diff --git a/scripts/init-cli-agent.ts b/scripts/init-cli-agent.ts
index ccd9387a9..4a56827bc 100644
--- a/scripts/init-cli-agent.ts
+++ b/scripts/init-cli-agent.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import {
 } from '../src/db/messaging-groups.js';
 import { runMigrations } from '../src/db/migrations/index.js';
 import { normalizeName } from '../src/modules/agent-to-agent/db/agent-destinations.js';
-import { grantRole, hasAnyOwner } from '../src/modules/permissions/db/user-roles.js';
 import { upsertUser } from '../src/modules/permissions/db/users.js';
 import { initGroupFilesystem } from '../src/group-init.js';
 import type { AgentGroup, MessagingGroup } from '../src/types.js';
@@ -91,17 +90,9 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     created_at: now,
   });
 
-  let promotedToOwner = false;
-  if (!hasAnyOwner()) {
-    grantRole({
-      user_id: CLI_SYNTHETIC_USER_ID,
-      role: 'owner',
-      agent_group_id: null,
-      granted_by: null,
-      granted_at: now,
-    });
-    promotedToOwner = true;
-  }
+  // Owner grant deferred to init-first-agent when the real channel user is
+  // wired — cli:local is a scratch identity, not the operator.
+  const promotedToOwner = false;
 
   // 2. Agent group + filesystem.
   const folder = `cli-with-${normalizeName(args.displayName)}`;
diff --git a/src/modules/permissions/user-dm.ts b/src/modules/permissions/user-dm.ts
index ef9566ad8..a5274d19f 100644
--- a/src/modules/permissions/user-dm.ts
+++ b/src/modules/permissions/user-dm.ts
@@ -136,11 +136,14 @@ async function resolveDmPlatformId(channelType: string, handle: string): Promise
 function parseUserId(user: User): { channelType: string; handle: string } | { channelType: null; handle: null } {
   const idx = user.id.indexOf(':');
   if (idx < 0) return { channelType: null, handle: null };
-  const channelType = user.id.slice(0, idx);
+  const prefix = user.id.slice(0, idx);
   const handle = user.id.slice(idx + 1);
-  if (!channelType || !handle) return { channelType: null, handle: null };
-  // The `kind` on users mirrors the channel_type prefix in our current
-  // scheme. Pull it from `user.kind` if we ever decouple them later, but
-  // today the id prefix is authoritative.
-  return { channelType, handle };
+  if (!prefix || !handle) return { channelType: null, handle: null };
+  // Teams user IDs use a `29:` prefix, not `teams:`. When the id prefix
+  // isn't a registered adapter, fall back to user.kind and treat the full
+  // id as the handle.
+  if (!getChannelAdapter(prefix) && user.kind && getChannelAdapter(user.kind)) {
+    return { channelType: user.kind, handle: user.id };
+  }
+  return { channelType: prefix, handle };
 }