diff --git a/.opencode/skills/cctest-recipe-upstream/SKILL.md b/.opencode/skills/cctest-recipe-upstream/SKILL.md
index 4e40a36..e087336 100644
--- a/.opencode/skills/cctest-recipe-upstream/SKILL.md
+++ b/.opencode/skills/cctest-recipe-upstream/SKILL.md
@@ -55,13 +55,20 @@ operator's machine must fetch it first. Always emit this **step 0** before the p
 (anonymous public fetch, no credentials needed):
 
 ```
-  # 0. On a machine WITHOUT the branch pre-fetched, get it from the autonomic mirror:
-  cd <local checkout of the recipe>          # or: git clone https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git
-  git remote add gitea https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git 2>/dev/null ||     git remote set-url gitea https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git
+  # 0. On a machine WITHOUT the branch pre-fetched, get it from the autonomic mirror
+  #    (assumes a local checkout of the recipe that already has the mirror remote;
+  #    its name here is `gitea`):
+  cd <local checkout of the recipe>
   git fetch gitea +refs/pull/<PR_NUM>/head:refs/heads/<HEAD_REF>
   git checkout <HEAD_REF>
 ```
 
+If the operator's checkout does NOT yet have the mirror remote, emit once before the fetch:
+
+```
+  git remote add gitea https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git
+```
+
 In both modes the final output is a set of commands for the operator to run on a machine **with
 push access to `git.coopcloud.tech`** — always print them, even when everything local is
 already prepared.
diff --git a/scripts/gen-cctest-skills.py b/scripts/gen-cctest-skills.py
index 69346d5..7ef3e6f 100644
--- a/scripts/gen-cctest-skills.py
+++ b/scripts/gen-cctest-skills.py
@@ -83,14 +83,20 @@ operator's machine must fetch it first. Always emit this **step 0** before the p
 (anonymous public fetch, no credentials needed):
 
 ```
-  # 0. On a machine WITHOUT the branch pre-fetched, get it from the autonomic mirror:
-  cd <local checkout of the recipe>          # or: git clone https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git
-  git remote add gitea https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git 2>/dev/null || \
-    git remote set-url gitea https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git
+  # 0. On a machine WITHOUT the branch pre-fetched, get it from the autonomic mirror
+  #    (assumes a local checkout of the recipe that already has the mirror remote;
+  #    its name here is `gitea`):
+  cd <local checkout of the recipe>
   git fetch gitea +refs/pull/<PR_NUM>/head:refs/heads/<HEAD_REF>
   git checkout <HEAD_REF>
 ```
 
+If the operator's checkout does NOT yet have the mirror remote, emit once before the fetch:
+
+```
+  git remote add gitea https://git.autonomic.zone/recipe-maintainers/<recipe>.git
+```
+
 In both modes the final output is a set of commands for the operator to run on a machine **with
 push access to `git.coopcloud.tech`** — always print them, even when everything local is
 already prepared.