diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c8b1b99..d1f313d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,13 @@ publish a tag that has no section here.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.2.1] - 2026-10-28
+
+### Fixed
+- `bootstrap.sh --image-url` with a release URL took the release's `SHA256SUMS` (the binaries') instead
+  of `commissioning-SHA256SUMS`; it now prefers the image's and says when a private repository
+  needs `IMAGE_TOKEN`.
+
 ## [0.2.0] - 2026-10-28
 
 Second release: install from scratch, network model and region/rack split, external IPAM
diff --git a/deploy/bootstrap.sh b/deploy/bootstrap.sh
index 218e1b6..7e58f02 100755
--- a/deploy/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/deploy/bootstrap.sh
@@ -238,10 +238,12 @@ if [ -s $IMG/vmlinuz ] && [ -s $IMG/initrd.img ] && [ -s $IMG/filesystem.squashf
 elif [ -n "$IMAGE_URL" ]; then
   tmp=$(mktemp -d -p /srv/rollcall)
   auth=(); [ -n "${IMAGE_TOKEN:-}" ] && auth=(-H "Authorization: token $IMAGE_TOKEN")
-  pre=""
-  if ! curl -fsSL "${auth[@]}" -o "$tmp/SHA256SUMS" "$IMAGE_URL/SHA256SUMS"; then
-    pre=commissioning-   # a release: the image files carry a prefix
-    curl -fsSL "${auth[@]}" -o "$tmp/SHA256SUMS" "$IMAGE_URL/${pre}SHA256SUMS" || die "no SHA256SUMS or ${pre}SHA256SUMS at $IMAGE_URL"
+  # a release carries the image as commissioning-* (its plain SHA256SUMS is the binaries');
+  # a region's /rollcall directory has the plain names
+  pre=commissioning-
+  if ! curl -fsSL "${auth[@]}" -o "$tmp/SHA256SUMS" "$IMAGE_URL/${pre}SHA256SUMS"; then
+    pre=""
+    curl -fsSL "${auth[@]}" -o "$tmp/SHA256SUMS" "$IMAGE_URL/SHA256SUMS" || die "no commissioning-SHA256SUMS or SHA256SUMS at $IMAGE_URL${IMAGE_TOKEN:+}$( [ -z "${IMAGE_TOKEN:-}" ] && echo ' (private repository? set IMAGE_TOKEN)')"
   fi
   for f in vmlinuz initrd.img filesystem.squashfs; do curl -fSL --progress-bar "${auth[@]}" -o "$tmp/$f" "$IMAGE_URL/$pre$f"; done
   (cd "$tmp" && sha256sum -c --quiet SHA256SUMS) || die "checksum mismatch"