diff --git a/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go b/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go
index 59888e255..354be0826 100644
--- a/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go
+++ b/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers.go
@@ -868,18 +868,24 @@ func (s3a *S3ApiServer) AuthWithPublicRead(handler http.HandlerFunc, action Acti
 
 		glog.V(4).Infof("AuthWithPublicRead: bucket=%s, object=%s, authType=%v, isAnonymous=%v", bucket, object, authType, isAnonymous)
 
-		// For anonymous requests, check if bucket allows public read via ACLs or bucket policies
+		// For anonymous requests, check if bucket allows public read via bucket policies or ACLs
 		if isAnonymous {
-			// First check ACL-based public access
+			// Loading the bucket config on a cache miss also refreshes the
+			// compiled policy, so a remotely deleted policy cannot leave a
+			// stale verdict in the engine.
 			isPublic := s3a.isBucketPublicRead(bucket)
 			glog.V(4).Infof("AuthWithPublicRead: bucket=%s, isPublicACL=%v", bucket, isPublic)
-			if isPublic {
+
+			// Object requests are re-evaluated inside Get/HeadObjectHandler
+			// once the entry is fetched, where tag conditions like
+			// s3:ExistingObjectTag/<key> can resolve correctly. Only
+			// bucket-level requests (List, HeadBucket) rely on this check alone.
+			if isPublic && object != "" {
 				glog.V(3).Infof("AuthWithPublicRead: allowing anonymous access to public-read bucket %s (ACL)", bucket)
 				handler(w, r)
 				return
 			}
 
-			// Check bucket policy for anonymous access using the policy engine
 			principal := "*" // Anonymous principal
 			// Evaluate bucket policy (objectEntry nil - not yet fetched)
 			allowed, evaluated, err := s3a.policyEngine.EvaluatePolicy(bucket, object, string(action), principal, r, nil, nil)
@@ -903,7 +909,13 @@ func (s3a *S3ApiServer) AuthWithPublicRead(handler http.HandlerFunc, action Acti
 					return
 				}
 			}
-			// No matching policy statement - fall through to check ACLs and then IAM auth
+
+			// No matching policy statement - fall back to the ACL grant
+			if isPublic {
+				glog.V(3).Infof("AuthWithPublicRead: allowing anonymous access to public-read bucket %s (ACL)", bucket)
+				handler(w, r)
+				return
+			}
 			glog.V(3).Infof("AuthWithPublicRead: no bucket policy match for %s, checking ACLs", bucket)
 		}
 
diff --git a/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers_misc_test.go b/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers_misc_test.go
index 2e704d860..b8d98fe26 100644
--- a/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers_misc_test.go
+++ b/weed/s3api/s3api_bucket_handlers_misc_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package s3api
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
 	"github.com/seaweedfs/seaweedfs/weed/s3api/policy_engine"
 	"github.com/seaweedfs/seaweedfs/weed/s3api/s3_constants"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func newMiscTestServer(t *testing.T, bucket string) *S3ApiServer {
@@ -308,3 +310,56 @@ func TestUploadMissingBucketAutoCreateDisabled(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestAuthWithPublicReadHonorsPolicyDeny(t *testing.T) {
+	const bucket = "public-deny"
+	s3a := newMiscTestServer(t, bucket)
+	s3a.bucketConfigCache.Set(bucket, &BucketConfig{Name: bucket, IsPublicRead: true})
+	s3a.policyEngine = NewBucketPolicyEngine()
+
+	called := false
+	handler := s3a.AuthWithPublicRead(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { called = true }, s3_constants.ACTION_LIST)
+	serve := func() *httptest.ResponseRecorder {
+		called = false
+		rr := httptest.NewRecorder()
+		handler(rr, newBucketRequest(http.MethodGet, bucket, "list-type=2", ""))
+		return rr
+	}
+	setPolicy := func(statements ...string) {
+		doc := `{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[` + strings.Join(statements, ",") + `]}`
+		require.NoError(t, s3a.policyEngine.engine.SetBucketPolicy(bucket, doc))
+	}
+	arn := fmt.Sprintf("arn:aws:s3:::%s", bucket)
+	denyList := fmt.Sprintf(`{"Effect":"Deny","Principal":"*","Action":"s3:ListBucket","Resource":"%s"}`, arn)
+	denyGet := fmt.Sprintf(`{"Effect":"Deny","Principal":"*","Action":"s3:GetObject","Resource":"%s/*"}`, arn)
+	allowList := fmt.Sprintf(`{"Effect":"Allow","Principal":"*","Action":"s3:ListBucket","Resource":"%s"}`, arn)
+
+	setPolicy(denyList)
+	rr := serve()
+	require.False(t, called, "anonymous ListObjectsV2 reached the handler despite an explicit ListBucket Deny")
+	require.Equal(t, http.StatusForbidden, rr.Code)
+
+	setPolicy(denyGet)
+	rr = serve()
+	require.True(t, called, "an unrelated Deny must not block the ACL public-read grant")
+
+	setPolicy(denyList, allowList)
+	rr = serve()
+	require.False(t, called, "explicit Deny must beat a matching Allow")
+
+	setPolicy(allowList)
+	rr = serve()
+	require.True(t, called, "explicit Allow must still permit anonymous listing")
+
+	// Object requests defer to the handler's phase-2 recheck, which evaluates
+	// tag conditions against the fetched entry — a tag-conditional Deny must
+	// not terminate them here on a missing value.
+	tagDeny := fmt.Sprintf(`{"Effect":"Deny","Principal":"*","Action":"s3:GetObject","Resource":"%s/*","Condition":{"StringNotEquals":{"s3:ExistingObjectTag/classification":"public"}}}`, arn)
+	setPolicy(tagDeny)
+	called = false
+	rr = httptest.NewRecorder()
+	objectReq := newBucketRequest(http.MethodGet, bucket, "", "")
+	objectReq = mux.SetURLVars(objectReq, map[string]string{"bucket": bucket, "object": "secret/x"})
+	s3a.AuthWithPublicRead(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) { called = true }, s3_constants.ACTION_READ)(rr, objectReq)
+	require.True(t, called, "anonymous object request on a public bucket must reach the handler's tag-aware recheck")
+}
diff --git a/weed/s3api/s3api_object_handlers.go b/weed/s3api/s3api_object_handlers.go
index fb5f39660..acc1ddcb2 100644
--- a/weed/s3api/s3api_object_handlers.go
+++ b/weed/s3api/s3api_object_handlers.go
@@ -508,6 +508,10 @@ func (s3a *S3ApiServer) handleDirectoryObjectRequest(w http.ResponseWriter, r *h
 		s3err.WriteErrorResponse(w, r, s3err.ErrInternalError)
 		return true // Request was handled (with error)
 	} else if dirEntry != nil {
+		if errCode := s3a.recheckPolicyWithObjectEntry(r, bucket, object, string(s3_constants.ACTION_READ), dirEntry.Extended, handlerName); errCode != s3err.ErrNone {
+			s3err.WriteErrorResponse(w, r, errCode)
+			return true // Request was handled (denied)
+		}
 		glog.V(2).Infof("%s: directory object %s/%s found, serving content", handlerName, bucket, object)
 		s3a.serveDirectoryContent(w, r, dirEntry)
 		return true // Request was handled successfully