diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index a232f7c..cc6e3a9 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -212,6 +212,16 @@ jobs:
           cp "$WINROOT"/bin/mariadb-dump.exe "$WINROOT"/bin/mariadb.exe "$OUT"/
           cp "$WINROOT"/lib/libmariadb.dll "$OUT"/
 
+      # rustc resolves `link.exe` via PATH for the windows-msvc target, but Git
+      # for Windows ships GNU coreutils with its own `link.exe` that shadows
+      # MSVC's linker (`link: extra operand ...`). Load the MSVC dev
+      # environment so PATH/LIB/INCLUDE point at the real MSVC toolchain.
+      # Fails fast here (instead of at link time) if the toolchain is missing.
+      - name: Set up MSVC build environment
+        uses: ilammy/msvc-dev-cmd@v1
+        with:
+          arch: x64
+
       - name: Build installers
         shell: bash
         run: bun run --filter gridline-desktop tauri build