@@ -433,7 +433,12 @@ export const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
     const now = yield* Clock.currentTimeMillis;
     const cached = authenticated.get(login.url);
     if (token && cached?.token === token && now - cached.time < 30_000) return token;
-    yield* execute({ command: "fj", cwd, args: ["--host", login.url, "whoami"] });
+    // fj reads the cwd repository even with --host and fails on an unborn branch.
+    yield* execute({
+      command: "fj",
+      cwd: yield* HostProcess.HomeDirectory,
+      args: ["--host", login.url, "whoami"],
+    });
     // fj owns OAuth renewal. Re-read the file after it has refreshed an expired token.
     const refreshed = (yield* readKeys(cwd)).hosts[login.name]?.token;
     if (!refreshed)
 
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import * as HttpClientRequest from "effect/http/HttpClientRequest";
 import * as HttpClientResponse from "effect/http/HttpClientResponse";
 import { VcsProcessSpawnError } from "@t3tools/contracts";
 import { firstNonEmptyLine } from "@t3tools/source-control-core/server/discovery";
+import * as HostProcess from "@t3tools/shared/HostProcess";
 import * as TestSourceControlHost from "@t3tools/source-control-testing/TestSourceControlHost";
 
 import * as ForgejoCli from "./ForgejoCli.ts";
@@ -1295,6 +1296,7 @@ it.effect("routes mounted Forgejo repositories without repeating the mount in AP
 it.effect("prefers fj for HTTP and ported SSH aliases on root servers", () => {
   const commands: string[] = [];
   const requests: string[] = [];
+  let repositoryCwd = "";
   return Effect.gen(function* () {
     const cli = yield* ForgejoCli.make;
     for (const remoteUrl of [
@@ -1392,7 +1394,8 @@ it.effect("prefers fj for HTTP and ported SSH aliases on root servers", () => {
         process: {
           run: (input) => {
             commands.push(input.command);
-            if (input.command === "git")
+            if (input.command === "git") {
+              repositoryCwd = input.cwd;
               return Effect.succeed(
                 input.cwd === "/no-remotes"
                   ? processOutput("", { exitCode: ChildProcessSpawner.ExitCode(2) })
@@ -1402,10 +1405,11 @@ it.effect("prefers fj for HTTP and ported SSH aliases on root servers", () => {
                         : "origin\thttp://forgejo.local:3000/maria/project.git (fetch)\nother\thttp://forgejo.local:3000/maria/other.git (fetch)\nunrelated\thttp://other.local:3000/maria/project.git (fetch)",
                     ),
               );
+            }
             assert.strictEqual(input.command, "fj");
             assert.deepStrictEqual(input.args, [
               "--host",
-              input.cwd === "/no-remotes"
+              repositoryCwd === "/no-remotes"
                 ? "https://forgejo.local:3000"
                 : "http://forgejo.local:3000",
               "whoami",
@@ -1519,11 +1523,13 @@ it.effect("loads later fj review pages when the server caps pages below the requ
             }
             assert.strictEqual(input.command, "fj");
             assert.deepStrictEqual(input.args, ["--host", "https://forgejo.test", "whoami"]);
+            assert.strictEqual(input.cwd, "/home/maria");
             return Effect.succeed(processOutput(""));
           },
         },
       }),
     ),
+    Effect.provideService(HostProcess.HomeDirectory, "/home/maria"),
   );
 });
 
@@ -1680,6 +1686,7 @@ it.effect(
                         processOutput("http://forgejo.local:3000/maria/project.git\n"),
                       );
                     if (input.command === "fj") {
+                      assert.strictEqual(input.cwd, "/home/maria");
                       if (scenario === "missing")
                         return Effect.fail(
                           new VcsProcessSpawnError({
@@ -1727,6 +1734,7 @@ it.effect(
               }),
             ),
           ),
+          Effect.provideService(HostProcess.HomeDirectory, "/home/maria"),
         );
       }
     }),
 
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import * as FileSystem from "effect/FileSystem";
 import * as Schema from "effect/Schema";
 import * as Result from "effect/Result";
 import { SourceControlProviderError } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import * as HostProcess from "@t3tools/shared/HostProcess";
 import * as SourceControlHost from "@t3tools/source-control-core/server/SourceControlHost";
 import * as ForgejoCli from "./ForgejoCli.ts";
 import * as SourceControlProvider from "@t3tools/source-control-core/server/SourceControlProvider";
@@ -94,7 +95,8 @@ export const makeDiscovery = Effect.gen(function* () {
         logins.find((entry) => entry.default === "true") ||
         logins[0];
       const fj = yield* probeSourceControlProvider({
-        cwd,
+        // fj reads the cwd repository even with --host and fails on an unborn branch.
+        cwd: yield* HostProcess.HomeDirectory,
         process,
         spec: {
           ...discovery,