diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 7413966..5ab2cef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -116,6 +116,38 @@ jobs:
       - name: Scan for secrets
         run: gitleaks detect --source . --redact --verbose
 
+  # Coverage upload to Codecov via GitHub OIDC (tokenless -- no CODECOV_TOKEN). This makes
+  # the template repo its own Codecov project AND is the canary that validates the OIDC
+  # path the template now ships to generated public repos. Deliberately NOT in the
+  # ci-passed roll-up: a Codecov outage (the thing under test) must not block merges.
+  coverage:
+    name: Coverage (Codecov via OIDC)
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+
+      - name: Install uv
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v7
+        with:
+          enable-cache: true
+          cache-dependency-glob: "pyproject.toml"
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        run: uv python install 3.12
+
+      - name: Run tests with coverage
+        run: uv run --group tests pytest tests/ -m "not slow and not integration" -n auto --cov=tests --cov-report=xml --cov-fail-under=0
+
+      - name: Upload coverage to Codecov (tokenless via OIDC)
+        uses: codecov/codecov-action@v7
+        with:
+          use_oidc: true
+          files: coverage.xml
+          fail_ci_if_error: true
+
   # Single required status check. The branch ruleset requires this one job, not the
   # individual jobs above: test-fast is a matrix (its check-run names vary by OS/Python and
   # differ between draft and ready PRs) and test-full is skipped on draft PRs, so neither
diff --git a/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/nightly.yml.jinja b/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/nightly.yml.jinja
index a8ed950..00c5d0e 100644
--- a/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/nightly.yml.jinja	
+++ b/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/nightly.yml.jinja	
@@ -19,7 +19,11 @@ jobs:
           {%- for v in versions if v >= min_python_version and v <= max_python_version -%}
             "{{ v }}"{{ ", " if not loop.last else "" }}
           {%- endfor -%}]
-{% if include_codecov %}    env:
+{% if include_codecov and repo_visibility == 'public' %}    # Codecov upload authenticates via GitHub OIDC (tokenless) -- no stored CODECOV_TOKEN.
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+{% elif include_codecov %}    env:
       CODECOV_TOKEN: {% raw %}${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
 {% endif %}    steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v7
@@ -47,10 +51,11 @@ jobs:
 
 {% if include_codecov %}      - name: Upload coverage reports
         uses: codecov/codecov-action@v7
-        if: {% raw %}${{ matrix.python-version == '3.12' && env.CODECOV_TOKEN != '' }}{% endraw %}
+        if: {% raw %}${{ matrix.python-version == '3.12'{% endraw %}{% if repo_visibility != 'public' %}{% raw %} && env.CODECOV_TOKEN != ''{% endraw %}{% endif %}{% raw %} }}{% endraw %}
         with:
-          token: {% raw %}${{ env.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
-{% endif %}
+{% if repo_visibility == 'public' %}          use_oidc: true
+{% else %}          token: {% raw %}${{ env.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
+{% endif %}{% endif %}
   create-issue-on-failure:
     needs: test
     if: {% raw %}${{ failure() }}{% endraw %}
diff --git a/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/tests.yml.jinja b/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/tests.yml.jinja
index d1b053a..9718635 100644
--- a/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/tests.yml.jinja	
+++ b/template/.github/{% if include_actions %}workflows{% endif %}/tests.yml.jinja	
@@ -107,7 +107,11 @@ jobs:
           {%- for v in versions if v >= min_python_version and v <= max_python_version -%}
             "{{ v }}"{{ ", " if not loop.last else "" }}
           {%- endfor -%}]
-{% if include_codecov %}    env:
+{% if include_codecov and repo_visibility == 'public' %}    # Codecov upload authenticates via GitHub OIDC (tokenless) -- no stored CODECOV_TOKEN.
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+{% elif include_codecov %}    env:
       CODECOV_TOKEN: {% raw %}${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
 {% endif %}
     steps:
@@ -140,18 +144,20 @@ jobs:
         run: nox -s test --python {% raw %}${{ matrix.python-version }}{% endraw %}
 
 {% if include_codecov %}      - name: Upload test results to Codecov
-        if: {% raw %}${{ !cancelled() && matrix.python-version == '{% endraw %}{{ min_python_version }}{% raw %}' && env.CODECOV_TOKEN != '' }}{% endraw %}
+        if: {% raw %}${{ !cancelled() && matrix.python-version == '{% endraw %}{{ min_python_version }}{% raw %}'{% endraw %}{% if repo_visibility != 'public' %}{% raw %} && env.CODECOV_TOKEN != ''{% endraw %}{% endif %}{% raw %} }}{% endraw %}
         uses: codecov/test-results-action@v1
         with:
-          token: {% raw %}${{ env.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
-          file: {% raw %}'${{ github.workspace }}/junit.${{ matrix.python-version }}.xml'{% endraw %}
+{% if repo_visibility == 'public' %}          use_oidc: true
+{% else %}          token: {% raw %}${{ env.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
+{% endif %}          file: {% raw %}'${{ github.workspace }}/junit.${{ matrix.python-version }}.xml'{% endraw %}
 
       - name: Upload coverage report to Codecov
         uses: codecov/codecov-action@v7
-        if: {% raw %}${{ matrix.python-version == '{% endraw %}{{ min_python_version }}{% raw %}' && env.CODECOV_TOKEN != '' }}{% endraw %}
+        if: {% raw %}${{ matrix.python-version == '{% endraw %}{{ min_python_version }}{% raw %}'{% endraw %}{% if repo_visibility != 'public' %}{% raw %} && env.CODECOV_TOKEN != ''{% endraw %}{% endif %}{% raw %} }}{% endraw %}
         with:
-          token: {% raw %}${{ env.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
-          files: {% raw %}'${{ github.workspace }}/coverage.${{ matrix.python-version }}.xml'{% endraw %}
+{% if repo_visibility == 'public' %}          use_oidc: true
+{% else %}          token: {% raw %}${{ env.CODECOV_TOKEN }}{% endraw %}
+{% endif %}          files: {% raw %}'${{ github.workspace }}/coverage.${{ matrix.python-version }}.xml'{% endraw %}
           env_vars: OS,PYTHON
           fail_ci_if_error: true
 {% endif %}