diff --git a/internal/generate/hotfix.go b/internal/generate/hotfix.go
index 3f63b37..38c6f47 100644
--- a/internal/generate/hotfix.go
+++ b/internal/generate/hotfix.go
@@ -253,11 +253,14 @@ func (g *HotfixGenerator) writePlanJob(sb *strings.Builder) {
 }
 
 // writeApplyJob emits the apply job, run on dispatch when not a dry-run. It
-// cherry-picks the commit onto a hotfix branch and opens a resolution PR. A
-// clean cherry-pick is merged by the dedicated merge step as the configured
-// state token, which polls until the PR is mergeable so a protected env branch
-// with a required check still gates the merge. A conflicting cherry-pick opens a
-// labeled PR for local resolution and is merged by a human via the UI.
+// cherry-picks the commit onto a hotfix branch and opens a resolution PR via gh
+// pr create. The job-level GH_TOKEN is the configured state token so the PR is
+// authored by a trigger-capable actor: this fires on: pull_request, which lets a
+// protected env branch's required check post on PR open rather than only after
+// this run finishes. A clean cherry-pick is then merged by the dedicated merge
+// step (also as the state token), which polls until the PR is mergeable so the
+// required check still gates the merge. A conflicting cherry-pick opens a labeled
+// PR for local resolution and is merged by a human via the UI.
 func (g *HotfixGenerator) writeApplyJob(sb *strings.Builder) {
 	sb.WriteString("  apply:\n")
 	sb.WriteString("    name: Apply Hotfix Cherry-Pick\n")
@@ -268,7 +271,18 @@ func (g *HotfixGenerator) writeApplyJob(sb *strings.Builder) {
 	sb.WriteString("    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.dry_run != 'true' && needs.plan.outputs.no_op != 'true'\n")
 	sb.WriteString("    runs-on: ubuntu-latest\n")
 	sb.WriteString("    env:\n")
-	sb.WriteString("      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}\n")
+	// Author the resolution PR with the configured state token so gh pr create
+	// runs as a trigger-capable actor. A PR opened under the default GITHUB_TOKEN
+	// is authored by github-actions[bot], and a bot-authored PR does not fire
+	// on: pull_request workflows; the env-branch required check would then post
+	// only via on: workflow_run after this run finishes, deadlocking against the
+	// merge step that waits for that check. A PAT-authored PR fires on:
+	// pull_request so the check posts on PR open, independent of this job. The
+	// merge step (writeCleanMergeStep) inherits this same job-level token. When
+	// no state token is configured this degrades to GITHUB_TOKEN, in which case
+	// post-hotfix automation (early check + finalize) requires the operator to
+	// supply a trigger-capable state_token, matching the merge step's caveat.
+	fmt.Fprintf(sb, "      GH_TOKEN: %s\n", g.getStateTokenRef())
 	sb.WriteString("      COMMIT: ${{ github.event.inputs.commit }}\n")
 	sb.WriteString("      TARGET_ENV: ${{ github.event.inputs.target_env }}\n")
 	sb.WriteString("      BASE_SHA: ${{ needs.plan.outputs.base_sha }}\n")
@@ -333,11 +347,11 @@ func (g *HotfixGenerator) writeApplyJob(sb *strings.Builder) {
 	fmt.Fprintf(sb, "              --label %s \\\n", hotfixLabel)
 	sb.WriteString("              --title \"hotfix(${TARGET_ENV}): cherry-pick ${SHORT_SHA}\" \\\n")
 	sb.WriteString("              --body \"$BODY\"\n")
-	// Hand the resolution branch to the dedicated merge step. The merge runs
-	// as the configured state token (a trigger-capable actor), which the
-	// job-level GH_TOKEN is not, so it has to be a separate step with its own
-	// env. The clean path is the only one that auto-merges; the conflict path
-	// leaves the merge to a human via the UI.
+	// Hand the resolution branch to the dedicated merge step. Both gh pr create
+	// above and the merge step run as the job-level GH_TOKEN (the configured
+	// state token), so the resolution PR is authored by a trigger-capable actor
+	// and the merge is too. The clean path is the only one that auto-merges; the
+	// conflict path leaves the merge to a human via the UI.
 	sb.WriteString("            {\n")
 	sb.WriteString("              echo \"HOTFIX_BRANCH=$BRANCH\"\n")
 	sb.WriteString("              echo \"HOTFIX_CLEAN_MERGE=true\"\n")
diff --git a/internal/generate/hotfix_test.go b/internal/generate/hotfix_test.go
index d1fe6ae..4088d72 100644
--- a/internal/generate/hotfix_test.go
+++ b/internal/generate/hotfix_test.go
@@ -200,6 +200,61 @@ func TestHotfixGenerator_CleanPathMergeDefaultsToGitHubToken(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Contains(t, content, "GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}")
 }
 
+// applyJobGHToken extracts the apply job's job-level GH_TOKEN expression from a
+// generated hotfix workflow. It parses the workflow as YAML so the assertion
+// targets the job-level env value rather than any step-level override, isolating
+// the actor that authors the resolution PR via gh pr create.
+func applyJobGHToken(t *testing.T, content string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	var wf struct {
+		Jobs map[string]struct {
+			Env map[string]string `yaml:"env"`
+		} `yaml:"jobs"`
+	}
+	require.NoError(t, yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(content), &wf))
+	apply, ok := wf.Jobs["apply"]
+	require.True(t, ok, "apply job must be present")
+	return apply.Env["GH_TOKEN"]
+}
+
+// TestHotfixGenerator_ApplyCreatesPRWithStateToken guards the structural fix for
+// the protected-env-branch deadlock. The apply job opens the resolution PR with
+// gh pr create, which authenticates with the job-level GH_TOKEN. When that token
+// is the default GITHUB_TOKEN the PR is authored by github-actions[bot], and a
+// bot-authored PR does not trigger on: pull_request workflows. The env-branch
+// required check then can only post via on: workflow_run after the hotfix run
+// finishes, but the apply job will not finish until the PR merges, the PR cannot
+// merge until the check posts, and the check cannot post until the apply job
+// finishes: a deadlock. Authoring the PR with the trigger-capable state token
+// fires on: pull_request so the required check posts on PR open, independent of
+// the apply job, breaking the cycle.
+func TestHotfixGenerator_ApplyCreatesPRWithStateToken(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := threeEnvHotfixConfig()
+	cfg.StateToken = "${{ secrets.CASCADE_BOT_TOKEN }}"
+	gen := NewHotfixGenerator(cfg, "")
+	content, err := gen.Generate()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// The apply job's job-level GH_TOKEN, which gh pr create uses to author the
+	// resolution PR, must be the configured state token, not bare GITHUB_TOKEN.
+	assert.Equal(t, "${{ secrets.CASCADE_BOT_TOKEN }}", applyJobGHToken(t, content),
+		"the apply job must author the resolution PR with the trigger-capable state token so on: pull_request fires and the env-branch required check posts on PR open")
+}
+
+// TestHotfixGenerator_ApplyTokenDefaultsToGitHubToken confirms back-compat: when
+// no state token is configured the apply job's GH_TOKEN degrades to the default
+// GITHUB_TOKEN expression, matching the token plumbing used elsewhere. Post-hotfix
+// automation (the env-branch check firing on PR open and the finalize chain)
+// requires a configured state_token, consistent with the merge step's caveat.
+func TestHotfixGenerator_ApplyTokenDefaultsToGitHubToken(t *testing.T) {
+	gen := NewHotfixGenerator(threeEnvHotfixConfig(), "")
+	content, err := gen.Generate()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}", applyJobGHToken(t, content),
+		"with no state token configured the apply job must fall back to GITHUB_TOKEN")
+}
+
 // TestHotfixGenerator_SeedsLabels guards the regression where the apply job ran
 // `gh pr create --label cascade-hotfix[-conflict]` without ever creating those
 // labels. `gh pr create --label X` hard-fails when label X does not exist, so