diff --git a/apps/operator/pages/audit.vue b/apps/operator/pages/audit.vue
index bae9bb5..8060ea2 100644
--- a/apps/operator/pages/audit.vue
+++ b/apps/operator/pages/audit.vue
@@ -92,6 +92,26 @@ function formatMetaValue(v: unknown): string {
   return String(v)
 }
 
+// Compact human-readable rendering of a single side of a diff. Objects collapse
+// to JSON; null / undefined / empty string render as a dim em-dash so the
+// "before" side of a freshly populated field reads as clearly empty.
+function formatDiffValue(v: unknown): string {
+  if (v === null || v === undefined || v === '') return '—'
+  if (typeof v === 'object') return JSON.stringify(v)
+  return String(v)
+}
+
+// `metadata.diff` shape for partner.updated (and future *.updated actions):
+// { fieldName: { from, to } }. Type-narrow safely; old audit rows that only
+// carried `metadata.changes: string[]` are still rendered as plain chips by
+// the fallback branch in the template.
+interface DiffEntry { from: unknown; to: unknown }
+function diffEntries(meta: Record<string, unknown> | undefined): [string, DiffEntry][] {
+  const d = meta?.diff
+  if (!d || typeof d !== 'object') return []
+  return Object.entries(d as Record<string, DiffEntry>)
+}
+
 // ── Tamper-evidence (Phase 3) + cold-storage archives (Phase 4) ────────
 interface VerifyReport {
   ok: boolean
@@ -273,7 +293,23 @@ function fmtRelative(iso: string | null | undefined): string {
               <tr v-if="expanded.has(e._id) && hasDetails(e)" class="detail-row">
                 <td></td>
                 <td colspan="7">
-                  <dl class="meta">
+                  <!-- New format: { diff: { field: {from, to} } } — render as a
+                       table of before → after rows so the operator can read the
+                       change inline. -->
+                  <table v-if="diffEntries(e.metadata).length" class="diff-table">
+                    <tbody>
+                      <tr v-for="[field, entry] in diffEntries(e.metadata)" :key="field">
+                        <td class="diff-key"><Mono>{{ field }}</Mono></td>
+                        <td class="diff-from"><Mono dim>{{ formatDiffValue(entry.from) }}</Mono></td>
+                        <td class="diff-arrow"><Mono dim>→</Mono></td>
+                        <td class="diff-to"><Mono>{{ formatDiffValue(entry.to) }}</Mono></td>
+                      </tr>
+                    </tbody>
+                  </table>
+                  <!-- Generic metadata renderer — covers older events that only
+                       have metadata.changes (string[]) plus all non-update
+                       actions whose metadata is free-form key/values. -->
+                  <dl v-else class="meta">
                     <template v-for="(value, key) in e.metadata" :key="key">
                       <dt><Mono dim>{{ key }}</Mono></dt>
                       <dd>
@@ -495,6 +531,23 @@ tr.detail-row td {
   font-size: 11px;
   color: var(--text);
 }
+
+/* before → after diff table inside the expanded row */
+.diff-table {
+  width: auto;
+  border-collapse: collapse;
+  margin: 0;
+}
+.diff-table td {
+  padding: 4px 14px 4px 0;
+  border: 0;
+  font-size: 12px;
+  vertical-align: top;
+}
+.diff-key { font-weight: 500; min-width: 110px; }
+.diff-from { color: var(--text-mute); max-width: 360px; word-break: break-word; }
+.diff-arrow { width: 18px; text-align: center; }
+.diff-to { max-width: 360px; word-break: break-word; }
 .name { font-size: 12px; font-weight: 500; }
 .action { font-weight: 500; }
 .target { font-size: 12px; color: var(--text-dim); }
diff --git a/services/platform-api/src/partners/partners.service.ts b/services/platform-api/src/partners/partners.service.ts
index 095a632..7041124 100644
--- a/services/platform-api/src/partners/partners.service.ts
+++ b/services/platform-api/src/partners/partners.service.ts
@@ -81,10 +81,19 @@ export class PartnersService {
   }
 
   async update(slug: string, dto: UpdatePartnerDto, actor?: AuditActor): Promise<PartnerDocument> {
+    // Read first so we can record a before/after diff. The extra round-trip is
+    // cheap — partner updates are not hot-path — and gives the audit log
+    // enough context for an operator to reconstruct what changed without
+    // diffing Mongo backups.
+    const before = await this.partnerModel.findOne({ slug }).exec()
+    if (!before) throw new NotFoundException(`Partner "${slug}" not found`)
+
     const partner = await this.partnerModel
       .findOneAndUpdate({ slug }, dto, { new: true, runValidators: true })
       .exec()
     if (!partner) throw new NotFoundException(`Partner "${slug}" not found`)
+
+    const diff = buildPartnerDiff(before, partner, dto)
     void this.audit.record(
       {
         action: 'partner.updated',
@@ -92,16 +101,7 @@ export class PartnersService {
         resourceId: String(partner._id),
         resourceName: partner.name,
         partnerSlug: partner.slug,
-        metadata: {
-          // class-validator's ValidationPipe(transform: true) instantiates the
-          // DTO with every @IsOptional() property defined (set to undefined
-          // when absent from the body). Filtering keeps the audit log honest —
-          // `changes` reflects what the operator actually sent, not the DTO
-          // shape.
-          changes: Object.keys(dto as Record<string, unknown>).filter(
-            (k) => (dto as Record<string, unknown>)[k] !== undefined,
-          ),
-        },
+        metadata: { diff },
       },
       actor,
     )
@@ -129,3 +129,27 @@ export class PartnersService {
     )
   }
 }
+
+// Build a { field: { from, to } } diff for the partner update audit event.
+// Only keys actually present in the DTO body are considered (DTOs from class-
+// validator's ValidationPipe carry every @IsOptional() field, so we filter on
+// `undefined`), and only fields whose serialized representation actually
+// differs are emitted — saving an unchanged form should not produce a row of
+// no-op diffs in the audit log.
+function buildPartnerDiff(
+  before: PartnerDocument,
+  after: PartnerDocument,
+  dto: UpdatePartnerDto,
+): Record<string, { from: unknown; to: unknown }> {
+  const beforeObj = before.toObject({ flattenMaps: true })
+  const afterObj = after.toObject({ flattenMaps: true })
+  const diff: Record<string, { from: unknown; to: unknown }> = {}
+  for (const key of Object.keys(dto) as (keyof UpdatePartnerDto)[]) {
+    if ((dto as Record<string, unknown>)[key] === undefined) continue
+    const from = (beforeObj as Record<string, unknown>)[key]
+    const to = (afterObj as Record<string, unknown>)[key]
+    if (JSON.stringify(from) === JSON.stringify(to)) continue
+    diff[key] = { from: from ?? null, to: to ?? null }
+  }
+  return diff
+}