diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
index 43e22d9..4290505 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/deploy.yml
@@ -18,5 +18,11 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p $DEPLOY_DIR
           rsync -a --delete --exclude 'data/' . $DEPLOY_DIR/
 
+      - name: Ensure data directory exists with correct ownership
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p $DEPLOY_DIR/data
+          # UID 5 / GID 60 = games:games in the container (debian:bookworm-slim)
+          sudo chown 5:60 $DEPLOY_DIR/data
+
       - name: Rebuild and restart
         run: cd $DEPLOY_DIR && docker compose up -d --build --remove-orphans