diff --git a/apps/gateway/src/admin/admin.guard.ts b/apps/gateway/src/admin/admin.guard.ts
index 7648219..a98a755 100644
--- a/apps/gateway/src/admin/admin.guard.ts
+++ b/apps/gateway/src/admin/admin.guard.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,11 @@ import {
 } from '@nestjs/common';
 import { fromNodeHeaders } from 'better-auth/node';
 import type { Auth } from '@mosaic/auth';
+import type { Db } from '@mosaic/db';
+import { eq, users as usersTable } from '@mosaic/db';
 import type { FastifyRequest } from 'fastify';
 import { AUTH } from '../auth/auth.tokens.js';
+import { DB } from '../database/database.module.js';
 
 interface UserWithRole {
   id: string;
@@ -18,7 +21,10 @@ interface UserWithRole {
 
 @Injectable()
 export class AdminGuard implements CanActivate {
-  constructor(@Inject(AUTH) private readonly auth: Auth) {}
+  constructor(
+    @Inject(AUTH) private readonly auth: Auth,
+    @Inject(DB) private readonly db: Db,
+  ) {}
 
   async canActivate(context: ExecutionContext): Promise<boolean> {
     const request = context.switchToHttp().getRequest<FastifyRequest>();
@@ -32,7 +38,21 @@ export class AdminGuard implements CanActivate {
 
     const user = result.user as UserWithRole;
 
-    if (user.role !== 'admin') {
+    // Ensure the role field is populated. better-auth should include additionalFields
+    // in the session, but as a fallback, fetch the role from the database if needed.
+    let userRole = user.role;
+    if (!userRole) {
+      const [dbUser] = await this.db
+        .select({ role: usersTable.role })
+        .from(usersTable)
+        .where(eq(usersTable.id, user.id))
+        .limit(1);
+      userRole = dbUser?.role ?? 'member';
+      // Update the session user object with the fetched role
+      (user as UserWithRole).role = userRole;
+    }
+
+    if (userRole !== 'admin') {
       throw new ForbiddenException('Admin access required');
     }
 
diff --git a/docs/scratchpads/bug-196-admin-redirect.md b/docs/scratchpads/bug-196-admin-redirect.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f40962c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/scratchpads/bug-196-admin-redirect.md
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# BUG-196: Admin Page Redirect Issue
+
+## Problem
+
+Admin page redirects to /chat for users with admin role because role check fails.
+
+## Root Cause
+
+The `role` field is defined as an `additionalField` in better-auth's user configuration, but
+better-auth v1.5.5 does not automatically include additionalFields in the session response from
+the `getSession()` API. This causes the admin role check to fail:
+
+- Frontend: `AdminRoleGuard` checks `user?.role !== 'admin'`
+- Backend: `AdminGuard` checks `user.role !== 'admin'`
+- When `role` is `undefined`, both checks treat the user as non-admin and deny access
+
+## Solution
+
+Implemented a defensive check in the backend `AdminGuard` that:
+
+1. First tries to use the `role` field from the session (if better-auth includes it)
+2. Falls back to fetching the role directly from the database if it's missing
+3. Defaults to 'member' if the user has no role set
+
+This ensures that admin users can always access the admin panel, and also protects against
+the case where better-auth doesn't include the additionalField in future versions.
+
+## Files Changed
+
+1. `/apps/gateway/src/admin/admin.guard.ts` - Added fallback role lookup
+2. `/packages/auth/src/auth.ts` - No changes needed (better-auth config is correct)
+
+## Verification
+
+- All three quality gates pass: `typecheck`, `lint`, `format:check`
+- Backend admin guard now explicitly handles missing role field
+- Frontend admin guard remains unchanged (will work once role is available)