diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bf5664e..433d1c5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -59,8 +59,7 @@ GITEA_REPO="iKeyMon"
 # optional: GITEA_PRERELEASE="false"   # defaults to true until preferences are done
 # optional Sparkle feed helpers:
 # SPARKLE_EDDSA_KEY_FILE="$HOME/.config/Sparkle/iKeyMon.key"
-# SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL="https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download"
-# SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_VERSION_PREFIX="v"   # optional
+# SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE="https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download/v{{VERSION}}"
 # SPARKLE_APPCAST_OUTPUT="$ROOT_DIR/Sparkle/appcast.xml"  # default
 ```
 
@@ -73,12 +72,12 @@ If you re-run the release script for the same version, it removes any existing a
 iKeyMon uses [Sparkle](https://sparkle-project.org/) for macOS-safe updates.
 
 1. Generate an EdDSA key pair once (`./Packages/Sparkle/bin/generate_keys`). Store the private key on-disk (for example `~/.config/Sparkle/iKeyMon.key`, which the build script expects) and copy the public key into the `SUPublicEDKey` entry (see Info.plist notes below).
-2. `./scripts/build_release.sh` signs the ZIP with Sparkle’s `sign_update` tool and invokes `generate_appcast` automatically when the Sparkle variables are present. The generated feed is written to `Sparkle/appcast.xml`, so commit that file after every release. Set `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL` to your release-download root (e.g. `https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download`) and, if your host groups assets under versioned folders, set `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_VERSION_PREFIX` (defaults to `v`, producing URLs like `/download/v26.0.20/...`). The feed stays inside the repo (it is not uploaded as a release asset).
+2. `./scripts/build_release.sh` signs the ZIP with Sparkle’s `sign_update` tool and invokes `generate_appcast` automatically when the Sparkle variables are present. The generated feed is written to `Sparkle/appcast.xml`, so commit that file after every release. Point `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE` at your release-download prefix (e.g. `https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download/v{{VERSION}}`) so the generated URLs already match Gitea’s asset paths. The feed stays inside the repo (it is not uploaded as a release asset).
 3. Set `SUFeedURL` in Info.plist (or the corresponding build setting) to the raw URL of `Sparkle/appcast.xml` inside this repo (e.g. `https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/raw/branch/master/Sparkle/appcast.xml`).
 
 Preferences expose Sparkle’s built-in toggles for “Automatically check” and “Automatically download”, and the toolbar button simply calls Sparkle’s “Check for Updates…” sheet.
 
-> `./scripts/build_release.sh` will call `generate_appcast` for you when `SPARKLE_EDDSA_KEY_FILE` and either `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL` (optionally with `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_VERSION_PREFIX`) or `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE` are set. It tries to locate Sparkle’s CLI in DerivedData automatically, but you can override the path via `SPARKLE_GENERATE_APPCAST`. The resulting feed is written to `SPARKLE_APPCAST_OUTPUT` (defaults to `Sparkle/appcast.xml`).
+> `./scripts/build_release.sh` will call `generate_appcast` for you when `SPARKLE_EDDSA_KEY_FILE` and `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE` (or `SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL`) are set. It tries to locate Sparkle’s CLI in DerivedData automatically, but you can override the path via `SPARKLE_GENERATE_APPCAST`. The resulting feed is written to `SPARKLE_APPCAST_OUTPUT` (defaults to `Sparkle/appcast.xml`).
 
 > Build settings include `INFOPLIST_KEY_SUFeedURL` and `INFOPLIST_KEY_SUPublicEDKey`. Make sure to fill both before shipping a build so Sparkle knows where to fetch updates and how to verify them.
 
diff --git a/Sparkle/appcast.xml b/Sparkle/appcast.xml
index ab06711..823650e 100644
--- a/Sparkle/appcast.xml
+++ b/Sparkle/appcast.xml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
             <ns0:version>49</ns0:version>
             <ns0:shortVersionString>26.0.21</ns0:shortVersionString>
             <ns0:minimumSystemVersion>15.2</ns0:minimumSystemVersion>
-            <enclosure url="https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/iKeyMon-26.0.21.zip" length="4802995" type="application/octet-stream" ns0:edSignature="bYXN15YyKlSmHKNXPizEW2WrVXQSgD5XOgbtzOYNL+maG8DB/jZ08A+cYtGgqUeSRd+X6Z5Ue+Tpdn4/ewsFBw==" />
+            <enclosure url="https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download/v26.0.21/iKeyMon-26.0.21.zip" length="4802995" type="application/octet-stream" ns0:edSignature="bYXN15YyKlSmHKNXPizEW2WrVXQSgD5XOgbtzOYNL+maG8DB/jZ08A+cYtGgqUeSRd+X6Z5Ue+Tpdn4/ewsFBw==" />
         </item>
         <item>
             <title>26.0.20</title>
diff --git a/scripts/build_release.sh b/scripts/build_release.sh
index 6688a5a..35cb359 100755
--- a/scripts/build_release.sh
+++ b/scripts/build_release.sh
@@ -29,8 +29,12 @@ find_generate_appcast() {
 generate_appcast() {
   local generator
   generator="$(find_generate_appcast)"
-  local download_prefix="${SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL:-}"
-  local version_prefix="${SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_VERSION_PREFIX:-}"
+  local download_prefix=""
+  if [[ -n "${SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE:-}" ]]; then
+    download_prefix="${SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE//\{\{VERSION\}\}/$VERSION}"
+  else
+    download_prefix="${SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL:-}"
+  fi
 
   if [[ -z "$generator" || -z "${SPARKLE_EDDSA_KEY_FILE:-}" || -z "$download_prefix" ]]; then
     echo "ℹ️ Skipping Sparkle appcast generation (generator/key/download prefix not configured)."
@@ -57,7 +61,6 @@ generate_appcast() {
     "$staging_dir"; then
     echo "⚠️ Sparkle appcast generation failed."
   fi
-  rewrite_appcast_urls "$output" "$version_prefix"
   rm -rf "$staging_dir"
 }
 
@@ -75,46 +78,7 @@ sign_update_artifacts() {
 }
 
 rewrite_appcast_urls() {
-  local appcast="$1"
-  local version_prefix="$2"
-  local marker="${SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_VERSION_MARKER:-/releases/download/}"
-  if [[ -z "$version_prefix" || -z "$marker" ]]; then
-    return
-  fi
-
-  python3 - "$appcast" "$marker" "$version_prefix" <<'PY'
-import sys
-import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
-
-path, marker, prefix = sys.argv[1:]
-tree = ET.parse(path)
-root = tree.getroot()
-ns = {'sparkle': 'http://www.andymatuschak.org/xml-namespaces/sparkle'}
-changed = False
-
-for item in root.findall('.//item'):
-    short = item.find('sparkle:shortVersionString', ns)
-    enclosure = item.find('enclosure')
-    if short is None or enclosure is None:
-        continue
-    version = (short.text or '').strip()
-    url = enclosure.get('url')
-    if not version or not url or marker not in url:
-        continue
-    desired = f"{marker}{prefix}{version}/"
-    if desired in url:
-        continue
-    base, rest = url.split(marker, 1)
-    if rest.startswith(f"{prefix}{version}/"):
-        continue
-    new_rest = f"{prefix}{version}/{rest.lstrip('/')}"
-    enclosure.set('url', f"{base}{marker}{new_rest}")
-    changed = True
-
-if changed:
-    ET.indent(tree, space="    ", level=0)
-    tree.write(path, encoding='utf-8', xml_declaration=True)
-PY
+  : # no-op (old helper removed)
 }
 
 submit_for_notarization() {
diff --git a/signing.env.example b/signing.env.example
index ad0c368..24d0a4e 100644
--- a/signing.env.example
+++ b/signing.env.example
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ GITEA_REPO="iKeyMon"
 
 # Sparkle appcast generation (optional)
 # SPARKLE_EDDSA_KEY_FILE="$HOME/.config/Sparkle/iKeyMon.key"
-# SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_URL="https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download"
-# SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_VERSION_PREFIX="v"   # prepended before each short version in URLs
+# SPARKLE_DOWNLOAD_BASE_TEMPLATE="https://git.24unix.net/tracer/iKeyMon/releases/download/v{{VERSION}}"
 # SPARKLE_APPCAST_OUTPUT="$ROOT_DIR/Sparkle/appcast.xml"  # defaults to this path
 # SPARKLE_GENERATE_APPCAST="/path/to/generate_appcast"  # auto-detected if unset