diff --git a/docker/agents/entrypoint.sh b/docker/agents/entrypoint.sh
index f838c15..89a520b 100644
--- a/docker/agents/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker/agents/entrypoint.sh
@@ -346,19 +346,15 @@ bootstrap_factory_repo
 # This prevents the silent-zombie mode where the polling loop matches zero files
 # and does nothing forever.
 validate_projects_dir() {
-  # NOTE: compgen -G exits non-zero when no matches exist, so piping it through
-  # `wc -l` under `set -eo pipefail` aborts the script before the FATAL branch
-  # can log a diagnostic (#877).  Use the conditional form already adopted at
-  # lines above (see bootstrap_factory_repo, PROJECT_NAME parsing).
-  if ! compgen -G "${DISINTO_DIR}/projects/*.toml" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  local toml_count
+  toml_count=$(compgen -G "${DISINTO_DIR}/projects/*.toml" 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
+  if [ "$toml_count" -eq 0 ]; then
     log "FATAL: No real .toml files found in ${DISINTO_DIR}/projects/"
     log "Expected at least one project config file (e.g., disinto.toml)"
     log "The directory only contains *.toml.example template files."
     log "Mount the host ./projects volume or copy real .toml files into the container."
     exit 1
   fi
-  local toml_count
-  toml_count=$(compgen -G "${DISINTO_DIR}/projects/*.toml" | wc -l)
   log "Projects directory validated: ${toml_count} real .toml file(s) found"
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/action-vault.sh b/lib/action-vault.sh
index 7602a39..7bed943 100644
--- a/lib/action-vault.sh
+++ b/lib/action-vault.sh
@@ -135,7 +135,6 @@ vault_request() {
   local vault_env="${FACTORY_ROOT:-$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)}/action-vault/vault-env.sh"
   if [ ! -f "$vault_env" ]; then
     echo "ERROR: vault-env.sh not found at $vault_env" >&2
-    rm -f "$tmp_toml"
     return 1
   fi
 
@@ -145,7 +144,6 @@ vault_request() {
   if ! source "$vault_env"; then
     FORGE_TOKEN="${_saved_forge_token:-}"
     echo "ERROR: failed to source vault-env.sh" >&2
-    rm -f "$tmp_toml"
     return 1
   fi
   # Restore caller's FORGE_TOKEN after validation