diff --git a/.chronus/changes/copilot-fix-global-policy-error-2026-03-04.md b/.chronus/changes/copilot-fix-global-policy-error-2026-03-04.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..eb2eed1f4c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.chronus/changes/copilot-fix-global-policy-error-2026-03-04.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+changeKind: fix
+packages:
+  - "@typespec/http-server-js"
+---
+
+Fix `createPolicyChain` to return a `Promise` when policies are specified, preventing `TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'catch')` when using global policies.
diff --git a/packages/http-server-js/generated-defs/helpers/router.ts b/packages/http-server-js/generated-defs/helpers/router.ts
index 12ac11cc4c7..98f5b1994ca 100644
--- a/packages/http-server-js/generated-defs/helpers/router.ts
+++ b/packages/http-server-js/generated-defs/helpers/router.ts
@@ -53,28 +53,34 @@ const lines = [
   "    return out;",
   "  }",
   "",
-  "  function applyPolicy(ctx: HttpContext, index: number) {",
+  "  function applyPolicy(ctx: HttpContext, index: number): Promise<void> {",
   "    if (index >= policies.length) {",
-  "      return out(ctx, ...outParams);",
+  "      return Promise.resolve(out(ctx, ...outParams));",
   "    }",
   "",
-  "    policies[index](ctx, function nextPolicy(nextRequest) {",
-  "      applyPolicy(",
-  "        {",
-  "          ...ctx,",
-  "          request: nextRequest ?? ctx.request,",
-  "        },",
-  "        index + 1,",
-  "      );",
+  "    return new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {",
+  "      try {",
+  "        policies[index](ctx, function nextPolicy(nextRequest) {",
+  "          applyPolicy(",
+  "            {",
+  "              ...ctx,",
+  "              request: nextRequest ?? ctx.request,",
+  "            },",
+  "            index + 1,",
+  "          ).then(resolve, reject);",
+  "        });",
+  "      } catch (e) {",
+  "        reject(e);",
+  "      }",
   "    });",
   "  }",
   "",
   "  return {",
   "    [name](ctx: HttpContext, ...params: any[]) {",
   "      outParams = params;",
-  "      applyPolicy(ctx, 0);",
+  "      return applyPolicy(ctx, 0);",
   "    },",
-  "  }[name] as Out;",
+  "  }[name] as unknown as Out;",
   "}",
   "",
   "/**",
diff --git a/packages/http-server-js/src/helpers/router.ts b/packages/http-server-js/src/helpers/router.ts
index e07d765266b..e2c04f890f9 100644
--- a/packages/http-server-js/src/helpers/router.ts
+++ b/packages/http-server-js/src/helpers/router.ts
@@ -44,28 +44,34 @@ export function createPolicyChain<Out extends (ctx: HttpContext, ...rest: any[])
     return out;
   }
 
-  function applyPolicy(ctx: HttpContext, index: number) {
+  function applyPolicy(ctx: HttpContext, index: number): Promise<void> {
     if (index >= policies.length) {
-      return out(ctx, ...outParams);
+      return Promise.resolve(out(ctx, ...outParams));
     }
 
-    policies[index](ctx, function nextPolicy(nextRequest) {
-      applyPolicy(
-        {
-          ...ctx,
-          request: nextRequest ?? ctx.request,
-        },
-        index + 1,
-      );
+    return new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+      try {
+        policies[index](ctx, function nextPolicy(nextRequest) {
+          applyPolicy(
+            {
+              ...ctx,
+              request: nextRequest ?? ctx.request,
+            },
+            index + 1,
+          ).then(resolve, reject);
+        });
+      } catch (e) {
+        reject(e);
+      }
     });
   }
 
   return {
     [name](ctx: HttpContext, ...params: any[]) {
       outParams = params;
-      applyPolicy(ctx, 0);
+      return applyPolicy(ctx, 0);
     },
-  }[name] as Out;
+  }[name] as unknown as Out;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/http-server-js/test/router.test.ts b/packages/http-server-js/test/router.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2d2014b8a89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/http-server-js/test/router.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation
+// Licensed under the MIT license.
+
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { createPolicyChain, type HttpContext, type Policy } from "../src/helpers/router.js";
+import type * as http from "node:http";
+
+function makeContext(): HttpContext {
+  return {
+    request: {} as http.IncomingMessage,
+    response: {} as http.ServerResponse,
+    errorHandlers: {
+      onRequestNotFound: () => {},
+      onInvalidRequest: () => {},
+      onInternalError: () => {},
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+describe("createPolicyChain", () => {
+  it("returns the out function directly when no policies are provided", () => {
+    const out = async (_ctx: HttpContext) => {};
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [], out);
+    expect(chain).toBe(out);
+  });
+
+  it("returns a Promise when policies are specified (fixes TypeError on .catch)", async () => {
+    const policy: Policy = async (ctx, next) => {
+      next();
+    };
+    const out = async (_ctx: HttpContext) => {};
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [policy], out);
+    const ctx = makeContext();
+    const result = chain(ctx);
+    // Must be a Promise (so .catch() doesn't throw TypeError)
+    expect(result).toBeInstanceOf(Promise);
+    await result;
+  });
+
+  it("calls the out function after a single policy", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    const policy: Policy = async (ctx, next) => {
+      calls.push("policy");
+      next();
+    };
+    const out = async (_ctx: HttpContext) => {
+      calls.push("out");
+    };
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [policy], out);
+    await chain(makeContext());
+    expect(calls).toEqual(["policy", "out"]);
+  });
+
+  it("calls policies in order before calling out", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    const policy1: Policy = (ctx, next) => {
+      calls.push("policy1");
+      next();
+    };
+    const policy2: Policy = (ctx, next) => {
+      calls.push("policy2");
+      next();
+    };
+    const out = async (_ctx: HttpContext) => {
+      calls.push("out");
+    };
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [policy1, policy2], out);
+    await chain(makeContext());
+    expect(calls).toEqual(["policy1", "policy2", "out"]);
+  });
+
+  it("propagates errors from out through the returned Promise", async () => {
+    const policy: Policy = (ctx, next) => {
+      next();
+    };
+    const out = async (_ctx: HttpContext) => {
+      throw new Error("test error");
+    };
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [policy], out);
+    await expect(chain(makeContext())).rejects.toThrow("test error");
+  });
+
+  it("propagates errors thrown synchronously in a policy", async () => {
+    const policy: Policy = (_ctx, _next) => {
+      throw new Error("policy error");
+    };
+    const out = async (_ctx: HttpContext) => {};
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [policy], out);
+    await expect(chain(makeContext())).rejects.toThrow("policy error");
+  });
+
+  it("passes updated request from policy to out", async () => {
+    let receivedRequest: http.IncomingMessage | undefined;
+    const newRequest = { url: "/updated" } as http.IncomingMessage;
+    const policy: Policy = (ctx, next) => {
+      next(newRequest);
+    };
+    const out = async (ctx: HttpContext) => {
+      receivedRequest = ctx.request;
+    };
+    const chain = createPolicyChain("test", [policy], out);
+    await chain(makeContext());
+    expect(receivedRequest).toBe(newRequest);
+  });
+});