diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Settings/PrivacySettings.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Settings/PrivacySettings.php
index cdd341276..084dcb551 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Settings/PrivacySettings.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Settings/PrivacySettings.php
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ use App\Models\QuoteAuthorization;
 use App\Models\UserFilter;
 use App\Services\AccountService;
 use App\Services\FeaturedCollectionService;
+use App\Services\FollowerService;
 use App\Services\QuoteService;
 use App\Services\RelationshipService;
 use Illuminate\Http\Request;
@@ -295,31 +296,43 @@ trait PrivacySettings
         $settings = $request->user()->settings;
 
         if ($mode !== 'keep-all') {
+            $query = Follower::whereFollowingId($profile->id);
+
             switch ($mode) {
                 case 'mutual-only':
                     $following = $profile->following()->pluck('profiles.id');
-                    Follower::whereFollowingId($profile->id)->whereNotIn('profile_id', $following)->delete();
+                    $query->whereNotIn('profile_id', $following);
                     break;
 
                 case 'only-followers':
                     $ts = now()->subMinutes($duration);
-                    Follower::whereFollowingId($profile->id)->where('created_at', '>', $ts)->delete();
+                    $query->where('created_at', '>', $ts);
                     break;
 
                 case 'remove-all':
-                    Follower::whereFollowingId($profile->id)
-                        ->chunkById(100, function ($followers) {
-                            foreach ($followers as $follower) {
-                                FeedUnfollowPipeline::dispatch($follower->profile_id, $follower->following_id)->onQueue('feed');
-                            }
-                        });
-                    Follower::whereFollowingId($profile->id)->delete();
+                    // no additional constraint: remove every follower
                     break;
 
                 default:
-                    // code...
+                    $query = null;
                     break;
             }
+
+            // Delete followers one at a time so FollowerService::remove() runs
+            // for each: a bulk ->delete() skips the model event / observer and
+            // leaves the follower in the Redis sorted sets that back
+            // FollowerService::follows(), which gates private-content access.
+            // A removed follower must lose access, not keep it for the 7-day
+            // cache-marker window.
+            if ($query) {
+                $query->chunkById(100, function ($followers) {
+                    foreach ($followers as $follower) {
+                        FollowerService::remove($follower->profile_id, $follower->following_id);
+                        FeedUnfollowPipeline::dispatch($follower->profile_id, $follower->following_id)->onQueue('feed');
+                        $follower->delete();
+                    }
+                });
+            }
         }
         $profile->is_private = true;
         // Clear directory listing when going private so the profile can't leak
diff --git a/tests/Feature/PrivacyRemoveFollowersCacheTest.php b/tests/Feature/PrivacyRemoveFollowersCacheTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5661f0dc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Feature/PrivacyRemoveFollowersCacheTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+<?php
+
+use App\Models\Follower;
+use App\Models\Profile;
+use App\Models\User;
+use App\Services\FollowerService;
+use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\LazilyRefreshDatabase;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Queue;
+
+uses(LazilyRefreshDatabase::class);
+
+/*
+|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+| Going private must evict removed followers from the FollowerService cache
+|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
+|
+| privateAccountOptions() bulk-deleted followers with a query-builder delete,
+| which skips FollowerObserver and leaves the removed follower in the Redis
+| sorted sets that back FollowerService::follows() — the gate for private
+| content access. A removed follower could still pass the follows() check
+| (authorization bypass) until the 7-day cache marker expired. Removal must
+| update the cache so follows() returns false immediately.
+|
+*/
+
+beforeEach(function () {
+    Queue::fake();
+});
+
+function warmedFollower(Profile $target): Profile
+{
+    $follower = Profile::factory()->create();
+    Follower::create([
+        'profile_id' => $follower->id,
+        'following_id' => $target->id,
+        'local_profile' => true,
+    ]);
+    // Warm the FollowerService Redis sorted sets, as a live follow would.
+    FollowerService::add($follower->id, $target->id);
+
+    return $follower;
+}
+
+function goPrivate(User $user, string $mode): void
+{
+    test()->actingAs($user)
+        ->withSession(['auth.password_confirmed_at' => time()])
+        ->post(route('settings.privacy.account'), ['mode' => $mode, 'duration' => 60])
+        ->assertOk();
+}
+
+it('evicts a removed follower from FollowerService::follows on remove-all', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+    $profile = $user->profile;
+    $profile->update(['is_private' => false, 'is_suggestable' => true]);
+
+    $follower = warmedFollower($profile);
+
+    // Warm cache reports the follow relationship.
+    expect(FollowerService::follows($follower->id, $profile->id))->toBeTrue();
+
+    goPrivate($user, 'remove-all');
+
+    // The row is gone AND the cache no longer reports the follow.
+    expect(Follower::whereFollowingId($profile->id)->count())->toBe(0);
+    expect(FollowerService::follows($follower->id, $profile->id))->toBeFalse();
+});
+
+it('evicts removed followers from the cache on mutual-only', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+    $profile = $user->profile;
+    $profile->update(['is_private' => false, 'is_suggestable' => true]);
+
+    // A one-way follower (not followed back) must be removed under mutual-only.
+    $follower = warmedFollower($profile);
+
+    expect(FollowerService::follows($follower->id, $profile->id))->toBeTrue();
+
+    goPrivate($user, 'mutual-only');
+
+    expect(FollowerService::follows($follower->id, $profile->id))->toBeFalse();
+});
+
+it('keeps a mutual follower under mutual-only', function () {
+    $user = User::factory()->create();
+    $user->refresh();
+    $profile = $user->profile;
+    $profile->update(['is_private' => false, 'is_suggestable' => true]);
+
+    $mutual = warmedFollower($profile);
+    // The profile follows them back -> mutual, must be kept.
+    Follower::create([
+        'profile_id' => $profile->id,
+        'following_id' => $mutual->id,
+        'local_profile' => true,
+    ]);
+    FollowerService::add($profile->id, $mutual->id);
+
+    goPrivate($user, 'mutual-only');
+
+    expect(Follower::whereProfileId($mutual->id)->whereFollowingId($profile->id)->exists())->toBeTrue();
+    expect(FollowerService::follows($mutual->id, $profile->id))->toBeTrue();
+});