diff --git a/.github/workflows/initiative-driver.yml b/.github/workflows/initiative-driver.yml
index 0150fdde0..53359d3c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/initiative-driver.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/initiative-driver.yml
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ on:
     - cron: "23 */6 * * *" # safety net for missed close events
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
+      target_repo:
+        description: "Target repo (owner/repo) to sweep + release stories FOR. Empty => this repo (the dogfood/self path)."
+        required: false
+        default: ""
       epic:
         description: "Epic issue number to drive (blank = sweep all initiative:auto epics)"
         required: false
@@ -45,13 +49,17 @@ permissions:
   contents: read  # actions/checkout; all issue mutations use the PAT (GH_TOKEN)
 
 concurrency:
-  # One global lane: sweeps and close events serialize so concurrent runs cannot
-  # race on label application. cancel-in-progress=false so queued work is not dropped.
-  group: initiative-driver
+  # One lane PER TARGET REPO: sweeps and close events for the same repo serialize
+  # so concurrent runs cannot race on label application, while sweeps of different
+  # enrolled repos no longer queue behind a single global lane. Keying mirrors
+  # initiative-planner.yml's per-target keying. cancel-in-progress=false so queued
+  # work is not dropped.
+  group: initiative-driver-${{ github.event.inputs.target_repo || github.repository }}
   cancel-in-progress: false
 
 env:
-  REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+  # REPO is the TARGET repo to sweep; empty target_repo => this repo (self/dogfood).
+  REPO: ${{ github.event.inputs.target_repo || github.repository }}
   # Single-epic only when explicitly dispatched with a number; otherwise blank ⇒ sweep.
   EPIC: ${{ github.event.inputs.epic || '' }}
   # CLOSED_ISSUE is only meaningful on a close event — never pass the labeled
diff --git a/tests/test_initiative_driver.bats b/tests/test_initiative_driver.bats
index e9c1660e4..9e36329ab 100644
--- a/tests/test_initiative_driver.bats
+++ b/tests/test_initiative_driver.bats
@@ -237,3 +237,46 @@ EOF
   [[ "$output" == *"No open epics carry"* ]]
   ! grep -qF "issue edit" "$GH_LOG"
 }
+
+# ── cross-repo: a non-self target_repo sweep targets that repo on every call ───
+# Mirrors the workflow's REPO = target_repo || github.repository plumbing: when
+# the central driver is dispatched with REPO=<other/repo>, every gh call — the
+# epic discovery, gate read, sub_issues/blocked_by reads, and the release
+# `gh issue edit --repo <other/repo>` — must be repo-qualified to that repo so
+# cross-repo dev-lead labeling lands in the target, not in .github-private.
+
+@test "cross-repo: a non-self target_repo sweep targets that repo on every API and label call" {
+  export EPIC=""
+  export REPO="other/repo"
+  cat > "$MOCK_BIN/gh" <<'EOF'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+printf '%s\n' "$*" >> "$GH_LOG"
+args="$*"
+# Discovery query against the TARGET repo: one gated epic 10
+if [[ "$args" == *"repos/other/repo/issues -f state=open"* ]]; then printf '10'; exit 0; fi
+# Epic 10 (in the target repo) carries the gate label
+if [[ "$args" == *"repos/other/repo/issues/10 --jq"* ]]; then printf 'initiative:auto'; exit 0; fi
+# Sub-issues of epic 10 in the target repo: one open child, issue 2
+if [[ "$args" == *"repos/other/repo/issues/10/sub_issues"* ]]; then printf '2'; exit 0; fi
+# Issue 2 has no dev-lead yet
+if [[ "$args" == *"repos/other/repo/issues/2 --jq"* ]]; then printf ''; exit 0; fi
+# Issue 2 has no open blockers
+if [[ "$args" == *"repos/other/repo/issues/2/dependencies/blocked_by"* ]]; then printf ''; exit 0; fi
+# Label application succeeds
+if [[ "$args" == "issue edit"* ]]; then exit 0; fi
+printf '[]'
+EOF
+  chmod +x "$MOCK_BIN/gh"
+
+  run bash "$SCRIPT"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"Found 1 gated epic(s): 10"* ]]
+  [[ "$output" == *"RELEASED"* ]]
+  # Every repo-qualified read flowed through the target repo…
+  grep -qF "repos/other/repo/issues -f state=open" "$GH_LOG"
+  grep -qF "repos/other/repo/issues/10/sub_issues" "$GH_LOG"
+  grep -qF "repos/other/repo/issues/2/dependencies/blocked_by" "$GH_LOG"
+  # …and the release labeled the sub-issue in the target repo, not self.
+  grep -qF "issue edit 2 --repo other/repo --add-label dev-lead" "$GH_LOG"
+  ! grep -qF "petry-projects/.github-private" "$GH_LOG"
+}