diff --git a/docs/TENANTS.md b/docs/TENANTS.md
index fb7029b13c..a6d4ca7216 100644
--- a/docs/TENANTS.md
+++ b/docs/TENANTS.md
@@ -375,7 +375,11 @@ here** — **hostnames**, **`gethomepage.dev/*` dashboard annotations**, routes,
   alongside the canonical Kyverno policy fixtures, so neither half can widen silently.
 - The platform's `homepage` app discovers `gethomepage.dev/*` annotations on the tenant's
   HTTPRoute cluster-wide, so the tenant authors them in its own artifact — they are tenant
-  self-presentation, not platform config.
+  self-presentation, not platform config. Homepage links the card to the route's first
+  hostname plus its first rule's first path, so a route whose first rule matches a sub-path
+  (an `/api` or `/mcp` bypass, say) must set `gethomepage.dev/href`; admission denies it
+  otherwise
+  ([`require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml`](../k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/best-practices/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml)).
 
 Use an existing tenant's `deploy/httproute.yaml` (e.g. `ascoachingogvaner`, which owns its
 hostnames *and* its dashboard annotations) as the reference.
diff --git a/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/best-practices/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml b/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/best-practices/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6d24314336
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/best-practices/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+# Keeps every Homepage card pointing at the service's front page.
+#
+# Why: unless a route sets gethomepage.dev/href, Homepage builds the card link
+# itself, from the route's first hostname plus the path of its FIRST rule's
+# FIRST match. Rule order is routing-neutral in the Gateway API, where the most
+# specific match wins whatever its position, so nothing in a route reads as
+# wrong when a narrow rule is listed first. Homepage is the only consumer of
+# that order, and it fails silently: the card still renders, healthy, and links
+# somewhere else.
+#
+# That is how the Coroot card broke. platform#5881 put an `Exact /mcp` rule
+# (the agents' MCP endpoint, which bypasses SSO) ahead of the catch-all, so the
+# card linked to /mcp, and a browser without a bearer token got Coroot's 401
+# "unauthorized" instead of the UI. A RegularExpression first path or a route
+# without hostnames is worse: Homepage builds no link at all.
+#
+# So a route that opts into the dashboard may leave the link to Homepage only
+# when the derived link is the site root; any other route must name its link
+# explicitly with gethomepage.dev/href. The API server defaults an omitted rule
+# list, match list or path to `PathPrefix /`, so an omitted one reads as the
+# root here as well.
+#
+# Scope: HTTPRoutes in every namespace, platform and tenant alike, with
+# background scanning on so existing drift surfaces in the PolicyReports.
+# CREATE and UPDATE only, never DELETE, so a route can always be removed
+# (#4732). Ingress is deliberately not matched: neither this repository nor the
+# cluster serves one, and the tenant role grants only HTTPRoutes. Reading an
+# Ingress's link needs its `http` field, and `ksail workload validate` skips
+# any policy whose expressions name `http` (it cannot tell the field from the
+# CEL http library), so covering Ingress would cost the offline evaluation that
+# lets a pull request fail on a violating route before admission does.
+apiVersion: policies.kyverno.io/v1
+kind: ValidatingPolicy
+metadata:
+  name: require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes
+  annotations:
+    policies.kyverno.io/title: Require Homepage Href For Non-Root Routes
+    policies.kyverno.io/category: Best Practices
+    policies.kyverno.io/severity: low
+    policies.kyverno.io/subject: HTTPRoute
+    policies.kyverno.io/minversion: 1.17.0
+    policies.kyverno.io/description: >-
+      Requires every HTTPRoute that opts into Homepage discovery
+      (gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true") to set gethomepage.dev/href unless the
+      link Homepage would derive from it is the site root, so reordering a
+      route's rules cannot silently move its dashboard card to a sub-path.
+spec:
+  failurePolicy: Fail
+  validationActions:
+    - Deny
+  evaluation:
+    background:
+      enabled: true
+  matchConstraints:
+    resourceRules:
+      - apiGroups: ["gateway.networking.k8s.io"]
+        apiVersions: ["*"]
+        operations: ["CREATE", "UPDATE"]
+        resources: ["httproutes"]
+  matchConditions:
+    - name: opted-into-homepage
+      expression: >-
+        object.metadata.?annotations.orValue({})[?'gethomepage.dev/enabled'].orValue('') == 'true'
+  variables:
+    # Homepage treats an empty href as absent, so this does too.
+    - name: href
+      expression: >-
+        object.metadata.?annotations.orValue({})[?'gethomepage.dev/href'].orValue('')
+    # https://<hostnames[0]><rules[0].matches[0].path.value>, and no link at all
+    # without a hostname or for a RegularExpression path. A wildcard first
+    # hostname (`*.example.com`) yields a link no browser can open. The scheme
+    # comes from the Gateway named by parentRefs[0], and Homepage throws reading
+    # that entry when parentRefs is omitted or empty. The API server defaults
+    # only an OMITTED rule list or match list; an explicitly empty one stays
+    # empty, and Homepage then fails reading `[0]` of it, so omitted reads as
+    # the root and empty does not.
+    - name: linksToRoot
+      expression: >-
+        size(object.spec.?parentRefs.orValue([])) > 0 &&
+        size(object.spec.?hostnames.orValue([])) > 0 &&
+        !object.spec.hostnames[0].startsWith('*') &&
+        (
+          !object.spec.?rules.hasValue() ||
+          (
+            size(object.spec.rules) > 0 &&
+            (
+              !object.spec.rules[0].?matches.hasValue() ||
+              (
+                size(object.spec.rules[0].matches) > 0 &&
+                object.spec.rules[0].matches[0].?path.?value.orValue('/') == '/' &&
+                object.spec.rules[0].matches[0].?path.?type.orValue('PathPrefix') != 'RegularExpression'
+              )
+            )
+          )
+        )
+  validations:
+    - expression: >-
+        variables.href != '' || variables.linksToRoot
+      message: >-
+        An HTTPRoute with gethomepage.dev/enabled="true" must set
+        gethomepage.dev/href unless its first hostname and its first rule's
+        first path already form the site root. Homepage builds the card link
+        from exactly those two fields, so a route whose first rule matches a
+        sub-path (such as an /mcp or /api bypass) sends the card there, and a
+        missing or wildcard hostname, a missing parentRef, a RegularExpression
+        path, or an explicitly empty rule or match list leaves the card with no
+        usable link.
diff --git a/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/kustomization.yaml b/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/kustomization.yaml
index 849a69eac4..bad35e2b6b 100644
--- a/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/kustomization.yaml
+++ b/k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/kustomization.yaml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ resources:
   - best-practices/disable-default-sa-automount.yaml
   - best-practices/disallow-latest-tag.yaml
   - best-practices/propagate-reloader-to-flagger-primary.yaml
+  - best-practices/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml
   - best-practices/restrict-github-team-external-identity.yaml
   - best-practices/restrict-github-team-management.yaml
   - best-practices/restrict-arc-openbao-listener.yaml
diff --git a/k8s/bases/infrastructure/controllers/coroot/http-route.yaml b/k8s/bases/infrastructure/controllers/coroot/http-route.yaml
index 3f3a30a932..a432c398e0 100644
--- a/k8s/bases/infrastructure/controllers/coroot/http-route.yaml
+++ b/k8s/bases/infrastructure/controllers/coroot/http-route.yaml
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@ metadata:
     # uses for the Cilium and OpenBao routes. Homepage fetches icons client-side,
     # so the cluster egress NetworkPolicy doesn't block it.
     gethomepage.dev/icon: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/coroot/coroot/main/front/public/icon.svg
+    # Card link. Without it Homepage builds the link from the hostname plus the
+    # FIRST rule's first path match, and the first rule below is the /mcp
+    # bypass, so the card opened Coroot's MCP endpoint, which answers a browser
+    # without a bearer token with 401 "unauthorized" (#5881 added that rule).
+    # Pin the UI root so rule order cannot move the link again; the
+    # require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes policy enforces this.
+    gethomepage.dev/href: https://observability.${domain}
 spec:
   parentRefs:
     - name: platform
diff --git a/tests/policy-failure-actions.json b/tests/policy-failure-actions.json
index ed8f8186fe..32b35c3175 100644
--- a/tests/policy-failure-actions.json
+++ b/tests/policy-failure-actions.json
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
   "audit-privileged-rbac": "Enforce",
   "disallow-latest-tag": "Audit",
   "restrict-homepage-service-groups": "Enforce",
+  "require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes": "Enforce",
   "restrict-tenant-issuer-refs": "Enforce",
   "restrict-tenant-network-policies/cnp-ingress-sources-must-be-constrained": "Enforce",
   "restrict-tenant-network-policies/cnp-egress-destinations-must-be-constrained": "Enforce",
diff --git a/tests/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes/kyverno-test.yaml b/tests/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes/kyverno-test.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f5e3188cd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes/kyverno-test.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+apiVersion: cli.kyverno.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Test
+metadata:
+  name: require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes
+policies:
+  - >-
+    ../../k8s/bases/infrastructure/cluster-policies/best-practices/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes.yaml
+resources:
+  - resources.yaml
+  # Exercise the shipped Coroot route, whose /mcp rule comes first: it passes
+  # only while it keeps its explicit href.
+  - ../../k8s/bases/infrastructure/controllers/coroot/http-route.yaml
+results:
+  # --- derived link is the site root, or an explicit href is set ---
+  - policy: require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes
+    resources:
+      - whoami/root-prefix-first
+      - whoami/exact-root-first
+      - whoami/omitted-matches
+      - whoami/omitted-rules
+      - whoami/omitted-path
+      - observability/subpath-first-with-href
+      - whoami/wildcard-hostname-with-href
+      - whoami/empty-matches-with-href
+      - whoami/no-parent-refs-with-href
+      - observability/coroot
+    kind: HTTPRoute
+    result: pass
+  # --- a sub-path, a regex, a missing or wildcard hostname, no parentRef, or an empty list, with no href ---
+  - policy: require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes
+    resources:
+      - observability/subpath-first-without-href
+      - whoami/prefix-subpath-first
+      - whoami/root-is-second-match
+      - whoami/regex-root-first
+      - whoami/no-hostnames
+      - whoami/empty-href
+      - whoami/wildcard-hostname
+      - whoami/empty-matches
+      - whoami/empty-rules
+      - whoami/no-parent-refs
+      - whoami/empty-parent-refs
+    kind: HTTPRoute
+    result: fail
+  # --- the precondition's negative control: routes that never opted in ---
+  - policy: require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes
+    resources:
+      - whoami/not-opted-in
+      - whoami/discovery-disabled
+    kind: HTTPRoute
+    result: skip
diff --git a/tests/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes/resources.yaml b/tests/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes/resources.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..24da563f27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/require-homepage-href-for-non-root-routes/resources.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,495 @@
+# --- derived link is the site root, or an explicit href is set: pass ---------
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: root-prefix-first
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: Exact
+            value: /api
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami-api
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: exact-root-first
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: Exact
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# The API server defaults an omitted match list to `PathPrefix /`; the CLI
+# applies no defaults, so this is the pre-defaulting shape of a catch-all.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: omitted-matches
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: omitted-path
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - headers:
+            - name: x-canary
+              value: "true"
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: subpath-first-with-href
+  namespace: observability
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+    gethomepage.dev/href: https://observability.platform.lan
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - observability.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: Exact
+            value: /mcp
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: coroot-mcp
+          port: 8080
+    - backendRefs:
+        - name: oauth2-proxy
+          namespace: oauth2-proxy
+          port: 80
+---
+# The API server defaults an omitted rule list to one `PathPrefix /` rule.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: omitted-rules
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+---
+# The cases below would have no usable derived link, and an href fixes each.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: wildcard-hostname-with-href
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+    gethomepage.dev/href: https://whoami.platform.lan
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - "*.platform.lan"
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: empty-matches-with-href
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+    gethomepage.dev/href: https://whoami.platform.lan
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches: []
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: no-parent-refs-with-href
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+    gethomepage.dev/href: https://whoami.platform.lan
+spec:
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# --- derived link is a sub-path or missing, and no href: fail ----------------
+# The Coroot route as platform#5881 shipped it: the card linked to /mcp.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: subpath-first-without-href
+  namespace: observability
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - observability.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: Exact
+            value: /mcp
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: coroot-mcp
+          port: 8080
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: oauth2-proxy
+          namespace: oauth2-proxy
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: prefix-subpath-first
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /api
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami-api
+          port: 80
+---
+# A second match on the first rule does not count: Homepage reads matches[0].
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: root-is-second-match
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /docs
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# Homepage builds no link for a RegularExpression path, even one matching "/".
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: regex-root-first
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: RegularExpression
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: no-hostnames
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# Homepage treats an empty href as unset and falls back to the derived link.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: empty-href
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+    gethomepage.dev/href: ""
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /api
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami-api
+          port: 80
+---
+# Homepage would link to https://*.platform.lan/, which no browser can open.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: wildcard-hostname
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - "*.platform.lan"
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# An explicitly empty list is not defaulted: Homepage fails reading matches[0].
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: empty-matches
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches: []
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# Likewise for an explicitly empty rule list: Homepage fails reading rules[0].
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: empty-rules
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules: []
+---
+# Homepage reads parentRefs[0] for the scheme and throws when there is none.
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: no-parent-refs
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: empty-parent-refs
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "true"
+spec:
+  parentRefs: []
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+# --- the precondition's negative control: routes that never opted in --------
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: not-opted-in
+  namespace: whoami
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: Exact
+            value: /mcp
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: discovery-disabled
+  namespace: whoami
+  annotations:
+    gethomepage.dev/enabled: "false"
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - name: platform
+      namespace: kube-system
+      sectionName: https
+  hostnames:
+    - whoami.platform.lan
+  rules:
+    - matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /api/send
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: whoami
+          port: 80