diff --git a/src/lib/orchestrators/membership.ts b/src/lib/orchestrators/membership.ts
index 4b56ffc..cced30d 100644
--- a/src/lib/orchestrators/membership.ts
+++ b/src/lib/orchestrators/membership.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type { Client } from "@atcute/client";
 import * as TID from "@atcute/tid";
 import {
 	deleteRecord,
@@ -21,6 +22,23 @@ import { ForbiddenError, NotFoundError, ValidationError } from "../errors.ts";
 import { t } from "../i18n/index.ts";
 import { withPdsError } from "./helpers.ts";
 
+// A membership record lives in the repo of whoever granted it, and only that
+// repo's owner may delete it. Best-effort, so revoking access locally never
+// hangs on a PDS write we are not entitled to make.
+async function deleteOwnMembershipRecord(
+	agent: Client,
+	sessionDid: string,
+	atUri: string,
+): Promise<void> {
+	const parsed = parseAtUri(atUri);
+	if (!parsed || parsed.did !== sessionDid) return;
+	try {
+		await deleteRecord(agent, parsed.did, COLLECTIONS.membership, parsed.rkey);
+	} catch (err) {
+		console.warn("Failed to delete membership record from PDS:", err);
+	}
+}
+
 export async function requestAccessAction(
 	ctx: WikiRequestContext,
 ): Promise<void> {
@@ -118,20 +136,7 @@ export async function changeMemberRoleAction(
 	const session = ctx.session;
 	const agent = session ? getAgent(session) : null;
 	if (agent && session) {
-		// Best-effort: delete the old PDS record if we own it.
-		const parsed = parseAtUri(existing.at_uri);
-		if (parsed && parsed.did === session.did) {
-			try {
-				await deleteRecord(
-					agent,
-					parsed.did,
-					COLLECTIONS.membership,
-					parsed.rkey,
-				);
-			} catch (err) {
-				console.warn("Failed to delete old membership record from PDS:", err);
-			}
-		}
+		await deleteOwnMembershipRecord(agent, session.did, existing.at_uri);
 
 		await withPdsError("change member role", async () => {
 			await writeMembershipRecord(
@@ -206,18 +211,8 @@ export async function deleteMemberAction(
 
 	const session = ctx.session;
 	const agent = session ? getAgent(session) : null;
-	if (agent) {
-		const parsed = parseAtUri(atUri);
-		if (parsed) {
-			await withPdsError("remove member", async () => {
-				await deleteRecord(
-					agent,
-					parsed.did,
-					COLLECTIONS.membership,
-					parsed.rkey,
-				);
-			});
-		}
+	if (agent && session) {
+		await deleteOwnMembershipRecord(agent, session.did, atUri);
 	}
 
 	deleteMembership(ctx.wiki.at_uri, memberDid);
diff --git a/tests/lib/orchestrators/membership.test.ts b/tests/lib/orchestrators/membership.test.ts
index e3d50df..52bce58 100644
--- a/tests/lib/orchestrators/membership.test.ts
+++ b/tests/lib/orchestrators/membership.test.ts
@@ -490,8 +490,7 @@ describe("deleteMemberAction", () => {
 		).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(NotFoundError);
 	});
 
-	test("throws PdsWriteError on PDS delete failure", async () => {
-		// Setup: add a member
+	test("revokes locally even when the PDS delete fails", async () => {
 		const db = getDb();
 		db.run(
 			`INSERT OR REPLACE INTO memberships (wiki_at_uri, wiki_slug, did, role, at_uri, created_at)
@@ -510,9 +509,40 @@ describe("deleteMemberAction", () => {
 			throw new Error("PDS delete failed");
 		});
 
-		await expect(
-			deleteMemberAction(makeCtx(), "did:plc:pdsfailremove"),
-		).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(PdsWriteError);
+		await deleteMemberAction(makeCtx(), "did:plc:pdsfailremove");
+
+		const row = db
+			.query("SELECT * FROM memberships WHERE wiki_slug = ? AND did = ?")
+			.get(WIKI_SLUG, "did:plc:pdsfailremove");
+		expect(row).toBeNull();
+	});
+
+	test("removes a member the owner granted, without touching their repo", async () => {
+		// The record lives in OWNER_DID's repo; the acting admin cannot delete it
+		// there, and attempting to must not block the local revocation.
+		const db = getDb();
+		db.run(
+			`INSERT OR REPLACE INTO memberships (wiki_at_uri, wiki_slug, did, role, at_uri, created_at)
+			 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)`,
+			[
+				wiki.at_uri,
+				WIKI_SLUG,
+				"did:plc:granted-by-owner",
+				"contributor",
+				`at://${OWNER_DID}/wiki.lichen.membership/owner-granted-tid`,
+				"2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+			],
+		);
+
+		mockDeleteRecord.mockClear();
+
+		await deleteMemberAction(makeCtx(), "did:plc:granted-by-owner");
+
+		expect(mockDeleteRecord).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+		const row = db
+			.query("SELECT * FROM memberships WHERE wiki_slug = ? AND did = ?")
+			.get(WIKI_SLUG, "did:plc:granted-by-owner");
+		expect(row).toBeNull();
 	});
 
 	test("skips PDS when no session", async () => {