diff --git a/src/gateway/auth.ts b/src/gateway/auth.ts
index cb4e868a2..0808d90f3 100644
--- a/src/gateway/auth.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/auth.ts
@@ -1,19 +1,24 @@
 import { timingSafeEqual } from "node:crypto";
 import type { IncomingMessage } from "node:http";
-import type { GatewayAuthConfig, GatewayTailscaleMode } from "../config/config.js";
+import type {
+  GatewayAuthConfig,
+  GatewayTailscaleMode,
+  GatewayTrustedProxyConfig,
+} from "../config/config.js";
 import { isTrustedProxyAddress, resolveGatewayClientIp } from "./net.js";
-export type ResolvedGatewayAuthMode = "none" | "token" | "password";
+export type ResolvedGatewayAuthMode = "none" | "token" | "password" | "trusted-proxy";
 
 export type ResolvedGatewayAuth = {
   mode: ResolvedGatewayAuthMode;
   token?: string;
   password?: string;
   allowTailscale: boolean;
+  trustedProxy?: GatewayTrustedProxyConfig;
 };
 
 export type GatewayAuthResult = {
   ok: boolean;
-  method?: "none" | "token" | "password" | "tailscale" | "device-token";
+  method?: "none" | "token" | "password" | "tailscale" | "device-token" | "trusted-proxy";
   user?: string;
   reason?: string;
 };
@@ -127,15 +132,30 @@ export function resolveGatewayAuth(params: {
   const env = params.env ?? process.env;
   const token = authConfig.token ?? env.CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN ?? undefined;
   const password = authConfig.password ?? env.CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_PASSWORD ?? undefined;
-  const mode: ResolvedGatewayAuth["mode"] =
-    authConfig.mode ?? (password ? "password" : token ? "token" : "none");
+  const trustedProxy = authConfig.trustedProxy;
+
+  // Determine auth mode: explicit > password > token > trusted-proxy > none
+  let mode: ResolvedGatewayAuth["mode"];
+  if (authConfig.mode) {
+    mode = authConfig.mode;
+  } else if (password) {
+    mode = "password";
+  } else if (token) {
+    mode = "token";
+  } else {
+    mode = "none";
+  }
+
   const allowTailscale =
-    authConfig.allowTailscale ?? (params.tailscaleMode === "serve" && mode !== "password");
+    authConfig.allowTailscale ??
+    (params.tailscaleMode === "serve" && mode !== "password" && mode !== "trusted-proxy");
+
   return {
     mode,
     token,
     password,
     allowTailscale,
+    trustedProxy,
   };
 }
 
@@ -148,6 +168,65 @@ export function assertGatewayAuthConfigured(auth: ResolvedGatewayAuth): void {
   if (auth.mode === "password" && !auth.password) {
     throw new Error("gateway auth mode is password, but no password was configured");
   }
+  if (auth.mode === "trusted-proxy") {
+    if (!auth.trustedProxy) {
+      throw new Error(
+        "gateway auth mode is trusted-proxy, but no trustedProxy config was provided (set gateway.auth.trustedProxy)",
+      );
+    }
+    if (!auth.trustedProxy.userHeader || auth.trustedProxy.userHeader.trim() === "") {
+      throw new Error(
+        "gateway auth mode is trusted-proxy, but trustedProxy.userHeader is empty (set gateway.auth.trustedProxy.userHeader)",
+      );
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Check if the request came from a trusted proxy and extract user identity.
+ * Returns the user identity if valid, or null with a reason if not.
+ */
+function authorizeTrustedProxy(params: {
+  req?: IncomingMessage;
+  trustedProxies?: string[];
+  trustedProxyConfig: GatewayTrustedProxyConfig;
+}): { user: string } | { reason: string } {
+  const { req, trustedProxies, trustedProxyConfig } = params;
+
+  if (!req) {
+    return { reason: "trusted_proxy_no_request" };
+  }
+
+  // Verify the request came from a trusted proxy IP
+  const remoteAddr = req.socket?.remoteAddress;
+  if (!remoteAddr || !isTrustedProxyAddress(remoteAddr, trustedProxies)) {
+    return { reason: "trusted_proxy_untrusted_source" };
+  }
+
+  // Check required headers are present
+  const requiredHeaders = trustedProxyConfig.requiredHeaders ?? [];
+  for (const header of requiredHeaders) {
+    const value = headerValue(req.headers[header.toLowerCase()]);
+    if (!value || value.trim() === "") {
+      return { reason: `trusted_proxy_missing_header_${header}` };
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Extract user identity from the configured header
+  const userHeaderValue = headerValue(req.headers[trustedProxyConfig.userHeader.toLowerCase()]);
+  if (!userHeaderValue || userHeaderValue.trim() === "") {
+    return { reason: "trusted_proxy_user_missing" };
+  }
+
+  const user = userHeaderValue.trim();
+
+  // Check user allowlist if configured
+  const allowUsers = trustedProxyConfig.allowUsers ?? [];
+  if (allowUsers.length > 0 && !allowUsers.includes(user)) {
+    return { reason: "trusted_proxy_user_not_allowed" };
+  }
+
+  return { user };
 }
 
 export async function authorizeGatewayConnect(params: {
@@ -159,6 +238,27 @@ export async function authorizeGatewayConnect(params: {
   const { auth, connectAuth, req, trustedProxies } = params;
   const localDirect = isLocalDirectRequest(req, trustedProxies);
 
+  // Handle trusted-proxy auth mode first
+  if (auth.mode === "trusted-proxy") {
+    if (!auth.trustedProxy) {
+      return { ok: false, reason: "trusted_proxy_config_missing" };
+    }
+    if (!trustedProxies || trustedProxies.length === 0) {
+      return { ok: false, reason: "trusted_proxy_no_proxies_configured" };
+    }
+
+    const result = authorizeTrustedProxy({
+      req,
+      trustedProxies,
+      trustedProxyConfig: auth.trustedProxy,
+    });
+
+    if ("user" in result) {
+      return { ok: true, method: "trusted-proxy", user: result.user };
+    }
+    return { ok: false, reason: result.reason };
+  }
+
   if (auth.allowTailscale && !localDirect) {
     const tailscaleUser = getTailscaleUser(req);
     const tailscaleProxy = isTailscaleProxyRequest(req);