6 +170,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Verify packages build
         if: steps.update.outputs.has_updates == 'true'
         run: |
+          cd /tmp/nixpkgs
           PACKAGES="${{ steps.update.outputs.updated_packages }}"
           echo "Verifying builds for: $PACKAGES"
 
@@ -171,6 +189,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Push branch and create pull request
         if: steps.update.outputs.has_updates == 'true'
         run: |
+          cd /tmp/nixpkgs
           BRANCH="${{ steps.update.outputs.branch_name }}"
           PACKAGES="${{ steps.update.outputs.updated_packages }}"
 
@@ -181,19 +200,27 @@ jobs:
 
           echo "Creating pull request..."
 
-          # Create pull request using tea CLI
-          wget -q https://dl.gitea.com/tea/latest/tea-linux-amd64 -O /tmp/tea
-          chmod +x /tmp/tea
+          # Ensure tea is available (using host package)
+          if ! command -v tea &> /dev/null; then
+             echo "Error: tea not found in PATH"
+             exit 1
+          fi
+
+          # Authenticate tea if needed
+          if ! tea login list | grep -q "code.m3ta.dev"; then
+             echo "Adding tea login..."
+             tea login add --name m3ta --url https://code.m3ta.dev --token "${{ secrets.NIX_UPDATE_TOKEN }}"
+          fi
 
           # Get commit messages for PR description
           COMMITS=$(git log origin/master..origin/"${BRANCH}" --pretty=format:"%h %s" | sed 's/^/- /')
 
           # Create PR
-          /tmp/tea pr create \
+          tea pr create \
             --head "${BRANCH}" \
             --base master \
             --title "chore: update packages with nix-update" \
-            --body "Automated package updates using nix-update.\n\nUpdated packages:\n${PACKAGES}\n\nCommits:\n${COMMITS}" \
+            --body "$(printf "Automated package updates using nix-update.\n\nUpdated packages:\n%s\n\nCommits:\n%s" "$PACKAGES" "$COMMITS")" \
             --assignees m3tam3re \
             --labels automated-update || echo "Failed to create PR. Please create manually."