diff --git a/automation/anwarpy/runtime.py b/automation/anwarpy/runtime.py
index 9b5d050..2ffe3f3 100644
--- a/automation/anwarpy/runtime.py
+++ b/automation/anwarpy/runtime.py
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ class AgentApi:
         except HTTPError as error:
             return error.code, error.read(), error.headers.get("content-type", "")
         except (TimeoutError, URLError) as error:
-            if method in ("POST", "PUT"):
+            if method in ("POST", "PATCH"):
                 raise AmbiguousWrite(f"agent API {method} outcome is unknown") from error
             raise
 
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ class AgentApi:
         probe = self._probe(body)
         if probe:
             self.body_probes[slug] = probe
-        status, raw, _ = self._request("PUT", f"/api/agent/posts/{quote(slug)}", body)
+        status, raw, _ = self._request("PATCH", f"/api/agent/posts/{quote(slug)}", body)
         if status != 200:
             raise RuntimeError(f"agent API update failed ({status})")
         return self._decode(status, raw)
diff --git a/automation/anwarpy/test_publish_one.py b/automation/anwarpy/test_publish_one.py
index 0a2d19f..45d8a27 100644
--- a/automation/anwarpy/test_publish_one.py
+++ b/automation/anwarpy/test_publish_one.py
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ class PublisherTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(api.create_calls, [])
         self.assertEqual(len(api.update_calls), 1)
 
-    def test_republish_puts_existing_slug_and_never_posts(self):
+    def test_republish_updates_existing_slug_and_never_posts(self):
         record = {
             "id": 7, "title": "Old", "slug": "existing-guide", "status": "published",
             "access": "vip", "category": "أدوات", "publishedAt": "2026-10-09T09:00:00Z",
diff --git a/automation/anwarpy/test_runtime.py b/automation/anwarpy/test_runtime.py
index a45f3b1..0eeb893 100644
--- a/automation/anwarpy/test_runtime.py
+++ b/automation/anwarpy/test_runtime.py
@@ -42,10 +42,12 @@ class FakeAgentApi(AgentApi):
     def __init__(self):
         super().__init__("test-key")
         self.responses = []
+        self.requests = []
         self.public = (200, b"page")
         self.rsc = (200, b"rsc")
 
     def _request(self, method, path, body=None, *, anonymous=False):
+        self.requests.append((method, path, body, anonymous))
         if self.responses:
             return self.responses.pop(0)
         return 200, b"{}", "application/json"
@@ -80,6 +82,12 @@ class RuntimeTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(api.create(body)["slug"], "guide")
         self.assertEqual(api.body_probes["guide"], "distinctive protected body sentence")
 
+    def test_agent_api_updates_with_patch(self):
+        api = FakeAgentApi()
+        api.responses = [(200, json.dumps({"slug": "guide"}).encode(), "application/json")]
+        self.assertEqual(api.update("guide", {"publish": True})["slug"], "guide")
+        self.assertEqual(api.requests[0][0:2], ("PATCH", "/api/agent/posts/guide"))
+
     @patch("runtime.time.sleep", return_value=None)
     def test_vip_verification_rejects_body_leak(self, _sleep):
         api = FakeAgentApi()
diff --git a/web/README.md b/web/README.md
index 5156da3..88cd2d3 100644
--- a/web/README.md
+++ b/web/README.md
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/agent/posts \
   -d '{"title":"...","slug":"my-post","dek":"...","category":"وكلاء","access":"vip","teaser":"...","readingMinutes":8,"content":{"root":{"type":"root","children":[],"format":"","indent":0,"version":1}}}'
 
 # update (cannot change status)
-curl -X PUT http://localhost:3000/api/agent/posts/my-post -H "x-agent-key: $AGENT_API_KEY" ...
+curl -X PATCH http://localhost:3000/api/agent/posts/my-post -H "x-agent-key: $AGENT_API_KEY" ...
 ```
 
 Omitting `cover` assigns the per-category default cover.
diff --git a/web/docs/agent-publish-api.md b/web/docs/agent-publish-api.md
index 03f82a3..8292f32 100644
--- a/web/docs/agent-publish-api.md
+++ b/web/docs/agent-publish-api.md
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ Returns 200 for a draft or published post, 404 when absent. Authentication is re
 
 ## Promote or republish
 
-`PUT /api/agent/posts/<slug>`
+`PATCH /api/agent/posts/<slug>`
 
 Draft promotion body:
 
diff --git a/web/src/app/(frontend)/posts/[slug]/page.tsx b/web/src/app/(frontend)/posts/[slug]/page.tsx
index b922f76..1f6ad27 100644
--- a/web/src/app/(frontend)/posts/[slug]/page.tsx
+++ b/web/src/app/(frontend)/posts/[slug]/page.tsx
@@ -98,12 +98,12 @@ export default async function PostPage({ params }: Args) {
     where: { and: [{ slug: { equals: slug } }, { status: { equals: 'published' } }] },
     depth: 1,
     limit: 1,
-    // content selected only for entitled viewers — never reaches non-VIP clients
+    // VIP content is deliberately excluded here. It is fetched only after
+    // the viewer's entitlement has been established below.
     select: {
       title: true, slug: true, dek: true, access: true, category: true, level: true,
       views: true, likes: true,
       readingMinutes: true, publishedAt: true, teaser: true, cover: true,
-      content: true,
     },
   })
   const post = res.docs[0] as unknown as PostDoc | undefined
@@ -111,6 +111,16 @@ export default async function PostPage({ params }: Args) {
 
   const role = await getViewerRole()
   const unlocked = post.access === 'free' || role === 'vip' || role === 'admin'
+  if (unlocked) {
+    const entitled = await payload.findByID({
+      collection: 'posts',
+      id: post.id,
+      depth: 0,
+      overrideAccess: true,
+      select: { content: true },
+    })
+    post.content = entitled.content
+  }
   const accessChip = post.access === 'free' ? 'مقال مجاني · وصول كامل' : 'VIP · وصول كامل'
   const viewerLevel = await getViewerField('level')
   const viewerId = await getViewerField('id')
diff --git a/web/src/app/api/agent/posts/[slug]/route.ts b/web/src/app/api/agent/posts/[slug]/route.ts
index a68f709..2d1f32f 100644
--- a/web/src/app/api/agent/posts/[slug]/route.ts
+++ b/web/src/app/api/agent/posts/[slug]/route.ts
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export async function GET(req: NextRequest, ctx: { params: Promise<{ slug: strin
   return NextResponse.json(postResponse(post))
 }
 
-export async function PUT(req: NextRequest, ctx: { params: Promise<{ slug: string }> }) {
+export async function PATCH(req: NextRequest, ctx: { params: Promise<{ slug: string }> }) {
   if (!validKey(req)) return unauthorized()
   const { slug } = await ctx.params
 
diff --git a/web/tests/agent-update-method.test.ts b/web/tests/agent-update-method.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9c3f65
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/tests/agent-update-method.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { describe, it } from 'node:test'
+
+const routeSource = readFileSync(
+  new URL('../src/app/api/agent/posts/[slug]/route.ts', import.meta.url),
+  'utf8',
+)
+
+describe('agent post update HTTP contract', () => {
+  it('exports PATCH and does not export PUT', () => {
+    assert.match(routeSource, /export async function PATCH\(/)
+    assert.doesNotMatch(routeSource, /export async function PUT\(/)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/web/tests/vip-content-leak.test.ts b/web/tests/vip-content-leak.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..471a417
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/tests/vip-content-leak.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { describe, it } from 'node:test'
+
+const pageSource = readFileSync(
+  new URL('../src/app/(frontend)/posts/[slug]/page.tsx', import.meta.url),
+  'utf8',
+)
+
+const slug = process.env.ANWARPY_VIP_TEST_SLUG
+const marker = process.env.ANWARPY_VIP_BODY_MARKER
+const cookie = process.env.ANWARPY_VIP_COOKIE
+const baseUrl = (process.env.ANWARPY_TEST_BASE_URL || 'http://127.0.0.1:3000').replace(/\/$/, '')
+
+async function body(url, headers = {}) {
+  const response = await fetch(url, { headers, redirect: 'manual' })
+  return { status: response.status, text: await response.text() }
+}
+
+describe('VIP content query boundary', () => {
+  it('does not load content before entitlement is established', () => {
+    const pageStart = pageSource.indexOf('export default async function PostPage')
+    const roleCheck = pageSource.indexOf('const role = await getViewerRole()', pageStart)
+    const beforeRole = pageSource.slice(pageStart, roleCheck)
+    assert.doesNotMatch(beforeRole, /content\s*:\s*true/)
+  })
+
+  it('loads content only inside the unlocked branch', () => {
+    assert.match(
+      pageSource,
+      /const unlocked[\s\S]*if \(unlocked\) \{[\s\S]*findByID\([\s\S]*select:\s*\{\s*content:\s*true\s*\}/,
+    )
+    assert.match(pageSource, /\{unlocked \? \([\s\S]*<RichText data=\{post\.content\}/)
+  })
+})
+
+describe('VIP transport acceptance', () => {
+  it('does not expose the protected marker to anonymous HTML, RSC, or REST', {
+    skip: !slug || !marker,
+  }, async () => {
+    const encoded = encodeURIComponent(slug)
+    const [html, rsc, rest] = await Promise.all([
+      body(`${baseUrl}/posts/${encoded}`),
+      body(`${baseUrl}/posts/${encoded}?__rsc=vip-test`, { RSC: '1', Accept: 'text/x-component' }),
+      body(`${baseUrl}/api/posts?where%5Bslug%5D%5Bequals%5D=${encoded}&depth=0`, { Accept: 'application/json' }),
+    ])
+    assert.equal(html.status, 200)
+    assert.ok([200, 204].includes(rsc.status))
+    assert.ok([200, 401, 403].includes(rest.status))
+    for (const response of [html, rsc, rest]) {
+      assert.equal(response.text.includes(marker), false)
+    }
+  })
+
+  it('exposes the protected marker to an entitled VIP session', {
+    skip: !slug || !marker || !cookie,
+  }, async () => {
+    const response = await body(`${baseUrl}/posts/${encodeURIComponent(slug)}`, { Cookie: cookie })
+    assert.equal(response.status, 200)
+    assert.equal(response.text.includes(marker), true)
+  })
+})