diff --git a/cmd/api-headers.go b/cmd/api-headers.go
index b1dadd126..97a35ed07 100644
--- a/cmd/api-headers.go
+++ b/cmd/api-headers.go
@@ -134,8 +134,8 @@ func setObjectHeaders(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, objInfo Object
 		w.Header().Set(xhttp.Expires, objInfo.Expires.UTC().Format(http.TimeFormat))
 	}
 
-	// Set tag count if object has tags
-	if len(objInfo.UserTags) > 0 {
+	// Both the count and the optional values require permission to read tags.
+	if opts.TaggingCount && len(objInfo.UserTags) > 0 {
 		tags, _ := tags.ParseObjectTags(objInfo.UserTags)
 		if tags != nil && tags.Count() > 0 {
 			w.Header()[xhttp.AmzTagCount] = []string{strconv.Itoa(tags.Count())}
diff --git a/cmd/object-api-interface.go b/cmd/object-api-interface.go
index 454ec8383..9fcba29d4 100644
--- a/cmd/object-api-interface.go
+++ b/cmd/object-api-interface.go
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ type ObjectOptions struct {
 	DeleteMarker            bool // Is only set in DELETE operations for delete marker replication
 	CheckDMReplicationReady bool // Is delete marker ready to be replicated - set only during HEAD
 	Tagging                 bool // Is only in GET/HEAD operations to return tagging metadata along with regular metadata and body.
+	TaggingCount            bool // GET/HEAD caller is authorized to receive object tag metadata.
 
 	UserDefined         map[string]string   // only set in case of POST/PUT operations
 	ObjectAttributes    map[string]struct{} // Attribute tags defined by the users for the GetObjectAttributes request
diff --git a/cmd/object-handlers.go b/cmd/object-handlers.go
index db59259bf..98822bee8 100644
--- a/cmd/object-handlers.go
+++ b/cmd/object-handlers.go
@@ -587,9 +587,7 @@ func (api objectAPIHandlers) getObjectHandler(ctx context.Context, objectAPI Obj
 		hash.AddChecksumHeader(w, cs)
 	}
 
-	if opts.Tagging && !canReturnObjectTagsHeader(ctx, r, opts.VersionID, objInfo.UserTags) {
-		opts.Tagging = false
-	}
+	opts.TaggingCount = len(objInfo.UserTags) > 0 && canReturnObjectTagsHeader(ctx, r, opts.VersionID, objInfo.UserTags)
 
 	if err = setObjectHeaders(ctx, w, objInfo, rs, opts); err != nil {
 		writeErrorResponse(ctx, w, toAPIError(ctx, err), r.URL)
@@ -1116,9 +1114,7 @@ func (api objectAPIHandlers) headObjectHandler(ctx context.Context, objectAPI Ob
 		hash.AddChecksumHeader(w, cs)
 	}
 
-	if opts.Tagging && !canReturnObjectTagsHeader(ctx, r, opts.VersionID, objInfo.UserTags) {
-		opts.Tagging = false
-	}
+	opts.TaggingCount = len(objInfo.UserTags) > 0 && canReturnObjectTagsHeader(ctx, r, opts.VersionID, objInfo.UserTags)
 
 	// Set standard object headers.
 	if err = setObjectHeaders(ctx, w, objInfo, rs, opts); err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/release_gate_audit_regressions_test.go b/cmd/release_gate_audit_regressions_test.go
index a69c5bc7d..348216d43 100644
--- a/cmd/release_gate_audit_regressions_test.go
+++ b/cmd/release_gate_audit_regressions_test.go
@@ -809,33 +809,64 @@ func TestObjectTagAndVersionAuthSymmetry(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Fatalf("%s: UploadPartCopy from env=dev status=%d body=%s, want 200", backend, rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
 			}
 
-			// 5. GET / HEAD with X-Amz-Tagging-Directive: ACCESS must NOT leak X-Amz-Tagging when GetObjectTagging is denied!
-			noTagReadPolicy := fmt.Sprintf(`{
-				"Version": "2012-10-17",
-				"Statement": [{
-					"Effect": "Allow",
-					"Action": ["s3:GetObject", "s3:GetObjectVersion"],
-					"Resource": ["arn:aws:s3:::%s/*"]
-				}]
-			}`, bucket)
-			userNoTag := createTestPolicyUser(t, noTagReadPolicy)
-			for _, method := range []string{http.MethodGet, http.MethodHead} {
-				req, err := newTestSignedRequestV4(method, "/"+bucket+"/src-obj?versionId="+v1.VersionID, 0, nil, userNoTag.AccessKey, userNoTag.SecretKey, map[string]string{
-					xhttp.AmzTagDirective: "ACCESS",
-				})
-				if err != nil {
-					t.Fatal(err)
-				}
-				rec = httptest.NewRecorder()
-				router.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
-				if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
-					t.Fatalf("%s: %s status=%d, want 200", backend, method, rec.Code)
-				}
-				if gotTag := rec.Header().Get(xhttp.AmzObjectTagging); gotTag != "" {
-					t.Fatalf("%s: %s leaked X-Amz-Tagging=%q without GetObjectVersionTagging permission", backend, method, gotTag)
-				}
-				if gotCnt := rec.Header().Get(xhttp.AmzTagCount); gotCnt != "" {
-					t.Fatalf("%s: %s leaked X-Amz-Tagging-Count=%q without GetObjectVersionTagging permission", backend, method, gotCnt)
+			// Tag counts require the same permission as values, even without ACCESS.
+			for _, tc := range []struct {
+				name, extra              string
+				currentTags, versionTags bool
+			}{
+				{"implicit-deny", "", false, false},
+				{"allow", `,{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObjectTagging","s3:GetObjectVersionTagging"],"Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::*"}`, true, true},
+				{"explicit-deny", `,{"Effect":"Allow","Action":"s3:*","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::*"},{"Effect":"Deny","Action":["s3:GetObjectTagging","s3:GetObjectVersionTagging"],"Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::*"}`, false, false},
+				{"current-only", `,{"Effect":"Allow","Action":"s3:GetObjectTagging","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::*"},{"Effect":"Deny","Action":"s3:GetObjectVersionTagging","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::*"}`, true, false},
+				{"replicate-tags", `,{"Effect":"Allow","Action":"s3:ReplicateTags","Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::*"}`, true, true},
+			} {
+				creds := createTestPolicyUser(t, fmt.Sprintf(`{"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Action":["s3:GetObject","s3:GetObjectVersion"],"Resource":"arn:aws:s3:::%s/*"}%s]}`, bucket, tc.extra))
+				for _, method := range []string{http.MethodGet, http.MethodHead} {
+					for _, access := range []bool{false, true} {
+						for _, version := range []string{"", v1.VersionID} {
+							t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%s/headers/%s/%s/access=%t/version=%t", backend, tc.name, method, access, version != ""), func(t *testing.T) {
+								target := "/" + bucket + "/src-obj"
+								wantTags, allowed := "env=dev", tc.currentTags
+								if version != "" {
+									target += "?versionId=" + version
+									wantTags, allowed = "env=prod", tc.versionTags
+								}
+								headers := map[string]string{}
+								if access {
+									headers[xhttp.AmzTagDirective] = "ACCESS"
+								}
+								req, err := newTestSignedRequestV4(method, target, 0, nil, creds.AccessKey, creds.SecretKey, headers)
+								if err != nil {
+									t.Fatal(err)
+								}
+								rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+								router.ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+								if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+									t.Fatalf("status=%d: %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+								}
+								// Normalize literal handler keys as net/http does on the wire.
+								responseHeaders := http.Header{}
+								for key, values := range rec.Header() {
+									for _, value := range values {
+										responseHeaders.Add(key, value)
+									}
+								}
+								wantCount := ""
+								if allowed {
+									wantCount = "1"
+								}
+								if !allowed || !access {
+									wantTags = ""
+								}
+								if got := responseHeaders.Get(xhttp.AmzTagCount); got != wantCount {
+									t.Errorf("tag count=%q, want %q", got, wantCount)
+								}
+								if got := responseHeaders.Get(xhttp.AmzObjectTagging); got != wantTags {
+									t.Errorf("tag values=%q, want %q", got, wantTags)
+								}
+							})
+						}
+					}
 				}
 			}