diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 29058510..8bdec8c4 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,17 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Breaking Changes
+
+- **MCP shared-token auth moved to its own header.** The `/mcp` shared guard
+  no longer reads `Authorization: Bearer <MCP_TOKEN>`; it now reads only the
+  `X-MCP-Token` header. Existing MCP clients (e.g. Claude Desktop) configured
+  with `Authorization: Bearer <MCP_TOKEN>` must be reconfigured to send
+  `X-MCP-Token: <MCP_TOKEN>` instead. The `Authorization` header is now
+  reserved for per-user HTTP Basic / Bearer access JWT credentials. See
+  `MCP_TOKEN` in `.env.example`. As a one-time aid, the server logs a single
+  migration warning when it sees the old-style header.
+
 ## [0.91.0] - 2026-06-18
 
 Gitmost is a community-focused fork of Docmost. This release drops the
diff --git a/apps/server/src/integrations/mcp/mcp.service.ts b/apps/server/src/integrations/mcp/mcp.service.ts
index cb746b90..637f3e56 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/integrations/mcp/mcp.service.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/integrations/mcp/mcp.service.ts
@@ -57,6 +57,12 @@ interface McpHttpModule {
 // failure return a clean 401 JSON instead of tearing a hijacked response.
 const MCP_RESOLVED = Symbol('mcpResolvedConfig');
 
+// One-time-per-process latch for the legacy-auth migration warning. The shared
+// MCP token used to be sent as `Authorization: Bearer <MCP_TOKEN>`; it now lives
+// in its own `X-MCP-Token` header. When we still see the old style we log ONCE
+// (never the token value) so operators can migrate without log spam.
+let warnedLegacyMcpAuth = false;
+
 // TS with module:commonjs downlevels a literal import() to require(), which
 // cannot load the ESM-only @docmost/mcp package. Indirect through Function so
 // the real dynamic import() survives compilation and can load ESM from
@@ -354,6 +360,33 @@ export class McpService implements OnModuleDestroy {
       ? sharedTokenMatches(sharedToken, req.headers['x-mcp-token'])
       : true;
 
+    // Back-compat hint (does NOT change the auth decision). When MCP_TOKEN is
+    // configured but the request carries no `X-MCP-Token` and instead sends the
+    // legacy `Authorization: Bearer <MCP_TOKEN>`, warn ONCE per process so the
+    // operator migrates the client. The token value is never logged; the bearer
+    // value is compared in constant time via sharedTokenMatches.
+    if (
+      sharedToken &&
+      !warnedLegacyMcpAuth &&
+      req.headers['x-mcp-token'] === undefined
+    ) {
+      const auth = req.headers['authorization'];
+      const header = Array.isArray(auth) ? auth[0] : auth;
+      const bearer =
+        typeof header === 'string' && header.startsWith('Bearer ')
+          ? header.slice('Bearer '.length)
+          : undefined;
+      if (bearer !== undefined && sharedTokenMatches(sharedToken, bearer)) {
+        warnedLegacyMcpAuth = true;
+        this.logger.warn(
+          'MCP shared token received via `Authorization: Bearer <MCP_TOKEN>` ' +
+            '(legacy). This is no longer accepted: send the shared token in the ' +
+            '`X-MCP-Token` header instead, and reserve `Authorization` for ' +
+            'per-user credentials. Reconfigure the MCP client to migrate.',
+        );
+      }
+    }
+
     // Short-circuit checks (shared token, enablement) that do not need the auth
     // resolution. Compute them up front so the response mapping is a single pure
     // decision (mapAuthResultToResponse) that cannot leak the password/header.