diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index cb755a2..e89b7e6 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -142,6 +142,15 @@ jobs:
             
             echo "==> SSH host key added"
             
+            echo "==> Validating SSH private key"
+  
+            ssh-keygen -y -f ~/.ssh/deploy_key >/dev/null \
+            && echo "SSH private key is valid" \
+            || {
+            echo "ERROR: SSH private key cannot be parsed"
+              exit 1
+            }
+            
             echo "==> Testing SSH connection"
             ssh \
             -i ~/.ssh/deploy_key \