Abstract: To clarify the stress changes and gas seepage coupling mechanisms in the upper protected coal seam during distant protective layer mining, based on the basic theories of adsorption and desorption, rock mechanics and seepage mechanics, the fluid-solid coupling model of coal containing gas is established with the Ⅴ₈ coal seam and Ⅳ_5-6 coal seam of Pingmei 6^th mine as the research object. The COMSOL Multiphysics numerical simulation is used to study the stress change and permeability evolution law of the protected coal seam at different mining distances. The results indicate that as the protective layer advances, the pressure relief zone of the upper protected coal seam expands, and the stress distribution evolves from a "V" shape to a "U" shape. The permeability of the upper protected coal seam generally presents a "W"-shaped distribution, characterized by an initial decrease, followed by an increase, and then stabilization. The numerical simulation result of the permeability of the upper protected coal seam after pressure relief is 18.53×10^－17 m², and the error from the field measurement result is 9.83%, which is within the allowable range. Numerical simulations of gas extraction were conducted on the distant protected coal seam. It was observed that as extraction time increased, the gas pressure in the upper protected coal seam formed an elliptical distribution centered around the borehole, with gas pressure increasing from the center outward, and the effective extraction radius expanding over time. The average error between the numerical simulation results for the effective extraction radius and the field measurements was 4.81%. This work provides some theoretical guidance for gas extraction from distant protected coal seams with pressure relief.