diff --git a/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs b/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
index 51dc49c423..891581b112 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Chat/Library/Subscriber.hs
@@ -3123,8 +3123,6 @@ processAgentMessageConn cxt user@User {userId} corrId agentConnId agentMessage =
               messageError "x.grp.mem.role with insufficient member permissions" $> Nothing
           | otherwise = do
               withStore' $ \db -> updateGroupMemberRole db user member memRole
-              when (memberId' member == membershipMemId && memRole < GRAdmin) $
-                deleteGroupLinkIfExists user gInfo'
               (gInfo'', m', scopeInfo) <- mkGroupChatScope gInfo' m
               (ci, cInfo) <- saveRcvChatItemNoParse user (CDGroupRcv gInfo'' scopeInfo m') msg brokerTs (CIRcvGroupEvent gEvent)
               groupMsgToView cInfo ci
diff --git a/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs b/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs
index ee21ec8c0c..c8cd1c5f30 100644
--- a/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs
+++ b/tests/ChatTests/Groups.hs
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ chatGroupTests = do
     it "invitee incognito" testGroupLinkInviteeIncognito
     it "incognito - join/invite" testGroupLinkIncognitoJoinInvite
     it "group link member role" testGroupLinkMemberRole
-    it "demoted admin cannot keep using group link" testGroupLinkDemotedAdmin
+    it "demotion does not remove group link" testGroupLinkDemotedAdmin
     it "host profile received" testGroupLinkHostProfileReceived
     it "existing contact merged" testGroupLinkExistingContactMerged
   describe "group links - member screening" $ do
@@ -2977,8 +2977,9 @@ testGroupLinkDemotedAdmin =
           bob <## "#team: alice changed your role from admin to member"
         ]
 
+      -- demotion does not remove bob's group link (it is preserved, usable again on re-promotion)
       bob ##> "/show link #team"
-      bob <## "#team: you have insufficient permissions for this action, the required role is admin"
+      void $ getGroupLink bob "team" GRMember False
 
 testGroupLinkHostIncognito :: HasCallStack => TestParams -> IO ()
 testGroupLinkHostIncognito =