diff --git a/.changeset/bitstring-multibase-encoded-list.md b/.changeset/bitstring-multibase-encoded-list.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..107c1b76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/bitstring-multibase-encoded-list.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+"@agentcommercekit/vc": patch
+---
+
+`isRevoked` now reads a Bitstring Status List `encodedList` in the form the
+specification defines: the Multibase base64url (`u` prefix, no padding) form of
+the GZIP-compressed bitstring. It passed that value straight to
+`BitBuffer.fromBitstring`, which expects plain padded base64, so every list
+from a conformant issuer, including the example in the specification, failed
+as an unreadable `encodedList` and the credential's status could not be
+determined. Lists without the `u` prefix are read exactly as before.
diff --git a/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.test.ts b/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.test.ts
index 6c49aa73..9d073eb2 100644
--- a/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.test.ts
+++ b/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.test.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { gzipSync } from "node:zlib"
+
 import {
   createDidDocumentFromKeypair,
   createDidWebUri,
@@ -437,6 +439,72 @@ describe("isRevoked", () => {
     expect(mockFetch).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  // Bitstring Status List v1.0, Section 2.2: `encodedList` is the Multibase
+  // base64url (no padding) form of the GZIP-compressed bitstring, and the
+  // bitstring is at least 16KB with index 0 at the left-most bit.
+  it("reads an encodedList in the form the specification defines", async () => {
+    const bitstring = new Uint8Array(16 * 1024)
+    bitstring[0] = 0b0000_0100 // index 5
+
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      Response.json(
+        await signedStatusList({
+          encodedList: `u${gzipSync(bitstring).toString("base64url")}`,
+        }),
+      ),
+    )
+
+    await expect(
+      isRevoked(buildCredential(statusEntry()), { resolver }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(true)
+  })
+
+  it("reads the example encodedList from the specification", async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      Response.json(
+        await signedStatusList({
+          encodedList:
+            "uH4sIAAAAAAAAA-3BMQEAAADCoPVPbQwfoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIC3AYbSVKsAQAAA",
+        }),
+      ),
+    )
+
+    await expect(
+      isRevoked(buildCredential(statusEntry()), { resolver }),
+    ).resolves.toBe(false)
+  })
+
+  it("throws when a multibase encodedList is not base64url", async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      Response.json(await signedStatusList({ encodedList: "uH4sI+AAA/" })),
+    )
+
+    const error = await captureRevocationError(
+      isRevoked(buildCredential(statusEntry()), { resolver }),
+    )
+
+    expect(error.detail).toMatch(/unreadable encodedList/)
+  })
+
+  it("throws when a multibase encodedList has an impossible length", async () => {
+    // The specification example plus one character: 69 base64url characters
+    // cannot encode any byte string.
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      Response.json(
+        await signedStatusList({
+          encodedList:
+            "uH4sIAAAAAAAAA-3BMQEAAADCoPVPbQwfoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIC3AYbSVKsAQAAAA",
+        }),
+      ),
+    )
+
+    const error = await captureRevocationError(
+      isRevoked(buildCredential(statusEntry()), { resolver }),
+    )
+
+    expect(error.detail).toMatch(/unreadable encodedList/)
+  })
+
   it("throws when the encoded list cannot be decoded", async () => {
     mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(
       Response.json(await signedStatusList({ encodedList: "not-a-bitstring" })),
diff --git a/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.ts b/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.ts
index 48255533..da49a968 100644
--- a/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.ts
+++ b/packages/vc/src/verification/is-revoked.ts
@@ -46,6 +46,37 @@ const MAX_STATUS_LIST_BYTES = 5_000_000
  */
 const DEFAULT_MAX_ENCODED_LIST_BYTES = 64 * 1024
 
+/**
+ * Decode an `encodedList` into its bitstring.
+ *
+ * Bitstring Status List v1.0 encodes the list as the Multibase base64url form
+ * (`u` prefix, no padding) of the GZIP-compressed bitstring. `bit-buffers`
+ * reads plain, padded base64 and inflates both GZIP and zlib streams, so a
+ * Multibase list is rewritten into that alphabet first. A list without the
+ * `u` prefix is read as before: plain base64 of a compressed stream never
+ * starts with `u`, since that would need a first byte of 0xB8 to 0xBB, which
+ * is neither a GZIP nor a valid zlib header.
+ *
+ * @see {@link https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-bitstring-status-list/#bitstring-expansion-algorithm}
+ */
+function decodeEncodedList(encodedList: string): BitBuffer {
+  if (!encodedList.startsWith("u")) {
+    return BitBuffer.fromBitstring(encodedList)
+  }
+
+  const base64url = encodedList.slice(1)
+  // A length of 1 modulo 4 cannot come from any byte string; base64-js would
+  // otherwise drop the trailing character and read the rest.
+  if (!/^[A-Za-z0-9_-]+$/.test(base64url) || base64url.length % 4 === 1) {
+    throw new Error("Multibase encodedList is not base64url without padding")
+  }
+
+  const base64 = base64url.replaceAll("-", "+").replaceAll("_", "/")
+  return BitBuffer.fromBitstring(
+    base64.padEnd(Math.ceil(base64.length / 4) * 4, "="),
+  )
+}
+
 export type RevocationCheckOptions = {
   /**
    * The resolver used to verify the status list credential's proof.
@@ -514,7 +545,7 @@ export async function isRevoked(
   let bits: BitBuffer
 
   try {
-    bits = BitBuffer.fromBitstring(encodedList)
+    bits = decodeEncodedList(encodedList)
   } catch (error) {
     throw undetermined(
       `Status list at '${statusListCredential}' has an unreadable encodedList`,