diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index eeb42cf..dfc62b1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ surfaces.
 
 ## Current status
 
-Phase 3 is complete, and Phase 4A (Core identity foundation) and Phase 4B (identity HTTP
-transport) have landed. The repository includes
+Phase 3 is complete, and Phase 4A (Core identity foundation), Phase 4B (identity HTTP transport),
+and Phase 4C (Core authorization) have landed. The repository includes
 public module contracts, independently versioned capabilities, static module manifests,
 deterministic automatic discovery, compiled server loading, a staged capability registry,
 dependency-ordered lifecycle with rollback, module-owned Drizzle table contracts, deterministic
@@ -35,10 +35,21 @@ still cannot reach any of this. Public email/password registration is intentiona
 receives identical lowest-privilege baseline status and signup order never grants elevation. See
 [API](docs/development/api.md) and
 [ADR 0011](docs/architecture/decisions/0011-identity-http-transport-and-public-enrollment.md).
-**No email verification, password recovery, Dashboard, or role/permission model exists yet** —
-that, along with production approval-provider composition, jobs, physical storage provisioning,
-surfaces, and feature modules, remains later vertical slices. Public registration is not yet ready
-for a real public launch.
+**No email verification, password recovery, or Dashboard exists yet** — that, along with
+production approval-provider composition, jobs, physical storage provisioning, surfaces, and
+feature modules, remains later vertical slices. Public registration is not yet ready for a real
+public launch.
+
+Phase 4C adds Core's authorization foundation on top of identity: a schema, evaluator, and store
+for platform owners, explicit grants, and relationship-derived grants; a smallest-possible
+immutable permission registry; an explicit, single-use, concurrency-safe platform-owner bootstrap
+command (`pnpm authorization:bootstrap-owner`, never HTTP-exposed, never inferred from signup
+order); and, in `apps/api`, reusable Hono authorization enforcement plus a narrowly scoped
+`/api/v1/grants` HTTP API for managing *explicit* grants only, requiring an exact trusted `Origin`
+on every mutation. Roles/groups/teams/tenants, an owner-management HTTP endpoint, service
+accounts/API tokens, and module-permission registration remain later work. See
+[Authorization](docs/development/authorization.md) and
+[ADR 0013](docs/architecture/decisions/0013-core-authorization-and-owner-bootstrap.md).
 
 ## Quick start
 
@@ -83,8 +94,9 @@ Data definitions
   ✓ Schemas validated
     0 modules · 0 tables
   ✓ Migrations validated
-    1 migration · checksums valid
+    2 migrations · checksums valid
     core:0000_identity_core_tables · f8f2086ef06f
+    core:0001_authorization_core_tables · 830e1fbc26d0
 
 PostgreSQL
   ○ Connection check skipped
@@ -146,6 +158,7 @@ environment.
 - [Testing](docs/development/testing.md)
 - [Identity](docs/development/identity.md)
 - [API](docs/development/api.md)
+- [Authorization](docs/development/authorization.md)
 - [Module development](docs/module-development/README.md)
 - [Architecture decisions](docs/architecture/decisions/README.md)
 
diff --git a/apps/api/src/app.ts b/apps/api/src/app.ts
index 166b01f..8acd5fa 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/app.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/app.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,27 @@
 import { isAuthenticatedPrincipal } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationEvaluator,
+  type AuthorizationStore,
+  CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
 import { type EkklesiaIdentityRuntime, IdentityRuntimeError } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
 import { Hono } from "hono";
 import type { Context } from "hono";
 import { cors } from "hono/cors";
+import { createGrantsRoutes } from "./grants-routes.js";
+
+export interface CreateApiAppAuthorizationOptions {
+  readonly evaluator: AuthorizationEvaluator;
+  readonly store: AuthorizationStore;
+}
 
 export interface CreateApiAppOptions {
+  readonly authorization: CreateApiAppAuthorizationOptions;
   readonly runtime: EkklesiaIdentityRuntime;
   /** Exact allowed browser origins. Never a wildcard; combined with `credentials: true`, only an
-   * exact, reflected match is ever returned in `Access-Control-Allow-Origin`. */
+   * exact, reflected match is ever returned in `Access-Control-Allow-Origin`. Also the trusted set
+   * `requireTrustedOrigin` checks for grant-mutation routes — there is no second, competing origin
+   * configuration. */
   readonly trustedOrigins: readonly string[];
 }
 
@@ -20,7 +34,7 @@ function sanitizedErrorResponse(c: Context, error: unknown, status: 500 | 503) {
 /**
  * Pure Hono application factory: no I/O, no environment reads, no process side effects. Suitable
  * for unit and integration tests via `app.fetch` directly, with a fully injected identity runtime
- * standing in for real Better Auth/PostgreSQL where appropriate.
+ * and authorization evaluator/store standing in for real Better Auth/PostgreSQL where appropriate.
  */
 export function createApiApp(options: CreateApiAppOptions): Hono {
   const { runtime } = options;
@@ -62,6 +76,17 @@ export function createApiApp(options: CreateApiAppOptions): Hono {
     }
   });
 
+  app.route(
+    "/",
+    createGrantsRoutes({
+      evaluator: options.authorization.evaluator,
+      registry: CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY,
+      runtime,
+      store: options.authorization.store,
+      trustedOrigins: allowedOrigins,
+    }),
+  );
+
   app.notFound((c) => {
     c.header("Cache-Control", "no-store");
     return c.json({ code: "NOT_FOUND" }, 404);
diff --git a/apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts b/apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..813d184
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+import type { EkklesiaPrincipal, PermissionId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import type { AuthorizationEvaluator, PermissionRegistry } from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
+import type { EkklesiaIdentityRuntime } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
+import type { Context, MiddlewareHandler, Next } from "hono";
+
+const PRINCIPAL_CONTEXT_KEY = "ekklesiaPrincipal";
+
+export interface AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions {
+  readonly evaluator: AuthorizationEvaluator;
+  readonly registry: PermissionRegistry;
+  readonly runtime: EkklesiaIdentityRuntime;
+}
+
+function sanitizedDenial(c: Context, status: 403 | 503, code: string): Response {
+  c.header("Cache-Control", "no-store");
+  return c.json({ code }, status);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Builds a Hono middleware that enforces `permissionId`, resolved exclusively from Core's own
+ * trusted, server-side permission registry — a route never supplies its own baseline, and no
+ * request input can influence which baseline is checked. The principal is resolved exclusively
+ * through the injected identity runtime (`resolvePrincipal`), the same one `/api/v1/principal`
+ * already uses; nothing here ever trusts a client-supplied claim about identity, ownership, or
+ * grants. A permission id that is not registered fails closed (403) exactly like a denied
+ * decision — in normal operation this route only ever hard-codes an already-registered constant,
+ * but the check stays live per-request as defense in depth rather than being trusted once at
+ * composition time.
+ *
+ * On success, the resolved `EkklesiaPrincipal` — Core's own narrow `{kind, userId}` contract, not
+ * Better Auth's richer session/user object — is stored on the Hono context so the route handler
+ * can build an actor without resolving the principal a second time. This is deliberately narrower
+ * than the "no generalized session/user object in Hono context" concern ADR 0011 raised about
+ * Better Auth's own documented example: only Core's already-public-safe principal shape is ever
+ * set, never a session token, raw user row, or Better Auth type.
+ *
+ * A genuine infrastructure failure — principal resolution, evaluation, or the underlying
+ * database — is never folded into a 403; it returns a sanitized 503, mirroring
+ * `/api/v1/principal`'s existing behavior for the identical reason: a caller must never see "no
+ * permission" when the true answer is "could not be determined."
+ */
+export function requirePermission(
+  options: AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions,
+  permissionId: PermissionId,
+): MiddlewareHandler {
+  return async (c: Context, next: Next) => {
+    const declaration = options.registry.get(permissionId);
+    if (!declaration) {
+      return sanitizedDenial(c, 403, "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED");
+    }
+
+    let principal: EkklesiaPrincipal;
+    try {
+      principal = await options.runtime.resolvePrincipal(c.req.raw.headers);
+    } catch {
+      return sanitizedDenial(c, 503, "PRINCIPAL_RESOLUTION_FAILED");
+    }
+
+    let decision: { allowed: boolean };
+    try {
+      decision = await options.evaluator.authorize({
+        baseline: declaration.baseline,
+        permission: declaration.id,
+        principal,
+      });
+    } catch {
+      return sanitizedDenial(c, 503, "AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED");
+    }
+
+    if (!decision.allowed) {
+      return sanitizedDenial(c, 403, "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED");
+    }
+
+    c.set(PRINCIPAL_CONTEXT_KEY, principal);
+    await next();
+    return;
+  };
+}
+
+/** Reads the principal a preceding `requirePermission` middleware already resolved and verified.
+ * Throws (a route-wiring bug, not a runtime condition) if called on a route this middleware never
+ * protected. */
+export function getAuthorizedPrincipal(c: Context): EkklesiaPrincipal {
+  const principal = c.get(PRINCIPAL_CONTEXT_KEY) as EkklesiaPrincipal | undefined;
+  if (!principal) {
+    throw new Error("getAuthorizedPrincipal called outside a requirePermission-protected route.");
+  }
+  return principal;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Requires an exact trusted `Origin` header for a cookie-authenticated, state-changing route.
+ * CORS response headers alone are not CSRF protection — they only stop a browser from *reading* a
+ * cross-origin response, not from *sending* the state-changing request in the first place — so
+ * mutation routes need this explicit, server-side check in addition to (not instead of) the
+ * existing CORS policy. A missing or untrusted origin is rejected before the route (or the
+ * permission check) ever runs. Non-browser, non-cookie automation (service accounts/API tokens)
+ * is deliberately out of scope for this slice and has no way to satisfy this check yet.
+ */
+export function requireTrustedOrigin(trustedOrigins: ReadonlySet<string>): MiddlewareHandler {
+  return async (c: Context, next: Next) => {
+    const origin = c.req.header("origin");
+    if (!origin || !trustedOrigins.has(origin)) {
+      return sanitizedDenial(c, 403, "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN");
+    }
+    await next();
+    return;
+  };
+}
diff --git a/apps/api/src/database.ts b/apps/api/src/database.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8b6b10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/src/database.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import {
+  type AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleView,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
+import { createValidatedPostgresPool, type PostgresPoolOptions } from "@ekklesia/core/database";
+import { createIdentityDrizzleView, type IdentityDrizzleDatabase } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
+
+export interface ApiDatabaseHandle {
+  readonly authorization: AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase;
+  readonly identity: IdentityDrizzleDatabase;
+  /** Closes the one shared pool exactly once, regardless of how many typed views were created
+   * over it. Safe to call from both a startup-failure cleanup path and normal shutdown. */
+  readonly close: () => Promise<void>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Composes the one physical PostgreSQL pool this process uses for both Core's identity and
+ * authorization schemas: one validated, timeout-bounded `pg.Pool` (`createValidatedPostgresPool`,
+ * `@ekklesia/core/database`), wrapped by two independent typed Drizzle views
+ * (`createIdentityDrizzleView`, `createAuthorizationDrizzleView`). Neither Core domain owns or
+ * closes the pool in this composition — `close()` here is the only thing that ever calls
+ * `pool.end()`. `createIdentityDrizzleDatabase`/`createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase` remain
+ * available, unaffected, and independently testable for callers that only need one domain.
+ */
+export function createApiDatabase(
+  databaseUrl: string,
+  options: PostgresPoolOptions = {},
+): ApiDatabaseHandle {
+  const { close, pool } = createValidatedPostgresPool(databaseUrl, options);
+
+  return Object.freeze({
+    authorization: createAuthorizationDrizzleView(pool),
+    close,
+    identity: createIdentityDrizzleView(pool),
+  });
+}
diff --git a/apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts b/apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2f3d0c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,222 @@
+import type { AuthorizationScope, EkklesiaUserId, PermissionId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  createUserActor,
+  isAuthenticatedPrincipal,
+  safeParseAuthorizationScope,
+  safeParseEkklesiaUserId,
+  safeParseGrantId,
+  safeParsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationStore,
+  AuthorizationStoreError,
+  CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE,
+  type GrantRecord,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
+import { Hono } from "hono";
+import type { Context } from "hono";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions,
+  getAuthorizedPrincipal,
+  requirePermission,
+  requireTrustedOrigin,
+} from "./authorization-middleware.js";
+
+export interface CreateGrantsRoutesOptions extends AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions {
+  readonly store: AuthorizationStore;
+  readonly trustedOrigins: ReadonlySet<string>;
+}
+
+function sanitizedStoreErrorResponse(c: Context, error: unknown): Response {
+  c.header("Cache-Control", "no-store");
+  if (error instanceof AuthorizationStoreError) {
+    const status = error.code === "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND" ? 404 : 503;
+    return c.json({ code: error.code }, status);
+  }
+  return c.json({ code: "INTERNAL_ERROR" }, 503);
+}
+
+interface ParsedCreateGrantBody {
+  readonly expiresAt?: Date;
+  readonly permission: PermissionId;
+  readonly scope?: AuthorizationScope;
+  readonly subjectUserId: EkklesiaUserId;
+}
+
+const CREATE_GRANT_ALLOWED_KEYS = new Set(["subjectUserId", "permission", "scope", "expiresAt"]);
+
+/**
+ * Accepts only `subjectUserId`, `permission`, an optional `scope`, and an optional `expiresAt`.
+ * Any other key present — `actor`, `sourceKind`, `sourceRef`, any audit field, `createdAt`,
+ * `revokedAt`, a grant id, or anything claiming owner/effective-permission state — makes the
+ * whole body invalid rather than being silently dropped, so a caller cannot smuggle
+ * server-derived fields through a request that otherwise looks well-formed.
+ */
+function parseCreateGrantBody(raw: unknown): ParsedCreateGrantBody | undefined {
+  if (typeof raw !== "object" || raw === null || Array.isArray(raw)) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const body = raw as Record<string, unknown>;
+  if (Object.keys(body).some((key) => !CREATE_GRANT_ALLOWED_KEYS.has(key))) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  const subjectUserId = safeParseEkklesiaUserId(body.subjectUserId);
+  if (!subjectUserId.success) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  const permission = safeParsePermissionId(body.permission);
+  if (!permission.success) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  let scope: AuthorizationScope | undefined;
+  if (body.scope !== undefined) {
+    const parsedScope = safeParseAuthorizationScope(body.scope);
+    if (!parsedScope.success) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+    scope = parsedScope.data;
+  }
+
+  let expiresAt: Date | undefined;
+  if (body.expiresAt !== undefined) {
+    if (typeof body.expiresAt !== "string") {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+    const parsedDate = new Date(body.expiresAt);
+    if (Number.isNaN(parsedDate.getTime())) {
+      return undefined;
+    }
+    expiresAt = parsedDate;
+  }
+
+  return Object.freeze({
+    ...(expiresAt === undefined ? {} : { expiresAt }),
+    permission: permission.data,
+    ...(scope === undefined ? {} : { scope }),
+    subjectUserId: subjectUserId.data,
+  });
+}
+
+function serializeGrant(grant: GrantRecord) {
+  return {
+    createdAt: grant.createdAt.toISOString(),
+    expiresAt: grant.expiresAt ? grant.expiresAt.toISOString() : null,
+    id: grant.id,
+    permission: grant.permission,
+    revokedAt: grant.revokedAt ? grant.revokedAt.toISOString() : null,
+    scope: grant.scope ?? null,
+    sourceKind: grant.sourceKind,
+    userId: grant.userId,
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * The v1 explicit-grant management API: list, create, and revoke *explicit* grants only. Every
+ * route requires `core.authorization.grants.manage`; a platform owner passes through the
+ * evaluator's existing owner bypass without ever needing an explicit grant of this permission
+ * themselves — that bypass is exactly how a platform owner deliberately delegates grant
+ * administration to another account by granting them this one permission.
+ *
+ * Relationship-derived grants are never reachable through this API in either direction: creation
+ * always hard-codes `sourceKind: "explicit"` server-side (the request body cannot supply a
+ * `sourceKind` at all), and revocation is constrained to `sourceKind: "explicit"`, so attempting
+ * to revoke a relationship-derived grant by id behaves exactly like the grant does not exist —
+ * those grants remain owned by the module operation that established the relationship.
+ */
+export function createGrantsRoutes(options: CreateGrantsRoutesOptions): Hono {
+  const routes = new Hono();
+  const requireManagePermission = requirePermission(options, CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE);
+  const requireOrigin = requireTrustedOrigin(options.trustedOrigins);
+
+  routes.get("/api/v1/grants", requireManagePermission, async (c) => {
+    c.header("Cache-Control", "no-store");
+    const subjectUserId = safeParseEkklesiaUserId(c.req.query("userId"));
+    if (!subjectUserId.success) {
+      return c.json({ code: "INVALID_REQUEST" }, 400);
+    }
+    try {
+      const grants = await options.store.listGrantsForUser(subjectUserId.data, {
+        sourceKind: "explicit",
+      });
+      return c.json({ grants: grants.map(serializeGrant) }, 200);
+    } catch (error) {
+      return sanitizedStoreErrorResponse(c, error);
+    }
+  });
+
+  routes.post("/api/v1/grants", requireOrigin, requireManagePermission, async (c) => {
+    c.header("Cache-Control", "no-store");
+    const principal = getAuthorizedPrincipal(c);
+    if (!isAuthenticatedPrincipal(principal)) {
+      return c.json({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" }, 403);
+    }
+
+    let rawBody: unknown;
+    try {
+      rawBody = await c.req.json();
+    } catch {
+      return c.json({ code: "INVALID_REQUEST" }, 400);
+    }
+    const parsed = parseCreateGrantBody(rawBody);
+    if (!parsed) {
+      return c.json({ code: "INVALID_REQUEST" }, 400);
+    }
+
+    // A well-formed PermissionId is not necessarily a *registered* one. Only the trusted registry
+    // (never the request) decides what may be granted — the same registry `requireManagePermission`
+    // already consults for the caller's own `core.authorization.grants.manage` check — so a caller
+    // cannot pre-create a dormant grant for an invented identifier that later becomes effective the
+    // moment someone registers it. Sanitized identically to any other denial: this must never reveal
+    // whether the identifier was malformed (400, above) or simply unregistered (403, here).
+    if (!options.registry.has(parsed.permission)) {
+      return c.json({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" }, 403);
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const grant = await options.store.createGrant({
+        actor: createUserActor(principal.userId),
+        ...(parsed.expiresAt === undefined ? {} : { expiresAt: parsed.expiresAt }),
+        permission: parsed.permission,
+        ...(parsed.scope === undefined ? {} : { scope: parsed.scope }),
+        sourceKind: "explicit",
+        userId: parsed.subjectUserId,
+      });
+      return c.json({ grant: serializeGrant(grant) }, 201);
+    } catch (error) {
+      return sanitizedStoreErrorResponse(c, error);
+    }
+  });
+
+  routes.post(
+    "/api/v1/grants/:grantId/revoke",
+    requireOrigin,
+    requireManagePermission,
+    async (c) => {
+      c.header("Cache-Control", "no-store");
+      const principal = getAuthorizedPrincipal(c);
+      if (!isAuthenticatedPrincipal(principal)) {
+        return c.json({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" }, 403);
+      }
+
+      const grantId = safeParseGrantId(c.req.param("grantId"));
+      if (!grantId.success) {
+        return c.json({ code: "INVALID_REQUEST" }, 400);
+      }
+
+      try {
+        await options.store.revokeGrant({
+          actor: createUserActor(principal.userId),
+          grantId: grantId.data,
+          sourceKind: "explicit",
+        });
+        return c.json({ success: true }, 200);
+      } catch (error) {
+        return sanitizedStoreErrorResponse(c, error);
+      }
+    },
+  );
+
+  return routes;
+}
diff --git a/apps/api/src/server.ts b/apps/api/src/server.ts
index e492ab4..c4b2760 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/server.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/server.ts
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 import path from "node:path";
 import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 import {
-  createIdentityDrizzleDatabase,
-  createIdentityRuntime,
-  type IdentityDatabaseHandle,
-  type IdentityRateLimitOverride,
-} from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
+  createAuthorizationEvaluator,
+  createAuthorizationStore,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
+import { createIdentityRuntime, type IdentityRateLimitOverride } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
 import { serve, type ServerType } from "@hono/node-server";
 import type { Hono } from "hono";
 import { createApiApp } from "./app.js";
 import { type ApiRuntimeConfig, createApiRuntimeConfig } from "./config.js";
+import { type ApiDatabaseHandle, createApiDatabase } from "./database.js";
 
 const connectionTimeoutMs = 10_000;
 const operationTimeoutMs = 10_000;
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export interface StartApiOptions {
   readonly rateLimitOverride?: IdentityRateLimitOverride;
 }
 
-async function safeCloseDatabase(handle: IdentityDatabaseHandle): Promise<void> {
+async function safeCloseDatabase(handle: ApiDatabaseHandle): Promise<void> {
   try {
     await handle.close();
   } catch {
@@ -54,34 +54,47 @@ function bindServer(app: Hono, host: string, port: number): Promise<ServerType>
 }
 
 /**
- * Explicit runtime composition: constructs the PostgreSQL pool and Drizzle database, the Core
- * identity runtime, and the Hono application, then starts the Node HTTP server. Returns a handle
- * with an idempotent `shutdown()` so both the executable entry point and tests can stop the
- * server and close the database pool deterministically. Never applies migrations or generates
- * schema — the database must already be migrated through `pnpm migrations:apply`.
+ * Explicit runtime composition: constructs the one shared PostgreSQL pool (identity and
+ * authorization each get a typed Drizzle view over it — see `./database.js`), the Core identity
+ * runtime, the Core authorization store and evaluator, and the Hono application, then starts the
+ * Node HTTP server. Returns a handle with an idempotent `shutdown()` so both the executable entry
+ * point and tests can stop the server and close the shared pool deterministically. Never applies
+ * migrations or generates schema — the database must already be migrated through
+ * `pnpm migrations:apply`.
  */
 export async function startApi(
   config: ApiRuntimeConfig,
   options: StartApiOptions = {},
 ): Promise<RunningApi> {
-  const databaseHandle = createIdentityDrizzleDatabase(config.databaseUrl, {
+  const databaseHandle = createApiDatabase(config.databaseUrl, {
     connectionTimeoutMs,
     operationTimeoutMs,
   });
 
   let runtime: ReturnType<typeof createIdentityRuntime>;
+  let authorizationStore: ReturnType<typeof createAuthorizationStore>;
   try {
     runtime = createIdentityRuntime({
       config: config.identity,
-      db: databaseHandle.db,
+      db: databaseHandle.identity,
       ...(options.rateLimitOverride ? { rateLimitOverride: options.rateLimitOverride } : {}),
     });
+    authorizationStore = createAuthorizationStore(databaseHandle.authorization);
   } catch (error) {
     await safeCloseDatabase(databaseHandle);
     throw error;
   }
 
-  const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: config.identity.trustedOrigins });
+  const evaluator = createAuthorizationEvaluator({
+    grants: authorizationStore,
+    platformOwners: authorizationStore,
+  });
+
+  const app = createApiApp({
+    authorization: { evaluator, store: authorizationStore },
+    runtime,
+    trustedOrigins: config.identity.trustedOrigins,
+  });
 
   let server: ServerType;
   try {
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/api-http.integration.ts b/apps/api/tests/api-http.integration.ts
index 06b4d70..c997385 100644
--- a/apps/api/tests/api-http.integration.ts
+++ b/apps/api/tests/api-http.integration.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,12 @@ import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
 import { request as httpRequest } from "node:http";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import path from "node:path";
+import { parseEkklesiaUserId, parsePermissionId, SYSTEM_ACTOR } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  bootstrapPlatformOwner,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  createAuthorizationStore,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
 import {
   applyModuleMigrations,
   createPostgresMigrationDatabase,
@@ -174,13 +180,18 @@ async function applyCoreMigrations(url: string): Promise<void> {
         platformVersion: "0.1.0",
       },
     });
-    // Phase 4A's committed migration must not have drifted while building this transport slice.
+    // Phase 4A's and Phase 4C pass 1's committed migrations must not have drifted while building
+    // this transport slice.
     expect(aggregate.migrations.map((entry) => entry.identity)).toEqual([
       "core:0000_identity_core_tables",
+      "core:0001_authorization_core_tables",
     ]);
     expect(aggregate.migrations[0]?.checksum).toBe(
       "f8f2086ef06f7a6943e8ffc4350bb010b37aed04c0a72030d2b153c986b1325f",
     );
+    expect(aggregate.migrations[1]?.checksum).toBe(
+      "830e1fbc26d05af08df8d8710c3d10e1f3016d32c41b8363cb661c49afcbe81e",
+    );
     await applyModuleMigrations({ aggregate, database: createPostgresMigrationDatabase(url) });
   } finally {
     await rm(emptyModulesDirectory, { recursive: true, force: true });
@@ -807,3 +818,332 @@ describe.sequential("live API — Better Auth logging never leaks operational de
     }
   });
 });
+
+describe.sequential("live API — platform owner and delegated grant management", () => {
+  let database: { name: string; url: string };
+  let running: RunningApi;
+  let origin: string;
+  let ownerUserId: string;
+  let ownerCookie: string;
+  let managerUserId: string;
+  let managerCookie: string;
+  let createdGrantId: string;
+
+  const ownerEmail = "authz-owner@example.test";
+  const managerEmail = "authz-manager@example.test";
+  const password = "correct horse battery staple";
+  // Module permission registration does not exist yet, so `core.authorization.grants.manage` —
+  // the one permission `CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY` actually declares — stands in for "some
+  // registered permission" throughout this scenario's explicit-grant lifecycle.
+  const testPermission = "core.authorization.grants.manage";
+  // Well-formed (passes `PermissionId` shape validation) but never registered — used to prove the
+  // live route rejects it even for a caller who otherwise has full grant-management authority.
+  const unregisteredPermission = "calendar.events.read";
+
+  it("starts a freshly migrated API and signs up the eventual owner and eventual delegated manager", async () => {
+    database = await createDisposableDatabase("authz_http");
+    await applyCoreMigrations(database.url);
+    running = await startMigratedApi(database.url);
+    origin = apiOrigin(running);
+
+    const ownerSignUp = await signUp(origin, ownerEmail, password);
+    ownerUserId = ownerSignUp.body.user.id;
+    const managerSignUp = await signUp(origin, managerEmail, password);
+    managerUserId = managerSignUp.body.user.id;
+
+    const ownerSignIn = await signIn(origin, ownerEmail, password);
+    expect(ownerSignIn.cookiePair).toBeDefined();
+    ownerCookie = ownerSignIn.cookiePair as string;
+  });
+
+  it("denies grants access to an anonymous caller", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=${ownerUserId}`);
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" });
+  });
+
+  it("denies grants access to an authenticated caller with no owner authority and no grant", async () => {
+    const managerSignInBefore = await signIn(origin, managerEmail, password);
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=${ownerUserId}`, {
+      headers: { cookie: managerSignInBefore.cookiePair as string },
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+  });
+
+  it("bootstraps the owner via Core's real bootstrap operation, then confirms owner authority over the HTTP grants API", async () => {
+    // Exactly what `pnpm authorization:bootstrap-owner` would do, driven directly against the
+    // same disposable database the running API already uses — no second process needed to prove
+    // the HTTP layer honors real platform-owner state.
+    const { close, db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+    try {
+      await bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: parseEkklesiaUserId(ownerUserId) });
+    } finally {
+      await close();
+    }
+
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=${ownerUserId}`, {
+      headers: { cookie: ownerCookie },
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ grants: [] });
+  });
+
+  it("lets the owner delegate grants.manage to another account through the explicit-grant HTTP API", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants`, {
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        permission: "core.authorization.grants.manage",
+        subjectUserId: managerUserId,
+      }),
+      headers: {
+        "content-type": "application/json",
+        cookie: ownerCookie,
+        origin: dashboardOrigin,
+      },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    const body = (await response.json()) as { grant: { sourceKind: string; userId: string } };
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(201);
+    expect(body.grant.sourceKind).toBe("explicit");
+    expect(body.grant.userId).toBe(managerUserId);
+  });
+
+  it("lets the delegated manager — who is not a platform owner — manage another user's grants", async () => {
+    const managerSignIn = await signIn(origin, managerEmail, password);
+    expect(managerSignIn.cookiePair).toBeDefined();
+    managerCookie = managerSignIn.cookiePair as string;
+
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=${ownerUserId}`, {
+      headers: { cookie: managerCookie },
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a well-formed but unregistered permission even from a caller with full grant-management authority, and writes no grant or audit row", async () => {
+    const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+    try {
+      const grantCountBefore = await safeQuery<{ count: string }>(
+        admin,
+        `select count(*)::text as count from "ekklesia_core_grant" where permission_id = $1`,
+        [unregisteredPermission],
+      );
+      const auditCountBefore = await safeQuery<{ count: string }>(
+        admin,
+        `select count(*)::text as count from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where permission_id = $1`,
+        [unregisteredPermission],
+      );
+      expect(grantCountBefore[0]?.count).toBe("0");
+      expect(auditCountBefore[0]?.count).toBe("0");
+
+      const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants`, {
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+          permission: unregisteredPermission,
+          subjectUserId: managerUserId,
+        }),
+        headers: {
+          "content-type": "application/json",
+          cookie: managerCookie,
+          origin: dashboardOrigin,
+        },
+        method: "POST",
+      });
+      expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+      expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" });
+
+      const grantCountAfter = await safeQuery<{ count: string }>(
+        admin,
+        `select count(*)::text as count from "ekklesia_core_grant" where permission_id = $1`,
+        [unregisteredPermission],
+      );
+      const auditCountAfter = await safeQuery<{ count: string }>(
+        admin,
+        `select count(*)::text as count from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where permission_id = $1`,
+        [unregisteredPermission],
+      );
+      expect(grantCountAfter[0]?.count).toBe("0");
+      expect(auditCountAfter[0]?.count).toBe("0");
+    } finally {
+      await safeEnd(admin);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("creates an explicit grant via HTTP, deriving sourceKind and actor server-side, and records an atomic audit entry", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants`, {
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        permission: testPermission,
+        scope: "calendar-event:1",
+        subjectUserId: managerUserId,
+      }),
+      headers: {
+        "content-type": "application/json",
+        cookie: managerCookie,
+        origin: dashboardOrigin,
+      },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    const body = (await response.json()) as {
+      grant: { id: string; sourceKind: string; userId: string };
+    };
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(201);
+    expect(body.grant.sourceKind).toBe("explicit");
+    expect(body.grant.userId).toBe(managerUserId);
+    createdGrantId = body.grant.id;
+
+    const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+    try {
+      const rows = await safeQuery<{ action: string; actor_id: string | null }>(
+        admin,
+        `select action, actor_id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where grant_id = $1`,
+        [createdGrantId],
+      );
+      expect(rows).toEqual([{ action: "grant.create", actor_id: managerUserId }]);
+    } finally {
+      await safeEnd(admin);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("lists the explicit grant via HTTP", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=${managerUserId}`, {
+      headers: { cookie: ownerCookie },
+    });
+    const body = (await response.json()) as { grants: Array<{ id: string }> };
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(body.grants.some((grant) => grant.id === createdGrantId)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a create-grant request carrying disallowed fields such as actor or sourceKind, even alongside otherwise-valid fields", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants`, {
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        actor: { type: "system" },
+        permission: testPermission,
+        sourceKind: "relationship",
+        subjectUserId: managerUserId,
+      }),
+      headers: {
+        "content-type": "application/json",
+        cookie: ownerCookie,
+        origin: dashboardOrigin,
+      },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(400);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a mutation request with no trusted Origin header, and never returns a permissive CORS header", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants`, {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission: testPermission, subjectUserId: managerUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", cookie: ownerCookie },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN" });
+    expect(response.headers.get("access-control-allow-origin")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a mutation request from an untrusted Origin the same way", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants`, {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission: testPermission, subjectUserId: managerUserId }),
+      headers: {
+        "content-type": "application/json",
+        cookie: ownerCookie,
+        origin: untrustedOrigin,
+      },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(response.headers.get("access-control-allow-origin")).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("revokes the explicit grant via HTTP and records the revocation audit entry", async () => {
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants/${createdGrantId}/revoke`, {
+      headers: { cookie: ownerCookie, origin: dashboardOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ success: true });
+
+    const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+    try {
+      const rows = await safeQuery<{ action: string }>(
+        admin,
+        `select action from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where grant_id = $1 order by created_at`,
+        [createdGrantId],
+      );
+      expect(rows.map((row) => row.action)).toEqual(["grant.create", "grant.revoke"]);
+    } finally {
+      await safeEnd(admin);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("never exposes a relationship-derived grant through the generic list, create, or revoke HTTP API", async () => {
+    // Seeded directly through the store, simulating a module's own business operation — never
+    // through HTTP, which has no way to express sourceKind at all.
+    const { close, db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+    let relationshipGrantId: string;
+    try {
+      const store = createAuthorizationStore(db);
+      const relationshipGrant = await store.createGrant({
+        actor: SYSTEM_ACTOR,
+        permission: parsePermissionId("roster.volunteer.read"),
+        sourceKind: "relationship",
+        sourceRef: "roster:volunteer:99",
+        userId: parseEkklesiaUserId(managerUserId),
+      });
+      relationshipGrantId = relationshipGrant.id;
+    } finally {
+      await close();
+    }
+
+    const listResponse = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=${managerUserId}`, {
+      headers: { cookie: ownerCookie },
+    });
+    const listBody = (await listResponse.json()) as { grants: Array<{ id: string }> };
+    expect(listBody.grants.some((grant) => grant.id === relationshipGrantId)).toBe(false);
+
+    const revokeResponse = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants/${relationshipGrantId}/revoke`, {
+      headers: { cookie: ownerCookie, origin: dashboardOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    expect(revokeResponse.status).toBe(404);
+    expect(await revokeResponse.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND" });
+  });
+
+  it("shuts down cleanly, closing the one shared pool", async () => {
+    await running.shutdown();
+    const remainingConnections = await activeConnectionCount(database.name);
+    expect(remainingConnections).toBe(0);
+    await dropDatabase(database.name);
+  });
+});
+
+describe.sequential("live API — authorization infrastructure failure is never downgraded to a false denial", () => {
+  it("returns a sanitized 503, not a 403, when the database becomes unreachable mid-session", async () => {
+    const database = await createDisposableDatabase("authz_infra_failure");
+    await applyCoreMigrations(database.url);
+    const running = await startMigratedApi(database.url);
+    const origin = apiOrigin(running);
+
+    await signUp(origin, "authz-infra@example.test", "correct horse battery staple");
+    const { cookiePair } = await signIn(
+      origin,
+      "authz-infra@example.test",
+      "correct horse battery staple",
+    );
+    expect(cookiePair).toBeDefined();
+
+    // Force the database itself unreachable out from under the running API pool — the same
+    // technique the identity infra-failure test above uses, applied to a grants route this time.
+    await dropDatabase(database.name);
+
+    const response = await fetch(`${origin}/api/v1/grants?userId=does-not-matter`, {
+      headers: { cookie: cookiePair as string },
+    });
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    const body = (await response.json()) as { code: string };
+    expect(["PRINCIPAL_RESOLUTION_FAILED", "AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED"]).toContain(body.code);
+
+    await running.shutdown().catch(() => undefined);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/app.test.ts b/apps/api/tests/app.test.ts
index a9e9821..d2d590c 100644
--- a/apps/api/tests/app.test.ts
+++ b/apps/api/tests/app.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL, createAuthenticatedPrincipal } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import type { AuthorizationEvaluator, AuthorizationStore } from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
 import type { EkklesiaIdentityRuntime } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
 import { IdentityRuntimeError } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-import { createApiApp } from "../src/app.js";
+import { createApiApp, type CreateApiAppAuthorizationOptions } from "../src/app.js";
 
 const trustedOrigin = "https://dashboard.example.test";
 const untrustedOrigin = "https://evil.example.test";
@@ -15,10 +16,37 @@ function fakeRuntime(overrides: Partial<EkklesiaIdentityRuntime> = {}): Ekklesia
   };
 }
 
+/** A fully stubbed authorization dependency, denying everything by default — tests that need a
+ * specific decision or store behavior override the relevant method explicitly. */
+function fakeAuthorization(overrides: {
+  readonly evaluator?: Partial<AuthorizationEvaluator>;
+  readonly store?: Partial<AuthorizationStore>;
+}): CreateApiAppAuthorizationOptions {
+  const evaluator: AuthorizationEvaluator = {
+    authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: false }),
+    ...overrides.evaluator,
+  };
+  const store: AuthorizationStore = {
+    createGrant: vi.fn(),
+    grantPlatformOwner: vi.fn(),
+    hasActiveGrant: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false),
+    isPlatformOwner: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false),
+    listGrantsForUser: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+    revokeGrant: vi.fn(),
+    revokePlatformOwner: vi.fn(),
+    ...overrides.store,
+  };
+  return { evaluator, store };
+}
+
 describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   it("mounts Better Auth exactly under /api/auth/*", async () => {
     const runtime = fakeRuntime();
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime,
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/auth/sign-in/email", { method: "POST" });
 
@@ -29,7 +57,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
 
   it("does not route requests outside /api/auth/* to Better Auth", async () => {
     const runtime = fakeRuntime();
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime,
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/sign-in/email", { method: "POST" });
 
@@ -41,7 +73,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
     const runtime = fakeRuntime({
       resolvePrincipal: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL),
     });
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime,
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal");
 
@@ -55,7 +91,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
     const runtime = fakeRuntime({
       resolvePrincipal: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(createAuthenticatedPrincipal("user_123")),
     });
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime,
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal");
     const body = (await response.json()) as Record<string, unknown>;
@@ -71,7 +111,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
         .fn()
         .mockRejectedValue(new IdentityRuntimeError("PRINCIPAL_RESOLUTION_FAILED")),
     });
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime,
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal");
 
@@ -84,7 +128,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
     const runtime = fakeRuntime({
       handleAuthRequest: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("postgresql://admin:secret@db/x")),
     });
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime, trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime,
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/auth/sign-in/email", { method: "POST" });
     const body = await response.json();
@@ -96,7 +144,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   });
 
   it("has deterministic 404 behavior for an unknown route", async () => {
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime: fakeRuntime(), trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/does-not-exist");
 
@@ -105,7 +157,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   });
 
   it("reflects an allowed origin in Access-Control-Allow-Origin with credentials support", async () => {
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime: fakeRuntime(), trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal", {
       headers: { origin: trustedOrigin },
@@ -116,7 +172,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   });
 
   it("never returns Access-Control-Allow-Origin for a disallowed origin", async () => {
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime: fakeRuntime(), trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal", {
       headers: { origin: untrustedOrigin },
@@ -126,7 +186,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   });
 
   it("supports requests with no Origin header at all (native/server clients)", async () => {
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime: fakeRuntime(), trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal");
 
@@ -134,7 +198,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   });
 
   it("handles preflight OPTIONS requests deterministically for an allowed origin", async () => {
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime: fakeRuntime(), trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal", {
       headers: {
@@ -149,7 +217,11 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
   });
 
   it("never wildcards Access-Control-Allow-Origin", async () => {
-    const app = createApiApp({ runtime: fakeRuntime(), trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin] });
+    const app = createApiApp({
+      authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+      runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+      trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+    });
 
     const response = await app.request("/api/v1/principal", {
       headers: { origin: trustedOrigin },
@@ -158,10 +230,41 @@ describe("Ekklesia API Hono application", () => {
     expect(response.headers.get("access-control-allow-origin")).not.toBe("*");
   });
 
-  // "No generalized session/user object stored in Hono context" is verified by construction
-  // rather than by a black-box context probe: unlike Better Auth's own documented Hono example
-  // (which hydrates `c.set("user", session.user)` on every request), createApiApp never calls
-  // `c.set` at all — the only per-request identity data that ever exists is the narrow
-  // EkklesiaPrincipal returned directly from the /api/v1/principal handler above, whose exact
-  // shape (kind + userId only) is already asserted by the principal-shape tests in this file.
+  // Unlike Better Auth's own documented Hono example (which hydrates `c.set("user", session.user)`
+  // on every request), createApiApp only ever calls `c.set` once, for the narrow EkklesiaPrincipal
+  // (kind + userId only), and only on routes `requirePermission` actually protects — proven by the
+  // grants-routes tests, not by a black-box context probe here. `/api/v1/principal` itself still
+  // never touches `c.set`; its response shape is asserted directly above.
+
+  describe("grants routes mounting (see grants-routes.test.ts for full coverage)", () => {
+    it("mounts the v1 grants routes under /api/v1/grants", async () => {
+      const evaluatorAuthorize = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: false });
+      const app = createApiApp({
+        authorization: fakeAuthorization({ evaluator: { authorize: evaluatorAuthorize } }),
+        runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+        trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+      });
+
+      const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants?userId=user_123");
+
+      // Reaching the permission check (and being denied by it) proves the route is mounted and
+      // wired to the injected evaluator, rather than falling through to the 404 handler.
+      expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+      expect(evaluatorAuthorize).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
+    it("applies the same CORS policy to /api/v1/grants as the rest of /api/v1/*", async () => {
+      const app = createApiApp({
+        authorization: fakeAuthorization({}),
+        runtime: fakeRuntime(),
+        trustedOrigins: [trustedOrigin],
+      });
+
+      const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants?userId=user_123", {
+        headers: { origin: untrustedOrigin },
+      });
+
+      expect(response.headers.get("access-control-allow-origin")).toBeNull();
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/authorization-middleware.test.ts b/apps/api/tests/authorization-middleware.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c42136
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/tests/authorization-middleware.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+import {
+  ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+  createAuthenticatedPrincipal,
+  parsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationEvaluator,
+  createPermissionRegistry,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
+import type { EkklesiaIdentityRuntime } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
+import { Hono } from "hono";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions,
+  getAuthorizedPrincipal,
+  requirePermission,
+  requireTrustedOrigin,
+} from "../src/authorization-middleware.js";
+
+const testPermission = parsePermissionId("core.test.restricted-thing");
+const unregisteredPermission = parsePermissionId("core.test.unregistered-thing");
+const registry = createPermissionRegistry([
+  { baseline: "restricted", description: "A restricted test permission.", id: testPermission },
+]);
+
+function fakeRuntime(overrides: Partial<EkklesiaIdentityRuntime> = {}): EkklesiaIdentityRuntime {
+  return {
+    handleAuthRequest: vi.fn(),
+    resolvePrincipal: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL),
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function fakeEvaluator(overrides: Partial<AuthorizationEvaluator> = {}): AuthorizationEvaluator {
+  return {
+    authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: true }),
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function buildTestApp(options: Partial<AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions> = {}) {
+  const runtime = options.runtime ?? fakeRuntime();
+  const evaluator = options.evaluator ?? fakeEvaluator();
+  const middlewareOptions: AuthorizationMiddlewareOptions = { evaluator, registry, runtime };
+
+  const app = new Hono();
+  app.get("/protected", requirePermission(middlewareOptions, testPermission), (c) => {
+    const principal = getAuthorizedPrincipal(c);
+    return c.json({ principalKind: principal.kind });
+  });
+  app.get("/unregistered", requirePermission(middlewareOptions, unregisteredPermission), (c) =>
+    c.json({ ok: true }),
+  );
+  app.get("/unprotected", (c) => {
+    let threw = false;
+    try {
+      getAuthorizedPrincipal(c);
+    } catch {
+      threw = true;
+    }
+    return c.json({ threw });
+  });
+
+  return { app, evaluator, runtime };
+}
+
+describe("requirePermission", () => {
+  it("allows the request through and stores the resolved principal on context when the decision is allowed", async () => {
+    const runtime = fakeRuntime({
+      resolvePrincipal: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(createAuthenticatedPrincipal("user_1")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ runtime });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/protected");
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ principalKind: "authenticated" });
+  });
+
+  it("returns a sanitized 403 when the evaluator denies", async () => {
+    const evaluator = fakeEvaluator({ authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: false }) });
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ evaluator });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/protected");
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" });
+    expect(response.headers.get("cache-control")).toBe("no-store");
+  });
+
+  it("returns a sanitized 403 for an unregistered permission without ever resolving the principal", async () => {
+    const runtime = fakeRuntime();
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ runtime });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/unregistered");
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" });
+    expect(runtime.resolvePrincipal).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("returns a sanitized 503, not a 403, when principal resolution fails", async () => {
+    const runtime = fakeRuntime({
+      resolvePrincipal: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("connection terminated")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ runtime });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/protected");
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "PRINCIPAL_RESOLUTION_FAILED" });
+  });
+
+  it("returns a sanitized 503, not a 403, when evaluation itself fails", async () => {
+    const evaluator = fakeEvaluator({
+      authorize: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("connection terminated")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ evaluator });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/protected");
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED" });
+  });
+
+  it("never leaks a raw infrastructure error message through either sanitized 503", async () => {
+    const hostileMessage = "password=hunter2 host=db.internal.example port=5432";
+    const evaluator = fakeEvaluator({
+      authorize: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error(hostileMessage)),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ evaluator });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/protected");
+    const text = await response.text();
+
+    expect(text).not.toContain("hunter2");
+    expect(text).not.toContain("db.internal.example");
+  });
+
+  it("passes the registry's own baseline and permission id to the evaluator, never a client-supplied value", async () => {
+    const evaluator = fakeEvaluator();
+    const { app } = buildTestApp({ evaluator });
+
+    // A hostile client cannot even express "use this baseline instead" — there is no request
+    // field the middleware reads for it — but sending an unrelated header proves it is ignored.
+    await app.request("/protected", { headers: { "x-baseline": "public" } });
+
+    expect(evaluator.authorize).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ baseline: "restricted", permission: testPermission }),
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+describe("getAuthorizedPrincipal", () => {
+  it("throws when called on a route requirePermission never protected", async () => {
+    const { app } = buildTestApp();
+
+    const response = await app.request("/unprotected");
+
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ threw: true });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("requireTrustedOrigin", () => {
+  const trustedOrigins = new Set(["https://dashboard.example.test"]);
+
+  function buildOriginApp() {
+    const app = new Hono();
+    app.post("/mutate", requireTrustedOrigin(trustedOrigins), (c) => c.json({ ok: true }));
+    return app;
+  }
+
+  it("allows a request from a trusted origin", async () => {
+    const app = buildOriginApp();
+
+    const response = await app.request("/mutate", {
+      headers: { origin: "https://dashboard.example.test" },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a request with no Origin header at all", async () => {
+    const app = buildOriginApp();
+
+    const response = await app.request("/mutate", { method: "POST" });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN" });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a request from an untrusted origin", async () => {
+    const app = buildOriginApp();
+
+    const response = await app.request("/mutate", {
+      headers: { origin: "https://evil.example.test" },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN" });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/grants-routes.test.ts b/apps/api/tests/grants-routes.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b1b37c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/api/tests/grants-routes.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,375 @@
+import {
+  createAuthenticatedPrincipal,
+  parseAuthorizationScope,
+  parseEkklesiaUserId,
+  parseGrantId,
+  parsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationEvaluator,
+  type AuthorizationStore,
+  AuthorizationStoreError,
+  CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE,
+  CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY,
+} from "@ekklesia/core/authorization";
+import type { EkklesiaIdentityRuntime } from "@ekklesia/core/identity";
+import { Hono } from "hono";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { createGrantsRoutes } from "../src/grants-routes.js";
+
+const trustedOrigin = "https://dashboard.example.test";
+const untrustedOrigin = "https://evil.example.test";
+const manager = createAuthenticatedPrincipal("manager_1");
+const subjectUserId = parseEkklesiaUserId("subject_1");
+// Well-formed but never declared in `CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY` — used to prove the routes reject
+// (or, for listing, still return) an unregistered permission id rather than assuming registration.
+const permission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.read");
+// A permission `CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY` actually declares, so tests that must reach
+// `store.createGrant`/`store.revokeGrant` can do so without also depending on module permission
+// registration, which does not exist yet.
+const registeredPermission = CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE;
+const grantId = parseGrantId("11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111");
+
+function fakeRuntime(overrides: Partial<EkklesiaIdentityRuntime> = {}): EkklesiaIdentityRuntime {
+  return {
+    handleAuthRequest: vi.fn(),
+    resolvePrincipal: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(manager),
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function fakeStore(overrides: Partial<AuthorizationStore> = {}): AuthorizationStore {
+  return {
+    createGrant: vi.fn(),
+    grantPlatformOwner: vi.fn(),
+    hasActiveGrant: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false),
+    isPlatformOwner: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(false),
+    listGrantsForUser: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue([]),
+    revokeGrant: vi.fn(),
+    revokePlatformOwner: vi.fn(),
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+function buildApp(options: {
+  readonly allowed?: boolean;
+  readonly runtime?: EkklesiaIdentityRuntime;
+  readonly store?: AuthorizationStore;
+}) {
+  const evaluator: AuthorizationEvaluator = {
+    authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: options.allowed ?? true }),
+  };
+  const runtime = options.runtime ?? fakeRuntime();
+  const store = options.store ?? fakeStore();
+  const app = new Hono();
+  app.route(
+    "/",
+    createGrantsRoutes({
+      evaluator,
+      registry: CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY,
+      runtime,
+      store,
+      trustedOrigins: new Set([trustedOrigin]),
+    }),
+  );
+  return { app, evaluator, runtime, store };
+}
+
+describe("GET /api/v1/grants", () => {
+  it("denies an anonymous or non-manager authenticated caller (evaluator says no)", async () => {
+    const { app, evaluator } = buildApp({ allowed: false });
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants?userId=${subjectUserId}`);
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(evaluator.authorize).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ baseline: "restricted" }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("allows a caller the evaluator authorizes — whether by platform ownership or a delegated grants.manage grant, the route cannot tell and does not need to (see core/tests/authorization-evaluator.test.ts for that distinction)", async () => {
+    const grants = [
+      {
+        createdAt: new Date("2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"),
+        id: grantId,
+        permission,
+        sourceKind: "explicit" as const,
+        userId: subjectUserId,
+      },
+    ];
+    const store = fakeStore({ listGrantsForUser: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(grants) });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants?userId=${subjectUserId}`);
+    const body = (await response.json()) as { grants: unknown[] };
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(body.grants).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(store.listGrantsForUser).toHaveBeenCalledWith(subjectUserId, { sourceKind: "explicit" });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a missing or malformed userId query parameter", async () => {
+    const { app, store } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants?userId=");
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(400);
+    expect(store.listGrantsForUser).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("maps a store infrastructure failure to a sanitized 503", async () => {
+    const store = fakeStore({
+      listGrantsForUser: vi
+        .fn()
+        .mockRejectedValue(new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LIST_FAILED")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants?userId=${subjectUserId}`);
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LIST_FAILED" });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("POST /api/v1/grants", () => {
+  it("rejects a request with no trusted Origin header before ever checking permission", async () => {
+    const { app, evaluator } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission, subjectUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN" });
+    expect(evaluator.authorize).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an untrusted Origin header the same way", async () => {
+    const { app } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission, subjectUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: untrustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN" });
+  });
+
+  it("denies a caller the evaluator does not authorize", async () => {
+    const { app, store } = buildApp({ allowed: false });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission, subjectUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(store.createGrant).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("creates an explicit grant, deriving sourceKind and actor server-side from the authenticated principal, never from the request body", async () => {
+    const createdGrant = {
+      createdAt: new Date("2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"),
+      id: grantId,
+      permission: registeredPermission,
+      scope: parseAuthorizationScope("calendar-event:123"),
+      sourceKind: "explicit" as const,
+      userId: subjectUserId,
+    };
+    const store = fakeStore({ createGrant: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(createdGrant) });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({
+        permission: registeredPermission,
+        scope: "calendar-event:123",
+        subjectUserId,
+      }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+    const body = (await response.json()) as { grant: { id: string } };
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(201);
+    expect(body.grant.id).toBe(grantId);
+    expect(store.createGrant).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        actor: { type: "user", userId: manager.userId },
+        permission: registeredPermission,
+        scope: "calendar-event:123",
+        sourceKind: "explicit",
+        userId: subjectUserId,
+      }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a well-formed but unregistered permission with the same sanitized denial as an unauthorized caller, and never calls the store", async () => {
+    const { app, store } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission, subjectUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DENIED" });
+    expect(store.createGrant).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    "actor",
+    "owner",
+    "isOwner",
+    "sourceKind",
+    "sourceRef",
+    "id",
+    "grantId",
+    "createdAt",
+    "revokedAt",
+    "createdByActorId",
+    "effectivePermissions",
+  ])("rejects a request body carrying a disallowed field (%s), even alongside otherwise-valid fields", async (field) => {
+    const { app, store } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ [field]: "hostile-value", permission, subjectUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(400);
+    expect(store.createGrant).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a malformed permission, subject id, scope, or expiresAt", async () => {
+    const { app, store } = buildApp({});
+
+    const responses = await Promise.all(
+      [
+        { permission: "not-namespaced", subjectUserId },
+        { permission, subjectUserId: "" },
+        { permission, scope: "", subjectUserId },
+        { expiresAt: "not-a-date", permission, subjectUserId },
+      ].map((body) =>
+        app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+          body: JSON.stringify(body),
+          headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: trustedOrigin },
+          method: "POST",
+        }),
+      ),
+    );
+
+    for (const response of responses) {
+      expect(response.status).toBe(400);
+    }
+    expect(store.createGrant).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("maps a store infrastructure failure to a sanitized 503", async () => {
+    const store = fakeStore({
+      createGrant: vi
+        .fn()
+        .mockRejectedValue(new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants", {
+      body: JSON.stringify({ permission: registeredPermission, subjectUserId }),
+      headers: { "content-type": "application/json", origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED" });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("POST /api/v1/grants/:grantId/revoke", () => {
+  it("rejects a request with no trusted Origin header before ever checking permission", async () => {
+    const { app, evaluator } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants/${grantId}/revoke`, { method: "POST" });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(403);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN" });
+    expect(evaluator.authorize).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("revokes an explicit grant, deriving the actor server-side from the authenticated principal", async () => {
+    const store = fakeStore({ revokeGrant: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants/${grantId}/revoke`, {
+      headers: { origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ success: true });
+    expect(store.revokeGrant).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      actor: { type: "user", userId: manager.userId },
+      grantId,
+      sourceKind: "explicit",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("always constrains revocation to sourceKind explicit, so a relationship-derived grant can never be targeted by id", async () => {
+    // The store itself enforces this by treating a sourceKind mismatch exactly like a missing
+    // grant; this test proves the route always asks for that constraint, and correctly surfaces
+    // the resulting "not found" as 404 rather than leaking that the grant exists but is the wrong
+    // kind.
+    const store = fakeStore({
+      revokeGrant: vi
+        .fn()
+        .mockRejectedValue(new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants/${grantId}/revoke`, {
+      headers: { origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(404);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND" });
+    expect(store.revokeGrant).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ sourceKind: "explicit" }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a malformed grant id", async () => {
+    const { app, store } = buildApp({});
+
+    const response = await app.request("/api/v1/grants/%20/revoke", {
+      headers: { origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(400);
+    expect(store.revokeGrant).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("maps a store infrastructure failure to a sanitized 503", async () => {
+    const store = fakeStore({
+      revokeGrant: vi
+        .fn()
+        .mockRejectedValue(new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_REVOKE_FAILED")),
+    });
+    const { app } = buildApp({ store });
+
+    const response = await app.request(`/api/v1/grants/${grantId}/revoke`, {
+      headers: { origin: trustedOrigin },
+      method: "POST",
+    });
+
+    expect(response.status).toBe(503);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_REVOKE_FAILED" });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/api/tests/lifecycle.test.ts b/apps/api/tests/lifecycle.test.ts
index e52d31d..6e5a3dd 100644
--- a/apps/api/tests/lifecycle.test.ts
+++ b/apps/api/tests/lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -176,6 +176,26 @@ describe("Ekklesia API shutdown lifecycle", () => {
     expect(poolEnd).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it("constructs exactly one physical PostgreSQL pool for both the identity and authorization views, and closes only that one pool on shutdown", async () => {
+    const poolEnd = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: poolEnd, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    betterAuthMock.mockReturnValue({ api: { getSession: vi.fn() }, handler: vi.fn() });
+    mockSuccessfulServe();
+
+    const running = await startApi(validConfig());
+
+    // Identity (via Better Auth's Drizzle adapter) and authorization both read from the same
+    // running API, yet only one `new Pool(...)` call is ever made — proving the shared-pool
+    // composition in apps/api/src/database.ts never falls back to a second, independent pool.
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    await running.shutdown();
+
+    expect(poolEnd).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
   it("keeps shutdown idempotent for calls made after the first has already resolved", async () => {
     const poolEnd = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
     poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
@@ -205,6 +225,7 @@ describe("Ekklesia API shutdown lifecycle", () => {
       code: "IDENTITY_CONSTRUCTION_FAILED",
     });
 
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(poolEnd).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(serveMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
@@ -219,6 +240,7 @@ describe("Ekklesia API shutdown lifecycle", () => {
 
     await expect(startApi(validConfig())).rejects.toThrow();
 
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     expect(poolEnd).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
diff --git a/core/drizzle.config.ts b/core/drizzle.config.ts
index c7436db..77a35de 100644
--- a/core/drizzle.config.ts
+++ b/core/drizzle.config.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { defineConfig } from "drizzle-kit";
 
 export default defineConfig({
   dialect: "postgresql",
-  schema: "./src/identity/schema.ts",
+  schema: ["./src/identity/schema.ts", "./src/authorization/schema.ts"],
   out: "./drizzle",
   migrations: {
     prefix: "index",
diff --git a/core/drizzle/0001_authorization_core_tables.sql b/core/drizzle/0001_authorization_core_tables.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4964877
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/drizzle/0001_authorization_core_tables.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+CREATE TABLE "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" (
+	"id" uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() NOT NULL,
+	"action" text NOT NULL,
+	"actor_type" text NOT NULL,
+	"actor_id" text,
+	"subject_user_id" text NOT NULL,
+	"permission_id" text,
+	"scope" text,
+	"grant_id" uuid,
+	"created_at" timestamp with time zone DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_action_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"."action" in ('grant.create', 'grant.revoke', 'platform_owner.grant', 'platform_owner.revoke')),
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_actor_type_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"."actor_type" in ('user', 'system')),
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_scope_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"."scope" is null or length("ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"."scope") > 0)
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE TABLE "ekklesia_core_grant" (
+	"id" uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid() NOT NULL,
+	"user_id" text NOT NULL,
+	"permission_id" text NOT NULL,
+	"scope" text,
+	"source_kind" text NOT NULL,
+	"source_ref" text,
+	"created_at" timestamp with time zone DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
+	"created_by_actor_type" text NOT NULL,
+	"created_by_actor_id" text,
+	"expires_at" timestamp with time zone,
+	"revoked_at" timestamp with time zone,
+	"revoked_by_actor_type" text,
+	"revoked_by_actor_id" text,
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_grant_source_kind_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_grant"."source_kind" in ('explicit', 'relationship')),
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_grant_created_actor_type_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_grant"."created_by_actor_type" in ('user', 'system')),
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_grant_revoked_actor_type_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_grant"."revoked_by_actor_type" is null or "ekklesia_core_grant"."revoked_by_actor_type" in ('user', 'system'))
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE TABLE "ekklesia_core_platform_owner" (
+	"user_id" text PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+	"granted_at" timestamp with time zone DEFAULT now() NOT NULL,
+	"granted_by_actor_type" text NOT NULL,
+	"granted_by_actor_id" text,
+	"revoked_at" timestamp with time zone,
+	"revoked_by_actor_type" text,
+	"revoked_by_actor_id" text,
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_granted_actor_type_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_platform_owner"."granted_by_actor_type" in ('user', 'system')),
+	CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_revoked_actor_type_check" CHECK ("ekklesia_core_platform_owner"."revoked_by_actor_type" is null or "ekklesia_core_platform_owner"."revoked_by_actor_type" in ('user', 'system'))
+);
+--> statement-breakpoint
+ALTER TABLE "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" ADD CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk" FOREIGN KEY ("subject_user_id") REFERENCES "public"."ekklesia_core_user"("id") ON DELETE cascade ON UPDATE no action;--> statement-breakpoint
+ALTER TABLE "ekklesia_core_grant" ADD CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_grant_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk" FOREIGN KEY ("user_id") REFERENCES "public"."ekklesia_core_user"("id") ON DELETE cascade ON UPDATE no action;--> statement-breakpoint
+ALTER TABLE "ekklesia_core_platform_owner" ADD CONSTRAINT "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk" FOREIGN KEY ("user_id") REFERENCES "public"."ekklesia_core_user"("id") ON DELETE cascade ON UPDATE no action;--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE INDEX "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_idx" ON "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" USING btree ("subject_user_id");--> statement-breakpoint
+CREATE INDEX "ekklesia_core_grant_user_permission_idx" ON "ekklesia_core_grant" USING btree ("user_id","permission_id");
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/drizzle/meta/0001_snapshot.json b/core/drizzle/meta/0001_snapshot.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80f55ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/drizzle/meta/0001_snapshot.json
@@ -0,0 +1,683 @@
+{
+  "id": "dfd53f55-6e2a-45e1-9962-469ea6eca6e7",
+  "prevId": "42cf39d2-7833-4bf3-9043-4e5303da8a75",
+  "version": "7",
+  "dialect": "postgresql",
+  "tables": {
+    "public.ekklesia_core_account": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_account",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "id": {
+          "name": "id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "account_id": {
+          "name": "account_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "provider_id": {
+          "name": "provider_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "user_id": {
+          "name": "user_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "access_token": {
+          "name": "access_token",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "refresh_token": {
+          "name": "refresh_token",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "id_token": {
+          "name": "id_token",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "access_token_expires_at": {
+          "name": "access_token_expires_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "refresh_token_expires_at": {
+          "name": "refresh_token_expires_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "scope": {
+          "name": "scope",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "password": {
+          "name": "password",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "created_at": {
+          "name": "created_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        },
+        "updated_at": {
+          "name": "updated_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {
+        "ekklesia_core_account_user_id_idx": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_account_user_id_idx",
+          "columns": [
+            {
+              "expression": "user_id",
+              "isExpression": false,
+              "asc": true,
+              "nulls": "last"
+            }
+          ],
+          "isUnique": false,
+          "concurrently": false,
+          "method": "btree",
+          "with": {}
+        }
+      },
+      "foreignKeys": {
+        "ekklesia_core_account_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_account_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk",
+          "tableFrom": "ekklesia_core_account",
+          "tableTo": "ekklesia_core_user",
+          "columnsFrom": ["user_id"],
+          "columnsTo": ["id"],
+          "onDelete": "cascade",
+          "onUpdate": "no action"
+        }
+      },
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {},
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {},
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    },
+    "public.ekklesia_core_session": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_session",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "id": {
+          "name": "id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "expires_at": {
+          "name": "expires_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "token": {
+          "name": "token",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "created_at": {
+          "name": "created_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        },
+        "updated_at": {
+          "name": "updated_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "ip_address": {
+          "name": "ip_address",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "user_agent": {
+          "name": "user_agent",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "user_id": {
+          "name": "user_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {
+        "ekklesia_core_session_user_id_idx": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_session_user_id_idx",
+          "columns": [
+            {
+              "expression": "user_id",
+              "isExpression": false,
+              "asc": true,
+              "nulls": "last"
+            }
+          ],
+          "isUnique": false,
+          "concurrently": false,
+          "method": "btree",
+          "with": {}
+        }
+      },
+      "foreignKeys": {
+        "ekklesia_core_session_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_session_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk",
+          "tableFrom": "ekklesia_core_session",
+          "tableTo": "ekklesia_core_user",
+          "columnsFrom": ["user_id"],
+          "columnsTo": ["id"],
+          "onDelete": "cascade",
+          "onUpdate": "no action"
+        }
+      },
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {
+        "ekklesia_core_session_token_unique": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_session_token_unique",
+          "nullsNotDistinct": false,
+          "columns": ["token"]
+        }
+      },
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {},
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    },
+    "public.ekklesia_core_user": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_user",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "id": {
+          "name": "id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "name": {
+          "name": "name",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "email": {
+          "name": "email",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "email_verified": {
+          "name": "email_verified",
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": false
+        },
+        "image": {
+          "name": "image",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "created_at": {
+          "name": "created_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        },
+        "updated_at": {
+          "name": "updated_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {},
+      "foreignKeys": {},
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {
+        "ekklesia_core_user_email_unique": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_user_email_unique",
+          "nullsNotDistinct": false,
+          "columns": ["email"]
+        }
+      },
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {},
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    },
+    "public.ekklesia_core_verification": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_verification",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "id": {
+          "name": "id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "identifier": {
+          "name": "identifier",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "value": {
+          "name": "value",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "expires_at": {
+          "name": "expires_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "created_at": {
+          "name": "created_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        },
+        "updated_at": {
+          "name": "updated_at",
+          "type": "timestamp",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {
+        "ekklesia_core_verification_identifier_idx": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_verification_identifier_idx",
+          "columns": [
+            {
+              "expression": "identifier",
+              "isExpression": false,
+              "asc": true,
+              "nulls": "last"
+            }
+          ],
+          "isUnique": false,
+          "concurrently": false,
+          "method": "btree",
+          "with": {}
+        }
+      },
+      "foreignKeys": {},
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {},
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {},
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    },
+    "public.ekklesia_core_authorization_audit": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "id": {
+          "name": "id",
+          "type": "uuid",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "gen_random_uuid()"
+        },
+        "action": {
+          "name": "action",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "actor_type": {
+          "name": "actor_type",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "actor_id": {
+          "name": "actor_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "subject_user_id": {
+          "name": "subject_user_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "permission_id": {
+          "name": "permission_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "scope": {
+          "name": "scope",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "grant_id": {
+          "name": "grant_id",
+          "type": "uuid",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "created_at": {
+          "name": "created_at",
+          "type": "timestamp with time zone",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {
+        "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_idx": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_idx",
+          "columns": [
+            {
+              "expression": "subject_user_id",
+              "isExpression": false,
+              "asc": true,
+              "nulls": "last"
+            }
+          ],
+          "isUnique": false,
+          "concurrently": false,
+          "method": "btree",
+          "with": {}
+        }
+      },
+      "foreignKeys": {
+        "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk",
+          "tableFrom": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit",
+          "tableTo": "ekklesia_core_user",
+          "columnsFrom": ["subject_user_id"],
+          "columnsTo": ["id"],
+          "onDelete": "cascade",
+          "onUpdate": "no action"
+        }
+      },
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {},
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {
+        "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_action_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_action_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_authorization_audit\".\"action\" in ('grant.create', 'grant.revoke', 'platform_owner.grant', 'platform_owner.revoke')"
+        },
+        "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_actor_type_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_actor_type_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_authorization_audit\".\"actor_type\" in ('user', 'system')"
+        },
+        "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_scope_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_scope_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_authorization_audit\".\"scope\" is null or length(\"ekklesia_core_authorization_audit\".\"scope\") > 0"
+        }
+      },
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    },
+    "public.ekklesia_core_grant": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_grant",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "id": {
+          "name": "id",
+          "type": "uuid",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "gen_random_uuid()"
+        },
+        "user_id": {
+          "name": "user_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "permission_id": {
+          "name": "permission_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "scope": {
+          "name": "scope",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "source_kind": {
+          "name": "source_kind",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "source_ref": {
+          "name": "source_ref",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "created_at": {
+          "name": "created_at",
+          "type": "timestamp with time zone",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        },
+        "created_by_actor_type": {
+          "name": "created_by_actor_type",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "created_by_actor_id": {
+          "name": "created_by_actor_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "expires_at": {
+          "name": "expires_at",
+          "type": "timestamp with time zone",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "revoked_at": {
+          "name": "revoked_at",
+          "type": "timestamp with time zone",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "revoked_by_actor_type": {
+          "name": "revoked_by_actor_type",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "revoked_by_actor_id": {
+          "name": "revoked_by_actor_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {
+        "ekklesia_core_grant_user_permission_idx": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_grant_user_permission_idx",
+          "columns": [
+            {
+              "expression": "user_id",
+              "isExpression": false,
+              "asc": true,
+              "nulls": "last"
+            },
+            {
+              "expression": "permission_id",
+              "isExpression": false,
+              "asc": true,
+              "nulls": "last"
+            }
+          ],
+          "isUnique": false,
+          "concurrently": false,
+          "method": "btree",
+          "with": {}
+        }
+      },
+      "foreignKeys": {
+        "ekklesia_core_grant_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_grant_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk",
+          "tableFrom": "ekklesia_core_grant",
+          "tableTo": "ekklesia_core_user",
+          "columnsFrom": ["user_id"],
+          "columnsTo": ["id"],
+          "onDelete": "cascade",
+          "onUpdate": "no action"
+        }
+      },
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {},
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {
+        "ekklesia_core_grant_source_kind_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_grant_source_kind_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_grant\".\"source_kind\" in ('explicit', 'relationship')"
+        },
+        "ekklesia_core_grant_created_actor_type_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_grant_created_actor_type_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_grant\".\"created_by_actor_type\" in ('user', 'system')"
+        },
+        "ekklesia_core_grant_revoked_actor_type_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_grant_revoked_actor_type_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_grant\".\"revoked_by_actor_type\" is null or \"ekklesia_core_grant\".\"revoked_by_actor_type\" in ('user', 'system')"
+        }
+      },
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    },
+    "public.ekklesia_core_platform_owner": {
+      "name": "ekklesia_core_platform_owner",
+      "schema": "",
+      "columns": {
+        "user_id": {
+          "name": "user_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": true,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "granted_at": {
+          "name": "granted_at",
+          "type": "timestamp with time zone",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true,
+          "default": "now()"
+        },
+        "granted_by_actor_type": {
+          "name": "granted_by_actor_type",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": true
+        },
+        "granted_by_actor_id": {
+          "name": "granted_by_actor_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "revoked_at": {
+          "name": "revoked_at",
+          "type": "timestamp with time zone",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "revoked_by_actor_type": {
+          "name": "revoked_by_actor_type",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        },
+        "revoked_by_actor_id": {
+          "name": "revoked_by_actor_id",
+          "type": "text",
+          "primaryKey": false,
+          "notNull": false
+        }
+      },
+      "indexes": {},
+      "foreignKeys": {
+        "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_user_id_ekklesia_core_user_id_fk",
+          "tableFrom": "ekklesia_core_platform_owner",
+          "tableTo": "ekklesia_core_user",
+          "columnsFrom": ["user_id"],
+          "columnsTo": ["id"],
+          "onDelete": "cascade",
+          "onUpdate": "no action"
+        }
+      },
+      "compositePrimaryKeys": {},
+      "uniqueConstraints": {},
+      "policies": {},
+      "checkConstraints": {
+        "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_granted_actor_type_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_granted_actor_type_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_platform_owner\".\"granted_by_actor_type\" in ('user', 'system')"
+        },
+        "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_revoked_actor_type_check": {
+          "name": "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_revoked_actor_type_check",
+          "value": "\"ekklesia_core_platform_owner\".\"revoked_by_actor_type\" is null or \"ekklesia_core_platform_owner\".\"revoked_by_actor_type\" in ('user', 'system')"
+        }
+      },
+      "isRLSEnabled": false
+    }
+  },
+  "enums": {},
+  "schemas": {},
+  "sequences": {},
+  "roles": {},
+  "policies": {},
+  "views": {},
+  "_meta": {
+    "columns": {},
+    "schemas": {},
+    "tables": {}
+  }
+}
diff --git a/core/drizzle/meta/_ekklesia.json b/core/drizzle/meta/_ekklesia.json
index 07be324..856273c 100644
--- a/core/drizzle/meta/_ekklesia.json
+++ b/core/drizzle/meta/_ekklesia.json
@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@
       "destructive": {
         "mode": "none"
       }
+    },
+    {
+      "tag": "0001_authorization_core_tables",
+      "destructive": {
+        "mode": "none"
+      }
     }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/core/drizzle/meta/_journal.json b/core/drizzle/meta/_journal.json
index c6f7b2b..3d8715f 100644
--- a/core/drizzle/meta/_journal.json
+++ b/core/drizzle/meta/_journal.json
@@ -8,6 +8,13 @@
       "when": 1784668552522,
       "tag": "0000_identity_core_tables",
       "breakpoints": true
+    },
+    {
+      "idx": 1,
+      "version": "7",
+      "when": 1784819635300,
+      "tag": "0001_authorization_core_tables",
+      "breakpoints": true
     }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/core/package.json b/core/package.json
index a25d3b7..1f46033 100644
--- a/core/package.json
+++ b/core/package.json
@@ -26,6 +26,14 @@
     "./identity": {
       "types": "./dist/identity/index.d.ts",
       "import": "./dist/identity/index.js"
+    },
+    "./authorization": {
+      "types": "./dist/authorization/index.d.ts",
+      "import": "./dist/authorization/index.js"
+    },
+    "./database": {
+      "types": "./dist/database/index.d.ts",
+      "import": "./dist/database/index.js"
     }
   },
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/bootstrap.ts b/core/src/authorization/bootstrap.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab18850
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/bootstrap.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+import type { EkklesiaUserId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import { eq, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { ekklesiaCoreUser } from "../identity/schema.js";
+import type { AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase } from "./database.js";
+import { ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit, ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner } from "./schema.js";
+
+export type PlatformOwnerBootstrapErrorCode =
+  | "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED"
+  | "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_FAILED"
+  | "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_USER_NOT_FOUND";
+
+const bootstrapErrorMessages: Readonly<Record<PlatformOwnerBootstrapErrorCode, string>> =
+  Object.freeze({
+    PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED:
+      "Platform-owner bootstrap has already been used and cannot be used again.",
+    PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_FAILED: "Platform-owner bootstrap could not be completed.",
+    PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_USER_NOT_FOUND: "The target user does not exist.",
+  });
+
+/** Never carries the underlying database error, SQL text, host, port, path, or stack. */
+export class PlatformOwnerBootstrapError extends Error {
+  readonly code: PlatformOwnerBootstrapErrorCode;
+
+  constructor(code: PlatformOwnerBootstrapErrorCode) {
+    super(bootstrapErrorMessages[code]);
+    this.name = "PlatformOwnerBootstrapError";
+    this.code = code;
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+}
+
+function isPlatformOwnerBootstrapError(error: unknown): error is PlatformOwnerBootstrapError {
+  return error instanceof PlatformOwnerBootstrapError;
+}
+
+/** A fixed, sanitized, non-user actor identity for the audit trail — distinguishable from both an
+ * ordinary "system" action with no specific actor and from any real `EkklesiaUserId`, so an
+ * auditor can tell this owner grant came specifically from the bootstrap command. Never a real
+ * user id and never derived from caller input. */
+const BOOTSTRAP_ACTOR_TYPE = "system";
+const BOOTSTRAP_ACTOR_ID = "authorization-bootstrap-cli";
+
+// A dedicated advisory-lock key pair, distinct from `core/src/migrations/postgres-database.ts`'s
+// migration lock, so bootstrap serialization can never collide with or be blocked by unrelated
+// migration locking. `pg_advisory_xact_lock` is transaction-scoped: it is released automatically
+// on COMMIT or ROLLBACK, so no manual unlock is needed even if the transaction fails partway.
+const bootstrapLockNamespace = 1_500_000_001;
+const bootstrapLockKey = 1_500_000_002;
+
+export interface BootstrapPlatformOwnerInput {
+  readonly userId: EkklesiaUserId;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Core's dedicated, Hono-independent platform-owner bootstrap operation. Deliberately not a
+ * composition of "check, then call the existing grant function": the single-use check, the target
+ * user's existence check, the owner-grant insert, and its audit entry are all one PostgreSQL
+ * transaction, serialized by a transaction-scoped advisory lock acquired as the very first
+ * statement — so two concurrent callers can never both observe "no owner yet" and both insert.
+ * The second caller blocks on the lock until the first's transaction commits or rolls back, then
+ * re-evaluates against the now-current state.
+ *
+ * "Already consumed" is global and permanent: it is true the moment
+ * `ekklesia_core_platform_owner` has ever held any row for any user, including one whose
+ * `revoked_at` is set — a later, separate owner-management flow (not part of this slice) is how a
+ * platform owner would ever be re-established after a revocation, not this command.
+ */
+export async function bootstrapPlatformOwner(
+  db: AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  input: BootstrapPlatformOwnerInput,
+): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
+      await tx.execute(
+        sql`select pg_advisory_xact_lock(${bootstrapLockNamespace}, ${bootstrapLockKey})`,
+      );
+
+      const existingOwnerRows = await tx
+        .select({ userId: ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.userId })
+        .from(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner)
+        .limit(1);
+      if (existingOwnerRows.length > 0) {
+        throw new PlatformOwnerBootstrapError("PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED");
+      }
+
+      const targetUserRows = await tx
+        .select({ id: ekklesiaCoreUser.id })
+        .from(ekklesiaCoreUser)
+        .where(eq(ekklesiaCoreUser.id, input.userId))
+        .limit(1);
+      if (targetUserRows.length === 0) {
+        throw new PlatformOwnerBootstrapError("PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_USER_NOT_FOUND");
+      }
+
+      await tx.insert(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner).values({
+        grantedByActorId: BOOTSTRAP_ACTOR_ID,
+        grantedByActorType: BOOTSTRAP_ACTOR_TYPE,
+        userId: input.userId,
+      });
+
+      await tx.insert(ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit).values({
+        action: "platform_owner.grant",
+        actorId: BOOTSTRAP_ACTOR_ID,
+        actorType: BOOTSTRAP_ACTOR_TYPE,
+        subjectUserId: input.userId,
+      });
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (isPlatformOwnerBootstrapError(error)) {
+      throw error;
+    }
+    throw new PlatformOwnerBootstrapError("PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_FAILED");
+  }
+}
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/database.ts b/core/src/authorization/database.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8050614
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/database.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+import { drizzle, type NodePgDatabase } from "drizzle-orm/node-postgres";
+import { Pool, type PoolConfig } from "pg";
+import { authorizationSchema } from "./schema.js";
+
+export type AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase = NodePgDatabase<typeof authorizationSchema>;
+
+export type AuthorizationDatabaseErrorCode = "AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID";
+
+const maximumPostgresTimeoutMs = 2_147_483_647;
+
+/** Never carries the offending connection string, host, or underlying driver error. */
+export class AuthorizationDatabaseError extends Error {
+  readonly code: AuthorizationDatabaseErrorCode;
+
+  constructor(code: AuthorizationDatabaseErrorCode) {
+    super("Authorization database configuration is invalid.");
+    this.name = "AuthorizationDatabaseError";
+    this.code = code;
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+}
+
+export interface AuthorizationDatabaseOptions {
+  readonly connectionTimeoutMs?: number;
+  /** Bounds both `query_timeout` and `statement_timeout`, mirroring
+   * `core/src/identity/database.ts`: `connectionTimeoutMs` alone only bounds establishing a
+   * connection, not a hung query already running on one. */
+  readonly operationTimeoutMs?: number;
+}
+
+export interface AuthorizationDatabaseHandle {
+  readonly close: () => Promise<void>;
+  readonly db: AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase;
+}
+
+function validateConnectionString(connectionString: string): string {
+  if (connectionString.trim().length === 0) {
+    throw new AuthorizationDatabaseError("AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  let protocol: string;
+  try {
+    protocol = new URL(connectionString).protocol;
+  } catch {
+    throw new AuthorizationDatabaseError("AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  if (protocol !== "postgres:" && protocol !== "postgresql:") {
+    throw new AuthorizationDatabaseError("AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  return connectionString;
+}
+
+/** Mirrors `core/src/identity/database.ts`'s timeout validation exactly: an explicit timeout must
+ * be a positive safe integer no larger than PostgreSQL's own maximum, or it is rejected as invalid
+ * configuration rather than silently passed through to `pg`. */
+function validateTimeout(value: unknown): number | undefined {
+  if (value === undefined) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (
+    typeof value !== "number" ||
+    !Number.isSafeInteger(value) ||
+    value <= 0 ||
+    value > maximumPostgresTimeoutMs
+  ) {
+    throw new AuthorizationDatabaseError("AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Explicitly constructs the Core-owned Drizzle database instance backing the authorization store.
+ * Building the `pg.Pool` performs no network I/O until a query is issued, and this function is
+ * only ever invoked by explicit caller code — never during module import.
+ */
+export function createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(
+  connectionString: string,
+  options: AuthorizationDatabaseOptions = {},
+): AuthorizationDatabaseHandle {
+  const validatedConnectionString = validateConnectionString(connectionString);
+  const validatedConnectionTimeoutMs = validateTimeout(options.connectionTimeoutMs);
+  const validatedOperationTimeoutMs = validateTimeout(options.operationTimeoutMs);
+  const poolConfig: PoolConfig = {
+    connectionString: validatedConnectionString,
+    ...(validatedConnectionTimeoutMs === undefined
+      ? {}
+      : { connectionTimeoutMillis: validatedConnectionTimeoutMs }),
+    ...(validatedOperationTimeoutMs === undefined
+      ? {}
+      : {
+          query_timeout: validatedOperationTimeoutMs,
+          statement_timeout: validatedOperationTimeoutMs,
+        }),
+  };
+
+  const pool = new Pool(poolConfig);
+  // Same rationale as core/src/identity/database.ts: pg's own documentation requires an error
+  // listener on the pool, or a server-initiated termination of an idle client becomes an
+  // unhandled Node.js error and can crash the process.
+  pool.on("error", () => undefined);
+  const db = drizzle(pool, { schema: authorizationSchema });
+
+  return Object.freeze({
+    close: () => pool.end(),
+    db,
+  });
+}
+
+/**
+ * A typed Drizzle view over an externally owned pool — for example one shared with the identity
+ * schema via `createValidatedPostgresPool` (`core/src/database/pool.ts`). Unlike
+ * `createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase`, this function never constructs, registers an error
+ * listener on, or closes a pool itself: the caller retains that responsibility exactly once,
+ * regardless of how many typed views it creates over the same pool.
+ */
+export function createAuthorizationDrizzleView(pool: Pool): AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase {
+  return drizzle(pool, { schema: authorizationSchema });
+}
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/evaluator.ts b/core/src/authorization/evaluator.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b8f43a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/evaluator.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+import {
+  AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED,
+  AUTHORIZATION_DENIED,
+  type AuthorizationDecision,
+  type AuthorizationScope,
+  type EkklesiaPrincipal,
+  isAuthenticatedPrincipal,
+  permissionBaselineSchema,
+  safeParseAuthorizationScope,
+  safeParsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import type { AuthorizationGrantPort, AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort } from "./ports.js";
+
+export type AuthorizationEvaluationErrorCode = "AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED";
+
+/** Never carries the underlying port error, database error, cause, stack, or any other internal
+ * detail — defense in depth on top of whatever sanitization the injected ports themselves already
+ * perform (`core/src/authorization/store.ts` already sanitizes), exactly like
+ * `core/src/identity/runtime.ts`'s `resolvePrincipal` re-sanitizes on top of Better Auth's own
+ * error handling rather than trusting it exclusively. */
+export class AuthorizationEvaluationError extends Error {
+  readonly code: AuthorizationEvaluationErrorCode;
+
+  constructor() {
+    super("The authorization decision could not be evaluated.");
+    this.name = "AuthorizationEvaluationError";
+    this.code = "AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED";
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+}
+
+export interface AuthorizeRequest {
+  readonly principal: EkklesiaPrincipal;
+  /** Validated internally via the branded `PermissionId` schema *before any baseline can return an
+   * allowed decision* — a malformed or unrecognizable value denies rather than throwing, for
+   * `public` and `authenticated` baselines exactly as much as `restricted`. This is shape
+   * validation only: the evaluator has no registry and cannot tell a well-formed-but-unregistered
+   * permission from one that is actually registered. Only a trusted caller consulting a
+   * `PermissionRegistry` (`core/src/authorization/permissions.ts`) before calling `authorize` can
+   * make that distinction — see that module and `apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts`. */
+  readonly permission: unknown;
+  /** Validated internally against the known `public`/`authenticated`/`restricted` set; anything
+   * else denies rather than throwing, for the same fail-closed reason. */
+  readonly baseline: unknown;
+  /** Optional; validated internally when present. Absent means an unscoped check. */
+  readonly scope?: unknown;
+}
+
+export interface AuthorizationEvaluator {
+  authorize(request: AuthorizeRequest): Promise<AuthorizationDecision>;
+}
+
+export interface CreateAuthorizationEvaluatorOptions {
+  readonly grants: AuthorizationGrantPort;
+  readonly platformOwners: AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort;
+  /** Injectable clock so expiration evaluation is deterministic and testable. Defaults to the
+   * real wall clock; production composition must leave this unset. */
+  readonly now?: () => Date;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Core's Hono-independent, deny-by-default authorization evaluator. It is the only place
+ * Ekklesia decides whether a principal may exercise a permission, and it never trusts anything
+ * the caller supplies beyond `principal`/`permission`/`baseline`/`scope` — there is no field for a
+ * caller to assert "I am the owner" or "I already have this grant." Owner and grant state are
+ * always re-derived from the injected ports for every call.
+ *
+ * A genuine infrastructure failure from either port (for example a database outage) is
+ * deliberately NOT swallowed into a `denied` decision here: it propagates to the caller as a
+ * thrown, sanitized `AuthorizationEvaluationError`, exactly like Core's identity
+ * `resolvePrincipal` never silently downgrades an outage to "anonymous." Only a genuinely
+ * malformed or unrecognized permission/baseline/scope — a deterministic, expected input problem,
+ * not an infrastructure failure — resolves to `denied` without throwing.
+ */
+export function createAuthorizationEvaluator(
+  options: CreateAuthorizationEvaluatorOptions,
+): AuthorizationEvaluator {
+  const now = options.now ?? (() => new Date());
+
+  return Object.freeze({
+    authorize: async (request: AuthorizeRequest): Promise<AuthorizationDecision> => {
+      const parsedBaseline = permissionBaselineSchema.safeParse(request.baseline);
+      if (!parsedBaseline.success) {
+        return AUTHORIZATION_DENIED;
+      }
+
+      // Shape-validated before any baseline is allowed to return `allowed` — a malformed
+      // permission id must deny under `public` and `authenticated` exactly as much as under
+      // `restricted`, even though neither of the first two ever reads `parsedPermission.data`.
+      // This is a pure, synchronous check: it never touches the grant or platform-owner ports, so
+      // `public`/`authenticated` still resolve with no database lookup at all.
+      const parsedPermission = safeParsePermissionId(request.permission);
+      if (!parsedPermission.success) {
+        return AUTHORIZATION_DENIED;
+      }
+
+      if (parsedBaseline.data === "public") {
+        return AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED;
+      }
+
+      if (parsedBaseline.data === "authenticated") {
+        return isAuthenticatedPrincipal(request.principal)
+          ? AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED
+          : AUTHORIZATION_DENIED;
+      }
+
+      // parsedBaseline.data === "restricted": requires an authenticated principal AND
+      // (an active matching grant OR platform-owner authority). Baseline alone never satisfies it.
+      if (!isAuthenticatedPrincipal(request.principal)) {
+        return AUTHORIZATION_DENIED;
+      }
+
+      let scope: AuthorizationScope | undefined;
+      if (request.scope !== undefined) {
+        const parsedScope = safeParseAuthorizationScope(request.scope);
+        if (!parsedScope.success) {
+          return AUTHORIZATION_DENIED;
+        }
+        scope = parsedScope.data;
+      }
+
+      const userId = request.principal.userId;
+      let isOwner: boolean;
+      let hasGrant: boolean;
+      try {
+        [isOwner, hasGrant] = await Promise.all([
+          options.platformOwners.isPlatformOwner(userId),
+          options.grants.hasActiveGrant({
+            now: now(),
+            permission: parsedPermission.data,
+            userId,
+            ...(scope === undefined ? {} : { scope }),
+          }),
+        ]);
+      } catch {
+        throw new AuthorizationEvaluationError();
+      }
+
+      return isOwner || hasGrant ? AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED : AUTHORIZATION_DENIED;
+    },
+  });
+}
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/index.ts b/core/src/authorization/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..272b3ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+export * from "./bootstrap.js";
+export * from "./database.js";
+export * from "./evaluator.js";
+export * from "./permissions.js";
+export * from "./ports.js";
+export * from "./store.js";
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/permissions.ts b/core/src/authorization/permissions.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66e52ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/permissions.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+import {
+  type PermissionBaseline,
+  type PermissionId,
+  parsePermissionId,
+  safeParsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+
+/**
+ * A registered permission declaration: the trusted pairing of a permission identifier with its
+ * one baseline. This is what distinguishes a *registered* permission from a merely well-formed
+ * `PermissionId` string — the evaluator itself (`createAuthorizationEvaluator`) still takes an
+ * explicit, caller-supplied baseline per pass 1's design; the registry is what a trusted caller
+ * (Core's own HTTP enforcement, eventually a module registration mechanism) consults so that
+ * baseline is never client-supplied or guessed.
+ */
+export interface PermissionDeclaration {
+  readonly id: PermissionId;
+  readonly baseline: PermissionBaseline;
+  /** Human-readable, for operators and audit review only — never interpreted by the evaluator or
+   * by enforcement. */
+  readonly description: string;
+}
+
+export interface PermissionRegistry {
+  readonly declarations: readonly PermissionDeclaration[];
+  /** Returns the declaration for a permission id, or `undefined` for anything malformed or not
+   * registered — the two are deliberately indistinguishable to callers, so "unknown permission"
+   * and "invalid permission" fail closed the same way. */
+  get(permissionId: unknown): PermissionDeclaration | undefined;
+  has(permissionId: unknown): boolean;
+}
+
+export type PermissionRegistryErrorCode = "PERMISSION_REGISTRY_DUPLICATE_DECLARATION";
+
+/** Thrown only at composition time (registry construction), never per-request. Carries the
+ * offending permission id deliberately — this is a startup-time programmer/configuration error
+ * message, not a runtime response, and a namespaced permission id is not sensitive. */
+export class PermissionRegistryError extends Error {
+  readonly code: PermissionRegistryErrorCode;
+  readonly permissionId: string;
+
+  constructor(permissionId: string) {
+    super(`Permission "${permissionId}" is already registered.`);
+    this.name = "PermissionRegistryError";
+    this.code = "PERMISSION_REGISTRY_DUPLICATE_DECLARATION";
+    this.permissionId = permissionId;
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Builds an immutable permission registry from a fixed list of declarations, rejecting any
+ * duplicate permission id outright at composition time. Deliberately the smallest mechanism that
+ * distinguishes "registered" from "well-formed": no module discovery, no dynamic registration, no
+ * network or filesystem I/O — a future module registration mechanism can merge its own
+ * declarations into a combined list and still call this same constructor, inheriting duplicate
+ * detection for free instead of reimplementing it.
+ */
+export function createPermissionRegistry(
+  declarations: readonly PermissionDeclaration[],
+): PermissionRegistry {
+  const byId = new Map<PermissionId, PermissionDeclaration>();
+  for (const declaration of declarations) {
+    if (byId.has(declaration.id)) {
+      throw new PermissionRegistryError(declaration.id);
+    }
+    byId.set(declaration.id, Object.freeze({ ...declaration }));
+  }
+  const frozenDeclarations = Object.freeze([...byId.values()]);
+
+  return Object.freeze({
+    declarations: frozenDeclarations,
+    get(permissionId: unknown): PermissionDeclaration | undefined {
+      const parsed = safeParsePermissionId(permissionId);
+      return parsed.success ? byId.get(parsed.data) : undefined;
+    },
+    has(permissionId: unknown): boolean {
+      const parsed = safeParsePermissionId(permissionId);
+      return parsed.success && byId.has(parsed.data);
+    },
+  });
+}
+
+/** Restricted: delegated grant administration is itself a privileged action, never public or
+ * merely authenticated. A platform owner always passes the evaluator's existing owner bypass and
+ * can delegate this permission to another account deliberately via the explicit-grant API. */
+export const CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE: PermissionId = parsePermissionId(
+  "core.authorization.grants.manage",
+);
+
+const CORE_PERMISSION_DECLARATIONS: readonly PermissionDeclaration[] = Object.freeze([
+  Object.freeze({
+    baseline: "restricted" as const,
+    description: "Create, list, and revoke another user's explicit authorization grants.",
+    id: CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE,
+  }),
+]);
+
+/**
+ * Core's own permission registry — the trusted source of truth `apps/api`'s authorization
+ * enforcement consults so an HTTP route can never supply its own baseline. Contains exactly the
+ * one Core-owned permission this slice needs; a future module registration mechanism is
+ * deliberately out of scope here and will compose its own declarations through
+ * `createPermissionRegistry` rather than through this constant.
+ */
+export const CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY: PermissionRegistry = createPermissionRegistry(
+  CORE_PERMISSION_DECLARATIONS,
+);
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/ports.ts b/core/src/authorization/ports.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..37c06f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/ports.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import type { AuthorizationScope, EkklesiaUserId, PermissionId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+
+export interface ActiveGrantQuery {
+  readonly userId: EkklesiaUserId;
+  readonly permission: PermissionId;
+  /** Absent means an unscoped check. An unscoped grant satisfies either an unscoped or scoped
+   * check for the same permission; a scoped grant satisfies only the exact matching scope and
+   * never satisfies an unscoped check. */
+  readonly scope?: AuthorizationScope;
+  /** The instant to evaluate expiration against — injected so evaluation is deterministic and
+   * testable rather than reading the wall clock inside the lookup itself. */
+  readonly now: Date;
+}
+
+/**
+ * The only read dependency `createAuthorizationEvaluator` has for grant state. Narrow and
+ * Postgres-independent by design: a test can supply a fake implementation, and the evaluator
+ * itself never knows whether it is backed by `core/src/authorization/store.ts` or a test double.
+ */
+export interface AuthorizationGrantPort {
+  hasActiveGrant(query: ActiveGrantQuery): Promise<boolean>;
+}
+
+/** The only read dependency the evaluator has for platform-owner authority — deliberately a
+ * separate, narrower port from grants, since owner authority is not represented as a grant. */
+export interface AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort {
+  isPlatformOwner(userId: EkklesiaUserId): Promise<boolean>;
+}
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/schema.ts b/core/src/authorization/schema.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87c05ed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/schema.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+import { relations, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { check, index, pgTable, text, timestamp, uuid } from "drizzle-orm/pg-core";
+import { ekklesiaCoreUser } from "../identity/schema.js";
+
+/**
+ * Core-owned authorization schema: grants (explicit or relationship-derived), platform-owner
+ * status, and an append-only audit log of every security-relevant mutation. Table and index names
+ * are explicit and namespaced so ownership is unambiguous inside the shared public PostgreSQL
+ * schema, exactly like `core/src/identity/schema.ts`. Foreign keys to `ekklesia_core_user` are
+ * safe here (unlike a module referencing another module's tables) because Core owns both sides.
+ */
+
+export const ekklesiaCoreGrant = pgTable(
+  "ekklesia_core_grant",
+  {
+    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
+    userId: text("user_id")
+      .notNull()
+      .references(() => ekklesiaCoreUser.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    permissionId: text("permission_id").notNull(),
+    scope: text("scope"),
+    sourceKind: text("source_kind").notNull(),
+    sourceRef: text("source_ref"),
+    createdAt: timestamp("created_at", { withTimezone: true }).defaultNow().notNull(),
+    createdByActorType: text("created_by_actor_type").notNull(),
+    createdByActorId: text("created_by_actor_id"),
+    expiresAt: timestamp("expires_at", { withTimezone: true }),
+    revokedAt: timestamp("revoked_at", { withTimezone: true }),
+    revokedByActorType: text("revoked_by_actor_type"),
+    revokedByActorId: text("revoked_by_actor_id"),
+  },
+  (table) => [
+    index("ekklesia_core_grant_user_permission_idx").on(table.userId, table.permissionId),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_grant_source_kind_check",
+      sql`${table.sourceKind} in ('explicit', 'relationship')`,
+    ),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_grant_created_actor_type_check",
+      sql`${table.createdByActorType} in ('user', 'system')`,
+    ),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_grant_revoked_actor_type_check",
+      sql`${table.revokedByActorType} is null or ${table.revokedByActorType} in ('user', 'system')`,
+    ),
+  ],
+);
+
+export const ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner = pgTable(
+  "ekklesia_core_platform_owner",
+  {
+    userId: text("user_id")
+      .primaryKey()
+      .references(() => ekklesiaCoreUser.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    grantedAt: timestamp("granted_at", { withTimezone: true }).defaultNow().notNull(),
+    grantedByActorType: text("granted_by_actor_type").notNull(),
+    grantedByActorId: text("granted_by_actor_id"),
+    revokedAt: timestamp("revoked_at", { withTimezone: true }),
+    revokedByActorType: text("revoked_by_actor_type"),
+    revokedByActorId: text("revoked_by_actor_id"),
+  },
+  (table) => [
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_granted_actor_type_check",
+      sql`${table.grantedByActorType} in ('user', 'system')`,
+    ),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_platform_owner_revoked_actor_type_check",
+      sql`${table.revokedByActorType} is null or ${table.revokedByActorType} in ('user', 'system')`,
+    ),
+  ],
+);
+
+/**
+ * Append-only: no update or delete path is ever exposed by Core's authorization store. `scope`
+ * intentionally rejects an empty (but non-null) string — defense in depth matching the
+ * application-layer `AuthorizationScope` contract, which never produces one — so a coding defect
+ * that slipped an empty scope past that validation fails the whole grant-plus-audit transaction
+ * atomically instead of recording a meaningless audit entry.
+ */
+export const ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit = pgTable(
+  "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit",
+  {
+    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
+    action: text("action").notNull(),
+    actorType: text("actor_type").notNull(),
+    actorId: text("actor_id"),
+    subjectUserId: text("subject_user_id")
+      .notNull()
+      .references(() => ekklesiaCoreUser.id, { onDelete: "cascade" }),
+    permissionId: text("permission_id"),
+    scope: text("scope"),
+    grantId: uuid("grant_id"),
+    createdAt: timestamp("created_at", { withTimezone: true }).defaultNow().notNull(),
+  },
+  (table) => [
+    index("ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_subject_idx").on(table.subjectUserId),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_action_check",
+      sql`${table.action} in ('grant.create', 'grant.revoke', 'platform_owner.grant', 'platform_owner.revoke')`,
+    ),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_actor_type_check",
+      sql`${table.actorType} in ('user', 'system')`,
+    ),
+    check(
+      "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit_scope_check",
+      sql`${table.scope} is null or length(${table.scope}) > 0`,
+    ),
+  ],
+);
+
+export const ekklesiaCoreGrantRelations = relations(ekklesiaCoreGrant, ({ one }) => ({
+  user: one(ekklesiaCoreUser, {
+    fields: [ekklesiaCoreGrant.userId],
+    references: [ekklesiaCoreUser.id],
+  }),
+}));
+
+export const ekklesiaCorePlatformOwnerRelations = relations(
+  ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner,
+  ({ one }) => ({
+    user: one(ekklesiaCoreUser, {
+      fields: [ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.userId],
+      references: [ekklesiaCoreUser.id],
+    }),
+  }),
+);
+
+export const ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAuditRelations = relations(
+  ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit,
+  ({ one }) => ({
+    subject: one(ekklesiaCoreUser, {
+      fields: [ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit.subjectUserId],
+      references: [ekklesiaCoreUser.id],
+    }),
+  }),
+);
+
+/** Explicit map passed to Drizzle, mirroring `identityAdapterSchema`'s explicit-mapping style. */
+export const authorizationSchema = {
+  authorizationAudit: ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit,
+  grant: ekklesiaCoreGrant,
+  platformOwner: ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner,
+} as const;
diff --git a/core/src/authorization/store.ts b/core/src/authorization/store.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0946539
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/authorization/store.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,389 @@
+import type {
+  AuthorizationActor,
+  AuthorizationScope,
+  EkklesiaUserId,
+  GrantId,
+  GrantSourceKind,
+  GrantSourceRef,
+  PermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  isUserActor,
+  parseAuthorizationScope,
+  parseEkklesiaUserId,
+  parseGrantId,
+  parsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import { and, desc, eq, gt, isNull, or, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import type { AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase } from "./database.js";
+import type {
+  ActiveGrantQuery,
+  AuthorizationGrantPort,
+  AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort,
+} from "./ports.js";
+import {
+  ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit,
+  ekklesiaCoreGrant,
+  ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner,
+} from "./schema.js";
+
+export type AuthorizationStoreErrorCode =
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LIST_FAILED"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LOOKUP_FAILED"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_REVOKE_FAILED"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_LOOKUP_FAILED"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_MUTATION_FAILED"
+  | "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_NOT_FOUND";
+
+const storeErrorMessages: Readonly<Record<AuthorizationStoreErrorCode, string>> = Object.freeze({
+  AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED: "The authorization grant could not be created.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LIST_FAILED: "The authorization grant list could not be retrieved.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LOOKUP_FAILED: "The authorization grant lookup could not be completed.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND: "The authorization grant was not found or is already revoked.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_REVOKE_FAILED: "The authorization grant could not be revoked.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_LOOKUP_FAILED: "The platform-owner lookup could not be completed.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_MUTATION_FAILED: "The platform-owner change could not be recorded.",
+  AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_NOT_FOUND:
+    "The platform-owner record was not found or is already revoked.",
+});
+
+/** Never carries the underlying database error, SQL text, host, port, path, or stack. */
+export class AuthorizationStoreError extends Error {
+  readonly code: AuthorizationStoreErrorCode;
+
+  constructor(code: AuthorizationStoreErrorCode) {
+    super(storeErrorMessages[code]);
+    this.name = "AuthorizationStoreError";
+    this.code = code;
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+}
+
+function isAuthorizationStoreError(error: unknown): error is AuthorizationStoreError {
+  return error instanceof AuthorizationStoreError;
+}
+
+export interface CreateGrantInput {
+  readonly userId: EkklesiaUserId;
+  readonly permission: PermissionId;
+  readonly scope?: AuthorizationScope;
+  readonly sourceKind: GrantSourceKind;
+  readonly sourceRef?: GrantSourceRef;
+  readonly actor: AuthorizationActor;
+  /** Absent means the grant never expires. */
+  readonly expiresAt?: Date;
+}
+
+export interface GrantRecord {
+  readonly id: GrantId;
+  readonly userId: EkklesiaUserId;
+  readonly permission: PermissionId;
+  readonly scope?: AuthorizationScope;
+  readonly sourceKind: GrantSourceKind;
+  readonly sourceRef?: GrantSourceRef;
+  readonly createdAt: Date;
+  readonly expiresAt?: Date;
+  readonly revokedAt?: Date;
+}
+
+export interface RevokeGrantInput {
+  readonly grantId: GrantId;
+  readonly actor: AuthorizationActor;
+  /** When provided, the revoke only matches a grant whose `sourceKind` equals this value — a
+   * grant of a different source kind is treated exactly like a nonexistent one
+   * (`AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND`). The generic explicit-grant HTTP API always passes
+   * `"explicit"` here, so it can never revoke a relationship-derived grant regardless of caller
+   * intent; internal Core callers that omit this may revoke any grant, matching pass 1's
+   * original, unconstrained behavior. */
+  readonly sourceKind?: GrantSourceKind;
+}
+
+export interface ListGrantsForUserOptions {
+  /** When provided, only grants with this exact `sourceKind` are returned. */
+  readonly sourceKind?: GrantSourceKind;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Core's Postgres-backed authorization persistence: grants, platform-owner status, and the
+ * append-only audit log, all behind one explicit factory — no environment reads, no connection
+ * attempt, and no query merely from importing this module or calling this factory; every method
+ * call is the only thing that ever touches PostgreSQL. Implements the narrow read ports
+ * `createAuthorizationEvaluator` depends on directly, so the same store instance is both Core's
+ * write API and the evaluator's read dependency.
+ */
+export interface AuthorizationStore extends AuthorizationGrantPort, AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort {
+  createGrant(input: CreateGrantInput): Promise<GrantRecord>;
+  revokeGrant(input: RevokeGrantInput): Promise<void>;
+  /** Every grant ever recorded for the user, active or revoked, newest first — the caller decides
+   * what to display. Never includes another user's grants. */
+  listGrantsForUser(
+    userId: EkklesiaUserId,
+    options?: ListGrantsForUserOptions,
+  ): Promise<readonly GrantRecord[]>;
+  grantPlatformOwner(userId: EkklesiaUserId, actor: AuthorizationActor): Promise<void>;
+  revokePlatformOwner(userId: EkklesiaUserId, actor: AuthorizationActor): Promise<void>;
+}
+
+function actorId(actor: AuthorizationActor): string | null {
+  return isUserActor(actor) ? actor.userId : null;
+}
+
+interface GrantRow {
+  readonly id: string;
+  readonly userId: string;
+  readonly permissionId: string;
+  readonly scope: string | null;
+  readonly sourceKind: string;
+  readonly sourceRef: string | null;
+  readonly createdAt: Date;
+  readonly expiresAt: Date | null;
+  readonly revokedAt: Date | null;
+}
+
+/** Re-validates a row this same store just wrote, rather than trusting raw column values by
+ * construction — defense in depth against a future schema/migration drift, matching the
+ * paranoid-by-default posture the rest of Core's persistence code already follows. */
+function toGrantRecord(row: GrantRow): GrantRecord {
+  return Object.freeze({
+    createdAt: row.createdAt,
+    id: parseGrantId(row.id),
+    permission: parsePermissionId(row.permissionId),
+    ...(row.scope === null ? {} : { scope: parseAuthorizationScope(row.scope) }),
+    ...(row.expiresAt === null ? {} : { expiresAt: row.expiresAt }),
+    ...(row.revokedAt === null ? {} : { revokedAt: row.revokedAt }),
+    sourceKind: row.sourceKind as GrantSourceKind,
+    ...(row.sourceRef === null ? {} : { sourceRef: row.sourceRef }),
+    userId: parseEkklesiaUserId(row.userId),
+  });
+}
+
+export function createAuthorizationStore(db: AuthorizationDrizzleDatabase): AuthorizationStore {
+  return Object.freeze({
+    createGrant: async (input: CreateGrantInput): Promise<GrantRecord> => {
+      try {
+        return await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
+          const [row] = await tx
+            .insert(ekklesiaCoreGrant)
+            .values({
+              createdByActorId: actorId(input.actor),
+              createdByActorType: input.actor.type,
+              expiresAt: input.expiresAt ?? null,
+              permissionId: input.permission,
+              scope: input.scope ?? null,
+              sourceKind: input.sourceKind,
+              sourceRef: input.sourceRef ?? null,
+              userId: input.userId,
+            })
+            .returning();
+          if (!row) {
+            throw new Error("grant insert returned no row");
+          }
+
+          await tx.insert(ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit).values({
+            action: "grant.create",
+            actorId: actorId(input.actor),
+            actorType: input.actor.type,
+            grantId: row.id,
+            permissionId: input.permission,
+            scope: input.scope ?? null,
+            subjectUserId: input.userId,
+          });
+
+          return toGrantRecord(row);
+        });
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (isAuthorizationStoreError(error)) {
+          throw error;
+        }
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+
+    revokeGrant: async (input: RevokeGrantInput): Promise<void> => {
+      try {
+        await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
+          const [row] = await tx
+            .update(ekklesiaCoreGrant)
+            .set({
+              revokedAt: sql`now()`,
+              revokedByActorId: actorId(input.actor),
+              revokedByActorType: input.actor.type,
+            })
+            .where(
+              and(
+                eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.id, input.grantId),
+                isNull(ekklesiaCoreGrant.revokedAt),
+                ...(input.sourceKind === undefined
+                  ? []
+                  : [eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.sourceKind, input.sourceKind)]),
+              ),
+            )
+            .returning();
+          if (!row) {
+            throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND");
+          }
+
+          await tx.insert(ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit).values({
+            action: "grant.revoke",
+            actorId: actorId(input.actor),
+            actorType: input.actor.type,
+            grantId: row.id,
+            permissionId: row.permissionId,
+            scope: row.scope,
+            subjectUserId: row.userId,
+          });
+        });
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (isAuthorizationStoreError(error)) {
+          throw error;
+        }
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_REVOKE_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+
+    hasActiveGrant: async (query: ActiveGrantQuery): Promise<boolean> => {
+      try {
+        const scopeCondition =
+          query.scope === undefined
+            ? isNull(ekklesiaCoreGrant.scope)
+            : or(isNull(ekklesiaCoreGrant.scope), eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.scope, query.scope));
+        const rows = await db
+          .select({ id: ekklesiaCoreGrant.id })
+          .from(ekklesiaCoreGrant)
+          .where(
+            and(
+              eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.userId, query.userId),
+              eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.permissionId, query.permission),
+              scopeCondition,
+              isNull(ekklesiaCoreGrant.revokedAt),
+              or(isNull(ekklesiaCoreGrant.expiresAt), gt(ekklesiaCoreGrant.expiresAt, query.now)),
+            ),
+          )
+          .limit(1);
+        return rows.length > 0;
+      } catch {
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LOOKUP_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+
+    listGrantsForUser: async (
+      userId: EkklesiaUserId,
+      options: ListGrantsForUserOptions = {},
+    ): Promise<readonly GrantRecord[]> => {
+      try {
+        const rows = await db
+          .select()
+          .from(ekklesiaCoreGrant)
+          .where(
+            and(
+              eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.userId, userId),
+              ...(options.sourceKind === undefined
+                ? []
+                : [eq(ekklesiaCoreGrant.sourceKind, options.sourceKind)]),
+            ),
+          )
+          .orderBy(desc(ekklesiaCoreGrant.createdAt));
+        return Object.freeze(rows.map(toGrantRecord));
+      } catch {
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LIST_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+
+    grantPlatformOwner: async (
+      userId: EkklesiaUserId,
+      actor: AuthorizationActor,
+    ): Promise<void> => {
+      try {
+        await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
+          await tx
+            .insert(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner)
+            .values({
+              grantedByActorId: actorId(actor),
+              grantedByActorType: actor.type,
+              userId,
+            })
+            .onConflictDoUpdate({
+              set: {
+                grantedAt: sql`now()`,
+                grantedByActorId: actorId(actor),
+                grantedByActorType: actor.type,
+                revokedAt: null,
+                revokedByActorId: null,
+                revokedByActorType: null,
+              },
+              target: ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.userId,
+            });
+
+          await tx.insert(ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit).values({
+            action: "platform_owner.grant",
+            actorId: actorId(actor),
+            actorType: actor.type,
+            subjectUserId: userId,
+          });
+        });
+      } catch {
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_MUTATION_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+
+    revokePlatformOwner: async (
+      userId: EkklesiaUserId,
+      actor: AuthorizationActor,
+    ): Promise<void> => {
+      try {
+        await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
+          const [row] = await tx
+            .update(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner)
+            .set({
+              revokedAt: sql`now()`,
+              revokedByActorId: actorId(actor),
+              revokedByActorType: actor.type,
+            })
+            .where(
+              and(
+                eq(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.userId, userId),
+                isNull(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.revokedAt),
+              ),
+            )
+            .returning();
+          if (!row) {
+            throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_NOT_FOUND");
+          }
+
+          await tx.insert(ekklesiaCoreAuthorizationAudit).values({
+            action: "platform_owner.revoke",
+            actorId: actorId(actor),
+            actorType: actor.type,
+            subjectUserId: userId,
+          });
+        });
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (isAuthorizationStoreError(error)) {
+          throw error;
+        }
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_MUTATION_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+
+    isPlatformOwner: async (userId: EkklesiaUserId): Promise<boolean> => {
+      try {
+        const rows = await db
+          .select({ userId: ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.userId })
+          .from(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner)
+          .where(
+            and(
+              eq(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.userId, userId),
+              isNull(ekklesiaCorePlatformOwner.revokedAt),
+            ),
+          )
+          .limit(1);
+        return rows.length > 0;
+      } catch {
+        throw new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_LOOKUP_FAILED");
+      }
+    },
+  });
+}
diff --git a/core/src/cli/bootstrap-platform-owner.ts b/core/src/cli/bootstrap-platform-owner.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4be74c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/cli/bootstrap-platform-owner.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import path from "node:path";
+import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
+import { safeParseEkklesiaUserId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import {
+  bootstrapPlatformOwner,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  PlatformOwnerBootstrapError,
+} from "../authorization/index.js";
+
+class BootstrapCliError extends Error {
+  constructor(message: string) {
+    super(message);
+    this.name = "BootstrapCliError";
+  }
+}
+
+const usage =
+  "Usage: pnpm authorization:bootstrap-owner -- --user-id <id> --confirm-user-id <same-id>";
+
+interface ParsedArgs {
+  readonly confirmUserId: string;
+  readonly userId: string;
+}
+
+/** A minimal, hand-rolled flag parser — this command takes exactly two required, named flags, so
+ * a general-purpose argument-parsing dependency is not warranted. */
+function parseArgs(argv: readonly string[]): ParsedArgs {
+  let userId: string | undefined;
+  let confirmUserId: string | undefined;
+  for (let index = 0; index < argv.length; index += 1) {
+    const flag = argv[index];
+    if (flag === "--user-id") {
+      userId = argv[index + 1];
+      index += 1;
+    } else if (flag === "--confirm-user-id") {
+      confirmUserId = argv[index + 1];
+      index += 1;
+    }
+  }
+  if (userId === undefined || confirmUserId === undefined) {
+    throw new BootstrapCliError(usage);
+  }
+  return { confirmUserId, userId };
+}
+
+async function main(): Promise<void> {
+  const { confirmUserId, userId: rawUserId } = parseArgs(process.argv.slice(2));
+
+  // Deliberately not "infer the first user" or "select by signup order" — the operator must name
+  // the exact, opaque Ekklesia user id twice, and both must match exactly, before anything else
+  // is even attempted.
+  if (rawUserId !== confirmUserId) {
+    throw new BootstrapCliError(
+      "--user-id and --confirm-user-id must match exactly. No changes were made.",
+    );
+  }
+
+  const parsedUserId = safeParseEkklesiaUserId(rawUserId);
+  if (!parsedUserId.success) {
+    throw new BootstrapCliError("The provided user id is not a valid Ekklesia user id.");
+  }
+
+  // Read only when this command actually executes — never merely by importing this module (see
+  // isDirectExecution() below) or any module it imports.
+  const databaseUrl = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
+  if (typeof databaseUrl !== "string" || databaseUrl.trim().length === 0) {
+    throw new BootstrapCliError("DATABASE_URL is required.");
+  }
+
+  const { close, db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(databaseUrl, {
+    connectionTimeoutMs: 10_000,
+    operationTimeoutMs: 10_000,
+  });
+  try {
+    await bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: parsedUserId.data });
+    console.log(`Platform-owner bootstrap complete for user "${parsedUserId.data}".`);
+  } finally {
+    await close().catch(() => undefined);
+  }
+}
+
+function reportBootstrapCliError(error: unknown): void {
+  if (error instanceof BootstrapCliError) {
+    console.error(error.message);
+    return;
+  }
+  if (error instanceof PlatformOwnerBootstrapError) {
+    console.error(`[${error.code}] ${error.message}`);
+    return;
+  }
+  console.error("Platform-owner bootstrap failed unexpectedly.");
+}
+
+function isDirectExecution(): boolean {
+  const entrypoint = process.argv[1];
+  return (
+    entrypoint !== undefined && import.meta.url === pathToFileURL(path.resolve(entrypoint)).href
+  );
+}
+
+if (isDirectExecution()) {
+  main().catch((error: unknown) => {
+    reportBootstrapCliError(error);
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+  });
+}
diff --git a/core/src/database/index.ts b/core/src/database/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8636161
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/database/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export * from "./pool.js";
diff --git a/core/src/database/pool.ts b/core/src/database/pool.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0273141
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/database/pool.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+import { Pool, type PoolConfig } from "pg";
+
+export type PostgresPoolErrorCode = "POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID";
+
+/** Never carries the offending connection string, host, or underlying driver error. */
+export class PostgresPoolError extends Error {
+  readonly code: PostgresPoolErrorCode;
+
+  constructor(code: PostgresPoolErrorCode) {
+    super("PostgreSQL pool configuration is invalid.");
+    this.name = "PostgresPoolError";
+    this.code = code;
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+}
+
+const maximumPostgresTimeoutMs = 2_147_483_647;
+
+export interface PostgresPoolOptions {
+  readonly connectionTimeoutMs?: number;
+  /** Bounds both `query_timeout` and `statement_timeout`: `connectionTimeoutMs` alone only bounds
+   * establishing a connection, not a hung query already running on one. */
+  readonly operationTimeoutMs?: number;
+}
+
+export interface PostgresPoolHandle {
+  readonly close: () => Promise<void>;
+  readonly pool: Pool;
+}
+
+function validateConnectionString(connectionString: string): string {
+  if (connectionString.trim().length === 0) {
+    throw new PostgresPoolError("POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  let protocol: string;
+  try {
+    protocol = new URL(connectionString).protocol;
+  } catch {
+    throw new PostgresPoolError("POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  if (protocol !== "postgres:" && protocol !== "postgresql:") {
+    throw new PostgresPoolError("POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  return connectionString;
+}
+
+/** Mirrors the validation already used by `core/src/identity/database.ts`,
+ * `core/src/authorization/database.ts`, and `core/src/migrations/postgres-database.ts`: an
+ * explicit timeout must be a positive safe integer no larger than PostgreSQL's own maximum, or it
+ * is rejected as invalid configuration rather than silently passed through to `pg`. */
+function validateTimeout(value: unknown): number | undefined {
+  if (value === undefined) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  if (
+    typeof value !== "number" ||
+    !Number.isSafeInteger(value) ||
+    value <= 0 ||
+    value > maximumPostgresTimeoutMs
+  ) {
+    throw new PostgresPoolError("POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID");
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Ekklesia's one shared, validated `pg.Pool` constructor for a single physical database
+ * connection meant to back more than one typed Drizzle view (for example Core's identity and
+ * authorization schemas sharing one pool in `apps/api`) — one pool, one mandatory error listener,
+ * one `close()`. Building the pool performs no network I/O until a query is issued, and this
+ * function is only ever invoked by explicit caller code — never during module import.
+ *
+ * This does not replace `createIdentityDrizzleDatabase` or `createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase`:
+ * those remain independent, self-contained factories (each owns a private pool and its own
+ * `close()`) for callers — tests included — that only need one domain. Use this function, plus
+ * `createIdentityDrizzleView`/`createAuthorizationDrizzleView`, specifically when more than one
+ * domain must share one physical connection pool.
+ */
+export function createValidatedPostgresPool(
+  connectionString: string,
+  options: PostgresPoolOptions = {},
+): PostgresPoolHandle {
+  const validatedConnectionString = validateConnectionString(connectionString);
+  const validatedConnectionTimeoutMs = validateTimeout(options.connectionTimeoutMs);
+  const validatedOperationTimeoutMs = validateTimeout(options.operationTimeoutMs);
+  const poolConfig: PoolConfig = {
+    connectionString: validatedConnectionString,
+    ...(validatedConnectionTimeoutMs === undefined
+      ? {}
+      : { connectionTimeoutMillis: validatedConnectionTimeoutMs }),
+    ...(validatedOperationTimeoutMs === undefined
+      ? {}
+      : {
+          query_timeout: validatedOperationTimeoutMs,
+          statement_timeout: validatedOperationTimeoutMs,
+        }),
+  };
+
+  const pool = new Pool(poolConfig);
+  // Same rationale as core/src/identity/database.ts: pg's own documentation requires an error
+  // listener on the pool, or a server-initiated termination of an idle client becomes an
+  // unhandled Node.js error and can crash the process.
+  pool.on("error", () => undefined);
+
+  return Object.freeze({
+    close: () => pool.end(),
+    pool,
+  });
+}
diff --git a/core/src/identity/database.ts b/core/src/identity/database.ts
index 5f9b110..ff68722 100644
--- a/core/src/identity/database.ts
+++ b/core/src/identity/database.ts
@@ -108,3 +108,14 @@ export function createIdentityDrizzleDatabase(
     db,
   });
 }
+
+/**
+ * A typed Drizzle view over an externally owned pool — for example one shared with the
+ * authorization schema via `createValidatedPostgresPool` (`core/src/database/pool.ts`). Unlike
+ * `createIdentityDrizzleDatabase`, this function never constructs, registers an error listener
+ * on, or closes a pool itself: the caller retains that responsibility exactly once, regardless of
+ * how many typed views it creates over the same pool.
+ */
+export function createIdentityDrizzleView(pool: Pool): IdentityDrizzleDatabase {
+  return drizzle(pool, { schema: identityAdapterSchema });
+}
diff --git a/core/src/index.ts b/core/src/index.ts
index 8cc005f..1a9ca00 100644
--- a/core/src/index.ts
+++ b/core/src/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+export * from "./authorization/index.js";
+export * from "./database/index.js";
 export * from "./diagnostics/index.js";
 export * from "./identity/index.js";
 export * from "./modules/index.js";
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts b/core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..246cb94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,364 @@
+import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
+import { mkdtemp, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { parseEkklesiaUserId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import { Client, type QueryResultRow } from "pg";
+import { afterAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  bootstrapPlatformOwner,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  PlatformOwnerBootstrapError,
+} from "../src/authorization/index.js";
+import {
+  applyModuleMigrations,
+  createPostgresMigrationDatabase,
+  discoverAllMigrations,
+} from "../src/migrations/index.js";
+
+const integrationDatabaseUrlEnvironment = "EKKLESIA_MIGRATION_TEST_DATABASE_URL";
+const coreMigrationsDirectory = path.join(
+  path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
+  "..",
+  "drizzle",
+);
+const trackedDatabases = new Set<string>();
+let databaseCounter = 0;
+
+class IntegrationHarnessError extends Error {
+  constructor(message: string) {
+    super(message);
+    this.name = "IntegrationHarnessError";
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+  }
+}
+
+function harnessError(message: string): IntegrationHarnessError {
+  return new IntegrationHarnessError(message);
+}
+
+function baseDatabaseUrl(): string {
+  const value = process.env[integrationDatabaseUrlEnvironment];
+  if (typeof value !== "string" || value.trim() === "") {
+    throw harnessError("The bootstrap integration database is not configured.");
+  }
+  try {
+    const parsed = new URL(value);
+    if (parsed.protocol !== "postgres:" && parsed.protocol !== "postgresql:") {
+      throw new TypeError("Unsupported protocol.");
+    }
+  } catch {
+    throw harnessError("The bootstrap integration database configuration is invalid.");
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+function quoteDatabaseName(databaseName: string): string {
+  if (!/^[a-z][a-z0-9_]{0,62}$/u.test(databaseName)) {
+    throw harnessError("The generated integration database name is invalid.");
+  }
+  return `"${databaseName}"`;
+}
+
+function makeDatabaseName(label: string): string {
+  const safeLabel = label
+    .toLowerCase()
+    .replaceAll(/[^a-z0-9]+/gu, "_")
+    .replaceAll(/^_+|_+$/gu, "")
+    .slice(0, 14);
+  databaseCounter += 1;
+  return `ekk_bootstrap_${process.pid}_${databaseCounter}_${safeLabel || "scenario"}_${randomBytes(4).toString("hex")}`;
+}
+
+function databaseUrl(databaseName: string): string {
+  const parsed = new URL(baseDatabaseUrl());
+  parsed.pathname = `/${databaseName}`;
+  parsed.searchParams.delete("application_name");
+  return parsed.toString();
+}
+
+async function openAdministrativeClient(connectionString: string): Promise<Client> {
+  const client = new Client({ connectionString });
+  client.on("error", () => undefined);
+  try {
+    await client.connect();
+    return client;
+  } catch {
+    try {
+      await client.end();
+    } catch {
+      // The public harness failure remains static when connection cleanup also fails.
+    }
+    throw harnessError("The bootstrap integration database connection failed.");
+  }
+}
+
+async function safeQuery<Row extends QueryResultRow>(
+  client: Client,
+  text: string,
+  values: unknown[] = [],
+): Promise<readonly Row[]> {
+  try {
+    const result = await client.query<Row>(text, values);
+    return result.rows;
+  } catch {
+    throw harnessError("An integration database administration operation failed.");
+  }
+}
+
+async function safeEnd(client: Client): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await client.end();
+  } catch {
+    throw harnessError("An integration database connection could not be closed.");
+  }
+}
+
+async function createDatabase(databaseName: string): Promise<void> {
+  const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(baseDatabaseUrl());
+  try {
+    await safeQuery(admin, `CREATE DATABASE ${quoteDatabaseName(databaseName)} TEMPLATE template0`);
+  } finally {
+    await safeEnd(admin);
+  }
+}
+
+async function dropDatabase(databaseName: string): Promise<void> {
+  const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(baseDatabaseUrl());
+  try {
+    await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      "SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid) FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname = $1 AND pid <> pg_backend_pid()",
+      [databaseName],
+    );
+    await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      `DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS ${quoteDatabaseName(databaseName)} WITH (FORCE)`,
+    );
+    trackedDatabases.delete(databaseName);
+  } finally {
+    await safeEnd(admin);
+  }
+}
+
+async function createDisposableDatabase(label: string): Promise<{ name: string; url: string }> {
+  const name = makeDatabaseName(label);
+  await createDatabase(name);
+  trackedDatabases.add(name);
+  return { name, url: databaseUrl(name) };
+}
+
+async function applyCoreMigrations(url: string): Promise<void> {
+  const emptyModulesDirectory = await mkdtemp(
+    path.join(tmpdir(), "ekklesia-bootstrap-no-modules-"),
+  );
+  try {
+    const aggregate = await discoverAllMigrations({
+      coreMigrationsDirectory,
+      moduleDiscovery: {
+        moduleSdkVersion: "0.1.0",
+        modulesDirectory: emptyModulesDirectory,
+        platformVersion: "0.1.0",
+      },
+    });
+    await applyModuleMigrations({ aggregate, database: createPostgresMigrationDatabase(url) });
+  } finally {
+    await rm(emptyModulesDirectory, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+async function seedUser(client: Client, id: string, email: string): Promise<void> {
+  await safeQuery(
+    client,
+    `insert into "ekklesia_core_user" (id, name, email, email_verified, created_at, updated_at)
+     values ($1, $2, $3, false, now(), now())`,
+    [id, "Integration Test User", email],
+  );
+}
+
+async function ownerRowCount(client: Client): Promise<number> {
+  const rows = await safeQuery<{ count: string }>(
+    client,
+    `select count(*)::text as count from "ekklesia_core_platform_owner"`,
+  );
+  return Number(rows[0]?.count ?? "0");
+}
+
+afterAll(async () => {
+  for (const databaseName of [...trackedDatabases]) {
+    await dropDatabase(databaseName).catch(() => undefined);
+  }
+});
+
+describe.sequential("live platform-owner bootstrap", () => {
+  let database: { name: string; url: string };
+  let admin: Client;
+  let db: ReturnType<typeof createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase>["db"];
+  let close: () => Promise<void>;
+
+  const firstUserId = parseEkklesiaUserId("bootstrap_user_one");
+  const secondUserId = parseEkklesiaUserId("bootstrap_user_two");
+
+  it("bootstraps successfully for an existing user and records exactly one audit entry with the fixed bootstrap actor identity", async () => {
+    database = await createDisposableDatabase("success");
+    await applyCoreMigrations(database.url);
+
+    admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+    await seedUser(admin, firstUserId, "bootstrap-one@example.test");
+    await seedUser(admin, secondUserId, "bootstrap-two@example.test");
+
+    const handle = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+    db = handle.db;
+    close = handle.close;
+
+    await bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: firstUserId });
+
+    const owners = await safeQuery<{ user_id: string }>(
+      admin,
+      `select user_id from "ekklesia_core_platform_owner"`,
+    );
+    expect(owners).toEqual([{ user_id: firstUserId }]);
+
+    const audit = await safeQuery<{
+      action: string;
+      actor_id: string | null;
+      actor_type: string;
+      subject_user_id: string;
+    }>(
+      admin,
+      `select action, actor_id, actor_type, subject_user_id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"`,
+    );
+    expect(audit).toEqual([
+      {
+        action: "platform_owner.grant",
+        actor_id: "authorization-bootstrap-cli",
+        actor_type: "system",
+        subject_user_id: firstUserId,
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a second bootstrap attempt outright, even for a different user, and leaves no new row or audit entry", async () => {
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      await bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: secondUserId });
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(PlatformOwnerBootstrapError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED" });
+
+    expect(await ownerRowCount(admin)).toBe(1);
+    const audit = await safeQuery(admin, `select id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"`);
+    expect(audit).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("still refuses bootstrap after the existing owner is revoked — the historical row alone is enough to have consumed it", async () => {
+    await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      `update "ekklesia_core_platform_owner" set revoked_at = now(), revoked_by_actor_type = 'system' where user_id = $1`,
+      [firstUserId],
+    );
+
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      await bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: secondUserId });
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(PlatformOwnerBootstrapError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED" });
+    expect(await ownerRowCount(admin)).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it("shuts down cleanly", async () => {
+    await close();
+    await safeEnd(admin);
+    await dropDatabase(database.name);
+  });
+});
+
+describe.sequential("live platform-owner bootstrap — nonexistent user", () => {
+  it("rolls back entirely for a user that does not exist, leaving no owner row and no audit entry", async () => {
+    const database = await createDisposableDatabase("missing_user");
+    await applyCoreMigrations(database.url);
+    const { close, db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+
+    try {
+      const missingUserId = parseEkklesiaUserId("bootstrap_user_never_seeded");
+      let captured: unknown;
+      try {
+        await bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: missingUserId });
+      } catch (error) {
+        captured = error;
+      }
+
+      expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(PlatformOwnerBootstrapError);
+      expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_USER_NOT_FOUND" });
+
+      const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+      try {
+        expect(await ownerRowCount(admin)).toBe(0);
+        const audit = await safeQuery(admin, `select id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"`);
+        expect(audit).toHaveLength(0);
+      } finally {
+        await safeEnd(admin);
+      }
+    } finally {
+      await close();
+      await dropDatabase(database.name);
+    }
+  });
+});
+
+describe.sequential("live platform-owner bootstrap — concurrency", () => {
+  it("produces exactly one owner when two bootstrap attempts race for two different users", async () => {
+    const database = await createDisposableDatabase("race");
+    await applyCoreMigrations(database.url);
+
+    const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+    const raceUserA = parseEkklesiaUserId("bootstrap_race_user_a");
+    const raceUserB = parseEkklesiaUserId("bootstrap_race_user_b");
+    await seedUser(admin, raceUserA, "bootstrap-race-a@example.test");
+    await seedUser(admin, raceUserB, "bootstrap-race-b@example.test");
+
+    const { close, db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+    try {
+      const results = await Promise.allSettled([
+        bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: raceUserA }),
+        bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, { userId: raceUserB }),
+      ]);
+
+      const fulfilled = results.filter((result) => result.status === "fulfilled");
+      const rejected = results.filter((result) => result.status === "rejected");
+      expect(fulfilled).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(rejected).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect((rejected[0] as PromiseRejectedResult).reason).toBeInstanceOf(
+        PlatformOwnerBootstrapError,
+      );
+      expect((rejected[0] as PromiseRejectedResult).reason).toMatchObject({
+        code: "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED",
+      });
+
+      const owners = await safeQuery<{ user_id: string }>(
+        admin,
+        `select user_id from "ekklesia_core_platform_owner"`,
+      );
+      expect(owners).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect([raceUserA, raceUserB]).toContain(owners[0]?.user_id);
+
+      const audit = await safeQuery(
+        admin,
+        `select id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where action = 'platform_owner.grant'`,
+      );
+      expect(audit).toHaveLength(1);
+    } finally {
+      await close();
+      await safeEnd(admin);
+      await dropDatabase(database.name);
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.test.ts b/core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e87c25b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const poolConstructor = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+
+vi.mock("pg", () => ({ Pool: poolConstructor }));
+
+import { createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase } from "../src/authorization/database.js";
+import {
+  bootstrapPlatformOwner,
+  PlatformOwnerBootstrapError,
+} from "../src/authorization/bootstrap.js";
+
+describe("Core authorization bootstrap — import and construction safety", () => {
+  it("does not construct a pool or open a connection merely because the module is imported", () => {
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("performs no database work merely by being imported: bootstrapPlatformOwner is only a function reference until called", () => {
+    expect(typeof bootstrapPlatformOwner).toBe("function");
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("PlatformOwnerBootstrapError", () => {
+  it.each([
+    "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED",
+    "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_FAILED",
+    "PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_USER_NOT_FOUND",
+  ] as const)("exposes a stable code and a fixed, generic message for %s", (code) => {
+    const error = new PlatformOwnerBootstrapError(code);
+    expect(error.code).toBe(code);
+    expect(error.name).toBe("PlatformOwnerBootstrapError");
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(error)).toBe(true);
+    expect(error.message.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it("never carries a cause, raw driver error, SQL, or stack detail beyond the fixed message", () => {
+    const error = new PlatformOwnerBootstrapError("PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_FAILED");
+    const publicText = `${String(error)}\n${error.stack ?? ""}`;
+    expect(publicText).toBe(
+      `PlatformOwnerBootstrapError: ${error.message}\nPlatformOwnerBootstrapError: ${error.message}`,
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+describe("bootstrapPlatformOwner — construction without a real database", () => {
+  it("does not construct a pool merely because a database handle was created; only calling bootstrapPlatformOwner would query", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+
+    const { db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia");
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(db).toBeDefined();
+    // bootstrapPlatformOwner is intentionally not invoked here: exercising the real transactional
+    // and advisory-lock behavior requires a real PostgreSQL server and is covered by
+    // core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts.
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-database.test.ts b/core/tests/authorization-database.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5dba33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-database.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+import type { Pool } from "pg";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const poolConstructor = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+
+vi.mock("pg", () => ({ Pool: poolConstructor }));
+
+import {
+  AuthorizationDatabaseError,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleView,
+} from "../src/authorization/database.js";
+
+describe("Core authorization Drizzle database composition", () => {
+  it("does not construct a pool merely because the module is imported", () => {
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    "",
+    "   ",
+    "not-a-database-url",
+    "https://admin:do-not-log@db.example.test/database",
+  ])("rejects an invalid connection string without exposing it (%s)", (connectionString) => {
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(connectionString);
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(AuthorizationDatabaseError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID" });
+    const publicText = `${String(captured)}\n${
+      captured instanceof Error ? (captured.stack ?? "") : ""
+    }`;
+    if (connectionString) {
+      expect(publicText).not.toContain(connectionString);
+    }
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("explicitly constructs the pool only when called, with the authorization schema attached", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+
+    const handle = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(
+      "postgresql://operator:do-not-log@example.test/ekklesia",
+    );
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(handle.db).toBeDefined();
+    expect(typeof handle.close).toBe("function");
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(handle)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("passes the connection timeout through to the pool configuration", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia", {
+      connectionTimeoutMs: 5_000,
+    });
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ connectionTimeoutMillis: 5_000 }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("passes the operation timeout through to the pool configuration as both query_timeout and statement_timeout", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia", {
+      operationTimeoutMs: 7_500,
+    });
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ query_timeout: 7_500, statement_timeout: 7_500 }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("does not set query_timeout, statement_timeout, or connectionTimeoutMillis when no timeout is configured", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia");
+
+    const [poolConfig] = poolConstructor.mock.calls[0] as [Record<string, unknown>];
+    expect(poolConfig).not.toHaveProperty("query_timeout");
+    expect(poolConfig).not.toHaveProperty("statement_timeout");
+    expect(poolConfig).not.toHaveProperty("connectionTimeoutMillis");
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", 0],
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", -1],
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", Number.NaN],
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", 1.5],
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", 2_147_483_648],
+    ["connectionTimeoutMs", 0],
+    ["connectionTimeoutMs", -1],
+    ["connectionTimeoutMs", Number.NaN],
+  ] as const)("rejects an invalid %s (%s) without constructing a pool and without leaking the value", (optionName, value) => {
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia", {
+        [optionName]: value,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(AuthorizationDatabaseError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_DATABASE_CONFIGURATION_INVALID" });
+    const publicText = `${String(captured)}\n${
+      captured instanceof Error ? (captured.stack ?? "") : ""
+    }`;
+    expect(publicText).not.toContain(String(value));
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("registers a pool-level error listener so an idle client failure never becomes an uncaught exception", () => {
+    const on = vi.fn();
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on };
+    });
+
+    createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia");
+
+    expect(on).toHaveBeenCalledWith("error", expect.any(Function));
+    const handler = on.mock.calls.find((call) => call[0] === "error")?.[1] as
+      | ((error: unknown) => void)
+      | undefined;
+    expect(() =>
+      handler?.(new Error("terminating connection due to administrator command")),
+    ).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("createAuthorizationDrizzleView", () => {
+  it("wraps an externally owned pool without constructing, registering an error listener on, or closing one itself", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+    const fakePool = { end: vi.fn(), on: vi.fn(), query: vi.fn() };
+
+    // A minimal fake pg.Pool double is sufficient — this test proves
+    // createAuthorizationDrizzleView never touches the pool beyond wrapping it.
+    const db = createAuthorizationDrizzleView(fakePool as unknown as Pool);
+
+    expect(db).toBeDefined();
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(fakePool.on).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(fakePool.end).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-evaluator.test.ts b/core/tests/authorization-evaluator.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbc41ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-evaluator.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,544 @@
+import {
+  ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+  createAuthenticatedPrincipal,
+  parseAuthorizationScope,
+  parseEkklesiaUserId,
+  parsePermissionId,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import {
+  type ActiveGrantQuery,
+  AuthorizationEvaluationError,
+  type AuthorizationGrantPort,
+  type AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort,
+  type AuthorizeRequest,
+  createAuthorizationEvaluator,
+} from "../src/authorization/index.js";
+
+interface FakeGrant {
+  readonly userId: string;
+  readonly permission: string;
+  readonly scope?: string;
+  readonly expiresAt?: Date;
+  readonly revokedAt?: Date;
+}
+
+/** An in-memory double implementing the exact scope/expiry/revocation matching semantics the real
+ * Postgres store implements in SQL, so the evaluator's own decision logic can be exercised in
+ * isolation. The live integration suite separately proves the SQL performs the same matching. */
+class FakeGrantStore implements AuthorizationGrantPort {
+  readonly grants: FakeGrant[] = [];
+  readonly calls: ActiveGrantQuery[] = [];
+
+  async hasActiveGrant(query: ActiveGrantQuery): Promise<boolean> {
+    this.calls.push(query);
+    return this.grants.some((grant) => {
+      if (grant.userId !== query.userId || grant.permission !== query.permission) {
+        return false;
+      }
+      if (grant.revokedAt !== undefined) {
+        return false;
+      }
+      if (grant.expiresAt !== undefined && grant.expiresAt <= query.now) {
+        return false;
+      }
+      if (grant.scope === undefined) {
+        return true; // an unscoped grant satisfies any request for the same permission
+      }
+      return grant.scope === query.scope; // a scoped grant never satisfies an unscoped request
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+class FakeOwnerStore implements AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort {
+  private readonly owners = new Set<string>();
+  readonly calls: string[] = [];
+
+  makeOwner(userId: string): void {
+    this.owners.add(userId);
+  }
+
+  async isPlatformOwner(userId: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    this.calls.push(userId);
+    return this.owners.has(userId);
+  }
+}
+
+const userId = parseEkklesiaUserId("user_1");
+const otherUserId = parseEkklesiaUserId("user_2");
+const permission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.read");
+const scope = parseAuthorizationScope("calendar-event:123");
+const otherScope = parseAuthorizationScope("calendar-event:456");
+
+describe("Core authorization evaluator", () => {
+  let grants: FakeGrantStore;
+  let owners: FakeOwnerStore;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    grants = new FakeGrantStore();
+    owners = new FakeOwnerStore();
+  });
+
+  function evaluator(now?: () => Date) {
+    return createAuthorizationEvaluator({
+      grants,
+      platformOwners: owners,
+      ...(now ? { now } : {}),
+    });
+  }
+
+  describe("public baseline", () => {
+    it("allows an anonymous principal", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "public",
+        permission,
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("allows an authenticated principal", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "public",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("never queries grants or platform-owner state for a public check", async () => {
+      await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "public",
+        permission,
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("denies an anonymous principal when the permission id is malformed, without throwing or querying grants or ownership", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "public",
+        permission: "not a valid permission id",
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("denies an authenticated principal when the permission id is malformed", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "public",
+        permission: "not a valid permission id",
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("authenticated baseline", () => {
+    it("allows an authenticated principal", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "authenticated",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("rejects an anonymous principal", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "authenticated",
+        permission,
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("never queries grants or platform-owner state for an authenticated check", async () => {
+      await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "authenticated",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("denies an authenticated principal when the permission id is malformed, without throwing or querying grants or ownership", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "authenticated",
+        permission: "not a valid permission id",
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("still denies an anonymous principal when the permission id is malformed too", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "authenticated",
+        permission: "not a valid permission id",
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("restricted baseline", () => {
+    it("denies an anonymous principal without ever consulting grants or ownership", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("denies an authenticated principal with no grant and no ownership", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("allows an authenticated principal holding an active explicit grant", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("allows an authenticated principal holding an active relationship-derived grant", async () => {
+      // The evaluator only distinguishes "active grant or not" through the port; source kind is a
+      // store/audit concern, not an evaluation input — proven here by a grant the fake store
+      // exposes with no source-kind field at all still being honored.
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("matches permissions exactly and does not treat a namespace prefix as inherited authority", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission: parsePermissionId("calendar.events.read.detail"), userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("denies a grant that belongs to a different user", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, userId: otherUserId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("lets an unscoped grant satisfy an unscoped request", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("lets an unscoped grant satisfy a scoped request for the same permission", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        scope,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("lets a scoped grant satisfy a request for the exact matching scope", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, scope, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        scope,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("denies a scoped grant against a different scope", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, scope, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        scope: otherScope,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("never lets a scoped grant satisfy an unscoped request", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, scope, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("denies an expired grant", async () => {
+      const fixedNow = new Date("2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z");
+      grants.grants.push({
+        expiresAt: new Date("2025-12-31T00:00:00.000Z"),
+        permission,
+        userId,
+      });
+      const decision = await evaluator(() => fixedNow).authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("allows a grant that has not yet expired, evaluated deterministically against an injected clock", async () => {
+      const fixedNow = new Date("2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z");
+      grants.grants.push({
+        expiresAt: new Date("2026-01-02T00:00:00.000Z"),
+        permission,
+        userId,
+      });
+      const decision = await evaluator(() => fixedNow).authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("denies a revoked grant even though it has not expired", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({
+        expiresAt: new Date(Date.now() + 86_400_000),
+        permission,
+        revokedAt: new Date(),
+        userId,
+      });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("denies an unknown or malformed permission without throwing", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission: "not a valid permission id",
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it("denies a wildcard-shaped permission without throwing", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission: "media.*",
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("denies a non-string permission (number, object, null, undefined) without throwing", async () => {
+      for (const malformed of [42, {}, null, undefined, ["calendar.events.read"]]) {
+        const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+          baseline: "restricted",
+          permission: malformed,
+          principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        });
+        expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      }
+    });
+
+    it("denies a malformed scope without throwing", async () => {
+      grants.grants.push({ permission, userId });
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        scope: "",
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+
+    it("allows a platform owner with no matching grant at all", async () => {
+      owners.makeOwner(userId);
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("allows a platform owner for a scoped restricted permission with no scoped grant", async () => {
+      owners.makeOwner(userId);
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        scope,
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    });
+
+    it("does not grant ownership authority to a different user", async () => {
+      owners.makeOwner(otherUserId);
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      });
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("an unknown or malformed baseline", () => {
+    it("denies rather than defaulting to any known baseline", async () => {
+      for (const malformed of ["superuser", "", 42, null, undefined, "Public", "PUBLIC"]) {
+        const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+          baseline: malformed,
+          permission,
+          principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        });
+        expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      }
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("a client cannot inject owner or grant state", () => {
+    it("ignores extra caller-supplied fields such as isOwner/hasGrant and re-derives authority from the injected ports", async () => {
+      // Simulates a caller that smuggles extra fields the AuthorizeRequest type does not
+      // declare — going through `unknown` rather than `any` proves the object still satisfies
+      // AuthorizeRequest structurally; the extra fields are simply never read.
+      const hostileRequest = {
+        baseline: "restricted",
+        hasGrant: true,
+        isOwner: true,
+        permission,
+        principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+      } as unknown as AuthorizeRequest;
+
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize(hostileRequest);
+
+      expect(decision).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+      // The evaluator still had to actually ask the injected ports — it did not shortcut on the
+      // hostile flags.
+      expect(grants.calls).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(owners.calls).toHaveLength(1);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("decision contract", () => {
+    it("returns a frozen, minimal decision with no extra fields", async () => {
+      const decision = await evaluator().authorize({
+        baseline: "public",
+        permission,
+        principal: ANONYMOUS_PRINCIPAL,
+      });
+      expect(Object.isFrozen(decision)).toBe(true);
+      expect(Object.keys(decision)).toEqual(["allowed"]);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("sanitized failures", () => {
+    it("propagates a genuine grant-lookup infrastructure failure rather than silently denying", async () => {
+      const failingGrants: AuthorizationGrantPort = {
+        hasActiveGrant: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("connection terminated unexpectedly")),
+      };
+      const failingEvaluator = createAuthorizationEvaluator({
+        grants: failingGrants,
+        platformOwners: owners,
+      });
+
+      await expect(
+        failingEvaluator.authorize({
+          baseline: "restricted",
+          permission,
+          principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        }),
+      ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+        code: "AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED",
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("propagates a genuine platform-owner lookup infrastructure failure rather than silently denying", async () => {
+      const failingOwners: AuthorizationPlatformOwnerPort = {
+        isPlatformOwner: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error("connection terminated unexpectedly")),
+      };
+      const failingEvaluator = createAuthorizationEvaluator({
+        grants,
+        platformOwners: failingOwners,
+      });
+
+      await expect(
+        failingEvaluator.authorize({
+          baseline: "restricted",
+          permission,
+          principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        }),
+      ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(AuthorizationEvaluationError);
+    });
+
+    it("never leaks a raw infrastructure error message through the thrown error", async () => {
+      const hostileMessage = "password=hunter2 host=db.internal.example port=5432";
+      const failingGrants: AuthorizationGrantPort = {
+        hasActiveGrant: vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error(hostileMessage)),
+      };
+      const failingEvaluator = createAuthorizationEvaluator({
+        grants: failingGrants,
+        platformOwners: owners,
+      });
+
+      let captured: unknown;
+      try {
+        await failingEvaluator.authorize({
+          baseline: "restricted",
+          permission,
+          principal: createAuthenticatedPrincipal(userId),
+        });
+      } catch (error) {
+        captured = error;
+      }
+
+      const publicText = `${String(captured)}\n${
+        captured instanceof Error ? (captured.stack ?? "") : ""
+      }`;
+      expect(publicText).not.toContain("hunter2");
+      expect(publicText).not.toContain("db.internal.example");
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-permissions.test.ts b/core/tests/authorization-permissions.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb4574a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-permissions.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+import { parsePermissionId } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE,
+  CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY,
+  createPermissionRegistry,
+  PermissionRegistryError,
+} from "../src/authorization/index.js";
+
+describe("createPermissionRegistry", () => {
+  it("builds an immutable registry from a fixed declaration list", () => {
+    const id = parsePermissionId("test.example.read");
+    const registry = createPermissionRegistry([
+      { baseline: "public", description: "An example permission.", id },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(registry.has(id)).toBe(true);
+    expect(registry.get(id)).toEqual({
+      baseline: "public",
+      description: "An example permission.",
+      id,
+    });
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(registry)).toBe(true);
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(registry.declarations)).toBe(true);
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(registry.get(id))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a duplicate permission id at composition time, not per request", () => {
+    const id = parsePermissionId("test.example.read");
+    expect(() =>
+      createPermissionRegistry([
+        { baseline: "public", description: "First.", id },
+        { baseline: "restricted", description: "Second.", id },
+      ]),
+    ).toThrow(PermissionRegistryError);
+  });
+
+  it("carries the offending permission id on the duplicate-declaration error (a composition-time, developer-facing detail, not a runtime response)", () => {
+    const id = parsePermissionId("test.example.read");
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      createPermissionRegistry([
+        { baseline: "public", description: "First.", id },
+        { baseline: "restricted", description: "Second.", id },
+      ]);
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(PermissionRegistryError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({
+      code: "PERMISSION_REGISTRY_DUPLICATE_DECLARATION",
+      permissionId: id,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("treats an unregistered permission the same as a malformed one: get/has both fail closed", () => {
+    const registered = parsePermissionId("test.example.read");
+    const unregistered = parsePermissionId("test.example.unregistered");
+    const registry = createPermissionRegistry([
+      { baseline: "public", description: "Registered.", id: registered },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(registry.has(unregistered)).toBe(false);
+    expect(registry.get(unregistered)).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("fails closed for a malformed permission id passed to get/has, without throwing", () => {
+    const registry = createPermissionRegistry([]);
+
+    expect(registry.has("not a valid permission")).toBe(false);
+    expect(registry.get(null)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(registry.get(undefined)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(registry.get(42)).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(registry.get("media.*")).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("builds an empty registry from an empty list without error", () => {
+    const registry = createPermissionRegistry([]);
+    expect(registry.declarations).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY", () => {
+  it("registers exactly core.authorization.grants.manage as restricted", () => {
+    const declaration = CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY.get(CORE_AUTHORIZATION_GRANTS_MANAGE);
+    expect(declaration).toBeDefined();
+    expect(declaration?.baseline).toBe("restricted");
+    expect(declaration?.id).toBe("core.authorization.grants.manage");
+  });
+
+  it("contains no other permission in this slice", () => {
+    expect(CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY.declarations).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-store.integration.ts b/core/tests/authorization-store.integration.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e8ced7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-store.integration.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,539 @@
+import { randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
+import { mkdtemp, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import {
+  type AuthorizationScope,
+  createUserActor,
+  type GrantId,
+  parseAuthorizationScope,
+  parseEkklesiaUserId,
+  parsePermissionId,
+  SYSTEM_ACTOR,
+} from "@ekklesia/contracts";
+import { Client, type QueryResultRow } from "pg";
+import { afterAll, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  AuthorizationStoreError,
+  createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase,
+  createAuthorizationStore,
+} from "../src/authorization/index.js";
+import {
+  applyModuleMigrations,
+  createPostgresMigrationDatabase,
+  discoverAllMigrations,
+} from "../src/migrations/index.js";
+
+const integrationDatabaseUrlEnvironment = "EKKLESIA_MIGRATION_TEST_DATABASE_URL";
+const coreMigrationsDirectory = path.join(
+  path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
+  "..",
+  "drizzle",
+);
+const trackedDatabases = new Set<string>();
+let databaseCounter = 0;
+
+class IntegrationHarnessError extends Error {
+  constructor(message: string) {
+    super(message);
+    this.name = "IntegrationHarnessError";
+    this.stack = `${this.name}: ${this.message}`;
+  }
+}
+
+function harnessError(message: string): IntegrationHarnessError {
+  return new IntegrationHarnessError(message);
+}
+
+function baseDatabaseUrl(): string {
+  const value = process.env[integrationDatabaseUrlEnvironment];
+  if (typeof value !== "string" || value.trim() === "") {
+    throw harnessError("The authorization integration database is not configured.");
+  }
+  try {
+    const parsed = new URL(value);
+    if (parsed.protocol !== "postgres:" && parsed.protocol !== "postgresql:") {
+      throw new TypeError("Unsupported protocol.");
+    }
+  } catch {
+    throw harnessError("The authorization integration database configuration is invalid.");
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+function quoteDatabaseName(databaseName: string): string {
+  if (!/^[a-z][a-z0-9_]{0,62}$/u.test(databaseName)) {
+    throw harnessError("The generated integration database name is invalid.");
+  }
+  return `"${databaseName}"`;
+}
+
+function makeDatabaseName(label: string): string {
+  const safeLabel = label
+    .toLowerCase()
+    .replaceAll(/[^a-z0-9]+/gu, "_")
+    .replaceAll(/^_+|_+$/gu, "")
+    .slice(0, 14);
+  databaseCounter += 1;
+  return `ekk_authz_${process.pid}_${databaseCounter}_${safeLabel || "scenario"}_${randomBytes(4).toString("hex")}`;
+}
+
+function databaseUrl(databaseName: string): string {
+  const parsed = new URL(baseDatabaseUrl());
+  parsed.pathname = `/${databaseName}`;
+  parsed.searchParams.delete("application_name");
+  return parsed.toString();
+}
+
+async function openAdministrativeClient(connectionString: string): Promise<Client> {
+  const client = new Client({ connectionString });
+  client.on("error", () => undefined);
+  try {
+    await client.connect();
+    return client;
+  } catch {
+    try {
+      await client.end();
+    } catch {
+      // The public harness failure remains static when connection cleanup also fails.
+    }
+    throw harnessError("The authorization integration database connection failed.");
+  }
+}
+
+async function safeQuery<Row extends QueryResultRow>(
+  client: Client,
+  text: string,
+  values: unknown[] = [],
+): Promise<readonly Row[]> {
+  try {
+    const result = await client.query<Row>(text, values);
+    return result.rows;
+  } catch {
+    throw harnessError("An integration database administration operation failed.");
+  }
+}
+
+async function safeEnd(client: Client): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    await client.end();
+  } catch {
+    throw harnessError("An integration database connection could not be closed.");
+  }
+}
+
+async function createDatabase(databaseName: string): Promise<void> {
+  const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(baseDatabaseUrl());
+  try {
+    await safeQuery(admin, `CREATE DATABASE ${quoteDatabaseName(databaseName)} TEMPLATE template0`);
+  } finally {
+    await safeEnd(admin);
+  }
+}
+
+async function dropDatabase(databaseName: string): Promise<void> {
+  const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(baseDatabaseUrl());
+  try {
+    await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      "SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid) FROM pg_stat_activity WHERE datname = $1 AND pid <> pg_backend_pid()",
+      [databaseName],
+    );
+    await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      `DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS ${quoteDatabaseName(databaseName)} WITH (FORCE)`,
+    );
+    trackedDatabases.delete(databaseName);
+  } finally {
+    await safeEnd(admin);
+  }
+}
+
+async function createDisposableDatabase(label: string): Promise<{ name: string; url: string }> {
+  const name = makeDatabaseName(label);
+  await createDatabase(name);
+  trackedDatabases.add(name);
+  return { name, url: databaseUrl(name) };
+}
+
+async function applyCoreMigrations(url: string): Promise<void> {
+  const emptyModulesDirectory = await mkdtemp(path.join(tmpdir(), "ekklesia-authz-no-modules-"));
+  try {
+    const aggregate = await discoverAllMigrations({
+      coreMigrationsDirectory,
+      moduleDiscovery: {
+        moduleSdkVersion: "0.1.0",
+        modulesDirectory: emptyModulesDirectory,
+        platformVersion: "0.1.0",
+      },
+    });
+    expect(aggregate.migrations.map((entry) => entry.identity)).toEqual([
+      "core:0000_identity_core_tables",
+      "core:0001_authorization_core_tables",
+    ]);
+    await applyModuleMigrations({ aggregate, database: createPostgresMigrationDatabase(url) });
+  } finally {
+    await rm(emptyModulesDirectory, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+async function seedUser(client: Client, id: string, email: string): Promise<void> {
+  await safeQuery(
+    client,
+    `insert into "ekklesia_core_user" (id, name, email, email_verified, created_at, updated_at)
+     values ($1, $2, $3, false, now(), now())`,
+    [id, "Integration Test User", email],
+  );
+}
+
+afterAll(async () => {
+  for (const databaseName of [...trackedDatabases]) {
+    await dropDatabase(databaseName).catch(() => undefined);
+  }
+});
+
+describe.sequential("live Core authorization store", () => {
+  let database: { name: string; url: string };
+  let admin: Client;
+  let store: ReturnType<typeof createAuthorizationStore>;
+  let close: () => Promise<void>;
+
+  const userOneId = parseEkklesiaUserId("authz_user_one");
+  const userTwoId = parseEkklesiaUserId("authz_user_two");
+  const permission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.read");
+  const scope: AuthorizationScope = parseAuthorizationScope("calendar-event:123");
+  const actor = createUserActor("authz_user_two"); // an operator/admin user distinct from the subject
+
+  it("applies a fresh migration and creates exactly the three authorization tables with their constraints", async () => {
+    database = await createDisposableDatabase("fresh");
+    await applyCoreMigrations(database.url);
+
+    admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+    const tables = await safeQuery<{ table_name: string }>(
+      admin,
+      `select table_name from information_schema.tables
+       where table_schema = 'public' and table_name like 'ekklesia_core_%'
+       order by table_name`,
+    );
+    expect(tables.map((row) => row.table_name)).toEqual([
+      "ekklesia_core_account",
+      "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit",
+      "ekklesia_core_grant",
+      "ekklesia_core_migrations",
+      "ekklesia_core_platform_owner",
+      "ekklesia_core_session",
+      "ekklesia_core_user",
+      "ekklesia_core_verification",
+    ]);
+
+    await seedUser(admin, userOneId, "authz-one@example.test");
+    await seedUser(admin, userTwoId, "authz-two@example.test");
+
+    const handle = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+    close = handle.close;
+    store = createAuthorizationStore(handle.db);
+  });
+
+  it("creates a grant and finds it as active for the matching user, permission, and scope", async () => {
+    const grant = await store.createGrant({
+      actor,
+      permission,
+      scope,
+      sourceKind: "explicit",
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+
+    expect(grant.userId).toBe(userOneId);
+    expect(grant.permission).toBe(permission);
+    expect(grant.scope).toBe(scope);
+    expect(grant.sourceKind).toBe("explicit");
+    expect(grant.revokedAt).toBeUndefined();
+
+    const active = await store.hasActiveGrant({
+      now: new Date(),
+      permission,
+      scope,
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+    expect(active).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("does not find the grant for a different user, a different permission, or a different scope", async () => {
+    expect(
+      await store.hasActiveGrant({ now: new Date(), permission, scope, userId: userTwoId }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      await store.hasActiveGrant({
+        now: new Date(),
+        permission: parsePermissionId("calendar.events.write"),
+        scope,
+        userId: userOneId,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      await store.hasActiveGrant({
+        now: new Date(),
+        permission,
+        scope: parseAuthorizationScope("calendar-event:456"),
+        userId: userOneId,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("never lets the scoped grant satisfy an unscoped request", async () => {
+    const active = await store.hasActiveGrant({ now: new Date(), permission, userId: userOneId });
+    expect(active).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("lets an unscoped grant satisfy both unscoped and scoped requests for the same permission", async () => {
+    const unscopedPermission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.list");
+    await store.createGrant({
+      actor,
+      permission: unscopedPermission,
+      sourceKind: "relationship",
+      sourceRef: "roster:volunteer:42",
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+
+    expect(
+      await store.hasActiveGrant({
+        now: new Date(),
+        permission: unscopedPermission,
+        userId: userOneId,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      await store.hasActiveGrant({
+        now: new Date(),
+        permission: unscopedPermission,
+        scope: parseAuthorizationScope("anything-at-all"),
+        userId: userOneId,
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("records exactly one atomic audit entry for the grant it just created", async () => {
+    const rows = await safeQuery<{
+      action: string;
+      actor_id: string | null;
+      actor_type: string;
+      permission_id: string | null;
+      scope: string | null;
+      subject_user_id: string;
+    }>(
+      admin,
+      `select action, actor_id, actor_type, permission_id, scope, subject_user_id
+       from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit"
+       where subject_user_id = $1 and permission_id = $2`,
+      [userOneId, permission],
+    );
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(rows[0]).toMatchObject({
+      action: "grant.create",
+      actor_id: userTwoId,
+      actor_type: "user",
+      permission_id: permission,
+      scope,
+      subject_user_id: userOneId,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("denies a grant once it expires, evaluated against a real elapsed instant", async () => {
+    const expiringPermission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.export");
+    const past = new Date(Date.now() - 1_000);
+    await store.createGrant({
+      actor,
+      expiresAt: past,
+      permission: expiringPermission,
+      sourceKind: "explicit",
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+
+    const active = await store.hasActiveGrant({
+      now: new Date(),
+      permission: expiringPermission,
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+    expect(active).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("allows a grant that has not yet expired", async () => {
+    const notYetExpiredPermission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.import");
+    const future = new Date(Date.now() + 86_400_000);
+    await store.createGrant({
+      actor,
+      expiresAt: future,
+      permission: notYetExpiredPermission,
+      sourceKind: "explicit",
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+
+    const active = await store.hasActiveGrant({
+      now: new Date(),
+      permission: notYetExpiredPermission,
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+    expect(active).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  const revocablePermission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.delete");
+  let revocableGrantId: GrantId;
+
+  it("revokes an active grant, records the revocation audit entry, and stops it authorizing", async () => {
+    const grant = await store.createGrant({
+      actor,
+      permission: revocablePermission,
+      sourceKind: "explicit",
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+    revocableGrantId = grant.id;
+
+    await store.revokeGrant({ actor, grantId: grant.id });
+
+    const active = await store.hasActiveGrant({
+      now: new Date(),
+      permission: revocablePermission,
+      userId: userOneId,
+    });
+    expect(active).toBe(false);
+
+    const audit = await safeQuery<{ action: string }>(
+      admin,
+      `select action from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where grant_id = $1 order by created_at`,
+      [revocableGrantId],
+    );
+    expect(audit.map((row) => row.action)).toEqual(["grant.create", "grant.revoke"]);
+  });
+
+  it("refuses to revoke an already-revoked grant a second time", async () => {
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      await store.revokeGrant({ actor, grantId: revocableGrantId });
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(AuthorizationStoreError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND" });
+  });
+
+  it("rolls back the whole grant-plus-audit transaction when the audit write violates a real constraint", async () => {
+    const doomedPermission = parsePermissionId("calendar.events.archive");
+    // The audit table's scope CHECK constraint rejects a non-null empty string; the grant table
+    // has no such constraint. Bypassing the application-layer AuthorizationScope validation (which
+    // never produces an empty string) with a raw cast lets a real Postgres constraint violation
+    // fire on the audit insert specifically, after the grant insert within the same transaction
+    // would otherwise have succeeded.
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      await store.createGrant({
+        actor,
+        permission: doomedPermission,
+        scope: "" as AuthorizationScope,
+        sourceKind: "explicit",
+        userId: userOneId,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(AuthorizationStoreError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED" });
+
+    const orphanedGrants = await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      `select id from "ekklesia_core_grant" where permission_id = $1`,
+      [doomedPermission],
+    );
+    expect(orphanedGrants).toHaveLength(0);
+    const orphanedAudit = await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      `select id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where permission_id = $1`,
+      [doomedPermission],
+    );
+    expect(orphanedAudit).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it("is not a platform owner before ever being granted ownership", async () => {
+    expect(await store.isPlatformOwner(userOneId)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("grants, records the audit entry for, and looks up platform-owner authority", async () => {
+    await store.grantPlatformOwner(userOneId, actor);
+
+    expect(await store.isPlatformOwner(userOneId)).toBe(true);
+    expect(await store.isPlatformOwner(userTwoId)).toBe(false);
+
+    const audit = await safeQuery<{ action: string; subject_user_id: string }>(
+      admin,
+      `select action, subject_user_id from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where action = 'platform_owner.grant'`,
+    );
+    expect(audit).toEqual([{ action: "platform_owner.grant", subject_user_id: userOneId }]);
+  });
+
+  it("revokes platform-owner authority, records the audit entry, and stops future lookups from succeeding", async () => {
+    await store.revokePlatformOwner(userOneId, actor);
+
+    expect(await store.isPlatformOwner(userOneId)).toBe(false);
+
+    const audit = await safeQuery<{ action: string }>(
+      admin,
+      `select action from "ekklesia_core_authorization_audit" where action = 'platform_owner.revoke'`,
+    );
+    expect(audit).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("refuses to revoke platform-owner authority a user never held (or already lost)", async () => {
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      await store.revokePlatformOwner(userTwoId, actor);
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(AuthorizationStoreError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_NOT_FOUND" });
+  });
+
+  it("re-grants platform-owner authority after a revocation (upsert), reactivating rather than duplicating the row", async () => {
+    await store.grantPlatformOwner(userOneId, SYSTEM_ACTOR);
+    expect(await store.isPlatformOwner(userOneId)).toBe(true);
+
+    const rows = await safeQuery(
+      admin,
+      `select user_id from "ekklesia_core_platform_owner" where user_id = $1`,
+      [userOneId],
+    );
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("shuts down cleanly", async () => {
+    await close();
+    await safeEnd(admin);
+    await dropDatabase(database.name);
+  });
+});
+
+describe.sequential("live Core authorization store — no automatic migration", () => {
+  it("creates no authorization tables merely by constructing the database, the store, or an evaluator against an unmigrated database", async () => {
+    const database = await createDisposableDatabase("unmigrated");
+    try {
+      const { db, close } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase(database.url);
+      const store = createAuthorizationStore(db);
+      expect(store).toBeDefined();
+      await close();
+
+      const admin = await openAdministrativeClient(database.url);
+      try {
+        const tables = await safeQuery(
+          admin,
+          `select table_name from information_schema.tables where table_schema = 'public'`,
+        );
+        expect(tables).toHaveLength(0);
+      } finally {
+        await safeEnd(admin);
+      }
+    } finally {
+      await dropDatabase(database.name);
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/authorization-store.test.ts b/core/tests/authorization-store.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..865067d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/authorization-store.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const poolConstructor = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+
+vi.mock("pg", () => ({ Pool: poolConstructor }));
+
+import { createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase } from "../src/authorization/database.js";
+import { AuthorizationStoreError, createAuthorizationStore } from "../src/authorization/store.js";
+
+describe("Core authorization store — import and construction safety", () => {
+  it("does not construct a pool or open a connection merely because the module is imported", () => {
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("does not perform any query merely because the store is constructed", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn(), query: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    const { db } = createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia");
+
+    const store = createAuthorizationStore(db);
+
+    expect(store).toBeDefined();
+    expect(typeof store.createGrant).toBe("function");
+    expect(typeof store.revokeGrant).toBe("function");
+    expect(typeof store.hasActiveGrant).toBe("function");
+    expect(typeof store.grantPlatformOwner).toBe("function");
+    expect(typeof store.revokePlatformOwner).toBe("function");
+    expect(typeof store.isPlatformOwner).toBe("function");
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(store)).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("AuthorizationStoreError", () => {
+  it.each([
+    "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED",
+    "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_LOOKUP_FAILED",
+    "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND",
+    "AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_REVOKE_FAILED",
+    "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_LOOKUP_FAILED",
+    "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_MUTATION_FAILED",
+    "AUTHORIZATION_PLATFORM_OWNER_NOT_FOUND",
+  ] as const)("exposes a stable code and a fixed, generic message for %s", (code) => {
+    const error = new AuthorizationStoreError(code);
+    expect(error.code).toBe(code);
+    expect(error.name).toBe("AuthorizationStoreError");
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(error)).toBe(true);
+    expect(error.message.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it("never carries a cause, raw driver error, SQL, or stack detail beyond the fixed message", () => {
+    const error = new AuthorizationStoreError("AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_CREATE_FAILED");
+    const publicText = `${String(error)}\n${error.stack ?? ""}`;
+    expect(publicText).toBe(
+      `AuthorizationStoreError: ${error.message}\nAuthorizationStoreError: ${error.message}`,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/cli-bootstrap-platform-owner.test.ts b/core/tests/cli-bootstrap-platform-owner.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb069bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/cli-bootstrap-platform-owner.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const poolConstructor = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+
+vi.mock("pg", () => ({ Pool: poolConstructor }));
+
+describe("bootstrap-platform-owner CLI import safety", () => {
+  const originalEnv = { ...process.env };
+
+  it("does not read DATABASE_URL, connect to PostgreSQL, or run bootstrap merely by importing the module", async () => {
+    delete process.env.DATABASE_URL;
+
+    // Under Vitest, process.argv[1] is never this file's own path, so isDirectExecution() is
+    // false the same way it naturally is for apps/api/src/server.ts under its own test suite —
+    // no argv manipulation is needed to prove the guard holds.
+    await expect(import("../src/cli/bootstrap-platform-owner.js")).resolves.toBeDefined();
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+    process.env = originalEnv;
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/database-pool.test.ts b/core/tests/database-pool.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1dad7e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/database-pool.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const poolConstructor = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
+
+vi.mock("pg", () => ({ Pool: poolConstructor }));
+
+import { createValidatedPostgresPool, PostgresPoolError } from "../src/database/pool.js";
+
+describe("createValidatedPostgresPool", () => {
+  it("does not construct a pool merely because the module is imported", () => {
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    "",
+    "   ",
+    "not-a-database-url",
+    "https://admin:do-not-log@db.example.test/database",
+  ])("rejects an invalid connection string without exposing it (%s)", (connectionString) => {
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      createValidatedPostgresPool(connectionString);
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(PostgresPoolError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID" });
+    const publicText = `${String(captured)}\n${
+      captured instanceof Error ? (captured.stack ?? "") : ""
+    }`;
+    if (connectionString) {
+      expect(publicText).not.toContain(connectionString);
+    }
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("explicitly constructs the pool only when called", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+
+    const handle = createValidatedPostgresPool(
+      "postgresql://operator:do-not-log@example.test/ekklesia",
+    );
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(handle.pool).toBeDefined();
+    expect(typeof handle.close).toBe("function");
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(handle)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("passes the connection timeout through to the pool configuration", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    createValidatedPostgresPool("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia", {
+      connectionTimeoutMs: 5_000,
+    });
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ connectionTimeoutMillis: 5_000 }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("passes the operation timeout through as both query_timeout and statement_timeout", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on: vi.fn() };
+    });
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    createValidatedPostgresPool("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia", {
+      operationTimeoutMs: 7_500,
+    });
+
+    expect(poolConstructor).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ query_timeout: 7_500, statement_timeout: 7_500 }),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", 0],
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", -1],
+    ["operationTimeoutMs", Number.NaN],
+    ["connectionTimeoutMs", 0],
+    ["connectionTimeoutMs", -1],
+  ] as const)("rejects an invalid %s (%s) without constructing a pool and without leaking the value", (optionName, value) => {
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+
+    let captured: unknown;
+    try {
+      createValidatedPostgresPool("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia", {
+        [optionName]: value,
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      captured = error;
+    }
+
+    expect(captured).toBeInstanceOf(PostgresPoolError);
+    expect(captured).toMatchObject({ code: "POSTGRES_POOL_CONFIGURATION_INVALID" });
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("registers a pool-level error listener so an idle client failure never becomes an uncaught exception", () => {
+    const on = vi.fn();
+    poolConstructor.mockImplementation(function fakePool() {
+      return { end: async () => undefined, on };
+    });
+
+    createValidatedPostgresPool("postgresql://example.test/ekklesia");
+
+    expect(on).toHaveBeenCalledWith("error", expect.any(Function));
+    const handler = on.mock.calls.find((call) => call[0] === "error")?.[1] as
+      | ((error: unknown) => void)
+      | undefined;
+    expect(() =>
+      handler?.(new Error("terminating connection due to administrator command")),
+    ).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/identity-database.test.ts b/core/tests/identity-database.test.ts
index 5e07508..a7440c8 100644
--- a/core/tests/identity-database.test.ts
+++ b/core/tests/identity-database.test.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
+import type { Pool } from "pg";
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 const poolConstructor = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 
 vi.mock("pg", () => ({ Pool: poolConstructor }));
 
-import { createIdentityDrizzleDatabase, IdentityDatabaseError } from "../src/identity/database.js";
+import {
+  createIdentityDrizzleDatabase,
+  createIdentityDrizzleView,
+  IdentityDatabaseError,
+} from "../src/identity/database.js";
 
 describe("Core identity Drizzle database composition", () => {
   it("does not construct a pool merely because the module is imported", () => {
@@ -141,3 +146,19 @@ describe("Core identity Drizzle database composition", () => {
     ).not.toThrow();
   });
 });
+
+describe("createIdentityDrizzleView", () => {
+  it("wraps an externally owned pool without constructing, registering an error listener on, or closing one itself", () => {
+    poolConstructor.mockClear();
+    const fakePool = { end: vi.fn(), on: vi.fn(), query: vi.fn() };
+
+    // A minimal fake pg.Pool double is sufficient — this test proves createIdentityDrizzleView
+    // never touches the pool beyond wrapping it.
+    const db = createIdentityDrizzleView(fakePool as unknown as Pool);
+
+    expect(db).toBeDefined();
+    expect(poolConstructor).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(fakePool.on).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(fakePool.end).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/0013-core-authorization-and-owner-bootstrap.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/0013-core-authorization-and-owner-bootstrap.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f84daa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/0013-core-authorization-and-owner-bootstrap.md
@@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+# 0013: Core authorization, permission registry, and platform-owner bootstrap
+
+- Status: Accepted
+- Date: 2026-07-23
+
+## Context
+
+ADR 0010 and ADR 0011 established Core-owned identity and its HTTP transport but explicitly left
+authorization out of scope: every account received identical baseline authenticated status, and
+signup order never granted elevation. `docs/architecture/platform-architecture.md` names
+permissions as a Core concern (ADR 0001), not a feature module or a surface concern, alongside
+identity, database connectivity, and module lifecycle.
+
+Phase 4C adds that missing piece in two slices on this branch. The first slice
+(`feat: add core authorization foundation`) established the schema, evaluator, store, and
+contracts. The second (`feat: add authorization bootstrap and HTTP enforcement`) added an explicit
+platform-owner bootstrap operation, a permission registry, and HTTP enforcement wired into
+`apps/api`. This ADR records the durable architectural decisions both slices established, since
+together they fix a shape future changes must not casually violate: what a permission is, who can
+grant one, how a platform owner is established, and how any of this reaches HTTP.
+
+## Decision
+
+### Core owns authorization independently of Hono, Surfaces, and modules
+
+Authorization is a Core platform concern, exactly like identity. The schema
+(`core/src/authorization/schema.ts`), evaluator (`core/src/authorization/evaluator.ts`), store
+(`core/src/authorization/store.ts`), permission registry (`core/src/authorization/permissions.ts`),
+and bootstrap operation (`core/src/authorization/bootstrap.ts`) import nothing from `hono`,
+`apps/api`, or any module, and are independently testable without an HTTP transport. `apps/api`
+consumes Core's authorization surface the same way it already consumes identity: through explicit,
+injected composition (`apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts`,
+`apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts`), never the reverse. Modules cannot import Core at all under
+`scripts/check-boundaries.ts`, so this holds structurally, not just by convention.
+
+### Permission IDs are exact, registered, and deny by default
+
+A `PermissionId` (`@ekklesia/contracts`) is a validated, namespaced string
+(`core.authorization.grants.manage`), but being well-formed is not the same as being *registered*.
+`PermissionRegistry` (`core/src/authorization/permissions.ts`) is the trusted, immutable,
+composition-time-built source of which permissions actually exist and what baseline each requires.
+Matching is always exact string equality — there is no wildcard, prefix, or namespace-inheritance
+matching anywhere in the evaluator or the store; a permission `core.authorization.grants.manage`
+never implies or is implied by `core.authorization.grants.*` or `core.authorization.*`. An unknown
+or malformed permission id is treated identically to a denied decision, never a distinct "this
+would work if declared" response — deny-by-default holds even for permissions nobody has declared
+yet.
+
+Registration is enforced everywhere a permission id can originate from outside Core's own trusted
+route wiring, not only for the caller's own required permission. `requirePermission`
+(`apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts`) checks the registry for the permission a *route*
+requires; `POST /api/v1/grants` (`apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts`) separately checks the registry
+for the *target* permission a caller is requesting be granted to someone else, since that value
+comes from the request body rather than route wiring. Without the second check, a caller with
+`core.authorization.grants.manage` could create a stored grant for a permission id that is merely
+well-formed, not registered — a dormant grant that would silently become effective the moment
+that identifier was registered later, with no further action or review at registration time. Both
+checks reject with the identical sanitized `403 {"code":"AUTHORIZATION_DENIED"}` an ordinary denial
+would return, and neither ever calls into the store on rejection.
+
+### Permissions declare one trusted baseline: public, authenticated, or restricted
+
+Every registered permission declares exactly one `PermissionBaseline` at registration time. The
+evaluator (`core/src/authorization/evaluator.ts`) still accepts a baseline as part of its own
+request shape — that is pass 1's evaluator contract, unchanged — but the only caller allowed to
+supply it in this repository is Core's own trusted registry lookup
+(`requirePermission` in `apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts`); no HTTP route reads a baseline
+from a request header, query parameter, or body. `public` always allows; `authenticated` requires a
+non-anonymous principal and nothing else; `restricted` requires an authenticated principal *and*
+either platform-owner authority or an active matching grant — the baseline alone never satisfies a
+restricted check.
+
+### Unknown permissions and client-supplied baselines fail closed
+
+Two independent fail-closed layers exist on purpose, not one relied on twice, and they check
+different things. The registry itself (`PermissionRegistry.get`/`.has`) returns `undefined`/`false`
+for anything malformed or unregistered — this is the only layer that knows what is *registered*.
+`requirePermission` treats a registry miss as an immediate sanitized `403`, before principal
+resolution or evaluation ever runs; `POST /api/v1/grants` performs the equivalent registry check
+for the target permission named in its body (see above). Separately, `createAuthorizationEvaluator`
+independently re-validates permission *shape* — it holds no registry and cannot recognize
+registration at all — denying (without throwing) any malformed or unrecognized
+`permission`/`baseline`/`scope` it receives. This shape check runs, and can deny, **before any
+baseline is allowed to return an allowed decision** — `public` and `authenticated` are not
+exempt, even though neither reads the permission value for any other reason — so a future caller
+that reaches the evaluator directly, bypassing the registry entirely (for example a different
+transport Core does not yet have), inherits the same fail-closed guarantee for malformed input
+rather than depending on a registry check having already run upstream. The evaluator's shape check
+and the registry's registration check are deliberately not merged into one: only the registry can
+answer "is this permission registered," and the evaluator must remain usable — and safe against
+malformed input — by a caller that has no registry to consult at all.
+
+### Explicit and relationship-derived grants share persistence but have distinct source kinds
+
+`ekklesia_core_grant` is one table for both explicit grants (an administrator naming a subject
+user, permission, and optional scope directly) and relationship-derived grants (a future module
+operation establishing access automatically from a relationship it owns, for example a roster
+assignment). A `source_kind` column, constrained to exactly `'explicit'` or `'relationship'`,
+distinguishes them at the row level; nothing else about how a grant is stored or evaluated differs
+by source kind. This lets both kinds share one evaluator code path and one audit trail while still
+letting HTTP enforcement treat them very differently (see below).
+
+### Unscoped grants satisfy scoped or unscoped checks; scoped grants satisfy only the exact matching scope
+
+`AuthorizationStore.hasActiveGrant` (`core/src/authorization/store.ts`) matches a grant whose
+`scope` column is `NULL` against *any* check, scoped or unscoped, but matches a grant with a
+non-null `scope` only against a check requesting that exact scope string. An unscoped grant is
+strictly broader than any scoped grant of the same permission; a scoped grant never leaks into an
+unscoped check for the same permission. There is no partial, prefix, or hierarchical scope
+matching.
+
+### Revoked and expired grants never authorize
+
+`hasActiveGrant`'s query requires `revoked_at IS NULL` and either no `expires_at` or
+`expires_at` in the future, evaluated against an injectable clock (`now`) rather than each caller's
+own wall-clock read. Revocation is soft: `AuthorizationStore.revokeGrant` sets `revoked_at` and the
+revoking actor rather than deleting the row, so the audit trail and the grant's own history remain
+queryable after revocation, but a revoked row can never again satisfy an authorization check.
+
+### Platform-owner authority is represented separately from grants and is not a wildcard permission
+
+`ekklesia_core_platform_owner` is its own table, not a synthetic all-permissions grant row.
+`createAuthorizationEvaluator` checks `platformOwners.isPlatformOwner(userId)` as an independent
+`OR` alongside `hasActiveGrant`, so owner status bypasses the grant/scope machinery entirely rather
+than being implemented as a grant with a special scope or permission value that other code could
+accidentally match against. This keeps "is a platform owner" and "has this specific permission"
+structurally distinct, so a future owner-management feature can reason about the one table without
+touching grant semantics.
+
+### Platform-owner bootstrap is explicit, CLI-only, globally single-use, permanently consumed even after revocation, concurrency-safe, and audited atomically
+
+There is no signup-order or first-user inference anywhere in this repository. The only way to
+establish a platform owner is `pnpm authorization:bootstrap-owner -- --user-id <id>
+--confirm-user-id <same-id>` (`core/src/cli/bootstrap-platform-owner.ts`,
+`core/src/authorization/bootstrap.ts`), never an HTTP endpoint. "Bootstrap has already been
+consumed" is defined as *any row ever created* in `ekklesia_core_platform_owner`, for any user,
+including one whose `revoked_at` is set — there is no path in this slice that re-opens bootstrap
+after a revocation; a later, separate owner-management feature (not part of this slice) is how a
+platform owner would ever be re-established. The single-use check, the target user's existence
+check, the owner-row insert, and its audit-row insert are one PostgreSQL transaction, serialized by
+a transaction-scoped advisory lock (`pg_advisory_xact_lock`, a key pair distinct from the migration
+runner's own lock) acquired as the transaction's first statement, so two concurrent bootstrap
+attempts can never both observe "no owner yet" — exactly one succeeds, proven against real
+PostgreSQL. Any failure path (nonexistent user, lost race, audit failure) rolls back the entire
+transaction, leaving no partial owner or bootstrap state.
+
+### Identity and Authorization use typed Drizzle views over one physical PostgreSQL pool in apps/api
+
+`apps/api/src/database.ts`'s `createApiDatabase` constructs exactly one validated `pg.Pool`
+(`core/src/database/pool.ts`) and wraps it with two independent typed Drizzle views
+(`createIdentityDrizzleView`, `createAuthorizationDrizzleView`) rather than owning two pools. This
+is additive: `createIdentityDrizzleDatabase` and `createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase` (each owning
+a private pool) remain available and unaffected for callers — the bootstrap CLI included — that
+only need one domain and have no reason to share a connection. `apps/api` closes the one shared
+pool exactly once, on graceful shutdown and on any startup failure after the pool was already
+constructed.
+
+### Cookie-authenticated authorization mutations require an exact trusted Origin
+
+`requireTrustedOrigin` (`apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts`) requires an exact match against
+the same trusted-origin set already used for CORS and Better Auth's own checks (ADR 0011, ADR
+0012) on every grant-mutation route. This is deliberately a server-side check distinct from CORS:
+CORS response headers only stop a browser from *reading* a cross-origin response, not from
+*sending* the state-changing request in the first place. A missing or untrusted origin is rejected
+before the permission check or any state change. Non-browser, non-cookie automation (service
+accounts/API tokens) has no way to satisfy this check and is explicitly deferred, not silently
+exempted.
+
+### Generic HTTP grant management handles only explicit grants
+
+`POST /api/v1/grants` always sets `source_kind` to `'explicit'` server-side — the request body has
+no field that can influence it — and `POST /api/v1/grants/:grantId/revoke` always filters its
+mutation to `source_kind = 'explicit'`. A relationship-derived grant's id, presented to the revoke
+route, matches zero rows and returns the same `404` a nonexistent grant id would, indistinguishably
+from the caller's perspective. The generic HTTP API also never accepts `actor`, `sourceKind`,
+`sourceRef`, any audit field, a grant id, `createdAt`, or `revokedAt` in a mutation body: the
+allowlist rejects the entire request if any other key is present, so a well-formed-looking request
+cannot smuggle a server-derived field past validation.
+
+### Relationship-derived grants may be created or revoked only by the trusted module operation owning that relationship
+
+No code path in this repository creates a `source_kind = 'relationship'` grant yet — there is no
+roster or similar module operation in this slice — but the architectural boundary is fixed here:
+when that operation exists, it is the only trusted caller for that grant's lifecycle, exercised
+through `AuthorizationStore` directly (as pass 2's own integration tests do to seed one), never
+through the generic `/api/v1/grants` HTTP surface. Nothing about this ADR assumes what that future
+module operation looks like — only that it does not go through the explicit-grant API.
+
+### Deferred
+
+Roles, groups, teams, and tenants; an owner-management HTTP endpoint (revoking or re-granting
+platform-owner status over HTTP); service accounts and API tokens for non-browser automation; and
+module permission discovery/registration (a mechanism for a module to contribute its own
+declarations to a combined permission registry) are all deliberately out of scope for Phase 4C and
+remain later work.
+
+## Alternatives
+
+- Representing platform-owner status as a special grant row (a synthetic `*` permission, or a
+  reserved scope value meaning "everything") was rejected: it would make "is this row an owner
+  grant or a real permission grant" a runtime distinction every future grant-handling code path
+  would need to remember to check, rather than a structural one enforced by table shape.
+- Implementing bootstrap as "check for an existing owner, then call the same `grantPlatformOwner`
+  function grants already use" was rejected: composing two separately-transacted operations leaves
+  a window between the check and the grant where a concurrent caller could observe the same "no
+  owner yet" state, which is exactly the race a single-use bootstrap must not allow. A dedicated,
+  single-transaction operation closes that window structurally instead of relying on discipline at
+  every call site.
+- Allowing the generic explicit-grant HTTP API to also manage relationship-derived grants (with an
+  optional `sourceKind` field in the request body) was rejected: it would let any caller holding
+  `core.authorization.grants.manage` silently unwind access a module relationship established for
+  reasons the generic API has no way to evaluate — for example, revoking a roster-derived grant
+  without the roster module ever knowing its own invariant was violated.
+- A second physical PostgreSQL pool dedicated to authorization in `apps/api` (mirroring identity's
+  own private-pool factory) was rejected in favor of one shared pool: `apps/api` is one process
+  with one connection budget, and two independently-sized pools would double configured connection
+  limits for no isolation benefit within a single process.
+
+## Consequences
+
+Every HTTP route that needs authorization now goes through one reusable middleware
+(`requirePermission`) backed by one trusted registry, rather than each route independently deciding
+how to check a permission. Establishing a platform owner is a deliberate, auditable, one-time
+operator action with no ambiguity about who holds it or how it was granted. Future work extending
+authorization — module-declared permissions, relationship-derived grants, roles — has a fixed shape
+to extend rather than a green field: new permissions register through the same
+`createPermissionRegistry` constructor, new grant sources use the existing `source_kind` column
+and audit table, and any new HTTP surface reuses `requirePermission`/`requireTrustedOrigin` rather
+than reimplementing enforcement. No identity behavior, route, or response shape from ADR 0010,
+0011, or 0012 changed.
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/README.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/README.md
index e257026..49a90cd 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/README.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/README.md
@@ -21,3 +21,4 @@ ADRs capture durable choices that affect more than one package or phase.
 - [0010: Core identity architecture and Better Auth adoption](0010-core-identity-and-better-auth-adoption.md) — Accepted
 - [0011: Identity HTTP transport and public enrollment policy](0011-identity-http-transport-and-public-enrollment.md) — Accepted
 - [0012: Production-equivalent identity origin/CSRF protection under test](0012-identity-origin-csrf-protection-under-test.md) — Accepted
+- [0013: Core authorization, permission registry, and platform-owner bootstrap](0013-core-authorization-and-owner-bootstrap.md) — Accepted
diff --git a/docs/development/api.md b/docs/development/api.md
index 9710b10..699d324 100644
--- a/docs/development/api.md
+++ b/docs/development/api.md
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ A follow-up corrective slice hardened this transport (sanitized Better Auth logg
 production-equivalent origin/CSRF protection under the test runner, bounded identity database
 timeouts, idempotent shutdown, and pinned password-length boundaries) without changing any of the
 above; see [ADR 0012](../architecture/decisions/0012-identity-origin-csrf-protection-under-test.md).
+Phase 4C adds Core's authorization foundation and, on top of this transport, a platform-owner
+bootstrap command plus an enforced explicit-grant HTTP API — see [Authorization](authorization.md).
 
 ## What this is, and is not
 
@@ -54,6 +56,7 @@ No real values are shown here — configure per environment and never commit the
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | `POST\|GET /api/auth/*` | Better Auth (mounted directly) | Better Auth's own request/response shapes pass through unmodified — see [Better Auth's email/password docs](https://www.better-auth.com/docs/authentication/email-password) for the exact endpoints (`/sign-up/email`, `/sign-in/email`, `/sign-out`, `/get-session`, ...). |
 | `GET /api/v1/principal` | Ekklesia | Returns the minimal `EkklesiaPrincipal` contract as JSON. `Cache-Control: no-store`. |
+| `GET\|POST /api/v1/grants*` | Ekklesia | Explicit authorization grant management, gated by `core.authorization.grants.manage`. See [Authorization](authorization.md#explicit-grant-http-api). |
 
 Better Auth's handler is unreachable outside `/api/auth/*`; every other unmatched path returns a
 deterministic `404 {"code":"NOT_FOUND"}`.
@@ -101,11 +104,12 @@ exist or treats an empty database as special. Baseline authenticated status is w
 let a signed-in person use ownership-scoped personal features (watch history, continue watching,
 saved content, preferences) — none of those features are implemented in this PR.
 
-Explicit **platform-owner bootstrap is deferred to Phase 4C**, which must introduce an explicit,
-auditable operator command that grants an *existing* identity platform-owner authority — signup
-order is never part of that decision. Future **relationship-derived access** (for example, a
-person added to a volunteer roster automatically gaining narrow, reversible read access to that
-roster) belongs to a later roster slice, not this one.
+Explicit **platform-owner bootstrap** is now available as a local operator command — see
+[Authorization](authorization.md#platform-owner-bootstrap) — and grants an *existing* identity
+platform-owner authority; signup order is never part of that decision. Future
+**relationship-derived access** (for example, a person added to a volunteer roster automatically
+gaining narrow, reversible read access to that roster) belongs to a later roster slice, not this
+one.
 
 `emailAndPassword.autoSignIn` is set to `false`. Signing up creates the account but does **not**
 automatically create a session — no `Set-Cookie` is sent, and the sign-up response's `token` field
@@ -204,15 +208,19 @@ abuse-control design.
 
 ## Database connection limits
 
-`apps/api/src/server.ts` configures the identity PostgreSQL pool (`createIdentityDrizzleDatabase`,
-`core/src/identity/database.ts`) with both a connection timeout and an operation timeout (10
-seconds each), the same bounded, validated pattern `core/src/migrations/postgres-database.ts`
-already uses. `connectionTimeoutMillis` alone only bounds *establishing* a connection; it does
-nothing once a query is already running on one. The operation timeout additionally sets `pg`'s
-`query_timeout` and `statement_timeout`, so a hung or unexpectedly slow query is aborted rather than
-holding a pool connection (and its caller) indefinitely. An invalid timeout (non-integer, zero,
-negative, or larger than PostgreSQL's own maximum) is rejected as configuration error before any
-pool is constructed, sanitized the same way an invalid connection string already is.
+`apps/api/src/server.ts` configures the one shared PostgreSQL pool (`createApiDatabase`,
+`apps/api/src/database.ts`, built on `createValidatedPostgresPool` from
+`core/src/database/pool.ts`) with both a connection timeout and an operation timeout (10 seconds
+each), the same bounded, validated pattern `core/src/migrations/postgres-database.ts` already
+uses. `connectionTimeoutMillis` alone only bounds *establishing* a connection; it does nothing once
+a query is already running on one. The operation timeout additionally sets `pg`'s `query_timeout`
+and `statement_timeout`, so a hung or unexpectedly slow query is aborted rather than holding a pool
+connection (and its caller) indefinitely. An invalid timeout (non-integer, zero, negative, or
+larger than PostgreSQL's own maximum) is rejected as configuration error before any pool is
+constructed, sanitized the same way an invalid connection string already is. Both the identity and
+authorization domains read from this one pool through independent typed Drizzle views — see
+[Authorization](authorization.md#shared-database-composition) for why there is exactly one pool,
+not two.
 
 ## Graceful shutdown
 
@@ -221,7 +229,9 @@ executable entry point and tests) returns `{app, server, shutdown}`. `shutdown()
 shared promise the first time it is called: every caller, concurrent or sequential, awaits the
 exact same listener-drain-then-pool-close operation, and that operation runs exactly once no matter
 how many times `shutdown()` is called. It stops the HTTP listener from accepting new connections and
-lets in-flight requests finish, then closes the PostgreSQL pool. The executable entry point's
+lets in-flight requests finish, then closes the one shared PostgreSQL pool (identity and
+authorization both read from it — see
+[Authorization](authorization.md#shared-database-composition)). The executable entry point's
 `SIGINT`/`SIGTERM` wiring is extracted into `installShutdownSignalHandlers(running, exit)` — the
 same function production composition uses, but independently testable with a fake `running`/`exit`
 so a test can trigger "a signal arrived" without sending a real process signal or invoking the real
@@ -268,7 +278,8 @@ Cookie: better-auth.session_token=<redacted, now revoked>
 
 ## Next phase
 
-Phase 4C: Core authorization (public / authenticated-baseline / relationship-derived / grants /
-platform-owner), an explicit, auditable platform-owner bootstrap command, and reversible
-relationship-derived access. Not a Dashboard Surface, which still depends on an authorization model
-that does not exist yet.
+Phase 4C, pass 3: module discovery/Module SDK permission registration, roles/groups/teams/tenants,
+an owner-management HTTP endpoint, service accounts/API tokens for non-browser automation, and
+reversible relationship-derived access itself. See [Authorization](authorization.md) for what this
+pass already added (permission registry, platform-owner bootstrap, explicit-grant HTTP API). Not a
+Dashboard Surface, which still depends on an authorization model that is only now getting started.
diff --git a/docs/development/authorization.md b/docs/development/authorization.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..177eda3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/authorization.md
@@ -0,0 +1,336 @@
+# Authorization
+
+Phase 4C establishes Core's authorization foundation and, in a second slice, wires it into
+`apps/api` over HTTP. This page covers both: the schema/evaluator/store/registry Core owns, the
+platform-owner bootstrap operation, and the enforcement/endpoints `apps/api` exposes on top of it.
+See [Identity](identity.md) for the identity foundation this builds on, [API](api.md) for the
+HTTP transport it is mounted into, and [ADR
+0013](../architecture/decisions/0013-core-authorization-and-owner-bootstrap.md) for the durable
+architectural decisions this page describes in more implementation detail.
+
+## What this is, and is not
+
+After this slice, an operator can bootstrap exactly one platform owner for a deployment, a
+platform owner (or anyone they delegate to) can create, list, and revoke *explicit* authorization
+grants over HTTP, and every enforced route fails closed on infrastructure trouble instead of
+silently allowing or denying. It is **not** possible to manage roles, groups, teams, or tenants;
+there is no owner-management HTTP endpoint (revoking or re-granting platform-owner status is not
+exposed at all in this slice); there are no service accounts or API tokens, so only
+cookie-authenticated browser callers can reach the mutation routes; and relationship-derived
+grants (for example, automatic access from a roster assignment) cannot yet be created by anything
+in this repository — the generic grants API structurally cannot create or revoke them either.
+
+## Core authorization schema and store
+
+Established as a prior checkpoint on this branch (`ekklesia_core_platform_owner`,
+`ekklesia_core_grant`, `ekklesia_core_authorization_audit`; `AuthorizationEvaluator`,
+`AuthorizationStore`; `@ekklesia/contracts`'s `PermissionId`/`GrantId`/`AuthorizationScope`
+branded types). This page does not restate that design — read `core/src/authorization/schema.ts`,
+`evaluator.ts`, and `store.ts` directly for it. This page covers what pass 2 added on top: the
+permission registry, the bootstrap operation, and HTTP enforcement.
+
+## Permission registry
+
+`core/src/authorization/permissions.ts` defines the smallest possible registry: an immutable,
+composition-time-built `PermissionRegistry` distinguishing a *registered declaration*
+(`{id, baseline, description}`) from a merely well-formed `PermissionId` string. Two properties
+matter:
+
+- **Duplicate declarations fail at composition time.** `createPermissionRegistry` throws
+  `PermissionRegistryError` (`PERMISSION_REGISTRY_DUPLICATE_DECLARATION`) if the same permission id
+  is declared twice — this can only happen while wiring the registry itself, not at request time.
+- **Unknown permissions fail closed at lookup time.** `registry.get(permissionId)` and
+  `registry.has(permissionId)` both re-validate their input (`safeParsePermissionId` internally)
+  and return `undefined`/`false` for anything malformed or simply not registered — there is no
+  "trust this permission id because it looks right" path.
+
+`CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY` is Core's own registry, currently declaring exactly one permission:
+
+| Permission | Baseline | Description |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `core.authorization.grants.manage` | `restricted` | Create, list, and revoke another user's explicit authorization grants. |
+
+Module-owned permission declarations and a discovery/composition path for them are out of scope
+for this slice (deferred to the Module SDK work).
+
+### Two layers, not one: shape versus registration
+
+`createAuthorizationEvaluator` (`core/src/authorization/evaluator.ts`) has no registry and is
+never given one — it independently re-validates `permission`, `baseline`, and `scope` as a pure
+shape check (`safeParsePermissionId`/`permissionBaselineSchema`/`safeParseAuthorizationScope`) and
+denies a malformed value under **every** baseline, including `public` and `authenticated`, before
+any baseline is allowed to return an allowed decision. This is defense in depth for a future
+caller that reaches the evaluator directly, not a substitute for the registry: the evaluator has
+no way to tell a well-formed-but-unregistered permission id (for example a plausible-looking
+`calendar.events.read` that nothing has ever declared) from a genuinely registered one — it can
+only reject what is not even shaped like a `PermissionId` at all.
+
+*Registration* — "does this permission actually exist" — is exclusively the registry's
+responsibility, consulted by every trusted caller before the evaluator ever runs:
+`requirePermission` (`apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts`) looks up the *caller's own*
+required permission (for example `core.authorization.grants.manage`, always a hardcoded route
+constant, never client-supplied) in the registry before resolving a principal or evaluating
+anything; `POST /api/v1/grants` (`apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts`) separately looks up the *target*
+permission being granted — the one named in the request body — in the same registry, after body
+shape-validation and before ever calling `store.createGrant`, so a caller cannot create a dormant
+grant for an invented permission id that might later become effective the moment someone actually
+registers it. A malformed target permission (fails `PermissionId` shape validation) still resolves
+to the body-level `400 {"code":"INVALID_REQUEST"}` documented below, unchanged; a well-formed but
+unregistered target permission instead receives the identical sanitized
+`403 {"code":"AUTHORIZATION_DENIED"}` a genuinely denied caller would, so that response never
+reveals whether the caller was denied or the permission was simply never registered.
+
+## Platform-owner bootstrap
+
+There is no "first user becomes owner" inference anywhere in this repository, and no HTTP
+endpoint exposes bootstrap. The only way to establish a platform owner is the local CLI command:
+
+```bash
+pnpm migrations:apply   # the database must already be migrated
+DATABASE_URL=postgresql://... pnpm authorization:bootstrap-owner -- \
+  --user-id <existing-ekklesia-user-id> \
+  --confirm-user-id <same-id>
+```
+
+`DATABASE_URL` is read only when the command actually executes (never merely by importing the CLI
+module — proved by `core/tests/cli-bootstrap-platform-owner.test.ts`), and it is never printed,
+logged, or included in any error. `--user-id` and `--confirm-user-id` must match exactly, checked
+before the id is even parsed as a valid `EkklesiaUserId` — this command never infers a target from
+signup order or "the only user in the database"; the operator must name the exact, opaque id
+twice.
+
+### Bootstrap is permanently single-use
+
+`core/src/authorization/bootstrap.ts`'s `bootstrapPlatformOwner(db, {userId})` is a dedicated,
+Hono-independent Core operation — deliberately *not* a composition of "check for an owner, then
+call the existing grant function." "Already consumed" means **any row has ever existed** in
+`ekklesia_core_platform_owner`, for any user, including one whose `revoked_at` is set. There is no
+owner-management flow in this slice that clears that state; a revoked owner staying revoked (and
+bootstrap staying consumed) is intentional here.
+
+The single-use check, the target user's existence check, the owner-grant insert, and its audit
+entry are all one PostgreSQL transaction. The very first statement inside that transaction is a
+transaction-scoped advisory lock:
+
+```sql
+select pg_advisory_xact_lock(1500000001, 1500000002)
+```
+
+This lock key pair is distinct from the migration runner's own advisory lock
+(`core/src/migrations/postgres-database.ts`), so bootstrap serialization can never collide with or
+be blocked by unrelated migration locking. `pg_advisory_xact_lock` releases automatically on
+commit or rollback, so no manual unlock path is needed even when the transaction fails partway.
+Two concurrent bootstrap attempts serialize on this lock: the second caller blocks until the
+first's transaction commits or rolls back, then re-evaluates the "does any owner row exist" check
+against now-current state — so exactly one of two concurrent attempts ever succeeds, proved live
+against real PostgreSQL in `core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts`
+(`Promise.allSettled` on two simultaneous calls; asserts exactly one `fulfilled`, exactly one
+`rejected` with `PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED`, exactly one owner row, exactly one
+audit row).
+
+A failed target-user lookup, an audit-insert failure, or losing the concurrency race all roll back
+the entire transaction — there is no partial state where an owner row exists without its audit
+entry, or vice versa.
+
+The audit entry for a bootstrap grant always uses a fixed, sanitized, non-user actor identity —
+never derived from any caller input — so an auditor can tell a given `platform_owner.grant` row
+came specifically from this command rather than from a future owner-management flow:
+
+| Field | Value |
+| --- | --- |
+| `actor_type` | `system` |
+| `actor_id` | `authorization-bootstrap-cli` |
+
+### Error codes
+
+`PlatformOwnerBootstrapError` never carries the underlying database error, SQL text, host, port,
+path, or stack — only a stable `code` and a fixed message:
+
+| Code | Meaning |
+| --- | --- |
+| `PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_ALREADY_CONSUMED` | A platform-owner row already exists (any user, revoked or not). |
+| `PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_USER_NOT_FOUND` | `--user-id` does not match an existing identity user. |
+| `PLATFORM_OWNER_BOOTSTRAP_FAILED` | Any other failure (database/infrastructure). |
+
+## HTTP authorization enforcement
+
+`apps/api/src/authorization-middleware.ts` exports `requirePermission(options, permissionId)`, a
+Hono middleware factory reused by every protected route:
+
+1. Looks up `permissionId` in the trusted, server-side `PermissionRegistry` (never a
+   client-supplied baseline) — an unregistered permission id fails closed with `403` before the
+   principal is even resolved. In today's wiring only hard-coded registered constants are ever
+   passed by route code, but the check stays live per-request as defense in depth rather than
+   being trusted once at composition time.
+2. Resolves the principal exclusively through the same server-side identity runtime
+   `/api/v1/principal` already uses (`EkklesiaIdentityRuntime.resolvePrincipal`) — nothing here
+   ever trusts a client-supplied claim about identity.
+3. Calls the injected `AuthorizationEvaluator` with the registry's baseline and permission for
+   that principal (platform owners pass through the evaluator's owner bypass here — this is how
+   delegation to `core.authorization.grants.manage` recipients also works, without a second code
+   path).
+4. On success, stores the resolved `EkklesiaPrincipal` (Core's narrow `{kind, userId}` — never a
+   Better Auth session/user object) on the Hono context via `c.set`, readable by the route through
+   `getAuthorizedPrincipal(c)`. This is a deliberately narrow exception to the "no generalized
+   session/user object in Hono context" concern [ADR
+   0011](../architecture/decisions/0011-identity-http-transport-and-public-enrollment.md) raised —
+   only this already-public-safe principal shape is ever set.
+
+A denied decision and an unregistered permission id both return a sanitized `403
+{"code":"AUTHORIZATION_DENIED"}`. A genuine infrastructure failure — principal resolution,
+evaluation, or the database underneath either — is never folded into that `403`; it returns a
+sanitized `503` instead (`PRINCIPAL_RESOLUTION_FAILED` or `AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED`),
+mirroring `/api/v1/principal`'s existing rule that "could not be determined" must never look like
+"no permission." Neither response ever reveals whether a grant or owner row exists for the caller.
+
+### Origin enforcement for mutations
+
+`requireTrustedOrigin(trustedOrigins)` requires an exact match against the same
+`EKKLESIA_IDENTITY_TRUSTED_ORIGINS` set the API already uses for CORS and Better Auth's own
+checks (see [API](api.md#origin-cors-and-cookies)) — a missing or untrusted `Origin` header is
+rejected with `403 {"code":"UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN"}` before the permission check or the route handler
+ever runs. This exists because CORS response headers alone are not CSRF protection: they only
+stop a browser from *reading* a cross-origin response, not from *sending* the state-changing
+request in the first place. Every grants mutation route (`POST /api/v1/grants`,
+`POST /api/v1/grants/:grantId/revoke`) requires this; the read-only list route does not.
+Non-browser, non-cookie automation (service accounts/API tokens) is out of scope for this slice
+and has no way to satisfy this check yet.
+
+## Explicit-grant HTTP API
+
+Mounted at the API's root by `apps/api/src/grants-routes.ts`. Every route requires
+`core.authorization.grants.manage`. All three routes only ever act on *explicit* grants — the
+generic HTTP API structurally cannot create or revoke a relationship-derived grant.
+
+| Route | Origin required | Notes |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `GET /api/v1/grants?userId=<id>` | No | Lists the subject's explicit grants only (`sourceKind: "explicit"` filter applied server-side). |
+| `POST /api/v1/grants` | Yes | Creates a new explicit grant. |
+| `POST /api/v1/grants/:grantId/revoke` | Yes | Revokes an explicit grant without deleting it. |
+
+### `POST /api/v1/grants` request body
+
+Only four keys are accepted; any other key present (`actor`, `owner`, `isOwner`, `sourceKind`,
+`sourceRef`, `id`, `createdAt`, `revokedAt`, `createdByActorId`, `effectivePermissions`, or
+anything else) makes the **entire body** invalid rather than being silently dropped, so a caller
+cannot smuggle a server-derived field through a request that otherwise looks well-formed:
+
+| Field | Required | Notes |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `subjectUserId` | Yes | Must parse as a valid `EkklesiaUserId`. |
+| `permission` | Yes | Must parse as a valid `PermissionId` **and** be registered in `CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY` — see [Two layers, not one](#two-layers-not-one-shape-versus-registration). A malformed value is a `400`; a well-formed but unregistered one is a `403`. |
+| `scope` | No | Must parse as a valid, non-empty `AuthorizationScope` if present. |
+| `expiresAt` | No | An ISO date string if present. |
+
+The server always derives, and the request body can never supply: the grant id, `sourceKind`
+(always `"explicit"`), the actor (always the authenticated caller, via
+`createUserActor(principal.userId)`), and all audit/timestamp fields.
+
+### Response shapes
+
+A grant, wherever returned:
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "...",
+  "userId": "...",
+  "permission": "core.authorization.grants.manage",
+  "scope": null,
+  "sourceKind": "explicit",
+  "createdAt": "2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z",
+  "expiresAt": null,
+  "revokedAt": null
+}
+```
+
+`GET /api/v1/grants` → `200 {"grants": [...]}`. `POST /api/v1/grants` → `201 {"grant": {...}}`.
+`POST /api/v1/grants/:grantId/revoke` → `200 {"success": true}`.
+
+### Status-code mapping
+
+| Status | When |
+| --- | --- |
+| `200` / `201` | Success. |
+| `400 {"code":"INVALID_REQUEST"}` | Malformed query/body/param (including a disallowed extra field). |
+| `403 {"code":"AUTHORIZATION_DENIED"}` | Caller lacks `core.authorization.grants.manage`; the caller's own required permission id was unregistered; or, for `POST /api/v1/grants`, the well-formed *target* permission named in the body is not registered. |
+| `403 {"code":"UNTRUSTED_ORIGIN"}` | Missing or untrusted `Origin` on a mutation route. |
+| `404 {"code":"AUTHORIZATION_GRANT_NOT_FOUND"}` | The targeted grant id does not exist as an *explicit* grant — this is also what revoking a real relationship-derived grant's id looks like, indistinguishably. |
+| `503` | Principal resolution, evaluation, or store failure (`PRINCIPAL_RESOLUTION_FAILED`, `AUTHORIZATION_EVALUATION_FAILED`, or an `AuthorizationStoreError` code). |
+
+Every response sets `Cache-Control: no-store`.
+
+## Shared database composition
+
+`apps/api/src/database.ts`'s `createApiDatabase(databaseUrl, options)` is the one place `apps/api`
+touches PostgreSQL connection setup. It constructs exactly one validated, timeout-bounded
+`pg.Pool` (`createValidatedPostgresPool`, `@ekklesia/core/database`) and wraps it with two
+independent typed Drizzle views — `createIdentityDrizzleView(pool)` and
+`createAuthorizationDrizzleView(pool)` — rather than two separate pools. `close()` on the returned
+handle is the only thing that ever calls `pool.end()`; neither domain view owns or closes the pool
+itself. `apps/api/src/server.ts` calls `createApiDatabase` once during `startApi()`, builds the
+identity runtime from `.identity` and the `AuthorizationStore`/`AuthorizationEvaluator` from
+`.authorization` off that same handle, and closes the handle exactly once — on graceful shutdown,
+and on any startup failure after the pool was already constructed (mirroring the existing
+identity-only failure-cleanup path from [API](api.md#graceful-shutdown)).
+
+The existing per-domain factories (`createIdentityDrizzleDatabase`,
+`createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase`), which each construct and own a private pool, are
+unaffected and remain available for standalone/testable use — the CLI bootstrap command uses
+`createAuthorizationDrizzleDatabase` directly for exactly that reason, since it only ever needs
+the authorization schema and has no reason to share a pool with anything else.
+
+`apps/api/tests/lifecycle.test.ts` proves this composition explicitly: exactly one
+`new Pool(...)` call for a full `startApi()` lifecycle (covering both identity and authorization
+usage), and exactly one `pool.end()` call regardless of how many concurrent `shutdown()` callers
+there are or whether the failure happened during startup.
+
+## Tests
+
+- `core/tests/authorization-permissions.test.ts` — registry construction, duplicate-declaration
+  rejection, fail-closed lookup, `CORE_PERMISSION_REGISTRY` contents.
+- `core/tests/database-pool.test.ts` — shared pool validation/construction (mirrors the existing
+  per-domain database tests).
+- `core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.test.ts` — import safety, `PlatformOwnerBootstrapError`
+  behavior.
+- `core/tests/cli-bootstrap-platform-owner.test.ts` — the CLI never constructs a pool merely by
+  being imported.
+- `core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts` (live PostgreSQL) — successful bootstrap and
+  its audit row, nonexistent-user rollback, second-bootstrap rejection, a revoked historical owner
+  still blocking reuse, and the concurrency scenario described above.
+- `apps/api/tests/authorization-middleware.test.ts` — allow/deny/unregistered/infrastructure-
+  failure paths for `requirePermission`, and `requireTrustedOrigin`'s allow/reject behavior.
+- `apps/api/tests/grants-routes.test.ts` — all three routes' allow/deny paths, disallowed-field
+  and malformed-field rejection, a well-formed but unregistered target permission rejected with
+  `403` and `store.createGrant` never called, exact server-derived-argument assertions,
+  sourceKind-filtered revoke returning 404 for a non-explicit grant, origin enforcement, and
+  store-error mapping.
+- `apps/api/tests/lifecycle.test.ts` — shared-pool-closes-exactly-once coverage described above.
+- `core/tests/authorization-evaluator.test.ts` — includes a malformed permission id denying under
+  every baseline (`public`, `authenticated`, `restricted`), never just `restricted`, and never
+  consulting the grant or platform-owner ports for `public`/`authenticated`.
+- `apps/api/tests/api-http.integration.ts` (live PostgreSQL) — end-to-end: anonymous/non-owner
+  denial, real bootstrap against the running API's own database, owner authority over the HTTP
+  grants API, the owner delegating `core.authorization.grants.manage` to another account and that
+  account then managing grants as a non-owner, a well-formed but unregistered target permission
+  rejected with `403` (with no grant or audit row written) even for a caller with full
+  grant-management authority, a create/list/revoke cycle with audit-trail verification (using
+  `core.authorization.grants.manage` itself as the granted permission, since module permission
+  registration does not exist yet), disallowed-field rejection, missing/untrusted-origin rejection,
+  a real relationship-derived grant proven invisible to LIST and unreachable by REVOKE, and an
+  infrastructure-failure scenario (database dropped out from under a live session) asserting a
+  `503` rather than a false `403` or `200`.
+
+Run the focused suites:
+
+```bash
+pnpm --filter @ekklesia/core test
+pnpm --filter @ekklesia/api test
+pnpm test:migrations:integration   # requires Docker
+```
+
+## Next phase
+
+Phase 4C, pass 3: deferred from this slice — module discovery/Module SDK permission
+registration, roles/groups/teams/tenants, an owner-management HTTP endpoint, service
+accounts/API tokens for non-browser automation, and relationship-derived grant creation itself
+(a roster or similar module operation, not the generic grants API).
diff --git a/docs/development/repository-workflow.md b/docs/development/repository-workflow.md
index 6438197..1d1e266 100644
--- a/docs/development/repository-workflow.md
+++ b/docs/development/repository-workflow.md
@@ -106,8 +106,9 @@ Data definitions
   ✓ Schemas validated
     0 modules · 0 tables
   ✓ Migrations validated
-    1 migration · checksums valid
+    2 migrations · checksums valid
     core:0000_identity_core_tables · f8f2086ef06f
+    core:0001_authorization_core_tables · 830e1fbc26d0
 
 PostgreSQL
   ○ Connection check skipped
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 5a90f9a..fc3a493 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
   "packageManager": "pnpm@11.12.0",
   "scripts": {
     "api:start": "turbo run build && node --env-file-if-exists=.env apps/api/dist/server.js",
+    "authorization:bootstrap-owner": "turbo run build && node --env-file-if-exists=.env core/dist/cli/bootstrap-platform-owner.js",
     "boundaries": "node scripts/check-boundaries.ts",
     "build": "turbo run build",
     "ci:verify": "pnpm verify && pnpm infrastructure:config",
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/authorization.ts b/packages/contracts/src/authorization.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85aa1e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/authorization.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+import type { EkklesiaUserId } from "./identity.js";
+import { parseEkklesiaUserId } from "./identity.js";
+
+/**
+ * Opaque at the type level via Zod's nominal `.brand()`, exactly like `EkklesiaUserId` and
+ * `PermissionId`: a plain `string` is not assignable to `GrantId` without passing through
+ * `parseGrantId`/`safeParseGrantId`. Ekklesia does not assume any particular format; Core's
+ * Postgres-backed store happens to generate a UUID, but callers must treat the value as opaque.
+ */
+export const grantIdSchema = z.string().trim().min(1).max(128).brand<"GrantId">();
+
+export type GrantId = z.infer<typeof grantIdSchema>;
+
+export function parseGrantId(input: unknown): GrantId {
+  return grantIdSchema.parse(input);
+}
+
+export function safeParseGrantId(input: unknown): z.ZodSafeParseResult<GrantId> {
+  return grantIdSchema.safeParse(input);
+}
+
+/**
+ * A generic, Core-opaque resource scope narrowing a grant or an authorization check to one
+ * resource (for example a specific calendar event or media item). Core never interprets the
+ * value beyond exact string equality — the owning module defines what a scope string means, if
+ * anything. Not branded: unlike a permission or a grant, a scope carries no identity of its own
+ * within Core; it is simply an opaque comparison key.
+ */
+export const authorizationScopeSchema = z.string().trim().min(1).max(256);
+
+export type AuthorizationScope = z.infer<typeof authorizationScopeSchema>;
+
+export function parseAuthorizationScope(input: unknown): AuthorizationScope {
+  return authorizationScopeSchema.parse(input);
+}
+
+export function safeParseAuthorizationScope(
+  input: unknown,
+): z.ZodSafeParseResult<AuthorizationScope> {
+  return authorizationScopeSchema.safeParse(input);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Every permission declaration has exactly one baseline. `public` allows any principal, anonymous
+ * or authenticated. `authenticated` requires a valid authenticated principal and nothing more.
+ * `restricted` requires an active matching grant or platform-owner authority — baseline alone
+ * never satisfies it.
+ */
+export const permissionBaselineSchema = z.enum(["public", "authenticated", "restricted"]);
+
+export type PermissionBaseline = z.infer<typeof permissionBaselineSchema>;
+
+/**
+ * Distinguishes a grant an operator/system created directly (`explicit`) from one a module
+ * created as a side effect of its own business operation, attributed to some source the module
+ * understands (`relationship`) — for example adding a person to a volunteer roster. Core never
+ * interprets which relationship produced the grant; it only records the distinction and an
+ * opaque source reference for audit purposes.
+ */
+export const grantSourceKindSchema = z.enum(["explicit", "relationship"]);
+
+export type GrantSourceKind = z.infer<typeof grantSourceKindSchema>;
+
+/** A Core-opaque reference to whatever produced a `relationship` grant (or, optionally, extra
+ * context for an `explicit` one) — for example a module-defined identifier. Never interpreted by
+ * Core, never a foreign key into another module's tables. */
+export const grantSourceRefSchema = z.string().trim().min(1).max(256);
+
+export type GrantSourceRef = z.infer<typeof grantSourceRefSchema>;
+
+const authorizationActorTypeSchema = z.enum(["user", "system"]);
+
+export type AuthorizationActorType = z.infer<typeof authorizationActorTypeSchema>;
+
+export interface AuthorizationUserActor {
+  readonly type: "user";
+  readonly userId: EkklesiaUserId;
+}
+
+export interface AuthorizationSystemActor {
+  readonly type: "system";
+}
+
+/**
+ * Who performed a security-relevant authorization mutation (a grant or platform-owner change).
+ * Mirrors `EkklesiaPrincipal`'s discriminated-union style. `system` covers Core-internal or
+ * automated actions with no specific human actor (for example a future bootstrap command run by
+ * an operator with no prior Ekklesia identity); it never means "unauthenticated" or "anonymous
+ * caller" — every mutating call site chooses this deliberately.
+ */
+export type AuthorizationActor = AuthorizationUserActor | AuthorizationSystemActor;
+
+export const SYSTEM_ACTOR: AuthorizationSystemActor = Object.freeze({ type: "system" });
+
+export function createUserActor(userId: unknown): AuthorizationUserActor {
+  return Object.freeze({ type: "user", userId: parseEkklesiaUserId(userId) });
+}
+
+export function isUserActor(actor: AuthorizationActor): actor is AuthorizationUserActor {
+  return actor.type === "user";
+}
+
+/**
+ * The only public result of an authorization check. Deliberately minimal and frozen: it never
+ * carries a reason, a matched grant, a permission echo, or any other detail a caller could use to
+ * infer another user's grants or Core's internal evaluation path. `AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED` and
+ * `AUTHORIZATION_DENIED` are the only two values ever produced.
+ */
+export interface AuthorizationDecision {
+  readonly allowed: boolean;
+}
+
+export const AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED: AuthorizationDecision = Object.freeze({ allowed: true });
+export const AUTHORIZATION_DENIED: AuthorizationDecision = Object.freeze({ allowed: false });
+
+export function isAuthorizationAllowed(decision: AuthorizationDecision): boolean {
+  return decision.allowed;
+}
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/identifiers.ts b/packages/contracts/src/identifiers.ts
index 322faee..0809809 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/identifiers.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/identifiers.ts
@@ -16,11 +16,23 @@ export const capabilityIdSchema = z
   .max(160)
   .regex(namespacedIdentifierPattern, "Must be a lowercase dot-namespaced capability identifier.");
 
+/**
+ * Opaque at the type level via Zod's nominal `.brand()`, exactly like `EkklesiaUserId`: a plain
+ * `string` is not assignable to `PermissionId` without passing through
+ * `parsePermissionId`/`safeParsePermissionId`. The brand adds no runtime tag or wrapper — a value
+ * still serializes as a plain string. This is the one permission-identifier type shared by module
+ * manifest declarations (`moduleManifestSchema`'s `permissions` array) and Core's authorization
+ * evaluator, so a permission a module declares and a permission Core evaluates are provably the
+ * same identifier space. Namespacing (the required `.`-segments) is purely a naming convention for
+ * readability and collision-avoidance — it never implies hierarchy or inheritance during
+ * evaluation, and wildcard segments are not part of this format at all.
+ */
 export const permissionIdSchema = z
   .string()
   .min(3)
   .max(160)
-  .regex(namespacedIdentifierPattern, "Must be a lowercase dot-namespaced permission identifier.");
+  .regex(namespacedIdentifierPattern, "Must be a lowercase dot-namespaced permission identifier.")
+  .brand<"PermissionId">();
 
 export const logicalBucketIdSchema = z
   .string()
@@ -58,3 +70,11 @@ export type CapabilityId = z.infer<typeof capabilityIdSchema>;
 export type PermissionId = z.infer<typeof permissionIdSchema>;
 export type LogicalBucketId = z.infer<typeof logicalBucketIdSchema>;
 export type PackageRelativePath = z.infer<typeof packageRelativePathSchema>;
+
+export function parsePermissionId(input: unknown): PermissionId {
+  return permissionIdSchema.parse(input);
+}
+
+export function safeParsePermissionId(input: unknown): z.ZodSafeParseResult<PermissionId> {
+  return permissionIdSchema.safeParse(input);
+}
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/index.ts b/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
index 5cf678a..3fd62c0 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+export * from "./authorization.js";
 export * from "./identifiers.js";
 export * from "./identity.js";
 export * from "./module-lifecycle.js";
diff --git a/packages/contracts/tests/authorization.test.ts b/packages/contracts/tests/authorization.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd605e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/tests/authorization.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED,
+  AUTHORIZATION_DENIED,
+  type AuthorizationActor,
+  type AuthorizationDecision,
+  createUserActor,
+  type GrantId,
+  isAuthorizationAllowed,
+  isUserActor,
+  parseAuthorizationScope,
+  parseGrantId,
+  parsePermissionId,
+  type PermissionId,
+  safeParseAuthorizationScope,
+  safeParseGrantId,
+  safeParsePermissionId,
+  SYSTEM_ACTOR,
+} from "../src/index.js";
+
+describe("PermissionId", () => {
+  it("parses a valid lowercase dot-namespaced permission id", () => {
+    expect(parsePermissionId("calendar.events.read")).toBe("calendar.events.read");
+  });
+
+  it("is opaque at the type level: a plain string is not assignable without parsing", () => {
+    // @ts-expect-error a bare string must not satisfy the branded PermissionId type.
+    const notAllowed: PermissionId = "calendar.events.read";
+    expect(notAllowed).toBe("calendar.events.read");
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a non-namespaced, empty, oversized, or non-string permission id", () => {
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("read")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("Calendar.Events.Read")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("x".repeat(161))).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId(42)).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId(null)).toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a wildcard segment: there is no such thing as a wildcard permission", () => {
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("media.*")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("media.*.read")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parsePermissionId("*")).toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("exposes a safe-parse variant that never throws", () => {
+    expect(safeParsePermissionId("calendar.events.read").success).toBe(true);
+    expect(safeParsePermissionId("*").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("GrantId", () => {
+  it("parses a non-empty opaque grant id and rejects empty/oversized input", () => {
+    const id: GrantId = parseGrantId("11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111");
+    expect(id).toBe("11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111");
+    expect(() => parseGrantId("")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => parseGrantId("x".repeat(129))).toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("exposes a safe-parse variant that never throws", () => {
+    expect(safeParseGrantId("abc").success).toBe(true);
+    expect(safeParseGrantId("").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("AuthorizationScope", () => {
+  it("accepts a non-empty opaque scope and rejects empty/whitespace/oversized scope", () => {
+    expect(parseAuthorizationScope("calendar-event:123")).toBe("calendar-event:123");
+    expect(safeParseAuthorizationScope("").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseAuthorizationScope("   ").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseAuthorizationScope("x".repeat(257)).success).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("AuthorizationActor", () => {
+  it("creates a frozen user actor carrying only the opaque user id", () => {
+    const actor = createUserActor("user_123");
+    expect(actor).toEqual({ type: "user", userId: "user_123" });
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(actor)).toBe(true);
+    expect(isUserActor(actor)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an invalid user id when creating a user actor", () => {
+    expect(() => createUserActor("")).toThrow();
+    expect(() => createUserActor(42)).toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it("exposes a frozen system actor singleton distinguishable from a user actor", () => {
+    expect(SYSTEM_ACTOR).toEqual({ type: "system" });
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(SYSTEM_ACTOR)).toBe(true);
+    expect(isUserActor(SYSTEM_ACTOR)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("discriminates actors on type without leaking extra fields", () => {
+    const actors: AuthorizationActor[] = [SYSTEM_ACTOR, createUserActor("user_123")];
+    for (const actor of actors) {
+      expect(["user", "system"]).toContain(actor.type);
+    }
+    expect(Object.keys(SYSTEM_ACTOR)).toEqual(["type"]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("AuthorizationDecision", () => {
+  it("exposes exactly two frozen, minimal decision singletons", () => {
+    expect(AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED).toEqual({ allowed: true });
+    expect(AUTHORIZATION_DENIED).toEqual({ allowed: false });
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED)).toBe(true);
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(AUTHORIZATION_DENIED)).toBe(true);
+    expect(Object.keys(AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED)).toEqual(["allowed"]);
+    expect(Object.keys(AUTHORIZATION_DENIED)).toEqual(["allowed"]);
+  });
+
+  it("never carries a reason, matched grant, permission echo, or any other detail", () => {
+    const decisions: AuthorizationDecision[] = [AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED, AUTHORIZATION_DENIED];
+    for (const decision of decisions) {
+      expect(Object.keys(decision)).not.toContain("reason");
+      expect(Object.keys(decision)).not.toContain("grantId");
+      expect(Object.keys(decision)).not.toContain("permission");
+      expect(Object.keys(decision)).not.toContain("code");
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("exposes a boolean helper matching the allowed field", () => {
+    expect(isAuthorizationAllowed(AUTHORIZATION_ALLOWED)).toBe(true);
+    expect(isAuthorizationAllowed(AUTHORIZATION_DENIED)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/vitest.migrations.integration.config.ts b/vitest.migrations.integration.config.ts
index b97bc8d..49e7c36 100644
--- a/vitest.migrations.integration.config.ts
+++ b/vitest.migrations.integration.config.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ export default defineConfig({
     hookTimeout: 30_000,
     include: [
       "core/tests/postgres-migration.integration.ts",
+      "core/tests/authorization-store.integration.ts",
+      "core/tests/authorization-bootstrap.integration.ts",
       "apps/api/tests/api-http.integration.ts",
     ],
     passWithNoTests: false,