diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index ecada4b..dfeddd2 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ description: 'Clones a repository via SSH on a custom port.'
 
 inputs:
   ssh-key:
-    description: 'Private SSH Key'
+    description: 'Private SSH Key, base64-encoded on a single line (e.g. `base64 -w0 id_ed25519`). A raw PEM key still works but is not masked in the logs.'
     required: true
   ref:
     description: 'Branch, tag, or commit SHA to checkout'
@@ -38,8 +38,13 @@ runs:
         mkdir -p ~/.ssh
         chmod 700 ~/.ssh
 
-        # 2. Write the private key to a file as-is
-        printf '%s\n' "$SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/gitea_key
+        # 2. Write the private key to a file
+        #    The key is expected base64-encoded so it's a single-line secret the runner can mask;
+        #    raw multi-line PEM keys are still accepted for backwards compatibility.
+        case "$SSH_KEY" in
+          *"-----BEGIN"*) printf '%s\n' "$SSH_KEY" > ~/.ssh/gitea_key ;;
+          *) printf '%s' "$SSH_KEY" | tr -d '[:space:]' | base64 -d > ~/.ssh/gitea_key ;;
+        esac
         chmod 600 ~/.ssh/gitea_key
 
         # 3. Configure SSH for the custom port and bypass host key prompt