diff --git a/tools/ci/merge-to-master.sh b/tools/ci/merge-to-master.sh
index d44eb5219..3a434f2ed 100755
--- a/tools/ci/merge-to-master.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/merge-to-master.sh
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ if [ "$SELF_TEST" = 1 ]; then
   fails=0; d=$(mktemp -d); fake="$d/ci-state.sh"
   # the suspension marker: a GitHub remote is refused with the line, exit 2, before anything else; a mirror remote is not; no marker, no refusal
   printf 'suspended-since: 2026-10-07T17:02:00Z\n' > "$d/marker"
-  out="$(IGNEUM_GITHUB_SUSPENDED_FILE="$d/marker" bash "$0" --remote origin 2>&1)"; rc=$?
+  rc=0; out="$(IGNEUM_GITHUB_SUSPENDED_FILE="$d/marker" bash "$0" --remote origin 2>&1)" || rc=$?   # under set -e a plain assignment of a failing substitution ends the script
   [ "$rc" = 2 ] || { echo "self-test failed: a GitHub remote under the marker was not refused with exit 2 (exit $rc): $out"; fails=1; }
   case "$out" in *"REFUSED. GitHub is unreachable"*"--remote box"*) ;; *) echo "self-test failed: the refusal did not name the switch: $out"; fails=1 ;; esac
   ( SUSPENDED_FILE="$d/marker"; github_suspended_refusal box >/dev/null 2>&1 ) && { echo "self-test failed: the box mirror remote was refused under the marker"; fails=1; }