diff --git a/docs/public-api-0.8.json b/docs/public-api-0.8.json
index 83d15413..67398c01 100644
--- a/docs/public-api-0.8.json
+++ b/docs/public-api-0.8.json
@@ -1423,6 +1423,7 @@
     "@wrnexus/dev-server": {
       ".": [
         "AssetServer",
+        "AuthzManifestEntry",
         "FetchHandler",
         "GatewayApp",
         "GatewayAuth",
@@ -1435,6 +1436,7 @@
         "ServeOptions",
         "WrnCompileMetrics",
         "WsData",
+        "applyAuthzManifestEarly",
         "createHandlers",
         "createProductionHandlers",
         "createProductionServer",
diff --git a/packages/authz/src/client.ts b/packages/authz/src/client.ts
index dba562d2..a1504918 100644
--- a/packages/authz/src/client.ts
+++ b/packages/authz/src/client.ts
@@ -2,15 +2,32 @@
  * A process-wide authorization catalog registry, mirroring `@wrnexus/db`'s
  * `client.ts` (`setDb`/`getDb`/`hasDb`). It exists for the same reason: app
  * middleware runs at module-eval time — `app/middleware/*.ts` registers
- * `authzMiddleware({ catalog, store, ... })` itself, and it needs the merged
- * catalog *then*, before the first request. Passing it through `ctx` does not
- * work at that point, so the framework loads and merges every `app/authz/*.ts`
- * declaration at boot (dev: `loadAppAuthzCatalog` + `setAuthzCatalog`, before
- * middleware is resolved; prod: `mergeCatalogs` over the statically-imported
- * declarations + `setAuthzCatalog`, before the server starts listening) and
- * stashes it here. The framework never installs `authzMiddleware` itself — the
- * app always chooses its own store and registers the middleware; this registry
- * only makes the merged catalog reachable when it does.
+ * `authzMiddleware({ catalog, store, ... })` itself, an EAGER call (the same
+ * shape as `logger.ts`'s `export default requestLogger({...})`), and it needs
+ * the merged catalog *then*, before its own module body finishes running.
+ * Passing it through `ctx` does not work at that point, so the framework
+ * loads and merges every `app/authz/*.ts` declaration and stashes it here
+ * before any other module can observe it:
+ *
+ *  - dev: `startServer` calls `loadAppAuthzCatalog` + `setAuthzCatalog`
+ *    before middleware is resolved.
+ *  - prod (the normal `wrnexus build` output): the generated entry statically
+ *    imports a small `.authz-setup.ts` module FIRST — before any page, API,
+ *    or middleware import — which calls `setAuthzCatalog` at ITS OWN module
+ *    scope. ES modules evaluate every static import before the importing
+ *    module's body runs, and evaluate sibling imports in declaration order,
+ *    so import position is evaluation order: this guarantees the catalog
+ *    exists before app middleware's own module body (which may read it
+ *    eagerly) ever evaluates. `createProductionHandlers` (`prod.ts`) then
+ *    repeats the merge as an idempotent second pass, mainly so a caller who
+ *    bypasses the generated entry and invokes it directly still gets a
+ *    catalog — for THAT path specifically, an eager module-scope read in
+ *    middleware is only safe if the caller sets the catalog before importing
+ *    the middleware itself, since no generated `.authz-setup.ts` runs first.
+ *
+ * The framework never installs `authzMiddleware` itself — the app always
+ * chooses its own store and registers the middleware; this registry only
+ * makes the merged catalog reachable when it does.
  */
 
 import type { AuthzCatalog } from "./types.ts";
@@ -28,11 +45,13 @@ export function getAuthzCatalog(): AuthzCatalog {
   if (!catalog) {
     throw new Error(
       "WRN-AUTHZ-SETUP: no authorization catalog is configured. The dev server and " +
-        "production build call loadAppAuthzCatalog()/mergeCatalogs() and setAuthzCatalog() " +
-        "automatically before your app's middleware runs. If you're seeing this, either " +
-        "getAuthzCatalog() ran before that boot step (e.g. at import time) or you're " +
-        "outside the normal boot path (a standalone script or test) and must call " +
-        "setAuthzCatalog(catalog) yourself first.",
+        "`wrnexus build`'s generated production entry both call setAuthzCatalog() before " +
+        "any other module — including your app's middleware — evaluates. If you're seeing " +
+        "this: (a) you're on a custom production entry that calls createProductionHandlers " +
+        "directly instead of the generated one, so you must call setAuthzCatalog(catalog) " +
+        "yourself before importing anything that reads it eagerly; or (b) you're outside " +
+        "the normal boot path entirely (a standalone script or test) and must call " +
+        "setAuthzCatalog(catalog) first.",
     );
   }
   return catalog;
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/build.ts b/packages/cli/src/build.ts
index dde41c08..7f72ae3d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/build.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/build.ts
@@ -563,6 +563,46 @@ export async function runBuild(appRoot: string): Promise<void> {
   const imports: string[] = [];
   let counter = 0;
 
+  // Authorization: emit a small side-effecting module that statically imports
+  // every app/authz/*.ts declaration and calls setAuthzCatalog EAGERLY, then
+  // import THAT MODULE FIRST — before pages/api/realtime/middleware/
+  // components/layouts — so it runs before any other static import's module
+  // body, including app middleware that reads getAuthzCatalog() at module
+  // scope (the same eager shape authzMiddleware({ catalog, ... }) itself
+  // requires; app/middleware/logger.ts's `export default requestLogger({...})`
+  // is the same pattern). ES modules evaluate every static import before the
+  // importing module's own body runs, and evaluate sibling imports in
+  // declaration order — so import POSITION is evaluation order, and this
+  // must be imports[0], strictly before every other push into `imports`
+  // below (in particular before any `mw*` import). This module is
+  // deliberately silent about a missing default export (see
+  // applyAuthzManifestEarly in @wrnexus/dev-server): createProductionHandlers
+  // performs the identical merge again, with its warnings, as an idempotent
+  // second pass — both for adapters that bypass this generated entry and to
+  // avoid warning twice about the same declaration in the normal path.
+  {
+    let authzSetupCounter = 0;
+    const authzSetupImports: string[] = [];
+    const authzSetupEntries = router.authz
+      .map((a) => {
+        const v = `d${authzSetupCounter++}`;
+        authzSetupImports.push(`import * as ${v} from ${JSON.stringify(fwd(a.file))};`);
+        return `{ source: ${JSON.stringify(fwd(a.file))}, module: ${v}.default }`;
+      })
+      .join(", ");
+    const authzSetupContent = `// AUTO-GENERATED authz catalog setup — do not edit.
+// Imported FIRST by the production entry (see the "Authorization" comment
+// there) so getAuthzCatalog() is populated before any other static import's
+// module body runs.
+import { applyAuthzManifestEarly } from "@wrnexus/dev-server";
+${authzSetupImports.join("\n")}
+
+applyAuthzManifestEarly([${authzSetupEntries}]);
+`;
+    writeFileSync(join(distDir, ".authz-setup.ts"), authzSetupContent, "utf8");
+    imports.push(`import "./.authz-setup.ts";`);
+  }
+
   const manifestRoutes = (routes: Route[]): string => {
     const parts = routes.map((r) => {
       const v = `m${counter++}`;
@@ -604,15 +644,18 @@ export async function runBuild(appRoot: string): Promise<void> {
     .join(", ");
   if (router.layouts.length) console.log(`✓ Layouts: ${router.layouts.length}`);
 
-  // Authorization declarations (app/authz/*.ts), statically imported like
-  // components/layouts — NOT baked into JSON like schemasJs, because the
-  // catalog contains policy FUNCTIONS, which JSON.stringify cannot carry.
-  // Each module is passed through by reference in ProdOptions.authz and
-  // merged into the process-wide catalog at prod startup (prod.ts), before
-  // the server begins listening, so a conflicting pair of declarations fails
-  // the boot instead of surfacing on the first request. A file with no
-  // default export becomes `module: undefined` here; prod.ts warns and skips
-  // it, matching the dev loader (authz-boot.ts).
+  // Authorization declarations again, this time for ProdOptions.authz — a
+  // SEPARATE set of static imports of the exact same files (harmless; ES
+  // modules are evaluated once and shared across every importer), statically
+  // imported like components/layouts — NOT baked into JSON like schemasJs,
+  // because the catalog contains policy FUNCTIONS, which JSON.stringify
+  // cannot carry. Each module is passed through by reference and merged
+  // AGAIN into the process-wide catalog by createProductionHandlers's second
+  // pass (prod.ts) — see the ".authz-setup.ts" block above for the EARLY,
+  // eager pass that actually makes the catalog visible to app middleware. A
+  // file with no default export becomes `module: undefined` here;
+  // createProductionHandlers warns and skips it, matching the dev loader
+  // (authz-boot.ts).
   const authzLit = router.authz
     .map((a) => {
       const v = `az${counter++}`;
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/authz-prod-coldstart.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/authz-prod-coldstart.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..14571c05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli/test/authz-prod-coldstart.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+import { afterAll, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { runBuild } from "../src/build.ts";
+
+// This is the regression test for a CRITICAL boot-order bug (C1): in the
+// generated production entry, app middleware was emitted as a static import
+// AFTER the authz merge/set happened in the entry's own body. ES modules
+// evaluate every static import (including middleware) before the importing
+// module's body runs, so a middleware module reading getAuthzCatalog() at its
+// own module scope — the SAME eager shape authzMiddleware({ catalog, ... })
+// itself requires, and the same pattern examples/basic-app's
+// app/middleware/logger.ts uses for `export default requestLogger({...})` —
+// saw an unset catalog and threw, taking the app down at deploy while every
+// other gate (typecheck/lint/tests/a plain `bun run build`) stayed green.
+// A manual build+boot caught it once; this makes that check permanent.
+//
+// Fixtures live inside the repo tree, not os.tmpdir(): both the scaffolded
+// app files AND the code Bun.build bundles from them import "@wrnexus/authz"
+// by bare specifier, which resolves via the root tsconfig.json `paths` map
+// walked from the *importing file's* location — an out-of-tree path never
+// reaches it.
+const scratchRoot = join(import.meta.dir, ".tmp-authz-coldstart");
+mkdirSync(scratchRoot, { recursive: true });
+
+afterAll(() => {
+  rmSync(scratchRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+test("a module-eval getAuthzCatalog() in app middleware survives a real production cold start", async () => {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(scratchRoot, "app-"));
+  const appDir = join(root, "app");
+  mkdirSync(join(appDir, "api"), { recursive: true });
+  mkdirSync(join(appDir, "authz"), { recursive: true });
+  mkdirSync(join(appDir, "middleware"), { recursive: true });
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(root, "package.json"),
+    JSON.stringify({ name: "authz-coldstart-fixture" }),
+    "utf8",
+  );
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(appDir, "api", "health.ts"),
+    `export function GET() {
+  return Response.json({ ok: true });
+}
+`,
+    "utf8",
+  );
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(appDir, "authz", "main.ts"),
+    `import { defineAuthz } from "@wrnexus/authz";
+
+export default defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": {} } });
+`,
+    "utf8",
+  );
+  writeFileSync(
+    join(appDir, "middleware", "authz-probe.ts"),
+    `import { authzMiddleware, getAuthzCatalog, memoryPermissionStore } from "@wrnexus/authz";
+
+// Module-eval-time read, on purpose: this is exactly the pattern the
+// setAuthzCatalog() singleton exists for, and exactly what took the app down
+// under the pre-fix boot order. If getAuthzCatalog() throws here, this WHOLE
+// MODULE fails to evaluate and the entry crashes at import time, before
+// Bun.serve is ever reached.
+export default authzMiddleware({ catalog: getAuthzCatalog(), store: memoryPermissionStore() });
+`,
+    "utf8",
+  );
+
+  await runBuild(root);
+
+  const serverPath = join(root, "dist", "server.js");
+  const proc = Bun.spawn({
+    cmd: ["bun", serverPath],
+    env: { ...process.env, PORT: "0" },
+    stdout: "pipe",
+    stderr: "pipe",
+    cwd: root,
+  });
+
+  let port: number | undefined;
+  let stderrText = "";
+  try {
+    const reader = proc.stdout.getReader();
+    const errReader = proc.stderr.getReader();
+    const decoder = new TextDecoder();
+    let buffered = "";
+    const deadline = Date.now() + 20_000;
+    const TIMED_OUT = Symbol("timed out");
+    while (port === undefined && Date.now() < deadline) {
+      const outcome = await Promise.race([
+        reader.read(),
+        new Promise<typeof TIMED_OUT>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(TIMED_OUT), 250)),
+      ]);
+      if (outcome === TIMED_OUT) continue;
+      const { value, done } = outcome;
+      if (done) break;
+      buffered += decoder.decode(value);
+      const match = /listening on http:\/\/[^:]+:(\d+)/.exec(buffered);
+      if (match) port = Number(match[1]);
+    }
+    reader.releaseLock();
+
+    if (port === undefined) {
+      // Drain stderr for a useful failure message before giving up.
+      const errOutcome = await Promise.race([
+        errReader.read(),
+        new Promise<typeof TIMED_OUT>((resolve) => setTimeout(() => resolve(TIMED_OUT), 500)),
+      ]);
+      if (errOutcome !== TIMED_OUT && errOutcome.value) {
+        stderrText += decoder.decode(errOutcome.value);
+      }
+      errReader.releaseLock();
+      throw new Error(
+        `production server never printed a "listening on" line within 20s. stderr:\n${stderrText}`,
+      );
+    }
+    errReader.releaseLock();
+
+    const response = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/health`);
+    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(await response.json()).toEqual({ ok: true });
+  } finally {
+    proc.kill();
+    await proc.exited;
+  }
+}, 30_000);
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/src/authz-boot.ts b/packages/dev-server/src/authz-boot.ts
index 4b24b056..6cdbc2a5 100644
--- a/packages/dev-server/src/authz-boot.ts
+++ b/packages/dev-server/src/authz-boot.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
-import { buildRouter } from "@wrnexus/router";
+import { buildRouter, type Router } from "@wrnexus/router";
 import {
   emptyCatalog,
   mergeCatalogs,
@@ -8,14 +8,39 @@ import {
   type CatalogSource,
 } from "@wrnexus/authz";
 
+/** Imports one declaration module. Defaults to a raw `import()`; the hot-reload
+ * call site passes `loadModule` instead (see the note below on why). */
+export type AuthzImporter = (file: string) => Promise<{ default?: AuthzModule }>;
+
+const rawImport: AuthzImporter = (file) =>
+  import(pathToFileURL(file).href) as Promise<{ default?: AuthzModule }>;
+
 /**
  * Load and merge every `app/authz/*.ts` declaration. Conflicts throw so a
  * misconfigured catalog fails the boot rather than silently changing who can
  * do what. An app with no `app/authz/` directory gets an empty catalog rather
  * than an error, since not every app uses permissions.
+ *
+ * Accepts either an app directory — the original, standalone shape, still
+ * used by the test suite and by any caller without a router on hand — or an
+ * already-built `Router`. `startServer` passes its own router (built once at
+ * `:315` with the full `componentDirs`/`externalRoutes`/`middlewareFiles`
+ * options) to avoid a second, redundant filesystem scan of the whole `app/`
+ * tree on every dev boot and on every hot reload of an `app/authz/*.ts` file.
+ *
+ * `importModule` defaults to a raw dynamic `import()`, correct for the
+ * initial boot. On a HOT reload, the caller must instead pass `loadModule`
+ * (from `./pipeline.ts`): Bun caches local TS/JS modules by filesystem path
+ * and ignores query strings, so re-`import()`-ing the same absolute path
+ * after an edit silently returns the stale, already-cached module —
+ * `loadModule` is what copies an edited file to a versioned sibling path
+ * specifically to defeat that cache.
  */
-export async function loadAppAuthzCatalog(appDir: string): Promise<AuthzCatalog> {
-  const router = buildRouter(appDir);
+export async function loadAppAuthzCatalog(
+  appDirOrRouter: string | Router,
+  importModule: AuthzImporter = rawImport,
+): Promise<AuthzCatalog> {
+  const router = typeof appDirOrRouter === "string" ? buildRouter(appDirOrRouter) : appDirOrRouter;
   if (!router.authz.length) return emptyCatalog();
   const sources: CatalogSource[] = [];
   for (const entry of router.authz) {
@@ -24,7 +49,7 @@ export async function loadAppAuthzCatalog(appDir: string): Promise<AuthzCatalog>
     // same failure class as a genuine conflict (a broken/misconfigured catalog),
     // and letting it propagate fails the boot loudly instead of silently
     // producing a partial catalog. Do not "helpfully" wrap this in a try/catch.
-    const imported = (await import(pathToFileURL(entry.file).href)) as { default?: AuthzModule };
+    const imported = await importModule(entry.file);
     if (!imported.default) {
       console.warn(`[wrnexus] authz declaration ${entry.file} has no default export; skipping.`);
       continue;
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/src/index.ts b/packages/dev-server/src/index.ts
index e95a579e..2bd55810 100644
--- a/packages/dev-server/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/dev-server/src/index.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import {
 } from "@wrnexus/db";
 import { connectFromConfig } from "@wrnexus/db/connect";
 import { configureStorage, type StorageConfig } from "@wrnexus/uploader";
-import { setAuthzCatalog, type AuthzCatalog } from "@wrnexus/authz";
+import { setAuthzCatalog, type AuthzCatalog, type AuthzModule } from "@wrnexus/authz";
 import { loadAppAuthzCatalog } from "./authz-boot.ts";
 import { realtimeBusFromConfig } from "./realtime-bus.ts";
 import {
@@ -344,8 +344,11 @@ export async function startServer(opts: ServeOptions): Promise<RunningServer> {
   // the framework never installs one) runs at request time and needs
   // getAuthzCatalog() already populated by then. An app with no declarations
   // gets an empty catalog; a genuine conflict between declarations throws and
-  // fails this boot loudly.
-  const authzCatalog: AuthzCatalog = await loadAppAuthzCatalog(appDir);
+  // fails this boot loudly. Pass the already-built `router` (not `appDir`):
+  // it was just built above with the full componentDirs/externalRoutes/
+  // middlewareFiles options, so this avoids a second, redundant filesystem
+  // scan of the whole app/ tree on every dev boot.
+  const authzCatalog: AuthzCatalog = await loadAppAuthzCatalog(router);
   setAuthzCatalog(authzCatalog);
 
   // i18n is opt-in by the presence of app/locales/*.json.
@@ -615,6 +618,33 @@ export async function startServer(opts: ServeOptions): Promise<RunningServer> {
       middleware.invalidate();
 
       const appFiles = files.filter((file) => !isAbsolute(file));
+      // Without this branch, editing app/authz/*.ts reloaded the page (watch.ts
+      // classifies any non-CSS change as "server") while the OLD catalog stayed
+      // authoritative — a false security signal: tightening or removing a
+      // permission LOOKS like it took effect but does not until a restart. A
+      // raw `import()` here would silently no-op: Bun caches local TS/JS
+      // modules by filesystem path and ignores query strings, so the edited
+      // file must be re-imported through `loadModule` (pipeline.ts), which
+      // copies it to a versioned sibling path specifically to defeat that
+      // cache — the same mechanism every other hot-reloaded module already
+      // uses. `router` was just rebuilt above, so this reuses it rather than
+      // re-scanning the filesystem a third time.
+      if (appFiles.some((file) => file === "authz" || file.startsWith("authz/"))) {
+        try {
+          const nextAuthzCatalog = await loadAppAuthzCatalog(
+            router,
+            (file) => loadModule(file) as Promise<{ default?: AuthzModule }>,
+          );
+          setAuthzCatalog(nextAuthzCatalog);
+          runtimeDeps.authz = nextAuthzCatalog;
+        } catch (error) {
+          console.error(
+            "[wrnexus] authz hot update failed — the PREVIOUS catalog remains authoritative " +
+              "until this is fixed and the file saved again",
+            error,
+          );
+        }
+      }
       if (appFiles.some((file) => file === "schemas" || file.startsWith("schemas/"))) {
         assets.updateSchemas(await schemaRuntime(router));
       }
@@ -730,5 +760,11 @@ export type {
 
 // Deployment: the portable production handler + the node:http adapter.
 export { createProductionServer, createProductionHandlers } from "./prod.ts";
+// Internal: called only by the generated `.authz-setup.ts` module (see
+// packages/cli/src/build.ts) to populate the authorization catalog before any
+// other static import — including app middleware — evaluates. Not meant for
+// direct use by application code.
+export { applyAuthzManifestEarly } from "./prod.ts";
+export type { AuthzManifestEntry } from "./prod.ts";
 export { toRequest, writeResponse, nodeListener, serveNode } from "./adapters/node.ts";
 export type { FetchHandler } from "./adapters/node.ts";
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/src/prod.ts b/packages/dev-server/src/prod.ts
index 9b4832fe..9099b513 100644
--- a/packages/dev-server/src/prod.ts
+++ b/packages/dev-server/src/prod.ts
@@ -109,10 +109,14 @@ export interface ProdOptions {
    * `app/authz/*.ts`, statically imported into the generated entry (the
    * catalog holds policy FUNCTIONS, so — unlike `schemasJs` — it cannot be
    * JSON-serialised). `module` is `undefined` for a file with no default
-   * export; `createProductionHandlers` warns and skips it, then merges the
-   * rest into the process-wide catalog before the server accepts traffic.
+   * export. In the NORMAL generated-entry build, the catalog is already set
+   * by the generated `.authz-setup.ts` module before this ever runs (see
+   * `applyAuthzManifestEarly` below); `createProductionHandlers` merges this
+   * same list again as an idempotent second pass — with its warnings — so a
+   * caller that bypasses the generated entry and calls it directly still gets
+   * a correctly merged catalog.
    */
-  authz?: { source: string; module?: AuthzModule }[];
+  authz?: AuthzManifestEntry[];
   /** Resolved i18n bundle (default lang + locale messages). */
   i18n?: ResolvedI18n;
   /** Default database connection (driver + url); enables `getDb()`. */
@@ -198,6 +202,40 @@ export function resolveProductionHostname(
   return environmentHostname?.trim() || explicit || "0.0.0.0";
 }
 
+/** One `app/authz/*.ts` declaration as passed through `ProdOptions.authz`. */
+export interface AuthzManifestEntry {
+  source: string;
+  /** Undefined when the declaration file has no default export. */
+  module?: AuthzModule;
+}
+
+function resolveAuthzSources(
+  entries: AuthzManifestEntry[],
+): { source: string; module: AuthzModule }[] {
+  return entries.flatMap((entry) =>
+    entry.module ? [{ source: entry.source, module: entry.module }] : [],
+  );
+}
+
+/**
+ * Merge + `setAuthzCatalog` as EARLY as possible, deliberately silently (no
+ * missing-default-export warnings). Called ONLY from the generated
+ * `.authz-setup.ts` module that `wrnexus build` imports FIRST in the
+ * production entry — before any other static import, including app
+ * middleware — so that a middleware module reading `getAuthzCatalog()` at its
+ * own module scope (the same eager shape `authzMiddleware({ catalog, ... })`
+ * itself requires) sees a populated catalog. `createProductionHandlers` below
+ * performs the exact same merge again, WITH its warnings, as the canonical,
+ * always-warns second pass — this function stays silent specifically so the
+ * normal boot path does not print the same "no default export" warning
+ * twice. A genuine conflict still throws here (via `mergeCatalogs`), which
+ * fails the boot at import time — before the entry body, and thus
+ * `createProductionHandlers`, ever runs.
+ */
+export function applyAuthzManifestEarly(entries: AuthzManifestEntry[]): void {
+  setAuthzCatalog(mergeCatalogs(resolveAuthzSources(entries)));
+}
+
 /** Build the route-matching tables + a module map from the manifest. */
 function buildProdRouter(manifest: ProdManifest): {
   router: Router;
@@ -371,14 +409,23 @@ export function createProductionHandlers(
   // Bun.serve path in createProductionServer below. The app still registers
   // authzMiddleware itself with its own store; this only makes the merged
   // catalog reachable. No declarations -> an empty catalog, no error.
-  const authzSources = (opts.authz ?? []).flatMap((entry) => {
-    if (!entry.module) {
-      console.warn(`[wrnexus] authz declaration ${entry.source} has no default export; skipping.`);
-      return [];
-    }
-    return [{ source: entry.source, module: entry.module }];
-  });
-  const authzCatalog = mergeCatalogs(authzSources);
+  //
+  // In the NORMAL generated-entry build, this is a deliberately redundant
+  // SECOND pass: the generated `.authz-setup.ts` module already ran this
+  // exact merge (silently, via applyAuthzManifestEarly above) before this
+  // function was ever called, specifically so a middleware module that reads
+  // getAuthzCatalog() at its own module scope sees a populated catalog — this
+  // function's body runs too late for that (it is reached only once every
+  // OTHER static import, including middleware, has already evaluated). This
+  // pass still runs unconditionally (not skipped when the catalog is already
+  // set) so a direct caller that bypasses the generated entry — and thus
+  // never ran that early pass — still gets a correctly merged, validated
+  // catalog, and so this function's own authorization handling stays fully
+  // testable in isolation.
+  for (const missing of (opts.authz ?? []).filter((entry) => !entry.module)) {
+    console.warn(`[wrnexus] authz declaration ${missing.source} has no default export; skipping.`);
+  }
+  const authzCatalog = mergeCatalogs(resolveAuthzSources(opts.authz ?? []));
   setAuthzCatalog(authzCatalog);
 
   // Middleware is already an ordered array of functions.
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/test/authz-prod.test.ts b/packages/dev-server/test/authz-prod.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..71a753f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/dev-server/test/authz-prod.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { defineAuthz, getAuthzCatalog } from "@wrnexus/authz";
+import {
+  applyAuthzManifestEarly,
+  createProductionHandlers,
+  type ProdManifest,
+} from "../src/prod.ts";
+
+const EMPTY_MANIFEST: ProdManifest = {
+  pages: [],
+  api: [],
+  realtime: [],
+  middleware: [],
+  components: [],
+  layouts: [],
+};
+
+describe("createProductionHandlers authorization wiring (the idempotent second pass)", () => {
+  test("an empty (or absent) authz array yields an empty catalog, no error", () => {
+    createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, { authz: [] });
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.size).toBe(0);
+
+    createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, {});
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.size).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  test("a declaration with no default export warns and is skipped, not fatal", () => {
+    const originalWarn = console.warn;
+    const warnings: unknown[][] = [];
+    console.warn = (...args: unknown[]) => {
+      warnings.push(args);
+    };
+    try {
+      createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, {
+        authz: [
+          { source: "broken.ts", module: undefined },
+          {
+            source: "ok.ts",
+            module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": {} } }),
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+    } finally {
+      console.warn = originalWarn;
+    }
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("post:read")).toBe(true);
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.size).toBe(1);
+    expect(warnings.some((args) => args.some((arg) => String(arg).includes("broken.ts")))).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("a conflicting pair of declarations throws, naming both source files", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, {
+        authz: [
+          {
+            source: "a.ts",
+            module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "low" } } }),
+          },
+          {
+            source: "b.ts",
+            module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "high" } } }),
+          },
+        ],
+      }),
+    ).toThrow(/WRN-AUTHZ-CONFLICT/);
+
+    let thrown: unknown;
+    try {
+      createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, {
+        authz: [
+          {
+            source: "a.ts",
+            module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "low" } } }),
+          },
+          {
+            source: "b.ts",
+            module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "high" } } }),
+          },
+        ],
+      });
+    } catch (error) {
+      thrown = error;
+    }
+    expect(thrown).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    const message = (thrown as Error).message;
+    expect(message).toContain("a.ts");
+    expect(message).toContain("b.ts");
+  });
+
+  test("calling createProductionHandlers a second time with different declarations re-validates, not skips", () => {
+    // Regression guard for the "skip merging if a catalog is already set"
+    // trap: since setAuthzCatalog is a process-wide singleton, an earlier
+    // test (or an earlier createProductionHandlers call in the same process)
+    // can leave hasAuthzCatalog() true. This call must still independently
+    // merge+validate its OWN opts.authz, not silently trust a stale catalog
+    // left over from something else.
+    createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, {
+      authz: [{ source: "first.ts", module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "a:read": {} } }) }],
+    });
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("a:read")).toBe(true);
+
+    createProductionHandlers(EMPTY_MANIFEST, {
+      authz: [{ source: "second.ts", module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "b:read": {} } }) }],
+    });
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("a:read")).toBe(false);
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("b:read")).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("applyAuthzManifestEarly (the eager, silent pass called only by the generated .authz-setup.ts)", () => {
+  test("sets the catalog from valid declarations", () => {
+    applyAuthzManifestEarly([
+      { source: "early.ts", module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "early:read": {} } }) },
+    ]);
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("early:read")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test("silently skips a missing default export — no warning, no throw", () => {
+    const originalWarn = console.warn;
+    let warnCalls = 0;
+    console.warn = () => {
+      warnCalls++;
+    };
+    try {
+      expect(() =>
+        applyAuthzManifestEarly([{ source: "broken.ts", module: undefined }]),
+      ).not.toThrow();
+    } finally {
+      console.warn = originalWarn;
+    }
+    expect(warnCalls).toBe(0);
+    expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.size).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  test("still throws on a genuine conflict (fatal either way, just earlier)", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      applyAuthzManifestEarly([
+        { source: "a.ts", module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "low" } } }) },
+        { source: "b.ts", module: defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "high" } } }) },
+      ]),
+    ).toThrow(/WRN-AUTHZ-CONFLICT/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/dev-server/test/authz-startserver.test.ts b/packages/dev-server/test/authz-startserver.test.ts
index 5644076d..a4ca0251 100644
--- a/packages/dev-server/test/authz-startserver.test.ts
+++ b/packages/dev-server/test/authz-startserver.test.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,19 @@ afterAll(() => {
   rmSync(scratchRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
 });
 
+async function waitFor(
+  condition: () => boolean,
+  timeoutMs: number,
+  intervalMs = 50,
+): Promise<void> {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + timeoutMs;
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+    if (condition()) return;
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, intervalMs));
+  }
+  if (!condition()) throw new Error(`waitFor: condition was not met within ${timeoutMs}ms`);
+}
+
 describe("dev boot loads the authz catalog before middleware is resolved", () => {
   test("an app with declarations makes getAuthzCatalog() return them after boot", async () => {
     const appDir = scaffold("has-decls", {
@@ -100,4 +113,40 @@ export default defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": { risk: "high" } } });`
     expect(message).toContain(join(appDir, "authz", "a.ts"));
     expect(message).toContain(join(appDir, "authz", "b.ts"));
   });
+
+  test("editing a declaration in a RUNNING dev server updates the live catalog, via the real file watcher", async () => {
+    const appDir = scaffold("hmr-live", {
+      "main.ts": `import { defineAuthz } from "@wrnexus/authz";
+export default defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:read": {} } });`,
+    });
+    const server = await startServer({
+      appDir,
+      hostname: "127.0.0.1",
+      port: 0,
+      mode: "development",
+      hmr: true,
+    });
+    try {
+      expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("post:read")).toBe(true);
+      expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("post:write")).toBe(false);
+
+      // A real write to disk, picked up by the real fs watcher (watch.ts /
+      // startWatcher) — not a direct call into any internal hot-update
+      // function. This is the only way to prove the wiring actually works,
+      // as opposed to proving only that the code branch exists.
+      writeFileSync(
+        join(appDir, "authz", "main.ts"),
+        `import { defineAuthz } from "@wrnexus/authz";
+export default defineAuthz({ permissions: { "post:write": {} } });`,
+        "utf8",
+      );
+
+      await waitFor(() => getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("post:write"), 10_000);
+
+      expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("post:write")).toBe(true);
+      expect(getAuthzCatalog().permissions.has("post:read")).toBe(false);
+    } finally {
+      server.stop();
+    }
+  }, 15_000);
 });