diff --git a/backend/__tests__/unit/routes/grants.mint.test.js b/backend/__tests__/unit/routes/grants.mint.test.js
index a5521bd37c..15478037b6 100644
--- a/backend/__tests__/unit/routes/grants.mint.test.js
+++ b/backend/__tests__/unit/routes/grants.mint.test.js
@@ -106,17 +106,20 @@ describe('POST /api/grants', () => {
     expect(res.body.audience).toEqual([OWNER, SEAT]);
   });
 
-  test.each([{ audience: [] }, { audience: [OWNER] }, { audience: [OWNER, SEAT] }])('a seat audience must still be exactly its target: %p', async ({ audience }) => {
-    const res = await mint({ target: { kind: 'seat', id: SEAT }, audience });
+  // TASK-019: create mints pod grants only. A seat target used to pass the
+  // target check and reach 201 here only because the outsider gate is mocked
+  // to null; the real gate refuses every non-pod target.
+  test.each([{ audience: undefined }, { audience: [SEAT] }, { audience: [OWNER, SEAT] }])('a seat target is refused at the target check: %p', async ({ audience }) => {
+    const res = await mint({ target: { kind: 'seat', id: SEAT }, ...(audience === undefined ? {} : { audience }) });
     expect(res.status).toBe(400);
-    expect(res.body.error).toBe('invalid_audience');
+    expect(res.body).toMatchObject({ error: 'invalid_target', message: 'target.kind must be pod' });
+    expect(outsiderGrantPodRefusal).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(await RoomGrant.countDocuments({})).toBe(0);
   });
 
-  test.each([{ audience: undefined }, { audience: [SEAT] }])('a seat defaults to itself or accepts itself explicitly: %p', async ({ audience }) => {
-    const res = await mint({ target: { kind: 'seat', id: SEAT }, ...(audience === undefined ? {} : { audience }) });
-    expect(res.status).toBe(201);
-    expect(res.body.audience).toEqual([SEAT]);
+  test('the real outsider gate refuses a seat target, so the check above loses nothing', async () => {
+    const real = jest.requireActual('../../../services/outsiderGrantPodEligibility');
+    await expect(real.outsiderGrantPodRefusal({ kind: 'seat', id: SEAT })).resolves.toBe('pod_required');
   });
 
   test('an agent User ID used as a pod target returns not-found before join-policy checks', async () => {
@@ -129,7 +132,9 @@ describe('POST /api/grants', () => {
   });
 
   test.each([
-    ['pod_required', { kind: 'seat', id: SEAT }],
+    // A seat now stops at the target check (above); the gate's pod_required
+    // still maps to its 403 for a pod it cannot resolve.
+    ['pod_required', { kind: 'pod', id: POD }],
     ['pod_not_private', { kind: 'pod', id: POD }],
     ['pod_bridged', { kind: 'pod', id: POD }],
     ['non_native_agent', { kind: 'pod', id: POD }],
@@ -140,6 +145,7 @@ describe('POST /api/grants', () => {
     expect(res.status).toBe(403);
     expect(res.body).toMatchObject({ error: `outsider_grant_${reason}` });
     expect(res.body.message).toMatch(/separate pod/);
+    expect(outsiderGrantPodRefusal).toHaveBeenCalledWith(target, 'read');
     expect(await RoomGrant.countDocuments({})).toBe(0);
   });
 
diff --git a/backend/routes/grants.ts b/backend/routes/grants.ts
index 3bce56061e..361ade62e2 100644
--- a/backend/routes/grants.ts
+++ b/backend/routes/grants.ts
@@ -361,34 +361,24 @@ router.post('/', grantRateLimit, auth, async (req: AuthenticatedRequest, res: ex
     }
 
     const target = body.target;
-    if (!target || (target.kind !== 'pod' && target.kind !== 'seat')) {
-      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'invalid_target', message: 'target.kind must be pod or seat' });
+    // Pod only. The outsider gate below refuses every non-pod target
+    // (pod_required), so a seat target could never be minted here; accepting it
+    // at this check only moved the refusal later and behind a misleading message.
+    if (!target || target.kind !== 'pod') {
+      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'invalid_target', message: 'target.kind must be pod' });
     }
     const members = await ensureTargetAccess(target, userId);
-    // Pod grants default to the current member snapshot. A seat has no pod
-    // census, so its own seat id is the minimum audience and can be extended
-    // explicitly by the granter.
-    const audience = target.kind === 'seat'
-      ? (body.audience === undefined ? [target.id] : body.audience)
-      : (body.audience === undefined ? members : body.audience);
+    // Pod grants default to the current member snapshot.
+    const audience = body.audience === undefined ? members : body.audience;
     const audienceValues = Array.isArray(audience) ? audience.map(String) : audience;
     if (
-      target.kind === 'seat'
-      && (!Array.isArray(audienceValues)
-        || audienceValues.length !== 1
-        || audienceValues[0] !== String(target.id))
-    ) {
-      return res.status(400).json({ error: 'invalid_audience', message: 'seat audience must be the target seat' });
-    }
-    if (
-      target.kind === 'pod'
-      && Array.isArray(audienceValues)
+      Array.isArray(audienceValues)
       && audienceValues.some((id: string) => !members.includes(id))
     ) {
       return res.status(400).json({ error: 'invalid_audience', message: 'audience must be current target members' });
     }
 
-    if (target.kind === 'pod' && Array.isArray(body.audience) && body.audience.length === 0) {
+    if (Array.isArray(body.audience) && body.audience.length === 0) {
       return res.status(400).json({
         error: 'invalid_audience',
         message: 'name at least one agent, or omit audience for all current members',