diff --git a/api/multi_delete_auth_test.go b/api/multi_delete_auth_test.go
index 495f504..1bdb770 100644
--- a/api/multi_delete_auth_test.go
+++ b/api/multi_delete_auth_test.go
@@ -3,13 +3,18 @@ package api
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"crypto/hmac"
+	"crypto/sha256"
 	"encoding/base64"
+	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"io"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
+	"net/url"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -78,19 +83,24 @@ func withAuthContext(req *http.Request, accessKeyID string) *http.Request {
 }
 
 func createDeleteUser(t *testing.T, authSvc *auth.Service, prefix string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	createDeleteUserWithStatements(t, authSvc, []models.AuthPolicyStatement{
+		{
+			Effect:  "allow",
+			Actions: []string{"s3:DeleteObject"},
+			Bucket:  "test-bucket",
+			Prefix:  prefix,
+		},
+	})
+}
+
+func createDeleteUserWithStatements(t *testing.T, authSvc *auth.Service, statements []models.AuthPolicyStatement) {
 	t.Helper()
 	_, err := authSvc.CreateUser(auth.CreateUserInput{
 		AccessKeyID: "delete-user",
 		SecretKey:   "delete-secret-1",
 		Policy: models.AuthPolicy{
-			Statements: []models.AuthPolicyStatement{
-				{
-					Effect:  "allow",
-					Actions: []string{"s3:DeleteObject"},
-					Bucket:  "test-bucket",
-					Prefix:  prefix,
-				},
-			},
+			Statements: statements,
 		},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -163,3 +173,111 @@ func TestMultiDeleteAllowsScopedKeys(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("allowed object should be deleted, got err=%v", err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMultiDeleteRouteAuthorizesKeysAfterMiddleware(t *testing.T) {
+	handler, svc, authSvc := newAuthorizedDeleteHandler(t)
+	handler.setupRoutes()
+	if err := svc.CreateBucket("test-bucket"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("create bucket: %v", err)
+	}
+	createDeleteUserWithStatements(t, authSvc, []models.AuthPolicyStatement{
+		{Effect: "allow", Actions: []string{"s3:DeleteObject"}, Bucket: "test-bucket", Prefix: "allowed/"},
+		{Effect: "deny", Actions: []string{"s3:DeleteObject"}, Bucket: "test-bucket", Prefix: "private/"},
+	})
+	putTestObject(t, svc, "allowed/file.txt")
+	putTestObject(t, svc, "private/file.txt")
+
+	body := `<Delete><Object><Key>allowed/file.txt</Key></Object><Object><Key>private/file.txt</Key></Object></Delete>`
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodPost, "/test-bucket?delete", strings.NewReader(body))
+	signTestSigV4Request(t, req, "delete-user", "delete-secret-1")
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+
+	handler.router.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected status: got %d body=%s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	responseBody := rec.Body.String()
+	if !strings.Contains(responseBody, "allowed/file.txt") || !strings.Contains(responseBody, "<Deleted>") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected allowed key deletion, body=%s", responseBody)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(responseBody, "private/file.txt") || !strings.Contains(responseBody, "AccessDenied") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected per-key AccessDenied, body=%s", responseBody)
+	}
+	if _, err := svc.HeadObject("test-bucket", "allowed/file.txt"); !errors.Is(err, metadata.ErrObjectNotFound) {
+		t.Fatalf("allowed object should be deleted, got err=%v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := svc.HeadObject("test-bucket", "private/file.txt"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("private object should remain: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func signTestSigV4Request(t *testing.T, req *http.Request, accessKeyID, secretKey string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	amzDate := time.Now().UTC().Format("20060102T150405Z")
+	date := amzDate[:8]
+	region := "us-east-1"
+	serviceName := "s3"
+	scope := strings.Join([]string{date, region, serviceName, "aws4_request"}, "/")
+	signedHeaders := []string{"host", "x-amz-content-sha256", "x-amz-date"}
+	signedHeadersRaw := strings.Join(signedHeaders, ";")
+	payloadHash := "UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD"
+
+	req.Header.Set("x-amz-date", amzDate)
+	req.Header.Set("x-amz-content-sha256", payloadHash)
+	canonicalRequest := strings.Join([]string{
+		req.Method,
+		req.URL.EscapedPath(),
+		canonicalTestQuery(req.URL.RawQuery),
+		"host:" + strings.TrimSpace(req.Host) + "\n" +
+			"x-amz-content-sha256:" + payloadHash + "\n" +
+			"x-amz-date:" + amzDate + "\n",
+		signedHeadersRaw,
+		payloadHash,
+	}, "\n")
+	canonicalHash := sha256.Sum256([]byte(canonicalRequest))
+	stringToSign := strings.Join([]string{
+		"AWS4-HMAC-SHA256",
+		amzDate,
+		scope,
+		hex.EncodeToString(canonicalHash[:]),
+	}, "\n")
+	signingKey := testHMAC(testHMAC(testHMAC(testHMAC([]byte("AWS4"+secretKey), date), region), serviceName), "aws4_request")
+	signature := hex.EncodeToString(testHMAC(signingKey, stringToSign))
+
+	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "AWS4-HMAC-SHA256 "+
+		"Credential="+accessKeyID+"/"+scope+", "+
+		"SignedHeaders="+signedHeadersRaw+", "+
+		"Signature="+signature)
+}
+
+func canonicalTestQuery(rawQuery string) string {
+	values, _ := url.ParseQuery(rawQuery)
+	pairs := make([]string, 0)
+	for key, valueList := range values {
+		if len(valueList) == 0 {
+			pairs = append(pairs, awsTestQueryEscape(key)+"=")
+			continue
+		}
+		for _, value := range valueList {
+			pairs = append(pairs, awsTestQueryEscape(key)+"="+awsTestQueryEscape(value))
+		}
+	}
+	sort.Strings(pairs)
+	return strings.Join(pairs, "&")
+}
+
+func awsTestQueryEscape(value string) string {
+	encoded := url.QueryEscape(value)
+	encoded = strings.ReplaceAll(encoded, "+", "%20")
+	encoded = strings.ReplaceAll(encoded, "*", "%2A")
+	encoded = strings.ReplaceAll(encoded, "%7E", "~")
+	return encoded
+}
+
+func testHMAC(key []byte, value string) []byte {
+	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, key)
+	_, _ = mac.Write([]byte(value))
+	return mac.Sum(nil)
+}
diff --git a/auth/action.go b/auth/action.go
index 988029f..45251cc 100644
--- a/auth/action.go
+++ b/auth/action.go
@@ -30,6 +30,17 @@ type RequestTarget struct {
 	Prefix string
 }
 
+func RequiresHandlerAuthorization(r *http.Request) bool {
+	if r == nil || r.URL == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	if r.Method == http.MethodPost {
+		_, isDelete := r.URL.Query()["delete"]
+		return isDelete
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func resolveTarget(r *http.Request) RequestTarget {
 	path := strings.TrimPrefix(r.URL.Path, "/")
 	if path == "" {
diff --git a/auth/service.go b/auth/service.go
index 2bb0eee..9eb08b5 100644
--- a/auth/service.go
+++ b/auth/service.go
@@ -188,6 +188,13 @@ func (s *Service) AuthenticateRequest(r *http.Request) (RequestContext, error) {
 			AuthType:      authType,
 		}, nil
 	}
+	if RequiresHandlerAuthorization(r) {
+		return RequestContext{
+			Authenticated: true,
+			AccessKeyID:   identity.AccessKeyID,
+			AuthType:      authType,
+		}, nil
+	}
 
 	policy, err := s.store.GetAuthPolicy(identity.AccessKeyID)
 	if err != nil {