diff --git a/frontend/src/components/maps/LocationMapBottomSheet.jsx b/frontend/src/components/maps/LocationMapBottomSheet.jsx
index ac6090f..222e8e3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/maps/LocationMapBottomSheet.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/maps/LocationMapBottomSheet.jsx
@@ -77,7 +77,14 @@ export default function LocationMapBottomSheet({
       <button type="button" onClick={onAddObject}>Add Area</button>
       <button type="button" onClick={onPreviewDraft}>Preview Draft</button>
       <button type="button" className="primary" onClick={onSaveDraft} disabled={saving || !hasUnsavedChanges}>Save Draft</button>
-      <button type="button" className="primary" onClick={onPublish} disabled={saving || !mapState?.draft_map}>Publish</button>
+      <button
+        type="button"
+        className="primary"
+        onClick={onPublish}
+        disabled={saving || (!mapState?.draft_map && !hasUnsavedChanges)}
+      >
+        Publish
+      </button>
       <button type="button" onClick={onUndo} disabled={history.length === 0}>Undo</button>
       <button type="button" onClick={onRedo} disabled={future.length === 0}>Redo</button>
     </div>
diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/LocationMapManager.jsx b/frontend/src/pages/LocationMapManager.jsx
index b8b3211..b37fd08 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/LocationMapManager.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/LocationMapManager.jsx
@@ -249,13 +249,25 @@ export default function LocationMapManager() {
     if (!activeHousehold?.id || !locationId) return;
     setSaving(true);
     try {
+      if (hasUnsavedChanges) {
+        await saveLocationMapDraft(activeHousehold.id, locationId, {
+          map: mapDraft,
+          objects: prepareObjectsForSave(objects),
+        });
+      }
+
       const response = await publishLocationMapDraft(activeHousehold.id, locationId);
       setMapState(response.data);
       setMode("view");
       setEditorTool("pan");
       setPreviewDraft(false);
       syncMapDraftFromState(response.data, "view", false);
-      toast.success("Published map", "Map is now visible to household members");
+      toast.success(
+        "Published map",
+        hasUnsavedChanges
+          ? "Latest edits were saved and published"
+          : "Map is now visible to household members"
+      );
     } catch (error) {
       toast.error("Publish failed", getApiErrorMessage(error, "Failed to publish map"));
     } finally {
diff --git a/frontend/tests/location-map-manager.spec.ts b/frontend/tests/location-map-manager.spec.ts
index e7cdd44..5002d86 100644
--- a/frontend/tests/location-map-manager.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/tests/location-map-manager.spec.ts
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ test("admin creates a map from zones, saves a draft, and publishes it", async ({
   await expect(page.locator(".location-map-object", { hasText: "Bread Wall" })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.locator(".location-map-object", { hasText: "Temporary Freezer" })).toHaveCount(0);
 
-  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Publish" }).click();
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Publish", exact: true }).click();
   await expect(page.locator(".location-map-status")).toHaveText("Published");
   await expect(page.getByRole("button", { name: "Edit Map" })).toBeVisible();
   await expect(page.getByText("loose batteries")).toHaveCount(0);
@@ -433,6 +433,89 @@ test("admin status follows the visible map when a saved draft exists", async ({
   await expect(page.locator(".location-map-object", { hasText: "Live Bakery" })).toBeVisible();
 });
 
+test("admin publish saves pending map edits before publishing", async ({ page }) => {
+  await mockMapShell(page);
+
+  let mapState = publishedMapState([
+    {
+      id: 1401,
+      location_map_id: 901,
+      zone_id: 501,
+      zone_name: "Bakery",
+      type: "zone",
+      label: "Live Bakery",
+      x: 40,
+      y: 40,
+      width: 260,
+      height: 160,
+      rotation: 0,
+      locked: false,
+      visible: true,
+      sort_order: 1,
+    },
+  ], true);
+  let savedPayload: Record<string, unknown> | null = null;
+  let publishCalled = false;
+
+  await page.route("**/households/1/locations/10/map", async (route) => {
+    await route.fulfill({
+      status: 200,
+      contentType: "application/json",
+      body: JSON.stringify(mapState),
+    });
+  });
+
+  await page.route("**/households/1/locations/10/map/draft", async (route) => {
+    savedPayload = await route.request().postDataJSON();
+    const savedObjects = (savedPayload.objects as Array<Record<string, unknown>>).map((object, index) => ({
+      id: 1450 + index,
+      location_map_id: 900,
+      zone_name: object.zone_id === 501 ? "Bakery" : null,
+      ...object,
+    }));
+    mapState = draftAndPublishedMapState(savedObjects, mapState.published_objects, true);
+    await route.fulfill({
+      status: 200,
+      contentType: "application/json",
+      body: JSON.stringify(mapState),
+    });
+  });
+
+  await page.route("**/households/1/locations/10/map/publish", async (route) => {
+    publishCalled = true;
+    mapState = publishedMapState(mapState.draft_objects, true);
+    await route.fulfill({
+      status: 200,
+      contentType: "application/json",
+      body: JSON.stringify(mapState),
+    });
+  });
+
+  await page.goto("/stores/100/locations/10/map");
+
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Edit Map" }).click();
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Edit Objects" }).click();
+  await page.locator(".location-map-object", { hasText: "Live Bakery" }).locator("rect").first().click();
+  await page.getByRole("textbox", { name: "Label" }).fill("Quick Publish Bakery");
+  await expect(page.locator(".location-map-status")).toHaveText("Unsaved Draft");
+
+  await page.getByRole("button", { name: "Publish", exact: true }).click();
+
+  await expect.poll(() => publishCalled).toBe(true);
+  expect(savedPayload).not.toBeNull();
+  expect(savedPayload?.objects).toEqual(
+    expect.arrayContaining([
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        label: "Quick Publish Bakery",
+        zone_id: 501,
+      }),
+    ])
+  );
+  await expect(page.locator(".location-map-status")).toHaveText("Published");
+  await expect(page.getByRole("button", { name: "Map area Quick Publish Bakery" })).toBeVisible();
+  await expect(page.getByRole("button", { name: "Map area Live Bakery" })).toHaveCount(0);
+});
+
 test("viewer wraps long zone labels and keeps item counts visible", async ({ page }) => {
   await mockMapShell(page);