diff --git a/gateway/gateway_test.go b/gateway/gateway_test.go
index d58043d..f95866f 100644
--- a/gateway/gateway_test.go
+++ b/gateway/gateway_test.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/base64"
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"io"
 	"math/big"
@@ -969,10 +970,61 @@ func newNativeGatewayLifecycleHarness(t *testing.T, sessionID string) nativeGate
 	return nativeGatewayLifecycleHarness{native: native, key: key, client: client, admission: admission, reporter: reporter}
 }
 
+func TestGatewayEgressReturnsProviderFreeClientAuthority(t *testing.T) {
+	h := newNativeGatewayLifecycleHarness(t, "session-client-authority")
+	var got map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(h.client.authorityRaw, &got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	want := map[string]any{
+		"version":            "1",
+		"session_id":         "session-client-authority",
+		"gateway_id":         "gateway-1",
+		"audience":           "versevdi-gateway",
+		"reconnect_sequence": float64(0),
+		"expires_at":         h.admission.authority.ExpiresAt,
+		"capabilities": map[string]any{
+			"transport":           "quic-tls13",
+			"framing":             "datagram-v2",
+			"media":               "encoded",
+			"audio":               "encoded",
+			"source_rate_control": "server",
+			"client_decode":       []any{"h264-opus"},
+		},
+	}
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("raw client authority = %s", h.client.authorityRaw)
+	}
+	if err := h.client.Close(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	h.waitReleased(t)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(h.admission.releaseAuthority, h.admission.authority) {
+		t.Fatalf("release authority = %#v, want provider-bearing %#v", h.admission.releaseAuthority, h.admission.authority)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClientSessionAuthorityRejectsProviderBearingRC3(t *testing.T) {
+	var _ protocol.ClientSessionAuthority = Client{}.Authority
+	raw, err := protocol.EncodeSessionAuthority(protocol.SessionAuthority{
+		Version: "1", SessionID: "session-rc3", GatewayID: "gateway-1", Audience: "versevdi-gateway",
+		ExpiresAt: time.Now().Add(time.Minute).UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano), Capabilities: DefaultCapabilities(),
+		ProviderProfile: ProviderProfileApollo, ProviderIdentity: "apollo-fixture-1#sha256:fixture-apollo-1",
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := protocol.DecodeClientSessionAuthority(raw); err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("accepted provider-bearing RC3 authority: %s", raw)
+	}
+}
+
 type independentGatewayClient struct {
-	connection *quic.Conn
-	control    *quic.Stream
-	media      independentMediaReassembler
+	connection   *quic.Conn
+	control      *quic.Stream
+	authority    protocol.ClientSessionAuthority
+	authorityRaw []byte
+	media        independentMediaReassembler
 }
 
 func dialIndependentGateway(ctx context.Context, address string, tlsConfig *tls.Config, request protocol.TunnelAdmissionRequest) (*independentGatewayClient, error) {
@@ -994,17 +1046,20 @@ func dialIndependentGateway(ctx context.Context, address string, tlsConfig *tls.
 	if err == nil {
 		encoded, err = independentReadWire(stream, defaultHelloLimit)
 	}
+	var authority protocol.ClientSessionAuthority
 	if err == nil {
-		_, err = protocol.DecodeSessionAuthority(encoded)
+		authority, err = protocol.DecodeClientSessionAuthority(encoded)
 	}
 	if err != nil {
 		_ = connection.CloseWithError(applicationError, "independent client admission failed")
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	return &independentGatewayClient{
-		connection: connection,
-		control:    stream,
-		media:      independentMediaReassembler{incomplete: make(map[independentMediaKey]*independentMediaUnit)},
+		connection:   connection,
+		control:      stream,
+		authority:    authority,
+		authorityRaw: encoded,
+		media:        independentMediaReassembler{incomplete: make(map[independentMediaKey]*independentMediaUnit)},
 	}, nil
 }
 
@@ -1529,6 +1584,7 @@ func testTLS(t *testing.T) (*tls.Config, *tls.Config) {
 type oneTimeAdmission struct {
 	used             atomic.Bool
 	authority        protocol.SessionAuthority
+	releaseAuthority protocol.SessionAuthority
 	releases         atomic.Int64
 	released         chan struct{}
 	streamPolicy     protocol.ProviderStreamPolicy
@@ -1603,8 +1659,9 @@ func (a *oneTimeAdmission) ProviderWork(_ context.Context, authority protocol.Se
 	}, nil
 }
 
-func (a *oneTimeAdmission) Release(context.Context, protocol.SessionAuthority) error {
+func (a *oneTimeAdmission) Release(_ context.Context, authority protocol.SessionAuthority) error {
 	if a.releases.Add(1) == 1 {
+		a.releaseAuthority = authority
 		close(a.released)
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/gateway/transport.go b/gateway/transport.go
index 0a66695..6cb1a1e 100644
--- a/gateway/transport.go
+++ b/gateway/transport.go
@@ -291,8 +291,11 @@ func (s *Server) handleConnection(parent context.Context, connection *quic.Conn)
 		_ = writeStableError(stream, "provider_state_unavailable", err, true)
 		return
 	}
-	authority.Capabilities = selected
-	authorityBytes, err := protocol.EncodeSessionAuthority(authority)
+	clientAuthority := protocol.ClientSessionAuthority{
+		Version: authority.Version, SessionID: authority.SessionID, GatewayID: authority.GatewayID, Audience: authority.Audience,
+		ReconnectSequence: authority.ReconnectSequence, ExpiresAt: authority.ExpiresAt, Capabilities: selected,
+	}
+	authorityBytes, err := protocol.EncodeClientSessionAuthority(clientAuthority)
 	if err != nil || writeWire(stream, authorityBytes, defaultHelloLimit) != nil {
 		_ = providerSession.ReleaseAll(context.Background())
 		_ = providerSession.Terminate(context.Background())
@@ -1010,7 +1013,7 @@ type Client struct {
 	controlReadMu  sync.Mutex
 	controlWriteMu sync.Mutex
 	pendingControl map[string][][]byte
-	Authority      protocol.SessionAuthority
+	Authority      protocol.ClientSessionAuthority
 }
 
 func Dial(ctx context.Context, address string, tlsConfig *tls.Config, request protocol.TunnelAdmissionRequest) (*Client, error) {
@@ -1045,7 +1048,7 @@ func Dial(ctx context.Context, address string, tlsConfig *tls.Config, request pr
 		_ = connection.CloseWithError(applicationError, "no authority")
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	authority, authorityErr := protocol.DecodeSessionAuthority(response)
+	authority, authorityErr := protocol.DecodeClientSessionAuthority(response)
 	if authorityErr != nil {
 		stable, stableErr := protocol.DecodeStableError(response)
 		if stableErr == nil {
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index a825bb4..d2e2a6b 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ module git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Data-Plane
 go 1.26.5
 
 require (
-	git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.3
+	git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.5
 	github.com/quic-go/quic-go v0.61.0
 )
 
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index dff4d8c..a933ec0 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.2 h1
 git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.2/go.mod h1:7PhFIDhjtr20btWoEb2GqB+7dBpzJt43olrnHVutWoc=
 git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.3 h1:43EJHiKcbWdF0K1dvVznpWaUUWcvT5nogcGiSnOVu5s=
 git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.3/go.mod h1:7PhFIDhjtr20btWoEb2GqB+7dBpzJt43olrnHVutWoc=
+git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.5 h1:bJ3JeCm7dsQwWc7kMjcSgBrtATT1hi2xUSNdE73q4X4=
+git.sechmachine.io.vn/sechmachine/VerseVDI-Protocol v1.0.0-phase3d-macos-rc.5/go.mod h1:7PhFIDhjtr20btWoEb2GqB+7dBpzJt43olrnHVutWoc=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1 h1:vj9j/u1bqnvCEfJOwUhtlOARqs3+rkHYY13jYWTU97c=
 github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
 github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.0 h1:4DBwDE0NGyQoBHbLQYPwSUPoCMWR5BEzIk/f1lZbAQM=