diff --git a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor.cs b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor.cs
index d689b85e..13ede448 100644
--- a/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor.cs
+++ b/src/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor.cs
@@ -47,17 +47,37 @@ public sealed class AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor : IAuditActorAccessor
         {
             if (_authenticationState is not null)
             {
-                var task = _authenticationState.GetAuthenticationStateAsync();
-                if (task.IsCompletedSuccessfully)
-                {
-                    var actor = ResolveActor(task.Result.User);
-                    if (actor is not null) return actor;
-                }
+                var actor = TryResolveCircuitActor(_authenticationState);
+                if (actor is not null) return actor;
             }
             return ResolveActor(_httpContextAccessor.HttpContext?.User);
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     The circuit's actor, or null when this scope has no circuit identity. The server-side provider
+    ///     is registered for EVERY scope on an AdminUI node, but only a circuit calls
+    ///     <c>SetAuthenticationState</c>; anywhere else (a minimal-API request, a hosted service's scope)
+    ///     <c>GetAuthenticationStateAsync</c> throws <see cref="InvalidOperationException"/> synchronously
+    ///     (fix round 1 / I5). That is "no circuit", never an audit failure — the caller falls back to
+    ///     the HTTP context.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="provider">The scoped provider.</param>
+    /// <returns>The actor, or null.</returns>
+    private static string? TryResolveCircuitActor(AuthenticationStateProvider provider)
+    {
+        Task<AuthenticationState> task;
+        try
+        {
+            task = provider.GetAuthenticationStateAsync();
+        }
+        catch (InvalidOperationException)
+        {
+            return null;
+        }
+        return task.IsCompletedSuccessfully ? ResolveActor(task.Result.User) : null;
+    }
+
     /// <summary>The claim-resolution rule shared with <see cref="HttpAuditActorAccessor"/>.</summary>
     /// <param name="user">The principal, or null.</param>
     /// <returns>The actor string, or null when unauthenticated.</returns>
diff --git a/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security.Tests/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessorTests.cs b/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security.Tests/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessorTests.cs
index 5dc1f391..6341ef6f 100644
--- a/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security.Tests/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessorTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Server/ZB.MOM.WW.OtOpcUa.Security.Tests/Audit/AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessorTests.cs
@@ -58,6 +58,42 @@ public sealed class AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessorTests
         accessor.CurrentActor.ShouldBeNull();
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    ///     Fix round 1 / I5 — the REAL server-side provider, resolved in a non-circuit scope (a minimal-API
+    ///     request, a background service), throws <see cref="InvalidOperationException"/> from
+    ///     <c>GetAuthenticationStateAsync</c> because nothing called <c>SetAuthenticationState</c>. That used
+    ///     to escape <c>CurrentActor</c>; it must fall back to the HTTP principal instead.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Real_server_provider_outside_a_circuit_falls_back_to_the_http_principal()
+    {
+        var context = new DefaultHttpContext { User = Authenticated(new Claim(ZbClaimTypes.Username, "dave")) };
+        var accessor = new AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor(
+            new HttpContextAccessorStub(context),
+            new Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Server.ServerAuthenticationStateProvider());
+
+        accessor.CurrentActor.ShouldBe("dave");
+
+        // No HTTP principal either ⇒ null, still no throw.
+        new AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor(
+                new HttpContextAccessorStub(null),
+                new Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Server.ServerAuthenticationStateProvider())
+            .CurrentActor.ShouldBeNull();
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>Positive control on the real provider: once a circuit has set its state, that principal wins.</summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Real_server_provider_inside_a_circuit_serves_the_circuit_principal()
+    {
+        var provider = new Microsoft.AspNetCore.Components.Server.ServerAuthenticationStateProvider();
+        provider.SetAuthenticationState(Task.FromResult(
+            new AuthenticationState(Authenticated(new Claim(ZbClaimTypes.Username, "erin")))));
+        var context = new DefaultHttpContext { User = Authenticated(new Claim(ZbClaimTypes.Username, "http-user")) };
+
+        new AuthenticationStateAuditActorAccessor(new HttpContextAccessorStub(context), provider)
+            .CurrentActor.ShouldBe("erin");
+    }
+
     private static ClaimsPrincipal Authenticated(params Claim[] claims) =>
         new(new ClaimsIdentity(claims, "TestScheme", ZbClaimTypes.Name, ZbClaimTypes.Role));