diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-helm-chart.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-helm-chart.yml
index db80166..218fa9c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-helm-chart.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-helm-chart.yml
@@ -62,10 +62,43 @@ jobs:
           JK_CR_USERNAME: op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/username
           JK_CR_CHARTS_LOCATION: op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/charts-location
           JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY: op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/helm-registry
+      # The values are mapped into each step's own env block and read as quoted
+      # shell variables - never interpolated into the command line.
+      #
+      # Two separate failures made this necessary. First, load-secrets-action v5
+      # (bumped in #140) no longer exports the loaded values as environment
+      # variables for later steps the way v4 did; only the step outputs carry
+      # them. Every "${{ env.JK_CR_* }}" reference therefore resolved to an empty
+      # string from that bump on, with nothing reporting an error - the loading
+      # step logs "Populating variable" and stays green either way.
+      #
+      # Second, an empty value collapsed into a missing argument instead of an
+      # error: with an empty username, "-u" swallowed the following
+      # "--password-stdin", helm stopped reading the password from stdin,
+      # prompted interactively and died on the runner with "inappropriate ioctl
+      # for device" - a terminal error for what was really an unset variable.
+      #
+      # The ":?" guards fail loudly and name the value that is missing, quoting
+      # keeps an empty one from shifting arguments, and the token no longer
+      # appears in the process list.
       - name: "Login to JK-Registry"
-        run: echo ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_USERNAME }} | helm registry login ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY }} -u ${{ env.JK_CR_USERNAME }} --password-stdin
+        env:
+          JK_CR_TOKEN: ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_TOKEN }}
+          JK_CR_USERNAME: ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_USERNAME }}
+          JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY: ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY }}
+        run: |-
+          : "${JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY:?empty - check op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/helm-registry}"
+          : "${JK_CR_USERNAME:?empty - check op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/username}"
+          : "${JK_CR_TOKEN:?empty - check op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/password}"
+          printf '%s' "$JK_CR_TOKEN" | helm registry login "$JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY" -u "$JK_CR_USERNAME" --password-stdin
       - name: "Push Helm Chart to JK-Container Registry"
-        run: helm push ${{ inputs.chart-name }}-*.tgz ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_CHARTS_LOCATION }}
+        env:
+          JK_CR_CHARTS_LOCATION: ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_CHARTS_LOCATION }}
+        run: |-
+          : "${JK_CR_CHARTS_LOCATION:?empty - check op://GitHub-Actions/jk-registry-access/charts-location}"
+          helm push "${{ inputs.chart-name }}"-*.tgz "$JK_CR_CHARTS_LOCATION"
         working-directory: ${{ inputs.chart-location }}
       - name: "Logout from JK-Registry"
-        run: helm registry logout ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY }}
+        env:
+          JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY: ${{ steps.load-jk-cr-creds.outputs.JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY }}
+        run: helm registry logout "$JK_CR_HELM_REGISTRY"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7dfd11c..1a41622 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Collection of some self-made helm-charts. Each top-level directory is a standalo
 ## CI/CD (GitHub Actions)
 
 - `publish-<chart>.yml` — one thin workflow per chart; triggers on pushes to `main` touching `<chart>/**` (or manually) and calls the reusable workflow below. **A push to a chart directory on `main` publishes that chart**, so the chart version must be bumped in the same change.
-- `publish-helm-chart.yml` — reusable workflow: `helm package`, then `helm push` to the private JK-Registry. Registry credentials come from 1Password Connect (`OP_CONNECT_TOKEN` secret, items under `op://GitHub-Actions/`).
+- `publish-helm-chart.yml` — reusable workflow: `helm package`, then `helm push` to the private JK-Registry. Registry credentials come from 1Password Connect (`OP_CONNECT_TOKEN` secret, items under `op://GitHub-Actions/`). The loaded values are read via **`steps.<id>.outputs.*`**, mapped into each step's own `env:` block and used as quoted shell variables — never interpolated into the command line. `load-secrets-action` **v5 no longer exports them as environment variables** for later steps the way v4 did, so after the v5 bump every `${{ env.JK_CR_* }}` reference resolved to an empty string while the loading step still logged `Populating variable` and stayed green. Each value is additionally guarded with `:?`, because an empty one used to collapse into a missing argument rather than an error: `-u` consumed the following `--password-stdin`, helm fell back to an interactive prompt and the job died with `inappropriate ioctl for device` — a terminal error for what was really an unset variable.
 - `change-app-version.yml` — manually dispatched app-version bump; the chart must be listed in its `chart-name` choice list.
 - `validate-charts.yml` — PR pipeline: detects which charts a PR touches and, for exactly those, runs `helm lint --strict`, `helm package`, and a chart-version bump check (`template-chart` is exempt from the version check). PRs without chart changes skip the build matrix. After the build stage, an **install-test** job (same changed-charts matrix) installs each changed chart into an ephemeral [k3d](https://k3d.io) cluster on the runner and requires every workload to become Ready — see below.