diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yaml
index bd92854..7d52729 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yaml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yaml
@@ -22,6 +22,13 @@ jobs:
             echo "Missing HETZNER_TOKEN secret"
             exit 1
           fi
+          python - <<'PY'
+          import os
+          token = os.environ.get("HETZNER_TOKEN", "")
+          print(f"HETZNER_TOKEN length: {len(token)}")
+          if len(token) != 64:
+              raise SystemExit("HETZNER_TOKEN must be exactly 64 characters")
+          PY
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - name: Setup Terraform