diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-conflict-checker.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-conflict-checker.yml
index ff3871bf73..e0aba02d48 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-conflict-checker.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-conflict-checker.yml
@@ -37,8 +37,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
           fetch-depth: 1
-          # zizmor: ignore[artipacked]
-          persist-credentials: true # Required by tj-actions/changed-files to fetch PR branch
+          persist-credentials: false # No write token in the untrusted PR-head tree; public repo so base fetch/changed-files work unauthenticated
 
       - name: Fetch PR base ref for tj-actions/changed-files
         env:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-merged.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-merged.yml
index 2a1f3d77f1..fc88a69e08 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-merged.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-merged.yml
@@ -56,6 +56,6 @@ jobs:
               "PROWLER_PR_BODY": ${{ toJson(github.event.pull_request.body) }},
               "PROWLER_PR_URL": ${{ toJson(github.event.pull_request.html_url) }},
               "PROWLER_PR_MERGED_BY": "${{ github.event.pull_request.merged_by.login }}",
-              "PROWLER_PR_BASE_BRANCH": "${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}",
-              "PROWLER_PR_HEAD_BRANCH": "${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}"
+              "PROWLER_PR_BASE_BRANCH": ${{ toJson(github.event.pull_request.base.ref) }},
+              "PROWLER_PR_HEAD_BRANCH": ${{ toJson(github.event.pull_request.head.ref) }}
             }