diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
index 6ffc9c7..7b32a2d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
@@ -90,7 +90,14 @@ jobs:
           sed -i "s/^pkgver=.*/pkgver=${TAG#v}/" PKGBUILD
           grep -q "^pkgver=${TAG#v}$" PKGBUILD
           useradd -m build && chown -R build:build .
-          su build -c 'makepkg -f --nodeps --noconfirm'
+          # --nocheck, unlike the other repos' copies of this job: this
+          # PKGBUILD's check() runs bin/aikit-selftest, which needs tmux, sqlite,
+          # gh and a real session. In a build container 40 of its 61 checks fail
+          # for want of an environment, not for want of correctness. The selftest
+          # is not skipped -- it is a job of its own in ci.yml, and it has to be
+          # green before anything reaches main. Running it twice, the second time
+          # somewhere it cannot work, only ever produces a false red.
+          su build -c 'makepkg -f --nodeps --nocheck --noconfirm'
           ls -l ./*.pkg.tar.*
 
       - name: Attach it to the release
diff --git a/tests/test_pkgbuild.sh b/tests/test_pkgbuild.sh
index 1e47db1..b1e02df 100755
--- a/tests/test_pkgbuild.sh
+++ b/tests/test_pkgbuild.sh
@@ -35,6 +35,12 @@ check "and the rewrite is verified"       grep -q 'grep -q "\^pkgver=\${TAG#v}\$
 check "extra-files is not used"           bash -c '! grep -q "extra-files" release-please-config.json'
 check "the upload globs"                  grep -q '\*.pkg.tar.\*' "$WF"
 check "gh is installed in the container"  grep -q 'github-cli' "$WF"
+# check() runs the selftest, which needs tmux/sqlite/gh and a session; in a build
+# container it fails for want of an environment. ci.yml runs it properly and has
+# to be green before main -- running it twice, the second time somewhere it
+# cannot work, only ever produces a false red.
+check "the build skips check() in CI"     grep -q -- '--nocheck' "$WF"
+check "but the selftest is still a gate"  grep -q 'aikit-selftest' .github/workflows/ci.yml
 
 (( fails == 0 )) && echo "all ok" || echo "$fails failed"
 exit $(( fails > 0 ))