diff --git a/scripts/release_gitea.mjs b/scripts/release_gitea.mjs
index b2b99ac..be022bb 100644
--- a/scripts/release_gitea.mjs
+++ b/scripts/release_gitea.mjs
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ const tag = `v${version}`;
 function run(cmd, opts = {}) {
   console.log(`  $ ${cmd}`);
   if (dryRun && !opts.allowDry) { console.log('  [dry-run] skipped'); return ''; }
-  return execSync(cmd, { cwd: ROOT, encoding: 'utf-8', stdio: opts.stdio || 'pipe' }).trim();
+  const output = execSync(cmd, { cwd: ROOT, encoding: 'utf-8', stdio: opts.stdio || 'pipe' });
+  return typeof output === 'string' ? output.trim() : '';
 }
 
 function resolveGiteaRemote() {