diff --git a/publishing/README.md b/publishing/README.md
index 131f5df..ac2b2bd 100644
--- a/publishing/README.md
+++ b/publishing/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ repository root.
 | `logo.svg` | Co-op logo (shared with the website repo) |
 | `build.sh` | Stage the Markdown into `.site-src/`, render to `.site-build/` |
 | `deploy.sh` | Push the build into the Surfer app container |
+| `poll-watcher.sh` | Polls Gitea main every 60s; deploys on change (agent host) |
+| `docs-deploy-poll.service` | systemd unit for the poller |
 | `webhook-receiver.py` | Gitea webhook → pull → build → deploy (agent host) |
 | `webhook-receiver.service` | systemd unit for the receiver |
 | `requirements.txt` | Pinned Python build toolchain |
@@ -48,21 +50,31 @@ canonical one.
 
 ## Automatic rebuilds (push to main)
 
-A push to `main` on `co-op/docs` fires a Gitea webhook (repo settings →
-webhooks) to the receiver on the agent host, which pulls, rebuilds and
-redeploys. On the agent host:
+Two mechanisms keep the site in step with `main`; both run on the agent host
+and neither adds a Cloudron app.
+
+**Polling (running now).** `docs-deploy-poll.service` polls Gitea every 60
+seconds and deploys whenever `main` moves. A push appears on the site within
+about a minute, with no human action. The Gitea webhook alone was not enough
+because the agent host's cloud firewall only admits inbound SSH — a webhook
+POST is silently dropped — while outbound access to Gitea works.
+
+**Webhook (wired, waiting on one port).** A Gitea webhook is registered on
+`co-op/docs` (push events, branch `main`) pointing at the receiver below. The
+moment the Infomaniak panel allows inbound TCP to the agent host — port 8787
+from the Cloudron box 179.237.86.116 is enough — start the receiver and pushes
+deploy instantly instead of within a minute:
 
 ```sh
-sudo cp publishing/webhook-receiver.service /etc/systemd/system/docs-deploy-webhook.service
-sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl enable --now docs-deploy-webhook
-tail -f /home/ubuntu/docs-deploy.log        # what the receiver is doing
+sudo systemctl enable --now docs-deploy-webhook
+tail -f /home/ubuntu/docs-deploy.log        # what both mechanisms are doing
 ```
 
 The receiver authenticates webhooks with an HMAC-SHA256 shared secret
 (`DEPLOY_WEBHOOK_SECRET` in the agent host's env file) and only accepts pushes
 to `main` of `co-op/docs` from the Cloudron box. Woodpecker CI (Cloudron
 catalog) could do the same job inside Cloudron, at the cost of running another
-app; the receiver was chosen because it adds no new Cloudron app.
+app; the agent-host mechanisms were chosen because they add no new Cloudron app.
 
 Each deploy writes `meta.json` into the site with the commit it was built
 from, so a deploy can be verified from the served site itself:
diff --git a/publishing/docs-deploy-poll.service b/publishing/docs-deploy-poll.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8740b4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/publishing/docs-deploy-poll.service
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# systemd units for the docs deploy automation (agent host).
+#
+# Two mechanisms, one job — keep https://docs.inference.coop/ in step with
+# co-op/docs main:
+#
+#   docs-deploy-poll.service      ALWAYS ON. Polls Gitea every 60s; deploys on
+#                                 any change to main. Works with the agent
+#                                 host's current firewall (outbound only).
+#
+#   docs-deploy-webhook.service   INSTALLED, INACTIVE UNTIL THE PORT IS OPEN.
+#                                 Instant push -> deploy once the Infomaniak
+#                                 panel allows inbound TCP to the agent host
+#                                 (the Gitea webhook is already registered).
+#
+# Install both:
+#   sudo cp publishing/poll-watcher.sh publishing/webhook-receiver.py /home/ubuntu/repos/docs/publishing/
+#   sudo cp publishing/docs-deploy-poll.service publishing/webhook-receiver.service /etc/systemd/system/
+#   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
+#   sudo systemctl enable --now docs-deploy-poll
+#   sudo systemctl enable --now docs-deploy-webhook   # when the port is open
+
+[Unit]
+Description=Inference docs: poll Gitea main and deploy to Surfer
+After=network-online.target
+Wants=network-online.target
+
+[Service]
+User=ubuntu
+WorkingDirectory=/home/ubuntu/repos/docs
+ExecStart=/bin/bash /home/ubuntu/repos/docs/publishing/poll-watcher.sh
+Restart=on-failure
+RestartSec=10
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
diff --git a/publishing/poll-watcher.sh b/publishing/poll-watcher.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..81b2efc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/publishing/poll-watcher.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Poll Gitea for new commits on main and deploy the docs site when it moves.
+#
+# Why polling: the agent host's cloud firewall only admits inbound SSH, so a
+# Gitea webhook cannot reach the receiver (publishing/webhook-receiver.py) —
+# every port is silently dropped. Outbound to git.inference.coop works, so the
+# agent host polls instead: a push to main is picked up within ~a minute and
+# deployed with no human action. When the operator opens a TCP port to the
+# agent host in the Infomaniak panel, the webhook takes over (its unit is
+# already installed); until then this watcher is the automation.
+#
+# Runs on the agent host as a systemd service (docs-deploy-poll.service).
+# Deploy steps are serialised with the same lock the webhook receiver uses, so
+# the two mechanisms can never deploy concurrently.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+REPO_DIR="${DOCS_REPO_DIR:-/home/ubuntu/repos/docs}"
+ENV_FILE="${DOCS_ENV_FILE:-/home/ubuntu/.hermes/.env}"
+LOG_FILE="${DOCS_DEPLOY_LOG:-/home/ubuntu/docs-deploy.log}"
+LOCK_FILE="${DOCS_DEPLOY_LOCK:-/home/ubuntu/.docs-deploy.lock}"
+INTERVAL="${DOCS_POLL_INTERVAL:-60}"
+
+cd "$REPO_DIR"
+
+log() { echo "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ) [poll] $*" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE" >&2; }
+
+# The Cloudron token travels by environment only; it is read from the env file
+# and never echoed.
+CLOUDRON_TOKEN="$(sed -n 's/^CLOUDRON_TOKEN=//p' "$ENV_FILE" | head -1 | tr -d '"' | tr -d "'")"
+export CLOUDRON_TOKEN
+if [ -z "$CLOUDRON_TOKEN" ]; then
+  log "FATAL: CLOUDRON_TOKEN not found in $ENV_FILE"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+log "watcher started: polling $REPO_DIR every ${INTERVAL}s"
+
+while true; do
+  if ! git fetch --quiet origin main 2>>"$LOG_FILE"; then
+    log "git fetch failed; will retry"
+    sleep "$INTERVAL"
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  LOCAL="$(git rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo none)"
+  REMOTE="$(git rev-parse origin/main 2>/dev/null || echo none)"
+
+  if [ "$LOCAL" != "$REMOTE" ]; then
+    log "main moved: $LOCAL -> $REMOTE; deploying"
+    # flock -n shares the receiver's lock: one deploy at a time, ever.
+    if flock -n "$LOCK_FILE" bash -c '
+      set -e
+      cd "$1"
+      git pull --ff-only origin main
+      bash publishing/build.sh
+      bash publishing/deploy.sh
+    ' _ "$REPO_DIR" >>"$LOG_FILE" 2>&1; then
+      log "deploy finished for $REMOTE"
+    else
+      log "deploy FAILED for $REMOTE (see log above)"
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  sleep "$INTERVAL"
+done