diff --git a/src/HotChocolate/Core/src/Authorization/Extensions/AuthorizationFeatureExtensions.cs b/src/HotChocolate/Core/src/Authorization/Extensions/AuthorizationFeatureExtensions.cs
index 707fbdd67a6..94d440d8327 100644
--- a/src/HotChocolate/Core/src/Authorization/Extensions/AuthorizationFeatureExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/HotChocolate/Core/src/Authorization/Extensions/AuthorizationFeatureExtensions.cs
@@ -155,12 +155,24 @@ public static AuthorizationOptions GetAuthorizationOptions(
         this ISchemaBuilder builder)
         => builder.Features.GetOrSet<AuthorizationOptions>();
 
+    // Legacy well-known ContextData key for UserState, removed when UserState moved to the typed
+    // Features collection (PRs #8267/#8329). Consumers that bypass the request interceptors
+    // (notably the Strawberry Shake in-memory client) still inject a ready-made UserState under
+    // this key via SetGlobalState, so it is promoted into Features here.
+    private const string LegacyUserStateContextDataKey = "HotChocolate.Authorization.UserState";
+
     public static RequestContext TryCreateUserStateIfNotExists(
         this RequestContext context)
     {
         var userState = context.Features.Get<UserState>();
 
         if (userState is null
+            && context.ContextData.TryGetValue(LegacyUserStateContextDataKey, out var legacyValue)
+            && legacyValue is UserState legacyUserState)
+        {
+            context.Features.Set(legacyUserState);
+        }
+        else if (userState is null
             && context.ContextData.TryGetValue(nameof(ClaimsPrincipal), out var value)
             && value is ClaimsPrincipal principal)
         {
diff --git a/src/HotChocolate/Core/test/Authorization.Tests/AnnotationBasedAuthorizationTests.cs b/src/HotChocolate/Core/test/Authorization.Tests/AnnotationBasedAuthorizationTests.cs
index 8c21b444620..3a126bf5550 100644
--- a/src/HotChocolate/Core/test/Authorization.Tests/AnnotationBasedAuthorizationTests.cs
+++ b/src/HotChocolate/Core/test/Authorization.Tests/AnnotationBasedAuthorizationTests.cs
@@ -953,6 +953,72 @@ public async Task Assert_UserState_Exists()
                 """);
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task Authorize_Should_Use_Explicit_UserState_When_Passed_Through_ContextData()
+    {
+        // arrange
+        var handler = new AuthHandler(
+            resolver: (ctx, _)
+                => ctx.Features.TryGet(out UserState? _)
+                    ? AuthorizeResult.Allowed
+                    : AuthorizeResult.NotAllowed,
+            validation: (ctx, _)
+                => ctx.Features.TryGet(out UserState? _)
+                    ? AuthorizeResult.Allowed
+                    : AuthorizeResult.NotAllowed);
+
+        var services = CreateServices(
+            handler,
+            options =>
+            {
+                options.ConfigureNodeFields =
+                    descriptor => descriptor.Authorize("READ_NODE");
+            });
+
+        var executor = await services.GetRequestExecutorAsync(cancellationToken: TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+
+        // act
+        // supply a ready-made UserState under the legacy well-known key (as the in-memory client does)
+        var result = await executor.ExecuteAsync(
+            builder =>
+                builder
+                    .SetDocument(
+                        """
+                        {
+                          nodes(ids: "abc") {
+                            __typename
+                          }
+                        }
+                        """)
+                    .SetGlobalState(
+                        "HotChocolate.Authorization.UserState",
+                        new UserState(new ClaimsPrincipal(), isAuthenticated: true)),
+            TestContext.Current.CancellationToken);
+
+        // assert
+        // auth passes (legacy UserState promoted into Features), so it fails later on the node ID
+        Snapshot
+            .Create()
+            .Add(result)
+            .MatchInline(
+                """
+                {
+                  "errors": [
+                    {
+                      "message": "The node ID string has an invalid format.",
+                      "path": [
+                        "nodes"
+                      ],
+                      "extensions": {
+                        "originalValue": "abc"
+                      }
+                    }
+                  ],
+                  "data": null
+                }
+                """);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task Skip_After_Validation_For_Null()
     {