diff --git a/src/settings/agent-execution.ts b/src/settings/agent-execution.ts
index d08a083477..110f441ec5 100644
--- a/src/settings/agent-execution.ts
+++ b/src/settings/agent-execution.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-import type { AgentActionClass, AuditEventRecord, AutonomyLevel } from "../types";
+import type { AgentActionClass, AuditEventRecord, AutonomyLevel, AutonomyPolicy } from "../types";
+import { isActingAutonomyLevel, resolveAutonomy } from "./autonomy";
+
+// The action classes that mutate a PR's review / merge / close state — these need GitHub `pull_requests: write`.
+// (`label` mutates via the Issues API, which the App already holds `issues: write` for.)
+const PR_WRITE_ACTION_CLASSES: readonly AgentActionClass[] = ["review", "request_changes", "approve", "merge", "close"];
 
 // Whether the agent actually executes an action, only logs what it WOULD do, or is halted entirely (#776).
 export type AgentActionMode = "paused" | "dry_run" | "live";
@@ -57,3 +62,24 @@ export function buildAgentActionAudit(input: {
     },
   };
 }
+
+/**
+ * True when the repo's autonomy config has any ACTING level (auto / auto_with_approval) for a PR-write action
+ * class — i.e. the agent would need GitHub `pull_requests: write` to carry it out (#775). Pure.
+ */
+export function agentRequiresPrWrite(autonomy: AutonomyPolicy | null | undefined): boolean {
+  return PR_WRITE_ACTION_CLASSES.some((actionClass) => isActingAutonomyLevel(resolveAutonomy(autonomy, actionClass)));
+}
+
+export type AgentPermissionReadiness = "not_required" | "ready" | "reconsent_required";
+
+/**
+ * Whether the installation grants the write scope the configured auto-maintain actions need (#775). The action
+ * layer (#778) consults this before executing a PR-write action: `not_required` = no acting PR-write level is
+ * configured; `ready` = the App holds `pull_requests: write`; `reconsent_required` = the maintainer must
+ * re-authorize the App with the upgraded permission. Pure.
+ */
+export function resolveAgentPermissionReadiness(input: { autonomy: AutonomyPolicy | null | undefined; installationPermissions: Record<string, string> | null | undefined }): AgentPermissionReadiness {
+  if (!agentRequiresPrWrite(input.autonomy)) return "not_required";
+  return input.installationPermissions?.pull_requests === "write" ? "ready" : "reconsent_required";
+}
diff --git a/test/unit/agent-execution.test.ts b/test/unit/agent-execution.test.ts
index 79f0857d35..3635e561b1 100644
--- a/test/unit/agent-execution.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/agent-execution.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import {
   agentActionModeExecutes,
+  agentRequiresPrWrite,
   buildAgentActionAudit,
   isGlobalAgentPause,
   resolveAgentActionMode,
+  resolveAgentPermissionReadiness,
 } from "../../src/settings/agent-execution";
 
 describe("resolveAgentActionMode (#776 safety gate)", () => {
@@ -69,3 +71,29 @@ describe("buildAgentActionAudit", () => {
     expect(audit.detail).toBeNull();
   });
 });
+
+describe("agent write-permission readiness (#775)", () => {
+  it("agentRequiresPrWrite is true only for an acting level on a PR-write action class", () => {
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({ merge: "auto" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({ request_changes: "auto_with_approval" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({ close: "auto" })).toBe(true);
+    // non-acting levels never demand write
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({ merge: "propose", review: "suggest" })).toBe(false);
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({ merge: "observe" })).toBe(false);
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({})).toBe(false);
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite(null)).toBe(false);
+    // label acts via the Issues API (issues: write, already held), so it does NOT demand pull_requests: write
+    expect(agentRequiresPrWrite({ label: "auto" })).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("resolveAgentPermissionReadiness gates on the granted pull_requests scope", () => {
+    // no acting PR-write level → permission is irrelevant
+    expect(resolveAgentPermissionReadiness({ autonomy: { label: "auto" }, installationPermissions: { pull_requests: "read" } })).toBe("not_required");
+    // acting level + write granted → ready
+    expect(resolveAgentPermissionReadiness({ autonomy: { merge: "auto" }, installationPermissions: { pull_requests: "write", issues: "write" } })).toBe("ready");
+    // acting level but only read (or missing) → re-consent required
+    expect(resolveAgentPermissionReadiness({ autonomy: { merge: "auto" }, installationPermissions: { pull_requests: "read" } })).toBe("reconsent_required");
+    expect(resolveAgentPermissionReadiness({ autonomy: { merge: "auto" }, installationPermissions: {} })).toBe("reconsent_required");
+    expect(resolveAgentPermissionReadiness({ autonomy: { merge: "auto" }, installationPermissions: null })).toBe("reconsent_required");
+  });
+});