diff --git a/app/components/comment/CommentItem.vue b/app/components/comment/CommentItem.vue
index 3e4a95d..92f4e15 100644
--- a/app/components/comment/CommentItem.vue
+++ b/app/components/comment/CommentItem.vue
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ function initials(name: string | null) {
                 <Icon name="lucide:pencil" size="14" />
                 Edit
               </DropdownMenuItem>
-              <DropdownMenuItem v-if="canDelete" class="text-xs font-bold gap-2 text-destructive focus:text-destructive" @click="handleDelete">
+              <DropdownMenuItem v-if="canDelete" class="text-xs font-bold gap-2 text-destructive" @click="handleDelete">
                 <Icon name="lucide:trash-2" size="14" />
                 Delete
               </DropdownMenuItem>
diff --git a/app/components/post/PostDetail.vue b/app/components/post/PostDetail.vue
index d9f4fdb..03c7da7 100644
--- a/app/components/post/PostDetail.vue
+++ b/app/components/post/PostDetail.vue
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ async function handleShare() {
                     </DropdownMenuTrigger>
                     <DropdownMenuContent align="end" class="min-w-[120px]">
                       <DropdownMenuItem v-if="canEditPost" class="text-xs font-bold gap-2" @click="startEditPost"><Icon name="lucide:pencil" size="14" /> Edit</DropdownMenuItem>
-                      <DropdownMenuItem v-if="canDeletePost" class="text-xs font-bold gap-2 text-destructive focus:text-destructive" @click="handleDeletePost"><Icon name="lucide:trash-2" size="14" /> Delete</DropdownMenuItem>
+                      <DropdownMenuItem v-if="canDeletePost" class="text-xs font-bold gap-2 text-destructive" @click="handleDeletePost"><Icon name="lucide:trash-2" size="14" /> Delete</DropdownMenuItem>
                     </DropdownMenuContent>
                   </DropdownMenu>
                 </div>
diff --git a/app/components/post/PostDetailModal.vue b/app/components/post/PostDetailModal.vue
index ef92300..9473303 100644
--- a/app/components/post/PostDetailModal.vue
+++ b/app/components/post/PostDetailModal.vue
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ watch(open, (isOpen) => {
   <Dialog v-model:open="open" :modal="true">
     <DialogContent
       :show-close-button="false"
+      @open-auto-focus.prevent
       @pointer-down-outside="preventShadcnDialogClose"
       @escape-key-down="preventShadcnDialogClose"
       class="!max-w-[1100px] h-[90vh] !p-0 !gap-0 overflow-hidden border-border bg-background !rounded-2xl flex flex-col"
diff --git a/app/composables/usePermission.ts b/app/composables/usePermission.ts
index 2716127..0ac269e 100644
--- a/app/composables/usePermission.ts
+++ b/app/composables/usePermission.ts
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@ type ResourceType = 'post' | 'comment'
 //   - moderator       → `requireOrgPermission({ feedlog: ['moderate'] })`
 //
 // Ownership is a row-level check: `authorId === session.user.id`. Edit/delete
-// is allowed when the caller is the author OR a moderator. Comments follow
-// the same rule.
+// rules differ between resource types — see canEdit / canDelete below.
 export function usePermission(authorId: Ref<string | undefined> | ComputedRef<string | undefined>, type: ResourceType) {
   const { data: session } = useAuthSession()
   const ctx = useOrgContext()
@@ -38,7 +37,13 @@ export function usePermission(authorId: Ref<string | undefined> | ComputedRef<st
     return isOwner.value
   })
 
-  const canDelete = computed(() => isOwner.value || canModerate.value)
+  const canDelete = computed(() => {
+    // Posts: moderator-only. Once shipped, a post belongs to the community
+    // (others' upvotes / comments / status). Authors can edit but not delete.
+    if (type === 'post') return canModerate.value
+    // Comments are conversational — author can delete their own.
+    return isOwner.value || canModerate.value
+  })
 
   const showMenu = computed(() => canEdit.value || canDelete.value)
 
diff --git a/server/api/admin/posts/[id].delete.ts b/server/api/admin/posts/[id].delete.ts
index 84fa73a..2380d93 100644
--- a/server/api/admin/posts/[id].delete.ts
+++ b/server/api/admin/posts/[id].delete.ts
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
 import { and, eq, sql } from 'drizzle-orm'
 import { post, comment, commentLike, vote } from '#layers/feedlog/server/db/schemas'
 
-// DELETE /api/admin/posts/:id — Hard delete. Author can delete own;
-// moderators can delete anyone's (escalates via feedlog:moderate). The
-// "admin" path is here for the cascade clean-up logic, not for the gate.
+// DELETE /api/admin/posts/:id — Moderator-only hard delete. Once a post is
+// public it belongs to the community (others' upvotes/comments/status); the
+// author has no self-delete path, only edit via PATCH /api/posts/:id.
 export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
-  const { session, orgId } = await requireOrgMember(event)
+  const { orgId } = await requireOrgPermission(event, { feedlog: ['moderate'] })
   const id = getRouterParam(event, 'id')!
   const db = useDB()
 
   const [existing] = await db
-    .select({ authorId: post.authorId, mergedTo: post.mergedTo })
+    .select({ mergedTo: post.mergedTo })
     .from(post)
     .where(and(eq(post.id, id), eq(post.orgId, orgId)))
     .limit(1)
@@ -21,10 +21,6 @@ export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
     throw createError({ statusCode: 400, message: 'Cannot delete a merged post. Unmerge it first.' })
   }
 
-  if (existing.authorId !== session.user.id) {
-    await requireOrgPermission(event, { feedlog: ['moderate'] })
-  }
-
   // Delete associated data (no DB foreign keys, cascade at application level)
   // 1. Delete all comment likes for this post
   await db.delete(commentLike).where(