diff --git a/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthority.java b/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthority.java
index a49c8e5aa9..6d8229aa26 100644
--- a/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthority.java
+++ b/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthority.java
@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ public class AdminPolicyManagementAuthority implements PolicyManagementAuthority
         return userService.isCurrentUserAdmin();
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public boolean canTriggerPolicies() {
+        return userService.isCurrentUserAdmin();
+    }
+
     @Override
     public Long currentUserTeamId() {
         String username = userService.getCurrentUsername();
diff --git a/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/PolicyManagementAuthority.java b/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/PolicyManagementAuthority.java
index 0ea3c298ad..d7e4f50ad1 100644
--- a/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/PolicyManagementAuthority.java
+++ b/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/PolicyManagementAuthority.java
@@ -12,6 +12,17 @@ public interface PolicyManagementAuthority {
     /** Whether the current user may create, edit, or delete policies (for their own team). */
     boolean canEditPolicies();
 
+    /**
+     * Whether the current user may run a policy against its <em>configured sources</em> (the manual
+     * "run now" sweep). Kept separate from {@link #canEditPolicies()} because the two are distinct
+     * capabilities, even where a deployment grants both to the same people: a sweep operates on the
+     * team's configured sources using the server's stored connection credentials, which makes it a
+     * policy-management capability rather than ordinary use. Running a policy over the caller's
+     * <em>own</em> uploaded files is not covered by this and stays open to every team member — that
+     * is ordinary editor enforcement.
+     */
+    boolean canTriggerPolicies();
+
     /**
      * The team that scopes the current user's policies — the team a new policy is stamped with and
      * the only team whose policies the user may see/run/edit. {@code null} when it can't be
diff --git a/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyController.java b/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyController.java
index 506bb75578..778a04e169 100644
--- a/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyController.java
+++ b/app/proprietary/src/main/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyController.java
@@ -432,9 +432,10 @@ public class PolicyController {
      * admin gets no say on SaaS. Team scoping (which team's policies) is enforced separately by
      * {@link PolicyAccessGuard}. Every mutation routes through {@link #savePolicy} (pause/resume
      * re-save with a flipped {@code enabled} flag) or {@link #deletePolicy}, so gating those two
-     * covers them all; runs ({@code /run}) stay open to the team. Single-user deployments (login
-     * disabled) have no such role, so they trust the local operator. The path allowlist for folder
-     * sources/outputs is enforced separately by {@link PolicyValidator} at validation time.
+     * covers them all; runs over the caller's own files ({@code /{id}/run}) stay open to the team,
+     * while source sweeps are gated by {@link #requirePolicySweepAllowed}. Single-user deployments
+     * (login disabled) have no such role, so they trust the local operator. The path allowlist for
+     * folder sources/outputs is enforced separately by {@link PolicyValidator} at validation time.
      */
     private void requirePolicyEditingAllowed() {
         if (!applicationProperties.getSecurity().isEnableLogin()) {
@@ -447,6 +448,25 @@ public class PolicyController {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Sweeping a policy's configured sources requires the same role as managing policies: the sweep
+     * operates on the team's configured sources using the server's stored connection credentials,
+     * which makes it a policy-management capability rather than ordinary use, and team scoping on
+     * its own does not express that. Deliberately narrower than it looks: it gates only the sweep,
+     * not {@link #runStoredPolicy}, because running a policy over documents the caller supplied is
+     * ordinary editor enforcement that every member performs on upload and export.
+     */
+    private void requirePolicySweepAllowed() {
+        if (!applicationProperties.getSecurity().isEnableLogin()) {
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!policyManagementAuthority.canTriggerPolicies()) {
+            throw new ResponseStatusException(
+                    HttpStatus.FORBIDDEN,
+                    "Not permitted to run this policy against its configured sources");
+        }
+    }
+
     @GetMapping
     @Operation(
             summary = "List policies",
@@ -571,8 +591,10 @@ public class PolicyController {
                             + " the enabled flag (which only gates automatic triggering). Returns"
                             + " the ids of the runs started (poll the run-status endpoint for each)"
                             + " plus what the sweep skipped - already-processed, parked-by-failure,"
-                            + " and in-flight counts - so an empty result explains itself.")
+                            + " and in-flight counts - so an empty result explains itself. Requires"
+                            + " the policy-management role.")
     public ResponseEntity<SweepOutcome> trigger(@PathVariable String policyId) {
+        requirePolicySweepAllowed();
         Policy policy =
                 policyStore
                         .get(policyId)
diff --git a/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java b/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java
index 811aae6b4f..0f97fcaf62 100644
--- a/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java
+++ b/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/config/AdminPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java
@@ -39,6 +39,18 @@ class AdminPolicyManagementAuthorityTest {
         assertFalse(authority().canEditPolicies());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void adminMayTriggerPolicies() {
+        when(userService.isCurrentUserAdmin()).thenReturn(true);
+        assertTrue(authority().canTriggerPolicies());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nonAdminMayNotTriggerPolicies() {
+        when(userService.isCurrentUserAdmin()).thenReturn(false);
+        assertFalse(authority().canTriggerPolicies());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void currentUserTeamIdResolvesFromTheCurrentUsersTeam() {
         Team team = new Team();
diff --git a/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyControllerTest.java b/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyControllerTest.java
index 84e9998b90..2fa675597c 100644
--- a/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyControllerTest.java
+++ b/app/proprietary/src/test/java/stirling/software/proprietary/policy/controller/PolicyControllerTest.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package stirling.software.proprietary.policy.controller;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertDoesNotThrow;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
@@ -738,5 +739,78 @@ class PolicyControllerTest {
                                     assertThat(((ResponseStatusException) e).getStatusCode())
                                             .isEqualTo(HttpStatus.NOT_FOUND));
         }
+
+        @Test
+        @DisplayName("trigger is forbidden for a team member who cannot manage policies")
+        void triggerForbiddenForMember() {
+            // Sweeping a policy's configured sources is a policy-management capability, so being
+            // in the policy's team is not on its own enough to perform it.
+            applicationProperties.getSecurity().setEnableLogin(true);
+            when(policyManagementAuthority.canTriggerPolicies()).thenReturn(false);
+
+            assertThatThrownBy(() -> controller.trigger("a"))
+                    .isInstanceOf(ResponseStatusException.class)
+                    .satisfies(
+                            e ->
+                                    assertThat(((ResponseStatusException) e).getStatusCode())
+                                            .isEqualTo(HttpStatus.FORBIDDEN));
+            // Rejected before the policy is looked up, so no run starts.
+            verify(policyRunner, never()).run(any());
+            verify(policyStore, never()).get(any());
+        }
+
+        @Test
+        @DisplayName("trigger runs for a caller who may manage policies")
+        void triggerAllowedForLeader() {
+            applicationProperties.getSecurity().setEnableLogin(true);
+            when(policyManagementAuthority.canTriggerPolicies()).thenReturn(true);
+            Policy p = policy("a", 1L);
+            when(policyStore.get("a")).thenReturn(Optional.of(p));
+            when(policyAccessGuard.canAccess(p)).thenReturn(true);
+            SweepOutcome outcome = new SweepOutcome(List.of("run-a"), 1, 0, 0, 0);
+            when(policyRunner.run(p)).thenReturn(outcome);
+
+            ResponseEntity<SweepOutcome> response = controller.trigger("a");
+
+            assertThat(response.getStatusCode()).isEqualTo(HttpStatus.ACCEPTED);
+            assertThat(response.getBody()).isEqualTo(outcome);
+        }
+
+        @Test
+        @DisplayName("trigger skips the role check when login is disabled")
+        void triggerTrustsTheLocalOperator() {
+            // Single-user deployments have no roles at all; the gate must not lock them out of
+            // their
+            // own sweeps.
+            applicationProperties.getSecurity().setEnableLogin(false);
+            Policy p = policy("a", null);
+            when(policyStore.get("a")).thenReturn(Optional.of(p));
+            when(policyAccessGuard.canAccess(p)).thenReturn(true);
+            SweepOutcome outcome = new SweepOutcome(List.of("run-a"), 1, 0, 0, 0);
+            when(policyRunner.run(p)).thenReturn(outcome);
+
+            assertThat(controller.trigger("a").getStatusCode()).isEqualTo(HttpStatus.ACCEPTED);
+            verify(policyManagementAuthority, never()).canTriggerPolicies();
+        }
+
+        @Test
+        @DisplayName("running a policy over the caller's own files stays open to any member")
+        void storedRunIsNotGatedByRole() {
+            // Editor enforcement: every member's upload/export runs the team's stored policies on
+            // their own documents. Gating this the way the sweep is gated would break the editor.
+            applicationProperties.getSecurity().setEnableLogin(true);
+            Policy p = policy("a", 1L);
+            when(policyStore.get("a")).thenReturn(Optional.of(p));
+            when(policyAccessGuard.canAccess(p)).thenReturn(true);
+            when(policyRunner.runWith(eq(p), any(), eq(PolicyProgressListener.NOOP)))
+                    .thenReturn(handle("run-9"));
+
+            ResponseEntity<JobResponse<Void>> response =
+                    assertDoesNotThrow(() -> controller.runStoredPolicy("a", new PolicyRunFiles()));
+
+            assertThat(response.getStatusCode()).isEqualTo(HttpStatus.ACCEPTED);
+            verify(policyManagementAuthority, never()).canTriggerPolicies();
+            verify(policyManagementAuthority, never()).canEditPolicies();
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/saas/src/main/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthority.java b/app/saas/src/main/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthority.java
index e2f5b65b47..0ce5e8e308 100644
--- a/app/saas/src/main/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthority.java
+++ b/app/saas/src/main/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthority.java
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@ public class TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthority implements PolicyManagementAuth
         return teamSecurity.isCurrentUserTeamLeader();
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public boolean canTriggerPolicies() {
+        return teamSecurity.isCurrentUserTeamLeader();
+    }
+
     @Override
     public Long currentUserTeamId() {
         return teamSecurity.currentUserTeamId();
diff --git a/app/saas/src/test/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java b/app/saas/src/test/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java
index 70cd360d7c..2c37980a5c 100644
--- a/app/saas/src/test/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java
+++ b/app/saas/src/test/java/stirling/software/saas/security/TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthorityTest.java
@@ -32,6 +32,18 @@ class TeamLeaderPolicyManagementAuthorityTest {
         assertFalse(authority().canEditPolicies());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void teamLeaderMayTriggerPolicies() {
+        when(teamSecurity.isCurrentUserTeamLeader()).thenReturn(true);
+        assertTrue(authority().canTriggerPolicies());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void nonLeaderMayNotTriggerPolicies() {
+        when(teamSecurity.isCurrentUserTeamLeader()).thenReturn(false);
+        assertFalse(authority().canTriggerPolicies());
+    }
+
     @Test
     void currentUserTeamIdDelegatesToTeamSecurity() {
         when(teamSecurity.currentUserTeamId()).thenReturn(9L);