diff --git a/lib/pr-lifecycle.sh b/lib/pr-lifecycle.sh
index 94cbac9..ad6f0de 100644
--- a/lib/pr-lifecycle.sh
+++ b/lib/pr-lifecycle.sh
@@ -110,17 +110,15 @@ pr_create() {
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # pr_find_by_branch — Find an open PR by head branch name.
-# Args: branch [api_url]
+# Args: branch
 # Stdout: PR number
 # Returns: 0=found, 1=not found
-# api_url defaults to FORGE_API if not provided
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 pr_find_by_branch() {
   local branch="$1"
-  local api_url="${2:-${FORGE_API}}"
   local pr_num
   pr_num=$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
-    "${api_url}/pulls?state=open&limit=20" | \
+    "${FORGE_API}/pulls?state=open&limit=20" | \
     jq -r --arg b "$branch" '.[] | select(.head.ref == $b) | .number' \
     | head -1) || true
   if [ -n "$pr_num" ]; then
diff --git a/lib/vault.sh b/lib/vault.sh
index 584db17..ed42ffc 100644
--- a/lib/vault.sh
+++ b/lib/vault.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #
 # Functions:
 #   vault_request <action_id> <toml_content>  — Create vault PR, return PR number
+#   vault_find_by_action <action_id>          — Find existing PR for action ID
 #
 # The function:
 # 1. Validates TOML content using validate_vault_action() from vault/vault-env.sh
@@ -34,13 +35,6 @@ _vault_log() {
   fi
 }
 
-# Get ops repo API URL (encodes hyphens for Forgejo API)
-_vault_ops_api() {
-  local ops_repo_encoded
-  ops_repo_encoded=$(printf '%s' "$FORGE_OPS_REPO" | sed 's/-/%2D/g')
-  printf '%s' "${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/repos/${ops_repo_encoded}"
-}
-
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # vault_request — Create a vault PR or return existing one
 # Args: action_id toml_content
@@ -63,7 +57,7 @@ vault_request() {
 
   # Check if PR already exists for this action
   local existing_pr
-  existing_pr=$(pr_find_by_branch "vault/${action_id}" "$(_vault_ops_api)") || true
+  existing_pr=$(vault_find_by_action "$action_id") || true
   if [ -n "$existing_pr" ]; then
     _vault_log "PR already exists for action $action_id: #${existing_pr}"
     printf '%s' "$existing_pr"
@@ -112,8 +106,10 @@ This vault action has been created by an agent and requires admin approval
 before execution. See the TOML file for details."
 
   # Get ops repo API URL
-  local ops_api
-  ops_api="$(_vault_ops_api)"
+  # Forgejo encodes hyphens as %2D in URLs
+  local ops_repo_encoded
+  ops_repo_encoded=$(printf '%s' "$FORGE_OPS_REPO" | sed 's/-/%2D/g')
+  local ops_api="${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/repos/${ops_repo_encoded}"
 
   # Create branch
   local branch="vault/${action_id}"
@@ -218,3 +214,39 @@ before execution. See the TOML file for details."
   printf '%s' "$pr_num"
   return 0
 }
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# vault_find_by_action — Find existing PR for an action ID
+# Args: action_id
+# Stdout: PR number (empty if not found)
+# Returns: 0=found, 1=not found
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+vault_find_by_action() {
+  local action_id="$1"
+
+  if [ -z "$action_id" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: action_id is required" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  local branch="vault/${action_id}"
+
+  # Get ops repo API URL
+  local ops_repo_encoded
+  ops_repo_encoded=$(printf '%s' "$FORGE_OPS_REPO" | sed 's/-/%2D/g')
+  local ops_api="${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/repos/${ops_repo_encoded}"
+
+  # Find open PRs by branch
+  local pr_num
+  pr_num=$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
+    "${ops_api}/pulls?state=open&limit=100" 2>/dev/null | \
+    jq -r --arg b "$branch" '.[] | select(.head.ref == $b) | .number' \
+    | head -1) || true
+
+  if [ -n "$pr_num" ]; then
+    printf '%s' "$pr_num"
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  return 1
+}