diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0049465b9..f7b0feb27 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 * [#2837](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2837): Document the definition-time rejection of an `Array`/`Set` of an uncoercible element type introduced by #2817, and pin it with specs - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#2836](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2836): Define `#hash` alongside the `eql?`/`==` pairs on `Grape::Endpoint`, `Grape::Util::InheritableSetting`, `Grape::Middleware::Stack::Middleware`, `Grape::ServeStream::StreamResponse` and `Grape::ServeStream::FileBody`, so equal objects hash alike in a `Hash`, `Set` or `uniq` - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#2835](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2835): Return the compiled instance from `Grape::API::Instance.compile!` so `call` and `recognize_path` no longer re-read `@instance`, which a concurrent `change!` could nil between the two reads - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
+* [#2849](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2849): Remove `http_digest`, which has had no strategy behind it since 2.0.0 and raised on the first request rather than when the API was defined (see UPGRADING) - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * Your contribution here.
 
 #### Fixes
diff --git a/UPGRADING.md b/UPGRADING.md
index ab4838229..4b106185f 100644
--- a/UPGRADING.md
+++ b/UPGRADING.md
@@ -304,16 +304,16 @@ rescue_from MyError, with: :other_handler
 
 Calls that only use one meta selector or only use exception classes (the documented forms) are unaffected.
 
-#### `auth`, `http_basic` and `http_digest` now take keyword arguments
+#### `auth` and `http_basic` now take keyword arguments
 
-`Grape::Middleware::Auth::DSL#auth`, `#http_basic` and `#http_digest` now accept their options as keyword arguments instead of a positional `Hash`. Calls using bare keyword syntax or a block are unaffected:
+`Grape::Middleware::Auth::DSL#auth` and `#http_basic` now accept their options as keyword arguments instead of a positional `Hash`. Calls using bare keyword syntax or a block are unaffected:
 
 ```ruby
 http_basic realm: 'API' do |u, p|
   # ...
 end
 
-auth :http_digest, realm: 'API', opaque: 'secret', &proc
+auth :my_strategy, realm: 'API', &proc
 ```
 
 Passing a positional options `Hash` still works but is deprecated and will be removed in a future release:
@@ -321,13 +321,33 @@ Passing a positional options `Hash` still works but is deprecated and will be re
 ```ruby
 # deprecated
 http_basic({ realm: 'API' })
-auth :http_digest, { realm: 'API', opaque: 'secret' }
+auth :my_strategy, { realm: 'API' }
 
 # preferred
 http_basic(realm: 'API')
-auth :http_digest, realm: 'API', opaque: 'secret'
+auth :my_strategy, realm: 'API'
 ```
 
+#### `http_digest` is removed
+
+`Grape::Middleware::Auth::DSL#http_digest` is gone. Calling it now raises `NoMethodError` while the API class is being defined.
+
+Nothing it could reach has existed since **2.0.0**, which removed `Rack::Auth::Digest` along with Grape's `:http_digest` strategy ([#2361](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2361)) after Rack 3 dropped digest authentication. The method survived that removal and kept recording its settings happily, so an API declaring `http_digest` still booted — and then raised `Grape::Exceptions::UnknownAuthStrategy` on the *first request*, from inside the middleware build, as an uncaught exception rather than a response. Failing while the class is defined is the point of removing it.
+
+**If you registered your own `:http_digest` strategy**, it still works; call `auth` directly:
+
+```ruby
+Grape::Middleware::Auth::Strategies.add(:http_digest, MyDigestStrategy, ->(settings) { [settings[:realm]] })
+
+class API < Grape::API
+  auth :http_digest, realm: 'API Authorization', opaque: 'secret' do |username|
+    # ...
+  end
+end
+```
+
+The removed method supplied two defaults that `auth` does not, so pass them explicitly if you were relying on them: `realm` defaulted to `'API Authorization'`, and `opaque` to `'secret'` (nested inside `realm` when `realm` was itself a Hash).
+
 #### Middleware options now route through per-class `Options` `Data` value objects
 
 `Grape::Middleware::Error`, `Grape::Middleware::Formatter`, and `Grape::Middleware::Versioner::Base` each declare an `Options` `Data.define` and route their `**options` kwargs through it on `initialize`. This means **unknown kwargs now raise `ArgumentError`** instead of being silently swallowed:
diff --git a/lib/grape/middleware/auth/dsl.rb b/lib/grape/middleware/auth/dsl.rb
index 52829cd22..5c62673c0 100644
--- a/lib/grape/middleware/auth/dsl.rb
+++ b/lib/grape/middleware/auth/dsl.rb
@@ -22,19 +22,6 @@ def http_basic(*legacy_options, **options, &)
           auth(:http_basic, **options, &)
         end
 
-        def http_digest(*legacy_options, **options, &)
-          options = merge_legacy_auth_options(:http_digest, legacy_options, options)
-          options[:realm] ||= 'API Authorization'
-
-          if options[:realm].respond_to?(:values_at)
-            options[:realm][:opaque] ||= 'secret'
-          else
-            options[:opaque] ||= 'secret'
-          end
-
-          auth(:http_digest, **options, &)
-        end
-
         private
 
         # @deprecated Passing a positional options Hash is deprecated; pass
diff --git a/spec/grape/middleware/auth/dsl_spec.rb b/spec/grape/middleware/auth/dsl_spec.rb
index 612c511c8..29d9e2775 100644
--- a/spec/grape/middleware/auth/dsl_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/grape/middleware/auth/dsl_spec.rb
@@ -4,12 +4,15 @@
   subject { Class.new(Grape::API) }
 
   let(:block) { -> {} }
+  # #auth records whatever it is given; the strategy behind the label is looked
+  # up when the middleware is built. A label with no built-in sugar method keeps
+  # that distinction visible.
   let(:settings) do
     {
       opaque: 'secret',
       proc: block,
       realm: 'API Authorization',
-      type: :http_digest
+      type: :custom
     }
   end
 
@@ -17,7 +20,7 @@
     it 'sets auth parameters' do
       expect(subject.base_instance).to receive(:use).with(Grape::Middleware::Auth::Base, settings)
 
-      subject.auth :http_digest, realm: settings[:realm], opaque: settings[:opaque], &settings[:proc]
+      subject.auth :custom, realm: settings[:realm], opaque: settings[:opaque], &settings[:proc]
       expect(subject.auth).to eq(settings)
     end
 
@@ -25,10 +28,10 @@
       expect(subject.base_instance).to receive(:use).with(Grape::Middleware::Auth::Base, settings)
       expect(subject.base_instance).to receive(:use).with(Grape::Middleware::Auth::Base, settings.merge(realm: 'super_secret'))
 
-      subject.auth :http_digest, realm: settings[:realm], opaque: settings[:opaque], &settings[:proc]
+      subject.auth :custom, realm: settings[:realm], opaque: settings[:opaque], &settings[:proc]
       first_settings = subject.auth
 
-      subject.auth :http_digest, realm: 'super_secret', opaque: settings[:opaque], &settings[:proc]
+      subject.auth :custom, realm: 'super_secret', opaque: settings[:opaque], &settings[:proc]
 
       expect(subject.auth).to eq(settings.merge(realm: 'super_secret'))
       expect(subject.auth.object_id).not_to eq(first_settings.object_id)
@@ -42,29 +45,13 @@
     end
   end
 
-  describe '.http_digest' do
-    context 'when realm is a hash' do
-      it 'sets auth parameters' do
-        subject.http_digest realm: { realm: 'my_realm', opaque: 'my_opaque' }, &settings[:proc]
-        expect(subject.auth).to eq(realm: { realm: 'my_realm', opaque: 'my_opaque' }, type: :http_digest, proc: block)
-      end
-    end
-
-    context 'when realm is not hash' do
-      it 'sets auth parameters' do
-        subject.http_digest realm: 'my_realm', opaque: 'my_opaque', &settings[:proc]
-        expect(subject.auth).to eq(realm: 'my_realm', type: :http_digest, proc: block, opaque: 'my_opaque')
-      end
-    end
-  end
-
   describe 'deprecated positional options Hash' do
     it 'deprecates a positional Hash for `auth` but still works when silenced' do
-      expect { subject.auth :http_digest, { realm: 'r', opaque: 'o' }, &block }
+      expect { subject.auth :custom, { realm: 'r', opaque: 'o' }, &block }
         .to raise_error(ActiveSupport::DeprecationException, /positional options Hash to `auth`/)
 
-      Grape.deprecator.silence { subject.auth :http_digest, { realm: 'r', opaque: 'o' }, &block }
-      expect(subject.auth).to eq(realm: 'r', opaque: 'o', type: :http_digest, proc: block)
+      Grape.deprecator.silence { subject.auth :custom, { realm: 'r', opaque: 'o' }, &block }
+      expect(subject.auth).to eq(realm: 'r', opaque: 'o', type: :custom, proc: block)
     end
 
     it 'deprecates a positional Hash for `http_basic` but still works when silenced' do
@@ -74,13 +61,5 @@
       Grape.deprecator.silence { subject.http_basic({ realm: 'my_realm' }, &block) }
       expect(subject.auth).to eq(realm: 'my_realm', type: :http_basic, proc: block)
     end
-
-    it 'deprecates a positional Hash for `http_digest` but still works when silenced' do
-      expect { subject.http_digest({ realm: 'my_realm' }, &block) }
-        .to raise_error(ActiveSupport::DeprecationException, /positional options Hash to `http_digest`/)
-
-      Grape.deprecator.silence { subject.http_digest({ realm: 'my_realm' }, &block) }
-      expect(subject.auth).to eq(realm: 'my_realm', opaque: 'secret', type: :http_digest, proc: block)
-    end
   end
 end