diff --git a/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.html b/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.html
index 20b98b71ac4..88a0c138519 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.html
+++ b/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.html
@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@
         </button>
       </div>
 
-      <div class="edit-button">
+      <div
+        class="edit-button"
+        *ngIf="canEditDescription">
         <button
           nz-button
           nzType="text"
@@ -109,8 +111,8 @@
       <div
         class="resource-description truncate-single-line"
         (click)="onEditDescription(); $event.stopPropagation()">
-        {{ renderedDescription ? renderedDescription.slice(0, 200) : (hovering && editable) ? 'Write a description...' :
-        '' }}
+        {{ renderedDescription ? renderedDescription.slice(0, 200) : (hovering && canEditDescription) ? 'Write a
+        description...' : '' }}
       </div>
     </div>
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.spec.ts b/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.spec.ts
index eca823a4ee7..44b3c4aa112 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.spec.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import { NzModalService } from "ng-zorro-antd/modal";
 import { of, Subject, throwError } from "rxjs";
 import { ActionType, HubService } from "../../../../hub/service/hub.service";
 import { BrowserAnimationsModule } from "@angular/platform-browser/animations";
+import { By } from "@angular/platform-browser";
 import { RouterTestingModule } from "@angular/router/testing";
 import { StubUserService } from "../../../../common/service/user/stub-user.service";
 import { UserService } from "../../../../common/service/user/user.service";
@@ -265,7 +266,12 @@ describe("ListItemComponent", () => {
 
     it("onEditDescription opens the edit modal and applies the change, then closes it", () => {
       component.editable = true;
-      component.entry = { id: 1, description: "old", type: "workflow" } as unknown as DashboardEntry;
+      component.entry = {
+        id: 1,
+        description: "old",
+        type: "workflow",
+        accessLevel: "WRITE",
+      } as unknown as DashboardEntry;
       const descriptionChange = new Subject<string>();
       const modalRef = { componentInstance: { descriptionChange }, destroy: vi.fn() };
       const createSpy = vi.spyOn(modalService, "create").mockReturnValue(modalRef as any);
@@ -288,6 +294,72 @@ describe("ListItemComponent", () => {
       expect(createSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
+    describe("read-only entries cannot edit the description (#3497)", () => {
+      // `editable` only means "private dashboard view" and is hardcoded true by the
+      // container, so the row itself must consult the entry's access level.
+      const makeEntry = (accessLevel: string) =>
+        ({
+          id: 1,
+          name: "wf",
+          description: "old",
+          type: "workflow",
+          accessLevel,
+          workflow: { isOwner: accessLevel === "WRITE", accessLevel },
+          accessibleUserIds: [],
+          likeCount: 0,
+          viewCount: 0,
+          isLiked: false,
+          size: 0,
+        }) as unknown as DashboardEntry;
+
+      const stubModal = () =>
+        vi
+          .spyOn(modalService, "create")
+          .mockReturnValue({
+            componentInstance: { descriptionChange: new Subject<string>() },
+            destroy: vi.fn(),
+          } as any);
+
+      it("does not open the description editor without WRITE access", () => {
+        component.editable = true;
+        component.entry = makeEntry("READ");
+        const createSpy = stubModal();
+
+        component.onEditDescription();
+
+        expect(createSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(workflowPersistService.updateWorkflowDescription).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      });
+
+      it("hides the Edit Description control for read-only entries", () => {
+        component.editable = true;
+        component.isPrivateSearch = true;
+        component.entry = makeEntry("READ");
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+
+        expect(fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('button[title="Edit Description"]'))).toBeNull();
+      });
+
+      it("still opens the description editor with WRITE access", () => {
+        component.editable = true;
+        component.entry = makeEntry("WRITE");
+        const createSpy = stubModal();
+
+        component.onEditDescription();
+
+        expect(createSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+      });
+
+      it("still renders the Edit Description control with WRITE access", () => {
+        component.editable = true;
+        component.isPrivateSearch = true;
+        component.entry = makeEntry("WRITE");
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+
+        expect(fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('button[title="Edit Description"]'))).not.toBeNull();
+      });
+    });
+
     it("onCheckboxChange toggles the entry's checked flag and emits the change", () => {
       const entry = { checked: false } as unknown as DashboardEntry;
       const emitSpy = vi.fn();
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.ts
index 5291b79b1d0..a6eb482779c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/dashboard/component/user/list-item/list-item.component.ts
@@ -275,8 +275,17 @@ export class ListItemComponent implements OnChanges {
     }, 0);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * `editable` only means "this is the private dashboard view" and is hardcoded to true
+   * by the container, so it is not an access check. Editing the description additionally
+   * requires write access to this specific entry (#3497).
+   */
+  get canEditDescription(): boolean {
+    return this.editable && this.entry.accessLevel === "WRITE";
+  }
+
   onEditDescription(): void {
-    if (!this.editable) return;
+    if (!this.canEditDescription) return;
 
     this.originalDescription = this.entry.description;