diff --git a/coderd/chatd/chatd.go b/coderd/chatd/chatd.go
index 8cd5d3149f..bb43a7a9df 100644
--- a/coderd/chatd/chatd.go
+++ b/coderd/chatd/chatd.go
@@ -886,8 +886,8 @@ func New(cfg Config) *Server {
 		inFlightChatStaleAfter:     inFlightChatStaleAfter,
 	}
 
-	//nolint:gocritic // The chat processor is a system-level service.
-	ctx = dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx)
+	//nolint:gocritic // The chat processor uses a scoped chatd context.
+	ctx = dbauthz.AsChatd(ctx)
 	go p.start(ctx)
 
 	return p
@@ -1044,8 +1044,7 @@ func (p *Server) Subscribe(
 	}
 
 	// Load initial messages from DB
-	//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to read chat messages for stream.
-	messages, err := p.db.GetChatMessagesByChatID(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx), chatID)
+	messages, err := p.db.GetChatMessagesByChatID(ctx, chatID)
 	if err == nil {
 		for _, msg := range messages {
 			sdkMsg := db2sdk.ChatMessage(msg)
@@ -1058,8 +1057,7 @@ func (p *Server) Subscribe(
 	}
 
 	// Load initial queue
-	//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to read queued messages for stream.
-	queued, err := p.db.GetChatQueuedMessages(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx), chatID)
+	queued, err := p.db.GetChatQueuedMessages(ctx, chatID)
 	if err == nil && len(queued) > 0 {
 		initialSnapshot = append(initialSnapshot, codersdk.ChatStreamEvent{
 			Type:           codersdk.ChatStreamEventTypeQueueUpdate,
@@ -1069,8 +1067,7 @@ func (p *Server) Subscribe(
 	}
 
 	// Get initial chat state to determine if we need a relay
-	//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to read chat state for relay.
-	chat, err := p.db.GetChatByID(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx), chatID)
+	chat, err := p.db.GetChatByID(ctx, chatID)
 	var relayCancel func()
 	var relayParts <-chan codersdk.ChatStreamEvent
 	if err == nil && chat.Status == database.ChatStatusRunning && chat.WorkerID.Valid && chat.WorkerID.UUID != p.workerID && p.remotePartsProvider != nil {
@@ -1225,8 +1222,7 @@ func (p *Server) Subscribe(
 					// Handle different notification types
 					if notify.AfterMessageID > 0 {
 						// Read new messages from DB
-						//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to read chat messages for stream.
-						messages, err := p.db.GetChatMessagesByChatID(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(mergedCtx), chatID)
+						messages, err := p.db.GetChatMessagesByChatID(mergedCtx, chatID)
 						if err == nil {
 							for _, msg := range messages {
 								if msg.ID > lastMessageID {
@@ -1282,8 +1278,7 @@ func (p *Server) Subscribe(
 						}
 					}
 					if notify.QueueUpdate {
-						//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to read queued messages for stream.
-						queued, err := p.db.GetChatQueuedMessages(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(mergedCtx), chatID)
+						queued, err := p.db.GetChatQueuedMessages(mergedCtx, chatID)
 						if err == nil {
 							select {
 							case <-mergedCtx.Done():
@@ -1884,8 +1879,7 @@ func (p *Server) runChat(
 		loadCtx context.Context,
 		chatID uuid.UUID,
 	) (database.Chat, error) {
-		//nolint:gocritic // System context required to load chat snapshots for the stream.
-		return p.db.GetChatByID(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(loadCtx), chatID)
+		return p.db.GetChatByID(loadCtx, chatID)
 	}
 	var (
 		chatStateMu sync.Mutex
@@ -1936,9 +1930,8 @@ func (p *Server) runChat(
 			return nil, xerrors.New("chat has no workspace")
 		}
 
-		//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to look up workspace agents.
 		agents, err := p.db.GetWorkspaceAgentsInLatestBuildByWorkspaceID(
-			dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx),
+			ctx,
 			chatSnapshot.WorkspaceID.UUID,
 		)
 		if err != nil || len(agents) == 0 {
@@ -2480,9 +2473,8 @@ func (p *Server) resolveInstructions(
 		return ""
 	}
 
-	//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to look up workspace agents.
 	agents, agentsErr := p.db.GetWorkspaceAgentsInLatestBuildByWorkspaceID(
-		dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx),
+		ctx,
 		chat.WorkspaceID.UUID,
 	)
 	if agentsErr != nil || len(agents) == 0 {
@@ -2499,8 +2491,7 @@ func (p *Server) resolveInstructions(
 	}
 
 	// Look up the agent's OS and working directory.
-	//nolint:gocritic // System context needed to read workspace agent metadata.
-	agent, err := p.db.GetWorkspaceAgentByID(dbauthz.AsSystemRestricted(ctx), agentID)
+	agent, err := p.db.GetWorkspaceAgentByID(ctx, agentID)
 	if err != nil {
 		p.logger.Debug(ctx, "failed to look up workspace agent for instruction context",
 			slog.F("agent_id", agentID),
diff --git a/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz.go b/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz.go
index e3a1ad6391..6ba7e7710b 100644
--- a/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz.go
+++ b/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz.go
@@ -694,6 +694,26 @@ var (
 		}),
 		Scope: rbac.ScopeAll,
 	}.WithCachedASTValue()
+
+	subjectChatd = rbac.Subject{
+		Type:         rbac.SubjectTypeChatd,
+		FriendlyName: "Chatd",
+		ID:           uuid.Nil.String(),
+		Roles: rbac.Roles([]rbac.Role{
+			{
+				Identifier:  rbac.RoleIdentifier{Name: "chatd"},
+				DisplayName: "Chat Daemon",
+				Site: rbac.Permissions(map[string][]policy.Action{
+					rbac.ResourceChat.Type:             {policy.ActionCreate, policy.ActionRead, policy.ActionUpdate, policy.ActionDelete},
+					rbac.ResourceWorkspace.Type:        {policy.ActionRead},
+					rbac.ResourceDeploymentConfig.Type: {policy.ActionRead},
+				}),
+				User:    []rbac.Permission{},
+				ByOrgID: map[string]rbac.OrgPermissions{},
+			},
+		}),
+		Scope: rbac.ScopeAll,
+	}.WithCachedASTValue()
 )
 
 // AsProvisionerd returns a context with an actor that has permissions required
@@ -808,6 +828,13 @@ func AsWorkspaceBuilder(ctx context.Context) context.Context {
 	return As(ctx, subjectWorkspaceBuilder)
 }
 
+// AsChatd returns a context with an actor scoped to the chat
+// daemon's background worker. It can manage chats and read
+// workspaces and deployment config, but nothing else.
+func AsChatd(ctx context.Context) context.Context {
+	return As(ctx, subjectChatd)
+}
+
 var AsRemoveActor = rbac.Subject{
 	ID: "remove-actor",
 }
diff --git a/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz_test.go b/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz_test.go
index 78a3ae008c..b1114c93fc 100644
--- a/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz_test.go
+++ b/coderd/database/dbauthz/dbauthz_test.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/brianvoe/gofakeit/v7"
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/sqlc-dev/pqtype"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	"go.uber.org/mock/gomock"
@@ -5358,3 +5359,58 @@ func TestGetWorkspaceAgentByID_FastPath(t *testing.T) {
 		require.Equal(t, agent, result)
 	})
 }
+
+func TestAsChatd(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	ctx := dbauthz.AsChatd(context.Background())
+	actor, ok := dbauthz.ActorFromContext(ctx)
+	require.True(t, ok, "actor must be present")
+
+	auth := rbac.NewStrictCachingAuthorizer(prometheus.NewRegistry())
+
+	t.Run("AllowedActions", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		// Chat CRUD.
+		for _, action := range []policy.Action{
+			policy.ActionCreate, policy.ActionRead,
+			policy.ActionUpdate, policy.ActionDelete,
+		} {
+			err := auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, action, rbac.ResourceChat)
+			require.NoError(t, err, "chat %s should be allowed", action)
+		}
+
+		// Workspace read.
+		err := auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, policy.ActionRead, rbac.ResourceWorkspace)
+		require.NoError(t, err, "workspace read should be allowed")
+
+		// DeploymentConfig read.
+		err = auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, policy.ActionRead, rbac.ResourceDeploymentConfig)
+		require.NoError(t, err, "deployment config read should be allowed")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("DeniedActions", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		// Cannot write workspaces.
+		for _, action := range []policy.Action{
+			policy.ActionUpdate, policy.ActionDelete,
+		} {
+			err := auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, action, rbac.ResourceWorkspace)
+			require.Error(t, err, "workspace %s should be denied", action)
+		}
+
+		// Cannot access users.
+		err := auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, policy.ActionRead, rbac.ResourceUser)
+		require.Error(t, err, "user read should be denied")
+
+		// Cannot access API keys.
+		err = auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, policy.ActionRead, rbac.ResourceApiKey)
+		require.Error(t, err, "api key read should be denied")
+
+		// Cannot access provisioner daemons.
+		err = auth.Authorize(ctx, actor, policy.ActionRead, rbac.ResourceProvisionerDaemon)
+		require.Error(t, err, "provisioner daemon read should be denied")
+	})
+}
diff --git a/coderd/rbac/authz.go b/coderd/rbac/authz.go
index 99a75e5a0b..c57b52bb81 100644
--- a/coderd/rbac/authz.go
+++ b/coderd/rbac/authz.go
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ const (
 	SubjectTypeDBPurge                      SubjectType = "dbpurge"
 	SubjectTypeBoundaryUsageTracker         SubjectType = "boundary_usage_tracker"
 	SubjectTypeWorkspaceBuilder             SubjectType = "workspace_builder"
+	SubjectTypeChatd                        SubjectType = "chatd"
 )
 
 const (