diff --git a/src/documents/tests/test_permission_filtering_security.py b/src/documents/tests/test_permission_filtering_security.py
index 018d5bb94..f48095d48 100644
--- a/src/documents/tests/test_permission_filtering_security.py
+++ b/src/documents/tests/test_permission_filtering_security.py
@@ -430,6 +430,53 @@ class TestBulkDownloadPermissionChecksRootDocument:
         )  # version-only grant must not substitute for root permission
 
 
+@pytest.mark.django_db
+class TestDocumentOperationPermissionChecksRootDocument:
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        ("endpoint", "payload"),
+        [
+            pytest.param("/api/documents/merge/", {}, id="merge"),
+            pytest.param("/api/documents/rotate/", {"degrees": 90}, id="rotate"),
+        ],
+    )
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("version_owner", ["none", "requester"])
+    def test_version_operation_acts_on_root(
+        self,
+        rest_api_client: APIClient,
+        endpoint: str,
+        payload: dict,
+        version_owner: str,
+    ) -> None:
+        owner = UserFactory(username="owner")
+        requester = UserFactory(username="requester")
+        grant_global(requester, "change_document")
+        grant_global(requester, "add_document")
+        rest_api_client.force_authenticate(user=requester)
+        root = DocumentFactory(owner=owner)
+        # A version whose owner went stale, e.g. created before the root changed hands
+        version = DocumentFactory(
+            owner=requester if version_owner == "requester" else None,
+            root_document=root,
+            version_index=1,
+        )
+
+        with (
+            patch("documents.views.bulk_edit.merge") as mock_merge,
+            patch("documents.views.bulk_edit.rotate") as mock_rotate,
+        ):
+            mock_merge.__name__ = "merge"
+            mock_rotate.__name__ = "rotate"
+            response = rest_api_client.post(
+                endpoint,
+                {"documents": [version.pk], **payload},
+                format="json",
+            )
+
+        assert response.status_code == HTTPStatus.FORBIDDEN
+        mock_merge.assert_not_called()
+        mock_rotate.assert_not_called()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.django_db
 @pytest.mark.usefixtures("_search_index")
 class TestTrashRestorePermissionBoundary:
diff --git a/src/documents/views.py b/src/documents/views.py
index e36f181a5..7a9b90406 100644
--- a/src/documents/views.py
+++ b/src/documents/views.py
@@ -2967,11 +2967,15 @@ class DocumentOperationPermissionMixin(PassUserMixin, DocumentSelectionMixin):
         if user.is_superuser:
             return True
 
-        document_objs = Document.objects.select_related("owner").filter(
-            pk__in=documents,
-        )
+        root_docs = {
+            get_root_document(doc)
+            for doc in Document.objects.select_related(
+                "owner",
+                "root_document__owner",
+            ).filter(pk__in=documents)
+        }
         user_is_owner_of_all_documents = all(
-            (doc.owner == user or doc.owner is None) for doc in document_objs
+            (doc.owner == user or doc.owner is None) for doc in root_docs
         )
 
         # check global and object permissions for all documents
@@ -2979,9 +2983,13 @@ class DocumentOperationPermissionMixin(PassUserMixin, DocumentSelectionMixin):
             user.has_perm(
                 "documents.change_document",
             )
-            and not document_objs.exclude(
+            and not Document.global_objects.filter(
+                pk__in=[doc.pk for doc in root_docs],
+            )
+            .exclude(
                 pk__in=permitted_document_ids(user, perm="change_document"),
-            ).exists()
+            )
+            .exists()
         )
 
         # check ownership for methods that change original document