diff --git a/src/check.rs b/src/check.rs
index f7d09c4..62aca47 100644
--- a/src/check.rs
+++ b/src/check.rs
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ pub async fn run(argv: Vec<String>) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         // load_site_from_gitea already validates; a missing file is
         // the default config, same as at portal boot.
         let site = content::load_site_from_gitea(&repo_url, &branch).await?;
-        let needs_raw = content::load_needs_from_gitea(&repo_url, &branch).await?;
+        // Optional: a fetch failure means the repo declares no needs.
+        let needs_raw = portal::http::get_text(&format!("{}/needs.yaml?ref={branch}", content::gitea_raw_base(&repo_url)?), portal::http::GITEA_CAP).await.ok();
         (questions, aggregates_map, site, needs_raw)
     } else {
         eprintln!(
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ pub async fn run(argv: Vec<String>) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     }
 }
 
-/// The business-needs pass (see `portal::needs`): structure always,
+/// The business-needs pass (see `crate::needs`): structure always,
 /// then the wording tasks written out and/or an engine's answers
 /// scored, when asked. A repo without `needs.yaml` skips all of it.
 fn check_needs(
diff --git a/src/local.rs b/src/local.rs
index f1aab38..7519c1d 100644
--- a/src/local.rs
+++ b/src/local.rs
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ fn collect_yaml(
     Ok(())
 }
 
-/// The offline counterpart to `content::load_needs_from_gitea` -
+/// The offline counterpart to `check`'s needs.yaml fetch -
 /// `needs.yaml` sits at the repo root beside `aggregates.yaml`.
 pub fn load_needs_from_dir(dir: &str) -> anyhow::Result<Option<String>> {
     let needs_path = std::path::Path::new(dir)