diff --git a/UAT_PLAYBOOK.md b/UAT_PLAYBOOK.md
index cf80f3f..ec555be 100644
--- a/UAT_PLAYBOOK.md
+++ b/UAT_PLAYBOOK.md
@@ -40,6 +40,24 @@ CUSTOMER=$(kubectl get secret seed-uat-passwords -n groombook-uat \
 
 **How to apply:** at the start of every UAT run that touches TC-API-1.4 / 1.5 / 1.6 / 1.7 / 3.18 / 3.21 / 3.23, refresh these four env vars from the cluster before issuing the sign-in request.
 
+### rbac auto-provision for Better-Auth customers (GRO-2052)
+
+> Applies to TC-API-3.16 / 3.19a / 3.19b / 3.19c (customer-as-owner profile-summary paths) and any future case where the test user authenticates via Better-Auth email/password and the route relies on `resolveStaffMiddleware` to resolve a `staff` row.
+
+**Pre-condition (rbac auto-provision):** The test user must have a row in the Better-Auth `user` table (email/password sign-in creates this automatically — see TC-API-1.6 / 1.7). On first authenticated call, `resolveStaffMiddleware` (`./src/middleware/rbac.ts`) auto-provisions a `groomer` staff row keyed by `staff.user_id = user.id` (Better-Auth branch fires before the legacy OIDC `account` branch).
+
+**Verify the auto-provision fired** by querying the DB after the first authenticated call:
+
+```sql
+SELECT user_id, role FROM staff WHERE user_id = '<test-user-id>';
+```
+
+Expected: one row, `role = 'groomer'`. If zero rows return, the request hit the OIDC `account` branch and 403'd, or the user has no `user` row — fix the test sign-in path before re-running.
+
+**Why this matters:** without the auto-provision branch, Better-Auth email/password customers (e.g. `uat-customer@groombook.dev`) have no `account` row for the OIDC providers, so `resolveStaffMiddleware` falls through to `403 "Forbidden: no staff record found for authenticated user"` *before* `pets.ts` can run the owner-bypass added in GRO-2013. The owner-bypass code is unreachable unless the auto-provision has fired. A green TC-API-3.19a therefore implicitly proves the auto-provision worked; if 3.19a fails with the pre-fix 403, the auto-provision branch is missing from the deployed `./src` tree (see [GRO-2052](/GRO/issues/GRO-2052)).
+
+**How to apply:** for every run of TC-API-3.16 / 3.19a / 3.19b / 3.19c, sign in via TC-API-1.6 (email+password) first to guarantee the `user` row exists, then run the profile-summary call, then assert the `staff` row above before declaring pass.
+
 ## Test Cases
 
 ### 4.0 Health Check
diff --git a/src/__tests__/rbac.test.ts b/src/__tests__/rbac.test.ts
index f975316..642ed65 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/rbac.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/rbac.test.ts
@@ -43,42 +43,103 @@ const GROOMER: StaffRow = {
 
 // ─── Mock DB ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
+// staffLookupResult drives every `from(staff)` query that doesn't go through
+// the dev-mode `.limit()` shortcut. Tests that want to simulate "no staff row"
+// leave it null.
 let staffLookupResult: StaffRow | null = null;
+
+// managerFallbackResult is only consumed by the dev-mode `from(staff).limit(1)`
+// path (looking up the first manager when AUTH_DISABLED=true and no header).
 let managerFallbackResult: StaffRow | null = MANAGER;
 
+// userLookupResult drives `from(user).limit(1)` for the Better-Auth user
+// auto-provision branch (GRO-2052). Tests that simulate "no Better-Auth user"
+// leave it null.
+type UserRow = { id: string; name: string | null; email: string | null };
+let userLookupResult: UserRow | null = null;
+
+// accountLookupResult drives `from(account).limit(1)` for the legacy OIDC
+// auto-provision branch. Null means "no OIDC account row".
+let accountLookupResult: { id: string } | null = null;
+
+// insertReturningResult drives `insert(staff).values(...).returning()` for
+// any auto-provision branch that actually creates a staff record. Null means
+// the INSERT returned no rows (simulating a DB failure).
+let insertReturningResult: StaffRow | null = null;
+
 vi.mock("@groombook/db", () => {
-  const staff = new Proxy(
-    { _name: "staff" },
-    {
-      get(target, prop) {
-        if (prop === "_name") return "staff";
-        if (prop === "$inferSelect") return {};
-        return { table: "staff", column: prop };
-      },
-    }
-  );
+  function tableMarker(name: string) {
+    return new Proxy(
+      { _name: name },
+      {
+        get(_target, prop) {
+          if (prop === "_name") return name;
+          if (prop === "$inferSelect") return {};
+          return { table: name, column: prop };
+        },
+      }
+    );
+  }
+
+  const staff = tableMarker("staff");
+  const user = tableMarker("user");
+  const account = tableMarker("account");
+
+  function lookupFor(tableName: string) {
+    if (tableName === "user") return userLookupResult;
+    if (tableName === "account") return accountLookupResult;
+    return staffLookupResult;
+  }
 
   return {
     getDb: () => ({
-      select: () => ({
-        from: () => ({
-          where: () => ({
-            limit: () => {
-              // dev mode fallback to first manager
-              return managerFallbackResult ? [managerFallbackResult] : [];
-            },
-            [Symbol.iterator]: function* () {
-              if (staffLookupResult) yield staffLookupResult;
-            },
-            0: staffLookupResult,
-            length: staffLookupResult ? 1 : 0,
-          }),
+      select: (_columns?: unknown) => ({
+        from: (table: { _name?: string }) => {
+          const name = table?._name ?? "staff";
+          return {
+            where: () => ({
+              limit: () => {
+                // The user / account auto-provision branches always call
+                // `.limit(1)`; route to the per-table lookup state.
+                if (name === "user")
+                  return userLookupResult ? [userLookupResult] : [];
+                if (name === "account")
+                  return accountLookupResult ? [accountLookupResult] : [];
+                // dev-mode `from(staff).limit(1)` falls back to the first
+                // manager when AUTH_DISABLED is set with no header.
+                return managerFallbackResult ? [managerFallbackResult] : [];
+              },
+              [Symbol.iterator]: function* () {
+                const row = lookupFor(name);
+                if (row) yield row;
+              },
+              0: lookupFor(name),
+              length: lookupFor(name) ? 1 : 0,
+            }),
+          };
+        },
+      }),
+      insert: (_table: unknown) => ({
+        values: (_v: unknown) => ({
+          returning: () =>
+            insertReturningResult ? [insertReturningResult] : [],
+        }),
+      }),
+      update: (_table: unknown) => ({
+        set: (_v: unknown) => ({
+          where: () => Promise.resolve(undefined),
         }),
       }),
     }),
     staff,
+    user,
+    account,
     eq: vi.fn((_col: unknown, _val: unknown) => ({ col: _col, val: _val })),
     and: vi.fn((..._clauses: unknown[]) => ({})),
+    sql: Object.assign(
+      vi.fn((..._tpl: unknown[]) => ({})),
+      { raw: vi.fn(() => ({})) }
+    ),
   };
 });
 
@@ -87,16 +148,25 @@ vi.mock("@groombook/db", () => {
 function resetMocks() {
   staffLookupResult = null;
   managerFallbackResult = MANAGER;
+  userLookupResult = null;
+  accountLookupResult = null;
+  insertReturningResult = null;
 }
 
 /** Build a minimal Hono app with jwtPayload pre-set, then apply a middleware. */
 function buildApp(
   middleware: MiddlewareHandler<AppEnv>,
-  handler?: (c: Context<AppEnv>) => Response | Promise<Response>
+  handler?: (c: Context<AppEnv>) => Response | Promise<Response>,
+  jwtOverride?: Partial<{ sub: string; email: string; name: string }>
 ) {
   const app = new Hono<AppEnv>();
   app.use("*", async (c, next) => {
-    c.set("jwtPayload", { sub: staffLookupResult?.userId ?? "unknown-sub" });
+    const defaultSub = staffLookupResult?.userId ?? "unknown-sub";
+    c.set("jwtPayload", {
+      sub: jwtOverride?.sub ?? defaultSub,
+      ...(jwtOverride?.email !== undefined ? { email: jwtOverride.email } : {}),
+      ...(jwtOverride?.name !== undefined ? { name: jwtOverride.name } : {}),
+    });
     await next();
   });
   app.use("*", middleware);
@@ -204,6 +274,125 @@ describe("resolveStaffMiddleware", () => {
   });
 });
 
+// ─── Auto-provision branches (GRO-2052) ───────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// Each branch creates a staff row on first authenticated request when no row
+// exists yet. The Better-Auth branch (user table) is the primary path for
+// email/password customers; the OIDC branch (account table) is a fallback for
+// legacy authentik/google/github sessions.
+
+describe("resolveStaffMiddleware — auto-provision", () => {
+  const PROVISIONED: StaffRow = {
+    ...MANAGER,
+    id: "staff-provisioned-id",
+    oidcSub: null,
+    userId: "ba-user-customer",
+    role: "groomer",
+    isSuperUser: false,
+    name: "UAT Customer",
+    email: "uat-customer@groombook.dev",
+  };
+
+  it("Better-Auth: creates a groomer staff row when user exists but no staff record (GRO-2052)", async () => {
+    // No existing staff row, no OIDC account row, but a Better-Auth user row.
+    staffLookupResult = null;
+    userLookupResult = {
+      id: "ba-user-customer",
+      name: "UAT Customer",
+      email: "uat-customer@groombook.dev",
+    };
+    accountLookupResult = null;
+    insertReturningResult = PROVISIONED;
+
+    let capturedStaff: StaffRow | null = null;
+    const app = buildApp(
+      resolveStaffMiddleware,
+      (c) => {
+        capturedStaff = c.get("staff");
+        return c.json({ ok: true });
+      },
+      { sub: "ba-user-customer", email: "uat-customer@groombook.dev" }
+    );
+
+    const res = await app.request("/test");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(capturedStaff).not.toBeNull();
+    expect(capturedStaff!.role).toBe("groomer");
+    expect(capturedStaff!.userId).toBe("ba-user-customer");
+  });
+
+  it("Better-Auth: returns 500 if INSERT yields no row", async () => {
+    staffLookupResult = null;
+    userLookupResult = {
+      id: "ba-user-customer",
+      name: "UAT Customer",
+      email: "uat-customer@groombook.dev",
+    };
+    insertReturningResult = null; // simulate INSERT … RETURNING returning []
+
+    const app = buildApp(resolveStaffMiddleware, undefined, {
+      sub: "ba-user-customer",
+      email: "uat-customer@groombook.dev",
+    });
+
+    const res = await app.request("/test");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(500);
+    const body = await res.json();
+    expect(body.error).toMatch(/auto-provision failed/i);
+  });
+
+  it("Better-Auth branch runs before OIDC branch (does not require jwt.email)", async () => {
+    // A Better-Auth user row alone is sufficient: jwt.email is intentionally
+    // absent. The pre-GRO-2052 code only auto-provisioned inside `if (jwt.email)`.
+    staffLookupResult = null;
+    userLookupResult = {
+      id: "ba-user-customer",
+      name: "UAT Customer",
+      email: "uat-customer@groombook.dev",
+    };
+    insertReturningResult = PROVISIONED;
+
+    const app = buildApp(resolveStaffMiddleware, undefined, {
+      sub: "ba-user-customer",
+    });
+
+    const res = await app.request("/test");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+  });
+
+  it("OIDC fallback: still provisions when user row is missing but account row exists", async () => {
+    // No staff row, no Better-Auth user, but an OIDC account row.
+    staffLookupResult = null;
+    userLookupResult = null;
+    accountLookupResult = { id: "oidc-account-id" };
+    insertReturningResult = { ...PROVISIONED, userId: "oidc-sub" };
+
+    const app = buildApp(resolveStaffMiddleware, undefined, {
+      sub: "oidc-sub",
+      email: "oidc-user@example.com",
+    });
+
+    const res = await app.request("/test");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+  });
+
+  it("falls through to 403 when neither Better-Auth user nor OIDC account row exists", async () => {
+    staffLookupResult = null;
+    userLookupResult = null;
+    accountLookupResult = null;
+
+    const app = buildApp(resolveStaffMiddleware, undefined, {
+      sub: "ghost-sub",
+      email: "ghost@example.com",
+    });
+
+    const res = await app.request("/test");
+    expect(res.status).toBe(403);
+    const body = await res.json();
+    expect(body.error).toMatch(/no staff record/i);
+  });
+});
+
 // ─── requireRole tests ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 describe("requireRole", () => {
diff --git a/src/middleware/rbac.ts b/src/middleware/rbac.ts
index de1fdec..e6fd055 100644
--- a/src/middleware/rbac.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/rbac.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import type { MiddlewareHandler } from "hono";
-import { and, eq, getDb, sql, staff, account } from "@groombook/db";
+import { and, eq, getDb, sql, staff, account, user } from "@groombook/db";
 
 export type StaffRole = "groomer" | "receptionist" | "manager";
 export type StaffRow = typeof staff.$inferSelect;
@@ -111,8 +111,49 @@ export const resolveStaffMiddleware: MiddlewareHandler<AppEnv> = async (
     }
   }
 
+  // Auto-provision for Better-Auth users (GRO-2052): the user signed in via
+  // Better-Auth (email/password, magic link, etc.), so a row exists in `user`
+  // for jwt.sub but no `account` provider row is required. Create a minimal
+  // groomer staff record on first login. This is the primary auto-provision
+  // path; the OIDC branch below remains as a fallback for legacy accounts
+  // that exist in `account` but not in `user`.
+  const [userRow] = await db
+    .select({ id: user.id, name: user.name, email: user.email })
+    .from(user)
+    .where(eq(user.id, jwt.sub))
+    .limit(1);
+  if (userRow) {
+    const emailPrefix = userRow.email ? userRow.email.split("@")[0] : "Unknown";
+    const name = userRow.name?.trim() || jwt.name?.trim() || emailPrefix;
+
+    const [newStaff] = await db
+      .insert(staff)
+      .values({
+        userId: jwt.sub,
+        email: userRow.email ?? jwt.email ?? "",
+        name,
+        role: "groomer",
+        isSuperUser: false,
+        active: true,
+      } as Parameters<typeof db.insert>[0] extends { values: infer V } ? V : never)
+      .returning()!;
+
+    if (!newStaff) {
+      return c.json({ error: "Forbidden: auto-provision failed" }, 500);
+    }
+
+    console.log(
+      `[rbac] auto-provisioned staff record for Better-Auth user: ${jwt.sub} -> staff:${newStaff.id} (${name})`
+    );
+    c.set("staff", newStaff);
+    await next();
+    return;
+  }
+
   // Auto-provision for OIDC users: check if jwt.sub has an OAuth/OIDC account
-  // (e.g. authentik). If so, create a groomer staff record on the fly.
+  // (e.g. authentik). If so, create a groomer staff record on the fly. This
+  // is kept for backward compatibility with legacy OIDC sessions whose user
+  // row may not yet exist in the Better-Auth `user` table.
   if (jwt.email) {
     const [oidcAccount] = await db
       .select({ id: account.id })