@@ -40,39 +40,21 @@ const reasonLabels: Record<ReportReason, string> = {
 const chipBase =
   "rounded-full px-2 py-0.5 font-mono text-xs uppercase tracking-label";
 
-type PreviewablePost = {
-  type: string | null;
-  slug: string | null;
-  externalUrl: string | null;
-  authorUsername: string | null;
-};
-
-// Where to send a moderator to actually read the thing they're judging.
-// Discussions and questions live under /d/; a shared link IS its destination,
-// so it points off-site; everything else renders at /{username}/{slug}, where
-// the reader grants admins the same bypass the author has — so an in_review
-// post previews exactly as readers would eventually see it.
-function postPreviewHref(post: PreviewablePost): string | null {
-  if (post.type === "link") return post.externalUrl;
-  if (!post.slug) return null;
-  if (post.type === "discussion" || post.type === "question") {
-    return `/d/${post.slug}`;
-  }
-  if (!post.authorUsername) return null;
-  return `/${post.authorUsername}/${post.slug}`;
-}
-
-const PreviewLink = ({ post }: { post: PreviewablePost }) => {
-  const href = postPreviewHref(post);
-  if (!href) return null;
-
-  return (
-    <Link href={href} target="_blank" className="secondary-button">
-      <ArrowTopRightOnSquareIcon className="h-4 w-4" />
-      Preview
-    </Link>
-  );
-};
+// Read the submission before deciding on it. The preview is an admin-side,
+// read-only render (see app/(admin)/admin/moderation/preview/[postId]) rather
+// than the public URL: an unapproved post has no public URL yet, and the public
+// reader would put vote/bookmark/comment controls on a post that may be about
+// to be rejected. Keyed by id, so it is available for every queued post.
+const PreviewLink = ({ postId }: { postId: string }) => (
+  <Link
+    href={`/admin/moderation/preview/${postId}`}
+    target="_blank"
+    className="secondary-button"
+  >
+    <ArrowTopRightOnSquareIcon className="h-4 w-4" />
+    Preview
+  </Link>
+);
 
 // datetime-local is in the moderator's LOCAL time, so shift the `min` boundary
 // by the tz offset before slicing to "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm".
@@ -310,7 +292,7 @@ const ModerationQueue = () => {
                   )}
                 </div>
                 <div className="flex shrink-0 flex-wrap gap-2">
-                  <PreviewLink post={post} />
+                  <PreviewLink postId={post.id} />
                   <button
                     className="primary-button"
                     disabled={isModerating}
 
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+import Link from "next/link";
+import { notFound } from "next/navigation";
+import { ArrowLeftIcon } from "@heroicons/react/24/outline";
+import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { db } from "@/server/db";
+import { posts, user, post_tags, tag } from "@/server/db/schema";
+import { PostBody, renderPostBody } from "@/components/ContentDetail/PostBody";
+import { getCamelCaseFromLower } from "@/utils/utils";
+import { safeExternalHref } from "@/utils/url";
+
+export const metadata = {
+  title: "Preview - Codú Admin",
+  description: "Read a submission before approving or declining it",
+  robots: { index: false, follow: false },
+};
+
+type Props = { params: Promise<{ postId: string }> };
+
+// Read-only preview of a submission, for deciding whether it belongs on the
+// site. It deliberately lives inside `(admin)` rather than exposing unpublished
+// posts on the public reader routes: moderators need to READ a post, not vote,
+// bookmark or comment on one that may be about to be rejected — and admins
+// should still see the public site exactly as readers do.
+//
+// The body renders through the same `PostBody` the reader uses, so what a
+// moderator approves is what readers will get.
+//
+// Admin-role gate is enforced in app/(admin)/layout.tsx.
+export default async function Page({ params }: Props) {
+  const { postId } = await params;
+
+  const [record] = await db
+    .select({
+      id: posts.id,
+      title: posts.title,
+      body: posts.body,
+      excerpt: posts.excerpt,
+      type: posts.type,
+      status: posts.status,
+      slug: posts.slug,
+      externalUrl: posts.externalUrl,
+      coverImage: posts.coverImage,
+      readingTime: posts.readingTime,
+      createdAt: posts.createdAt,
+      moderationNote: posts.moderationNote,
+      authorName: user.name,
+      authorUsername: user.username,
+    })
+    .from(posts)
+    .leftJoin(user, eq(posts.authorId, user.id))
+    .where(eq(posts.id, postId))
+    .limit(1);
+
+  if (!record) notFound();
+
+  const renderedBody = renderPostBody(record.body);
+  const externalHref = safeExternalHref(record.externalUrl);
+
+  const tags = await db
+    .select({ title: tag.title, slug: tag.slug })
+    .from(post_tags)
+    .innerJoin(tag, eq(post_tags.tagId, tag.id))
+    .where(eq(post_tags.postId, record.id));
+
+  return (
+    <div className="mx-auto max-w-3xl px-0 py-4 sm:px-4 sm:py-8">
+      <div className="mb-6 flex items-center gap-4">
+        <Link
+          href="/admin/moderation"
+          className="rounded-lg p-2 text-muted transition-colors hover:bg-elevated hover:text-fg"
+        >
+          <ArrowLeftIcon className="h-5 w-5" />
+        </Link>
+        <div className="min-w-0">
+          <p className="eyebrow">
+            <span className="slash">{"// "}</span>preview
+          </p>
+          <h1 className="mt-1 font-display text-2xl font-extrabold tracking-tight text-fg">
+            {record.title || "Untitled"}
+          </h1>
+          <p className="mt-1 font-mono text-xs text-faint">
+            {record.type} · {record.status} · @
+            {record.authorUsername ?? "unknown"}
+            {record.readingTime ? ` · ${record.readingTime} min read` : ""}
+          </p>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      {record.moderationNote && (
+        <p className="mb-6 rounded-lg border border-hairline bg-inset p-3 text-sm text-muted">
+          <span className="font-medium text-fg">Flagged:</span>{" "}
+          {record.moderationNote}
+        </p>
+      )}
+
+      {record.excerpt && (
+        <p className="mb-6 text-base text-muted">{record.excerpt}</p>
+      )}
+
+      {/* A link submission is judged on both halves: the member's own framing
+          above, and the destination. rel/noreferrer keep the admin surface out
+          of the referrer of a page that is under review precisely because it
+          may be hostile. */}
+      {record.type === "link" &&
+        (externalHref ? (
+          <p className="mb-6 break-all font-mono text-sm">
+            <span className="text-faint">{"// destination "}</span>
+            <a
+              href={externalHref}
+              target="_blank"
+              rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"
+              className="text-accent underline"
+            >
+              {externalHref}
+            </a>
+          </p>
+        ) : (
+          <p className="mb-6 font-mono text-sm text-danger">
+            {"// destination missing or not a http(s) URL: "}
+            {record.externalUrl ?? "none"}
+          </p>
+        ))}
+
+      {tags.length > 0 && (
+        <div className="mb-6 flex flex-wrap gap-2">
+          {tags.map((t) => (
+            <span
+              key={t.title}
+              className="rounded-sm border border-hairline px-2.5 py-0.5 font-mono text-xs text-muted"
+            >
+              {getCamelCaseFromLower(t.title)}
+            </span>
+          ))}
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      {record.body ? (
+        <article className="prose max-w-none dark:prose-invert">
+          <PostBody {...renderedBody} />
+        </article>
+      ) : (
+        <p className="font-mono text-sm text-faint">{"// no body submitted"}</p>
+      )}
+
+      <p className="mt-8 font-mono text-xs text-faint">
+        {"// read-only — approve or decline from the queue"}
+      </p>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
@@ -6,11 +6,10 @@ import { type Metadata } from "next";
 import { SITE_ORIGIN } from "@/config/site";
 import { db } from "@/server/db";
 import { posts, user, feed_sources, post_tags, tag } from "@/server/db/schema";
-import { eq, and, lte, inArray, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { eq, and, lte, inArray, or, sql } from "drizzle-orm";
 import UserLinkDetail from "./_userLinkDetail";
 import PostReader from "@/components/ContentDetail/PostReader";
 import { parseUrlId, canonicalMismatch } from "@/server/lib/content-url";
-import { postVisibilityFilter } from "@/server/lib/postVisibility";
 import { serverApi } from "@/server/trpc/caller";
 import { JsonLd } from "@/components/JsonLd";
 import { getArticleSchema, getBreadcrumbSchema } from "@/lib/structured-data";
@@ -32,7 +31,6 @@ async function getUserPostUncached(
   username: string,
   postSlug: string,
   viewerId?: string | null,
-  viewerIsAdmin = false,
 ) {
   // Case-insensitive handle resolution (GitHub-style), matching the profile page.
   const userRecord = await db.query.user.findFirst({
@@ -42,7 +40,22 @@ async function getUserPostUncached(
 
   if (!userRecord) return null;
 
-  const visibilityFilter = postVisibilityFilter({ viewerId, viewerIsAdmin });
+  // Owner bypass: the author may view their own in_review/rejected post;
+  // everyone else only sees published posts whose publish time has passed.
+  const isAuthor = !!viewerId && viewerId === userRecord.id;
+
+  const visibilityFilter = isAuthor
+    ? or(
+        and(
+          eq(posts.status, "published"),
+          lte(posts.publishedAt, new Date().toISOString()),
+        ),
+        inArray(posts.status, ["in_review", "rejected"]),
+      )
+    : and(
+        eq(posts.status, "published"),
+        lte(posts.publishedAt, new Date().toISOString()),
+      );
 
   const postResults = await db
     .select({
@@ -363,12 +376,7 @@ export async function generateMetadata(props: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
 
   // Same viewerId as the page body so the cache()d resolver runs once per request.
   const session = await getServerAuthSession();
-  const userPost = await getUserPost(
-    username,
-    slug,
-    session?.user?.id,
-    session?.user?.role === "ADMIN",
-  );
+  const userPost = await getUserPost(username, slug, session?.user?.id);
   if (userPost) {
     // Discussions/questions canonicalize to /d/{slug}; redirect before metadata.
     if (isDiscussionKind(userPost.type)) {
@@ -525,12 +533,7 @@ const UnifiedPostPage = async (props: Props) => {
 
   const host = (await headers()).get("host") || "";
 
-  const userPost = await getUserPost(
-    username,
-    slug,
-    session?.user?.id,
-    session?.user?.role === "ADMIN",
-  );
+  const userPost = await getUserPost(username, slug, session?.user?.id);
 
   if (userPost) {
     // Discussions/questions live under /d/{slug} — redirect before rendering.
 
@@ -7,12 +7,11 @@ import { ogPostImage } from "@/lib/og/url";
 import { getServerAuthSession } from "@/server/auth";
 import { db } from "@/server/db";
 import { posts, user, post_tags, tag, comments } from "@/server/db/schema";
-import { eq, and, inArray, or, isNull, asc, type SQL } from "drizzle-orm";
+import { eq, and, lte, inArray, or, isNull, asc, type SQL } from "drizzle-orm";
 import PostReader, {
   type ReaderPost,
 } from "@/components/ContentDetail/PostReader";
 import { parseUrlId, canonicalMismatch } from "@/server/lib/content-url";
-import { postVisibilityFilter } from "@/server/lib/postVisibility";
 import { JsonLd } from "@/components/JsonLd";
 import {
   getDiscussionForumPostingSchema,
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ type Props = { params: Promise<{ slug: string }> };
 async function getDiscussionPostUncached(
   slug: string,
   viewerId?: string | null,
-  viewerIsAdmin = false,
 ): Promise<ReaderPost | null> {
   const urlId = parseUrlId(slug);
   if (!urlId) return null;
@@ -39,6 +37,13 @@ async function getDiscussionPostUncached(
       ? eq(posts.urlId, urlId)
       : or(eq(posts.urlId, urlId), eq(posts.slug, slug))!;
 
+  const publicFilter = and(
+    eq(posts.status, "published"),
+    lte(posts.publishedAt, new Date().toISOString()),
+  );
+
+  // Owner bypass: the author may view their own in_review/rejected discussion;
+  // everyone else only sees published.
   const [row] = await db
     .select({
       id: posts.id,
@@ -68,7 +73,15 @@ async function getDiscussionPostUncached(
       and(
         idMatch,
         inArray(posts.type, ["discussion", "question"]),
-        postVisibilityFilter({ viewerId, viewerIsAdmin }),
+        viewerId
+          ? or(
+              publicFilter,
+              and(
+                eq(posts.authorId, viewerId),
+                inArray(posts.status, ["in_review", "rejected"]),
+              ),
+            )
+          : publicFilter,
       ),
     )
     .limit(1);
@@ -147,11 +160,7 @@ export async function generateMetadata(props: Props): Promise<Metadata> {
   const { slug } = await props.params;
   // Same viewerId as the page body so the cache()d resolver runs once per request.
   const session = await getServerAuthSession();
-  const post = await getDiscussionPost(
-    slug,
-    session?.user?.id,
-    session?.user?.role === "ADMIN",
-  );
+  const post = await getDiscussionPost(slug, session?.user?.id);
 
   if (!post) {
     return { title: "Discussion Not Found" };
@@ -201,11 +210,7 @@ const DiscussionPage = async (props: Props) => {
   const { slug } = await props.params;
   const session = await getServerAuthSession();
 
-  const post = await getDiscussionPost(
-    slug,
-    session?.user?.id,
-    session?.user?.role === "ADMIN",
-  );
+  const post = await getDiscussionPost(slug, session?.user?.id);
 
   if (!post) return notFound();