diff --git a/src/data/audit.ts b/src/data/audit.ts
index 6f48171..c3d8004 100644
--- a/src/data/audit.ts
+++ b/src/data/audit.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ export type AuditAction =
   | "user.deleted"
   | "user.password_reset"
   | "user.password_changed"
-  | "user.role_changed";
+  | "user.role_changed"
+  | "user.permissions_changed";
 
 export interface AuditEntry {
   id: number;
diff --git a/src/web/api/users.test.ts b/src/web/api/users.test.ts
index 669395e..35e7c43 100644
--- a/src/web/api/users.test.ts
+++ b/src/web/api/users.test.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import pino from "pino";
 import { createDatabase, type BotDatabase } from "../../data/database.js";
 import { createUserStore, type UserStore } from "../../data/users.js";
 import { createSessionStore, type SessionStore } from "../../data/sessions.js";
-import { createAuditStore } from "../../data/audit.js";
-import { createPermissionStore } from "../../data/permissions.js";
+import { createAuditStore, type AuditStore } from "../../data/audit.js";
+import { createPermissionStore, type PermissionStore } from "../../data/permissions.js";
 import { createRequireAuth } from "../middleware/requireAuth.js";
 import { createUsersRouter } from "./users.js";
 import { SESSION_COOKIE_NAME } from "../auth/validateSession.js";
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ function makeApp(botDb: BotDatabase, users: UserStore, sessions: SessionStore) {
   const requireAuth = createRequireAuth(sessions, permissions);
   const audit = createAuditStore(botDb.db);
   app.use("/api", requireAuth);
-  app.use("/api/users", createUsersRouter(users, sessions, audit, pino({ level: "silent" })));
-  return app;
+  app.use("/api/users", createUsersRouter(users, sessions, audit, pino({ level: "silent" }), permissions));
+  return { app, permissions, audit };
 }
 
 describe("users router", () => {
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ describe("users router", () => {
   let users: UserStore;
   let sessions: SessionStore;
   let app: express.Express;
+  let permissions: PermissionStore;
+  let audit: AuditStore;
   let aliceId: string;
   let aliceCookie: string;
   let bobId: string;
@@ -37,7 +39,7 @@ describe("users router", () => {
     botDb = createDatabase(":memory:");
     users = createUserStore(botDb.db);
     sessions = createSessionStore(botDb.db);
-    app = makeApp(botDb, users, sessions);
+    ({ app, permissions, audit } = makeApp(botDb, users, sessions));
     const alice = await users.createUser("alice", "pw-alice", "admin");
     aliceId = alice.id;
     aliceCookie = `${SESSION_COOKIE_NAME}=${sessions.createSession(alice.id).token}`;
@@ -153,7 +155,7 @@ describe("users router", () => {
     localApp.use("/api", createRequireAuth(sessions, createPermissionStore(botDb.db)));
     localApp.use(
       "/api/users",
-      createUsersRouter(users, sessions, brokenAudit, pino({ level: "silent" }))
+      createUsersRouter(users, sessions, brokenAudit, pino({ level: "silent" }), createPermissionStore(botDb.db))
     );
     const res = await request(localApp)
       .post("/api/users")
@@ -256,4 +258,87 @@ describe("users router", () => {
       .send({ role: "admin" });
     expect(res.status).toBe(404);
   });
+
+  it("GET /:id/permissions returns empty arrays for a fresh member", async () => {
+    const res = await request(app)
+      .get(`/api/users/${bobId}/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie);
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(res.body).toEqual({ capabilities: [], bots: [] });
+  });
+
+  it("GET /:id/permissions 404 on unknown user", async () => {
+    const res = await request(app)
+      .get(`/api/users/not-a-real-id/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie);
+    expect(res.status).toBe(404);
+  });
+
+  it("PUT /:id/permissions sets permissions, persists, and audits", async () => {
+    const before = audit.list(100, 0).filter((e) => e.action === "user.permissions_changed");
+    expect(before).toHaveLength(0);
+
+    const put = await request(app)
+      .put(`/api/users/${bobId}/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie)
+      .send({ capabilities: ["player.control"], bots: "all" });
+    expect(put.status).toBe(200);
+
+    const get = await request(app)
+      .get(`/api/users/${bobId}/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie);
+    expect(get.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(get.body).toEqual({ capabilities: ["player.control"], bots: "all" });
+
+    const rows = audit.list(100, 0).filter((e) => e.action === "user.permissions_changed");
+    expect(rows).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(rows[0].actorId).toBe(aliceId);
+    expect(rows[0].targetUserId).toBe(bobId);
+  });
+
+  it("PUT /:id/permissions drops unknown capability tokens", async () => {
+    const put = await request(app)
+      .put(`/api/users/${bobId}/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie)
+      .send({ capabilities: ["player.control", "bogus"], bots: [] });
+    expect(put.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(permissions.getCapabilities(bobId)).toEqual(["player.control"]);
+  });
+
+  it("PUT /:id/permissions 404 on unknown user", async () => {
+    const res = await request(app)
+      .put(`/api/users/not-a-real-id/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie)
+      .send({ capabilities: ["player.control"], bots: "all" });
+    expect(res.status).toBe(404);
+  });
+
+  it("POST / seeds the basic tier for a new member", async () => {
+    const res = await request(app)
+      .post("/api/users")
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie)
+      .send({ username: "dave", password: "dave-pw-pw" });
+    expect(res.status).toBe(201);
+    const perms = await request(app)
+      .get(`/api/users/${res.body.id}/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie);
+    expect(perms.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(perms.body).toEqual({
+      capabilities: ["player.control", "player.queue"],
+      bots: "all",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("POST / does NOT seed permissions for a new admin", async () => {
+    const res = await request(app)
+      .post("/api/users")
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie)
+      .send({ username: "erin", password: "erin-pw-pw", role: "admin" });
+    expect(res.status).toBe(201);
+    const perms = await request(app)
+      .get(`/api/users/${res.body.id}/permissions`)
+      .set("Cookie", aliceCookie);
+    expect(perms.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(perms.body).toEqual({ capabilities: [], bots: [] });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/web/api/users.ts b/src/web/api/users.ts
index 0517654..7d38236 100644
--- a/src/web/api/users.ts
+++ b/src/web/api/users.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import type { UserStore } from "../../data/users.js";
 import { UsernameTakenError } from "../../data/users.js";
 import type { SessionStore } from "../../data/sessions.js";
 import type { AuditStore } from "../../data/audit.js";
+import { isCapability, BASIC_TIER_CAPABILITIES, type PermissionStore } from "../../data/permissions.js";
 import { extractSessionToken } from "../auth/validateSession.js";
 
 function isValidUsername(v: unknown): v is string {
@@ -18,7 +19,8 @@ export function createUsersRouter(
   users: UserStore,
   sessions: SessionStore,
   audit: AuditStore,
-  logger: Logger
+  logger: Logger,
+  permissions: PermissionStore
 ): Router {
   const router = Router();
 
@@ -35,6 +37,9 @@ export function createUsersRouter(
     const role: "admin" | "member" = roleInput === "admin" ? "admin" : "member";
     try {
       const u = await users.createUser(username, password, role);
+      if (u.role === "member") {
+        permissions.setPermissions(u.id, { capabilities: BASIC_TIER_CAPABILITIES, bots: "all" });
+      }
       try {
         audit.record({
           actorId: req.user!.id, actorUsername: req.user!.username,
@@ -162,5 +167,43 @@ export function createUsersRouter(
     res.status(204).end();
   });
 
+  router.get("/:id/permissions", (req, res) => {
+    const user = users.findById(req.params.id);
+    if (!user) {
+      res.status(404).json({ error: "not_found" });
+      return;
+    }
+    res.json({
+      capabilities: permissions.getCapabilities(user.id),
+      bots: permissions.getBotAccess(user.id),
+    });
+  });
+
+  router.put("/:id/permissions", (req, res) => {
+    const user = users.findById(req.params.id);
+    if (!user) {
+      res.status(404).json({ error: "not_found" });
+      return;
+    }
+    const body = req.body ?? {};
+    const caps: string[] = Array.isArray(body.capabilities)
+      ? body.capabilities.filter(isCapability)
+      : [];
+    const bots: "all" | string[] =
+      body.bots === "all" ? "all" : Array.isArray(body.bots) ? body.bots.map(String) : [];
+    permissions.setPermissions(user.id, { capabilities: caps, bots });
+    try {
+      audit.record({
+        actorId: req.user!.id, actorUsername: req.user!.username,
+        targetUserId: user.id, targetUsername: user.username,
+        action: "user.permissions_changed",
+      });
+    } catch (auditErr) {
+      logger.warn({ err: auditErr, action: "user.permissions_changed" }, "audit insert failed");
+    }
+    logger.info({ actorId: req.user!.id, targetUserId: user.id }, "User permissions changed");
+    res.json({ success: true });
+  });
+
   return router;
 }
diff --git a/src/web/server.ts b/src/web/server.ts
index 78e09e2..d20cdb5 100755
--- a/src/web/server.ts
+++ b/src/web/server.ts
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ export function createWebServer(options: WebServerOptions): WebServer {
     createAuthRouter(options.neteaseProvider, options.qqProvider, options.bilibiliProvider, logger, options.cookieStore)
   );
   // admin-only routes
-  app.use("/api/users", requireAdmin, createUsersRouter(users, sessions, audit, logger));
+  app.use("/api/users", requireAdmin, createUsersRouter(users, sessions, audit, logger, permissions));
   app.use("/api/audit", requireAdmin, createAuditRouter(audit));
 
   // ─── Static SPA (public) ────────────────────────────────────────────────