diff --git a/cmd/routing/main.go b/cmd/routing/main.go
index 2ece8bc..a93160e 100644
--- a/cmd/routing/main.go
+++ b/cmd/routing/main.go
@@ -103,12 +103,17 @@ func main() {
 	}))
 
 	if cfg.GiteaMCPURL != "" {
+		mcpC, err := mcpclient.New(cfg.GiteaMCPURL, cfg.GiteaMCPToken)
+		if err != nil {
+			logger.Error("mcpclient init for project_create — GITEA_MCP_URL is set but GITEA_MCP_TOKEN is empty (check routing-secrets)", "err", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
 		var ghClient *githubclient.Client
 		if cfg.GitHubPAT != "" {
 			ghClient = githubclient.New(cfg.GitHubPAT)
 		}
 		reg.Register(project.New(project.Config{
-			Client:      mcpclient.New(cfg.GiteaMCPURL, cfg.GiteaMCPToken),
+			Client:      mcpC,
 			GitHub:      ghClient,
 			GiteaOwner:  cfg.GiteaOwner,
 			GitHubOwner: cfg.GitHubOwner,
diff --git a/internal/mcpclient/client.go b/internal/mcpclient/client.go
index 135da15..1f0c7f4 100644
--- a/internal/mcpclient/client.go
+++ b/internal/mcpclient/client.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
@@ -20,13 +21,27 @@ type Client struct {
 	http   *http.Client
 }
 
-// New returns a Client. token may be empty for unauthenticated servers.
-func New(url, token string) *Client {
+// ErrTokenRequired is returned by New when token is empty. Empty token
+// causes mcpclient to omit the Authorization header at request time,
+// which is silently misread as 401 by bearer-auth servers — see
+// hyperguild #13 and the brain entry on the failure mode.
+var ErrTokenRequired = errors.New("mcpclient: token required")
+
+// New returns a Client. Returns ErrTokenRequired when token is empty:
+// every MCP server we talk to today is bearer-protected, and an empty
+// token is always a configuration bug (typically a Kubernetes Secret
+// missing the expected key, see hyperguild #13). Callers that genuinely
+// need an unauthenticated client should construct &Client{} directly in
+// tests, not call New.
+func New(url, token string) (*Client, error) {
+	if token == "" {
+		return nil, ErrTokenRequired
+	}
 	return &Client{
 		url:   url,
 		token: token,
 		http:  &http.Client{Timeout: 60 * time.Second},
-	}
+	}, nil
 }
 
 // WithHTTPClient overrides the underlying HTTP client (test injection).
diff --git a/internal/mcpclient/client_test.go b/internal/mcpclient/client_test.go
index 2302fc4..ea0ae40 100644
--- a/internal/mcpclient/client_test.go
+++ b/internal/mcpclient/client_test.go
@@ -14,6 +14,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
+func TestNew_EmptyTokenFailsFast(t *testing.T) {
+	c, err := mcpclient.New("http://example.invalid", "")
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.Nil(t, c)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, mcpclient.ErrTokenRequired)
+}
+
 func TestCallTool_Success(t *testing.T) {
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		assert.Equal(t, http.MethodPost, r.Method)
@@ -30,13 +37,13 @@ func TestCallTool_Success(t *testing.T) {
 	}))
 	defer srv.Close()
 
-	c := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "tok")
+	c, err := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "tok")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 	var out struct {
 		OK bool `json:"ok"`
 		N  int  `json:"n"`
 	}
-	err := c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x_y", map[string]any{"a": 1}, &out)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x_y", map[string]any{"a": 1}, &out))
 	assert.True(t, out.OK)
 	assert.Equal(t, 7, out.N)
 }
@@ -48,8 +55,9 @@ func TestCallTool_RPCError(t *testing.T) {
 	}))
 	defer srv.Close()
 
-	c := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "")
-	err := c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x", nil, nil)
+	c, err := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x", nil, nil)
 	require.Error(t, err)
 	var me *mcpclient.Error
 	require.True(t, errors.As(err, &me))
@@ -64,8 +72,9 @@ func TestCallTool_HTTPError(t *testing.T) {
 	}))
 	defer srv.Close()
 
-	c := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "")
-	err := c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x", nil, nil)
+	c, err := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x", nil, nil)
 	require.Error(t, err)
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "401")
 }
@@ -77,6 +86,7 @@ func TestCallTool_NilResult(t *testing.T) {
 	}))
 	defer srv.Close()
 
-	c := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "")
+	c, err := mcpclient.New(srv.URL, "test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.NoError(t, c.CallTool(context.Background(), "x", nil, nil))
 }
diff --git a/internal/skills/project/handlers_test.go b/internal/skills/project/handlers_test.go
index e1de228..1999e5b 100644
--- a/internal/skills/project/handlers_test.go
+++ b/internal/skills/project/handlers_test.go
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ func newSkill(t *testing.T, f *fakeGiteaMCP) (*project.Skill, *fakeGitHub) {
 	t.Cleanup(ghSrv.Close)
 
 	return project.New(project.Config{
-		Client:      mcpclient.New(srv.URL, ""),
+		Client:      mustClient(t, srv.URL),
 		GitHub:      githubclient.New("ghp_test").WithBaseURL(ghSrv.URL),
 		GiteaOwner:  "mathias",
 		GitHubOwner: "mathiasb",
@@ -141,13 +141,23 @@ func newSkillNoGitHub(t *testing.T, f *fakeGiteaMCP) *project.Skill {
 	srv := httptest.NewServer(f.handler())
 	t.Cleanup(srv.Close)
 	return project.New(project.Config{
-		Client:      mcpclient.New(srv.URL, ""),
+		Client:      mustClient(t, srv.URL),
 		GiteaOwner:  "mathias",
 		GitHubOwner: "mathiasb",
 		InfraRepo:   "infra",
 	})
 }
 
+// mustClient builds an mcpclient against an httptest server. Uses a
+// non-empty dummy token because httptest servers don't enforce bearer
+// auth, but mcpclient.New now requires non-empty token (see #13).
+func mustClient(t *testing.T, url string) *mcpclient.Client {
+	t.Helper()
+	c, err := mcpclient.New(url, "test-token")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	return c
+}
+
 func happyArgs() json.RawMessage {
 	return json.RawMessage(`{
 		"name":"my-experiment",