diff --git a/decnet/ttp/impl/email_lifter.py b/decnet/ttp/impl/email_lifter.py
index 86e7f6ba..cb9c8d81 100644
--- a/decnet/ttp/impl/email_lifter.py
+++ b/decnet/ttp/impl/email_lifter.py
@@ -19,11 +19,16 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import base64
 import binascii
+import email
+import email.errors
+import email.message
+import email.policy
 import hashlib
 import re
 from collections.abc import Callable
 from typing import Any, Final
 
+from decnet.artifacts.paths import ArtifactPathError, resolve_artifact_path
 from decnet.ttp.base import TaggerEvent, TolerantTagger
 from decnet.ttp.impl._emit import emit_tags
 from decnet.ttp.impl._rule_index import RuleIndex
@@ -241,12 +246,78 @@ def _p_malicious_attachment(
     return None
 
 
+def _extract_body_text(msg: email.message.EmailMessage) -> str | None:
+    """Best-effort plain-text body extraction from a parsed email.
+
+    Prefers ``text/plain``. Falls back to ``text/html`` (raw — predicates
+    here are substring-matchers, no need to de-tag). Returns None when
+    the message has no readable text part. Requires the message to have
+    been parsed with ``policy=email.policy.default`` so parts are
+    ``EmailMessage`` instances (``get_content`` is policy-conditional).
+    """
+    candidates: list[email.message.EmailMessage] = list(msg.walk())
+    for content_type in ("text/plain", "text/html"):
+        for part in candidates:
+            if part.get_content_type() != content_type:
+                continue
+            try:
+                content = part.get_content()
+            except (LookupError, ValueError, KeyError):
+                continue
+            if isinstance(content, str):
+                return content
+    return None
+
+
+def _load_body_text(payload: dict[str, Any]) -> str | None:
+    """Return the email body text for predicates that need it.
+
+    If the bus payload already carries ``body_text`` (older deployments
+    or master-side producers), use it. Otherwise disk-reach: open the
+    ``.eml`` from ``/var/lib/decnet/artifacts/{decky_id}/smtp/{stored_as}``
+    and parse the body in-process.
+
+    The decoded body is memoized back into the payload dict so the next
+    predicate on the same event reuses it without re-opening the file.
+    The bus envelope only carries the artifact pointer (``decky_id`` +
+    ``stored_as``); raw body bytes never cross the host boundary
+    (DEBT-047). Returns None on any failure — predicates then short
+    circuit to no-match, matching pre-disk-reach behavior when fields
+    were absent.
+    """
+    existing = payload.get("body_text")
+    if isinstance(existing, str):
+        return existing
+    decky_id = payload.get("decky_id")
+    stored_as = payload.get("stored_as")
+    if not isinstance(decky_id, str) or not isinstance(stored_as, str):
+        return None
+    try:
+        path = resolve_artifact_path(decky_id, stored_as, "smtp")
+    except ArtifactPathError:
+        return None
+    try:
+        with open(path, "rb") as fh:
+            msg = email.message_from_binary_file(
+                fh, policy=email.policy.default,
+            )
+    except (OSError, email.errors.MessageError):
+        return None
+    body = _extract_body_text(msg)
+    if body is None:
+        return None
+    payload["body_text"] = body
+    return body
+
+
 def _p_bec(
     spec: dict[str, Any], payload: dict[str, Any],
 ) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
     subject = payload.get("subject")
-    body_text = payload.get("body_text")
-    if not isinstance(subject, str) or not isinstance(body_text, str):
+    if not isinstance(subject, str):
+        return None
+    body_text = _load_body_text(payload)
+    if body_text is None:
         return None
     subj_kws = spec.get("subject_keywords", [])
     body_kws = spec.get("body_action_keywords", [])
@@ -278,8 +349,8 @@ def _p_encoded_payload(
     spec: dict[str, Any], payload: dict[str, Any],
 ) -> dict[str, Any] | None:
     min_bytes = int(spec.get("min_bytes", 4096))
-    body_text = payload.get("body_text")
-    if not isinstance(body_text, str) or not body_text:
+    body_text = _load_body_text(payload)
+    if not body_text:
         return None
     # Upstream may pre-compute the largest decoded base64 length.
     body_b64_bytes = payload.get("body_base64_bytes")
diff --git a/tests/ttp/test_email_lifter_disk_reach.py b/tests/ttp/test_email_lifter_disk_reach.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..794a5c1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ttp/test_email_lifter_disk_reach.py
@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+"""Disk-reach tests for EmailLifter (DEBT-047).
+
+When the bus payload omits ``body_text`` but carries ``decky_id`` +
+``stored_as``, body-aware predicates (R0047 BEC, encoded-payload) must
+open the stored ``.eml`` from the artifact tree and parse the body
+in-process. Bus carries only the pointer; raw body bytes stay on
+host disk.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from email.message import EmailMessage
+
+import pytest
+
+from decnet.artifacts import paths as artifact_paths
+from decnet.ttp.impl import email_lifter as lifter_mod
+
+
+_DECKY = "test-decky-01"
+_STORED_AS = "2026-04-18T02:22:56Z_abc123def456_msg.eml"
+
+
+def _write_eml(root, body_text, *, content_type="text/plain"):
+    msg = EmailMessage()
+    msg["From"] = "alice@evil.example"
+    msg["To"] = "victim@target.example"
+    msg["Subject"] = "URGENT: wire transfer needed"
+    if content_type == "text/plain":
+        msg.set_content(body_text)
+    else:
+        msg.set_content("plain fallback")
+        msg.add_alternative(body_text, subtype="html")
+    smtp_dir = root / _DECKY / "smtp"
+    smtp_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    p = smtp_dir / _STORED_AS
+    p.write_bytes(bytes(msg))
+    return p
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def root(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(artifact_paths, "ARTIFACTS_ROOT", tmp_path)
+    return tmp_path
+
+
+_BEC_SPEC = {
+    "subject_keywords": ["wire transfer", "urgent"],
+    "body_action_keywords": ["bank", "iban", "account"],
+}
+
+
+def test_p_bec_matches_via_disk_reach(root):
+    _write_eml(
+        root, "Please update our bank account / IBAN before EOD.",
+    )
+    payload = {
+        "subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed",
+        "decky_id": _DECKY,
+        "stored_as": _STORED_AS,
+    }
+    result = lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload)
+    assert result is not None
+    assert result["matched_subject_kw"] == "wire transfer"
+    assert result["matched_body_kw"] in {"bank", "iban"}
+    # Helper must have memoized the body back into the payload.
+    assert "bank" in payload["body_text"].lower()
+
+
+def test_p_bec_no_match_when_eml_missing(root):
+    payload = {
+        "subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed",
+        "decky_id": _DECKY,
+        "stored_as": _STORED_AS,
+    }
+    assert lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload) is None
+
+
+def test_p_bec_no_match_without_pointer(root):
+    payload = {"subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed"}
+    assert lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload) is None
+
+
+def test_inline_body_text_takes_precedence(root, monkeypatch):
+    """If the producer ships body_text inline, no file IO happens."""
+    sentinel = "Please remit IBAN bank details now."
+    payload = {
+        "subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed",
+        "body_text": sentinel,
+        "decky_id": _DECKY,
+        "stored_as": _STORED_AS,
+    }
+
+    def _explode(*a, **kw):
+        raise AssertionError("disk-reach must not run when body_text inline")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(lifter_mod, "resolve_artifact_path", _explode)
+    res = lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload)
+    assert res is not None
+
+
+def test_body_cache_avoids_second_open(root, monkeypatch):
+    _write_eml(root, "wire to our bank IBAN now")
+    opens: list[str] = []
+    real_open = lifter_mod.email.message_from_binary_file
+
+    def _spy(fh, *a, **kw):
+        opens.append("opened")
+        return real_open(fh, *a, **kw)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        lifter_mod.email, "message_from_binary_file", _spy,
+    )
+    payload = {
+        "subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed",
+        "decky_id": _DECKY,
+        "stored_as": _STORED_AS,
+    }
+    lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload)
+    lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload)
+    assert len(opens) == 1
+
+
+def test_html_fallback_when_no_text_plain(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(artifact_paths, "ARTIFACTS_ROOT", tmp_path)
+    smtp = tmp_path / _DECKY / "smtp"
+    smtp.mkdir(parents=True)
+    raw = (
+        b"From: a@b\r\nTo: c@d\r\nSubject: t\r\n"
+        b"Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8\r\n\r\n"
+        b"<html><body>please send our IBAN bank info</body></html>"
+    )
+    (smtp / _STORED_AS).write_bytes(raw)
+    payload = {
+        "subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed",
+        "decky_id": _DECKY,
+        "stored_as": _STORED_AS,
+    }
+    result = lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload)
+    assert result is not None
+
+
+def test_invalid_pointer_rejected(root):
+    """Bad decky/stored_as values must not crash and must yield no body."""
+    payload = {
+        "subject": "URGENT: wire transfer needed",
+        "decky_id": "../etc",
+        "stored_as": _STORED_AS,
+    }
+    assert lifter_mod._p_bec(_BEC_SPEC, payload) is None