diff --git a/packages/browser/src/ThunderIDBrowserClient.ts b/packages/browser/src/ThunderIDBrowserClient.ts
index 5f31d69c..6bba7691 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/ThunderIDBrowserClient.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/ThunderIDBrowserClient.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import {
   TokenConstants,
   createPackageComponentLogger,
   generateFlattenedUserProfile,
+  getTokenPermissions,
   getUsersMe,
   resolveBackendEndpoints,
   resolveResourceEndpoint,
@@ -620,6 +621,26 @@ class ThunderIDBrowserClient<T = BrowserAuthConfig> extends ThunderIDJavaScriptC
     return super.getAccessToken(sessionId);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * The permissions the signed-in user's access token grants, for example to hide a page the user
+   * cannot use. The server still checks every request.
+   *
+   * In backend mode they come only from the backend's session (`scope`): the token stays on the backend,
+   * so a session without `scope` grants nothing. Otherwise they are read from the access token's `scope`
+   * or `scopes` claim.
+   *
+   * @returns The granted permissions, or an empty list when none can be read.
+   */
+  public async getGrantedPermissions(): Promise<string[]> {
+    if (this._backend) {
+      const {scope} = await this._backend.getSession();
+
+      return typeof scope === 'string' ? scope.split(' ').filter((entry: string) => entry.length > 0) : [];
+    }
+
+    return getTokenPermissions(await this.getAccessToken());
+  }
+
   /**
    * The access token for requests under `endpoints.backend.bypass`. Like a client credentials token it
    * has no refresh token: it is kept in the session storage until it nears expiry, then requested again.
diff --git a/packages/browser/src/__tests__/ThunderIDBrowserClient.backend.test.ts b/packages/browser/src/__tests__/ThunderIDBrowserClient.backend.test.ts
index 3c216626..9c1830c8 100644
--- a/packages/browser/src/__tests__/ThunderIDBrowserClient.backend.test.ts
+++ b/packages/browser/src/__tests__/ThunderIDBrowserClient.backend.test.ts
@@ -103,6 +103,22 @@ describe('ThunderIDBrowserClient with sign-in on the backend', () => {
     expect(await client.getAccessToken()).toBe('t2');
   });
 
+  it('reads the granted permissions from the session, without the access token', async () => {
+    fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(json(200, {...SIGNED_IN, scope: 'openid system:user  system:group:view'}));
+    const scoped = new ThunderIDBrowserClient<any>(8);
+    await scoped.initialize(CONFIG);
+
+    expect(await scoped.getGrantedPermissions()).toEqual(['openid', 'system:user', 'system:group:view']);
+    expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(fetchMock.mock.calls[0][0]).toBe('/api/auth/session');
+    FetchHttpClient.destroyInstance(8);
+  });
+
+  it('grants nothing when the session has no scope, without asking for the access token', async () => {
+    expect(await client.getGrantedPermissions()).toEqual([]);
+    expect(fetchMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it('shares one token request between concurrent callers', async () => {
     fetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(json(200, {access_token: 't1', expires_in: 300}));
 
diff --git a/packages/javascript/src/models/backend.ts b/packages/javascript/src/models/backend.ts
index 607a3579..31c2c936 100644
--- a/packages/javascript/src/models/backend.ts
+++ b/packages/javascript/src/models/backend.ts
@@ -74,4 +74,9 @@ export interface BackendSession {
   user?: Record<string, unknown>;
   /** When the access token expires, in seconds since the epoch. */
   expiresAt?: number;
+  /**
+   * The scopes the access token was granted, space separated, as the token response's `scope`
+   * (RFC 6749 §5.1). The app reads its permissions from here, so the token can stay on the backend.
+   */
+  scope?: string;
 }
diff --git a/packages/nextjs/src/client/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx b/packages/nextjs/src/client/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx
index d51fb936..87cd9d19 100644
--- a/packages/nextjs/src/client/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx
+++ b/packages/nextjs/src/client/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx
@@ -345,6 +345,8 @@ const ThunderIDClientProvider: FC<PropsWithChildren<ThunderIDClientProviderProps
       exchangeToken: unsupported('exchangeToken'),
       getAccessToken: unsupported('getAccessToken'),
       getDecodedIdToken: unsupported('getDecodedIdToken'),
+      // The Next.js useGrantedPermissions reads them through a server action instead.
+      getGrantedPermissions: unsupported('getGrantedPermissions'),
       getIdToken: unsupported('getIdToken'),
       getStorageManager: () => Promise.resolve(null),
       http: {
diff --git a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/thunderid.ts b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/thunderid.ts
index b6298955..4ebe178d 100644
--- a/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/thunderid.ts
+++ b/packages/nuxt/src/runtime/plugins/thunderid.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright 2025 The ThunderID Authors
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-import {getRedirectBasedSignUpUrl} from '@thunderid/browser';
+import {getRedirectBasedSignUpUrl, getTokenPermissions} from '@thunderid/browser';
 import {VendorConstants} from '@thunderid/node';
 import type {AttributeSchema, FlowMetadataResponse, UserProfile} from '@thunderid/node';
 import {ThunderIDPlugin, THUNDERID_KEY} from '@thunderid/vue';
@@ -209,6 +209,8 @@ export default defineNuxtPlugin((nuxtApp: NuxtApp) => {
     }
   };
 
+  const getGrantedPermissions = async (): Promise<string[]> => getTokenPermissions(await getAccessToken());
+
   const noop = async (): Promise<any> => undefined;
 
   // ── 4. Provide THUNDERID_KEY at the app level ────────────────────────────
@@ -222,6 +224,7 @@ export default defineNuxtPlugin((nuxtApp: NuxtApp) => {
     endpoints: publicConfig.endpoints,
     exchangeToken: noop,
     getAccessToken,
+    getGrantedPermissions,
     getDecodedIdToken: noop,
     getIdToken: noop,
     http: {
diff --git a/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDContext.ts b/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDContext.ts
index 7cfd1b45..77cb8f50 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDContext.ts
+++ b/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDContext.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ export type ThunderIDContextProps = {
    * @returns A promise that resolves to the access token.
    */
   getAccessToken: () => Promise<string>;
+  /**
+   * Retrieves the permissions the signed-in user's access token grants. In backend mode they come from
+   * the backend's session, so the token stays on the backend.
+   * @returns A promise that resolves to the granted permissions.
+   */
+  getGrantedPermissions: () => Promise<string[]>;
   /**
    * Function to retrieve the decoded ID token.
    * This function decodes the ID token and returns its payload.
@@ -247,6 +253,7 @@ const ThunderIDContext: Context<ThunderIDContextProps | null> = createContext<nu
   },
   exchangeToken: null as unknown as ThunderIDContextProps['exchangeToken'],
   getAccessToken: null as unknown as ThunderIDContextProps['getAccessToken'],
+  getGrantedPermissions: null as unknown as ThunderIDContextProps['getGrantedPermissions'],
   getDecodedIdToken: null as unknown as ThunderIDContextProps['getDecodedIdToken'],
   getIdToken: null as unknown as ThunderIDContextProps['getIdToken'],
   getStorageManager: () => Promise.resolve(null),
diff --git a/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx b/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx
index fbc3c14d..91955bff 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDProvider.tsx
@@ -438,6 +438,11 @@ const ThunderIDProvider: FC<PropsWithChildren<ThunderIDProviderProps>> = ({
     [client],
   );
 
+  const getGrantedPermissions: () => Promise<string[]> = useCallback(
+    async (): Promise<string[]> => client.getGrantedPermissions(),
+    [client],
+  );
+
   const getStorageManager: ThunderIDContextProps['getStorageManager'] = useCallback(async () => {
     const storageManager: Awaited<ReturnType<ThunderIDContextProps['getStorageManager']>> =
       storageManagerRef.current ?? (await client.getStorageManager());
@@ -514,6 +519,7 @@ const ThunderIDProvider: FC<PropsWithChildren<ThunderIDProviderProps>> = ({
       exchangeToken,
       getAccessToken,
       getDecodedIdToken,
+      getGrantedPermissions,
       getIdToken,
       getStorageManager,
       http: {
@@ -570,6 +576,7 @@ const ThunderIDProvider: FC<PropsWithChildren<ThunderIDProviderProps>> = ({
       exchangeToken,
       httpOptions?.fetcher,
       getAccessToken,
+      getGrantedPermissions,
       getStorageManager,
       instanceId,
       invalidator,
diff --git a/packages/react/src/hooks/management/__tests__/useGrantedPermissions.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/hooks/management/__tests__/useGrantedPermissions.test.tsx
index 140b12f9..13638bf0 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/hooks/management/__tests__/useGrantedPermissions.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/hooks/management/__tests__/useGrantedPermissions.test.tsx
@@ -7,13 +7,6 @@ import {afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi} from 'vitest';
 import ThunderIDContext, {ThunderIDContextProps} from '../../../contexts/ThunderID/ThunderIDContext';
 import useGrantedPermissions from '../useGrantedPermissions';
 
-const tokenWithScope = (scope: string): string => {
-  const encode = (value: unknown): string =>
-    btoa(JSON.stringify(value)).replace(/\+/g, '-').replace(/\//g, '_').replace(/=+$/, '');
-
-  return `${encode({alg: 'none'})}.${encode({scope})}.signature`;
-};
-
 const wrapperWith = (value: Partial<ThunderIDContextProps>): ((props: {children: ReactNode}) => ReactElement) =>
   function Wrapper({children}: {children: ReactNode}): ReactElement {
     return (
@@ -28,11 +21,11 @@ afterEach(() => {
 });
 
 describe('useGrantedPermissions', () => {
-  it('reads the permissions the access token grants', async () => {
-    const getAccessToken = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(tokenWithScope('openid system:group'));
+  it('reads the granted permissions from the client', async () => {
+    const getGrantedPermissions = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(['openid', 'system:group']);
 
     const {result} = renderHook(() => useGrantedPermissions(), {
-      wrapper: wrapperWith({getAccessToken, isSignedIn: true}),
+      wrapper: wrapperWith({getGrantedPermissions, isSignedIn: true}),
     });
 
     expect(result.current.isLoading).toBe(true);
@@ -42,23 +35,23 @@ describe('useGrantedPermissions', () => {
     expect(result.current.can('system:user:view')).toBe(false);
   });
 
-  it('grants nothing when signed out, without asking for a token', () => {
-    const getAccessToken = vi.fn();
+  it('grants nothing when signed out, without asking the client', () => {
+    const getGrantedPermissions = vi.fn();
 
     const {result} = renderHook(() => useGrantedPermissions(), {
-      wrapper: wrapperWith({getAccessToken, isSignedIn: false}),
+      wrapper: wrapperWith({getGrantedPermissions, isSignedIn: false}),
     });
 
     expect(result.current.isLoading).toBe(false);
     expect(result.current.permissions).toEqual([]);
-    expect(getAccessToken).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(getGrantedPermissions).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it('grants nothing when the token cannot be read', async () => {
-    const getAccessToken = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('no session'));
+  it('grants nothing when the permissions cannot be read', async () => {
+    const getGrantedPermissions = vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new Error('no session'));
 
     const {result} = renderHook(() => useGrantedPermissions(), {
-      wrapper: wrapperWith({getAccessToken, isSignedIn: true}),
+      wrapper: wrapperWith({getGrantedPermissions, isSignedIn: true}),
     });
 
     await waitFor(() => expect(result.current.isLoading).toBe(false));
diff --git a/packages/react/src/hooks/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts b/packages/react/src/hooks/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts
index 7dc18bc7..f45ead22 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/hooks/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts
+++ b/packages/react/src/hooks/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright 2026 The ThunderID Authors
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-import {getTokenPermissions, hasPermission} from '@thunderid/browser';
+import {hasPermission} from '@thunderid/browser';
 import {useCallback, useEffect, useMemo, useState} from 'react';
 import useThunderID from '../../contexts/ThunderID/useThunderID';
 
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ export interface GrantedPermissions {
 
 /**
  * Reads the permissions the signed-in user's access token grants, for example to hide a page the
- * user cannot use.
+ * user cannot use. In backend mode they come from the backend's session, so the token stays on the
+ * backend.
  *
  * @returns The granted permissions and a `can` check.
  *
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ export interface GrantedPermissions {
  * ```
  */
 const useGrantedPermissions = (): GrantedPermissions => {
-  const {getAccessToken, isSignedIn} = useThunderID();
+  const {getGrantedPermissions, isSignedIn} = useThunderID();
   const [granted, setGranted] = useState<string[] | null>(null);
 
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -42,19 +43,18 @@ const useGrantedPermissions = (): GrantedPermissions => {
 
     let active = true;
 
-    void getAccessToken()
-      .then((token: string) => getTokenPermissions(token))
+    void getGrantedPermissions()
       .catch((): string[] => [])
-      .then((tokenPermissions: string[]) => {
+      .then((grantedPermissions: string[]) => {
         if (active) {
-          setGranted(tokenPermissions);
+          setGranted(grantedPermissions);
         }
       });
 
     return (): void => {
       active = false;
     };
-  }, [getAccessToken, isSignedIn]);
+  }, [getGrantedPermissions, isSignedIn]);
 
   const permissions: string[] = useMemo(() => (isSignedIn ? (granted ?? []) : []), [granted, isSignedIn]);
   const isLoading: boolean = isSignedIn && granted === null;
diff --git a/packages/vue/src/__tests__/composables/management/resource-query.test.ts b/packages/vue/src/__tests__/composables/management/resource-query.test.ts
index 976569d3..7689a163 100644
--- a/packages/vue/src/__tests__/composables/management/resource-query.test.ts
+++ b/packages/vue/src/__tests__/composables/management/resource-query.test.ts
@@ -255,15 +255,8 @@ describe('useGrantedPermissions (vue)', () => {
     mounted.splice(0).forEach((wrapper) => wrapper.unmount());
   });
 
-  const tokenWithScopes = (scope: string): string => {
-    const encode = (value: object): string =>
-      btoa(JSON.stringify(value)).replace(/=+$/, '').replace(/\+/g, '-').replace(/\//g, '_');
-
-    return `${encode({alg: 'none'})}.${encode({scope, sub: 'u1'})}.signature`;
-  };
-
-  it('reads the permissions from the access token and checks them by prefix', async () => {
-    const context = createManagementContext({accessToken: tokenWithScopes('openid system:user system:group:view')});
+  it('reads the granted permissions from the client and checks them by prefix', async () => {
+    const context = createManagementContext({grantedPermissions: ['openid', 'system:user', 'system:group:view']});
     const {result} = withSetup(() => useGrantedPermissions(), context);
 
     expect(result.isLoading.value).toBe(true);
@@ -280,6 +273,6 @@ describe('useGrantedPermissions (vue)', () => {
     await nextTick();
     expect(result.isLoading.value).toBe(false);
     expect(result.permissions.value).toEqual([]);
-    expect(context.thunderID.getAccessToken).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(context.thunderID.getGrantedPermissions).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/vue/src/__tests__/helpers/managementContext.ts b/packages/vue/src/__tests__/helpers/managementContext.ts
index ed2524bc..b13db20a 100644
--- a/packages/vue/src/__tests__/helpers/managementContext.ts
+++ b/packages/vue/src/__tests__/helpers/managementContext.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,11 @@ export const translate = (key: string, params?: Record<string, string | number>)
 export interface ManagementTestContext {
   fetcher: MockFetcher;
   provide: Record<symbol, unknown>;
-  thunderID: {getAccessToken: Mock<() => Promise<string>>; invalidator: ResourceInvalidator};
+  thunderID: {
+    getAccessToken: Mock<() => Promise<string>>;
+    getGrantedPermissions: Mock<() => Promise<string[]>>;
+    invalidator: ResourceInvalidator;
+  };
 }
 
 /**
@@ -43,16 +47,19 @@ export const createManagementContext = ({
   fetcher = vi.fn<(url: string, init: RequestInit) => Promise<Response>>(),
   isSignedIn = true,
   accessToken = 'token',
+  grantedPermissions = [],
 }: {
   accessToken?: string;
   endpoints?: Record<string, string>;
   fetcher?: MockFetcher;
+  grantedPermissions?: string[];
   isSignedIn?: boolean;
 } = {}): ManagementTestContext => {
   const thunderID = {
     baseUrl: 'https://thunder.example',
     endpoints,
     getAccessToken: vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve(accessToken)),
+    getGrantedPermissions: vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve(grantedPermissions)),
     http: {fetcher, request: vi.fn(), requestAll: vi.fn()},
     instanceId: 0,
     invalidator: createResourceInvalidator(),
diff --git a/packages/vue/src/composables/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts b/packages/vue/src/composables/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts
index cfadfeec..cbb017c0 100644
--- a/packages/vue/src/composables/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts
+++ b/packages/vue/src/composables/management/useGrantedPermissions.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 // Copyright 2026 The ThunderID Authors
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-import {getTokenPermissions, hasPermission} from '@thunderid/browser';
+import {hasPermission} from '@thunderid/browser';
 import {type ComputedRef, type Ref, computed, getCurrentScope, onScopeDispose, shallowRef, watch} from 'vue';
 import useThunderID from '../useThunderID';
 
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ export interface GrantedPermissions {
 
 /**
  * Reads the permissions the signed-in user's access token grants, for example to hide a page the
- * user cannot use.
+ * user cannot use. In backend mode they come from the backend's session, so the token stays on the
+ * backend.
  *
  * @returns The granted permissions and a `can` check.
  *
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ export interface GrantedPermissions {
  * ```
  */
 const useGrantedPermissions = (): GrantedPermissions => {
-  const {getAccessToken, isSignedIn} = useThunderID();
+  const {getGrantedPermissions, isSignedIn} = useThunderID();
   const granted: Ref<string[] | null> = shallowRef<string[] | null>(null);
   let generation = 0;
 
@@ -53,12 +54,11 @@ const useGrantedPermissions = (): GrantedPermissions => {
         return;
       }
 
-      void getAccessToken()
-        .then((token: string) => getTokenPermissions(token))
+      void getGrantedPermissions()
         .catch((): string[] => [])
-        .then((tokenPermissions: string[]) => {
+        .then((grantedPermissions: string[]) => {
           if (current === generation) {
-            granted.value = tokenPermissions;
+            granted.value = grantedPermissions;
           }
         });
     },
diff --git a/packages/vue/src/models/contexts.ts b/packages/vue/src/models/contexts.ts
index d9a43c88..a86328c5 100644
--- a/packages/vue/src/models/contexts.ts
+++ b/packages/vue/src/models/contexts.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ export interface ThunderIDContext {
   exchangeToken: (config: TokenExchangeRequestConfig) => Promise<TokenResponse | Response>;
   // ── Token ──
   getAccessToken: () => Promise<string>;
+  /** The permissions the signed-in user's access token grants; in backend mode, from the backend's session. */
+  getGrantedPermissions: () => Promise<string[]>;
   getDecodedIdToken: () => Promise<IdToken>;
   getIdToken: () => Promise<string>;
   getStorageManager: () => StorageManager<any>;
diff --git a/packages/vue/src/providers/ThunderIDProvider.ts b/packages/vue/src/providers/ThunderIDProvider.ts
index a7dd5079..4918a2ff 100644
--- a/packages/vue/src/providers/ThunderIDProvider.ts
+++ b/packages/vue/src/providers/ThunderIDProvider.ts
@@ -379,6 +379,7 @@ const ThunderIDProvider: Component = defineComponent({
       scopes: props.scopes,
       exchangeToken: (config: any): Promise<TokenResponse | Response> => client.exchangeToken(config),
       getAccessToken: (): Promise<string> => client.getAccessToken(),
+      getGrantedPermissions: (): Promise<string[]> => client.getGrantedPermissions(),
       getDecodedIdToken: (): Promise<IdToken> => client.getDecodedIdToken(),
       getIdToken: (): Promise<string> => client.getIdToken(),
       getStorageManager: () => client.getStorageManager(),