diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-auth/src/auth-manager.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-auth/src/auth-manager.ts
index 651ac802bf..e3f2658b11 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-auth/src/auth-manager.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-auth/src/auth-manager.ts
@@ -527,11 +527,40 @@ export class AuthManager {
             const clientId = ctx?.query?.client_id;
             if (clientId) {
               let gateUserId: string | undefined;
+              // (a) standard resolver — handles the cookie session.
               try {
                 const { getSessionFromCtx } = await import('better-auth/api');
                 const s: any = await getSessionFromCtx(ctx as any);
                 gateUserId = s?.user?.id ?? s?.session?.userId;
-              } catch { /* no session → OP redirects to login */ }
+              } catch { /* fall through to explicit resolution */ }
+              // (b) explicit token resolution — hook-order-independent. The
+              // bearer plugin may convert `Authorization: Bearer` to a session
+              // AFTER this global before-hook, so getSessionFromCtx can miss a
+              // bearer (or non-default cookie) request here. Resolve the token
+              // (bearer or the session cookie's token part) and look it up.
+              if (!gateUserId) {
+                try {
+                  const hdr = (k: string): string =>
+                    ((ctx?.headers?.get?.(k) ?? ctx?.request?.headers?.get?.(k)) as string) || '';
+                  let token: string | undefined;
+                  const bm = /^Bearer\s+(.+)$/i.exec(hdr('authorization'));
+                  if (bm?.[1]) token = bm[1].trim();
+                  if (!token) {
+                    const cm = /(?:^|;\s*)(?:__Secure-|__Host-)?better-auth\.session_token=([^;]+)/.exec(hdr('cookie'));
+                    if (cm?.[1]) token = decodeURIComponent(cm[1]).split('.')[0];
+                  }
+                  if (token) {
+                    const sess: any = await (ctx as any).context.adapter.findOne({
+                      model: 'session',
+                      where: [{ field: 'token', value: token }],
+                    });
+                    const exp = sess?.expiresAt ?? sess?.expires_at;
+                    if (sess && (!exp || new Date(exp).getTime() > Date.now())) {
+                      gateUserId = String(sess.userId ?? sess.user_id ?? '') || undefined;
+                    }
+                  }
+                } catch { /* unresolved → fall through, OP handles auth */ }
+              }
               if (gateUserId) {
                 const allowed = await this.config.oidcAuthorizeGate({
                   userId: gateUserId,