diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
index 8c562674..cac50b86 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         if: always()
         run: |
-          if grep -q "\[birpc\] rpc is closed" /tmp/coverage-test-${{ github.run_id }}.log 2>/dev/null; then
+          if grep -qF "[birpc] rpc is closed" /tmp/coverage-test-${{ github.run_id }}.log 2>/dev/null; then
             echo "FAIL: [birpc] rpc is closed teardown race detected in coverage run"
-            grep "\[birpc\] rpc is closed" /tmp/coverage-test-${{ github.run_id }}.log
+            grep -F "[birpc] rpc is closed" /tmp/coverage-test-${{ github.run_id }}.log
             exit 1
           fi