diff --git a/internal/ingresssidecar/backend.go b/internal/ingresssidecar/backend.go
index 9a6f362f..39cae467 100644
--- a/internal/ingresssidecar/backend.go
+++ b/internal/ingresssidecar/backend.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 
+	"go.datum.net/galactic/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap"
 	"go.datum.net/galactic/internal/plumbing/srv6"
 	"go.datum.net/galactic/internal/plumbing/vrf"
 )
@@ -80,7 +81,15 @@ type kernelBackend struct{}
 
 // NewKernelBackend returns the production Backend, wired to real kernel state.
 // Requires CAP_NET_ADMIN.
-func NewKernelBackend() Backend { return kernelBackend{} }
+//
+// It also makes the process accept a default route to a backend's SID. The
+// sidecar resolves SIDs in Envoy's pod namespace, where the default toward the
+// host is the only route, so the shard check that rejects a default-route
+// match would refuse every backend.
+func NewKernelBackend() Backend {
+	egressroutemap.AcceptDefaultRoute()
+	return kernelBackend{}
+}
 
 func (kernelBackend) EnsureVRF(vpc string) (uint32, error) {
 	if err := vrf.AddInRange(vpc, sidecarTableIDMin, sidecarTableIDMax); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/ingresssidecar/backend_test.go b/internal/ingresssidecar/backend_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dc70130c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/ingresssidecar/backend_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// Copyright 2026 Datum Cloud, Inc.
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+package ingresssidecar
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"go.datum.net/galactic/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap"
+)
+
+func TestNewKernelBackend_AcceptsADefaultRouteToBackendSIDs(t *testing.T) {
+	NewKernelBackend()
+
+	if !egressroutemap.DefaultRouteAccepted() {
+		t.Error("the kernel backend left default routes rejected, so every backend SID resolved from " +
+			"Envoy's pod namespace, whose only route is the default, would be refused")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/egressroute.go b/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/egressroute.go
index dd2a0e15..061e6a2a 100644
--- a/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/egressroute.go
+++ b/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/egressroute.go
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"net/netip"
 	"strconv"
+	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/cilium/ebpf"
@@ -213,8 +214,12 @@ func resolveLinkAndL2(sid net.IP) (linkIndex int, dmac, smac net.HardwareAddr, e
 // is down.
 //
 // A kernel that cannot answer a FIB-match lookup cannot tell the two apart, so
-// the check is skipped there rather than failing every SID.
+// the check is skipped there rather than failing every SID. So is a process
+// that called AcceptDefaultRoute.
 func rejectDefaultRoute(sid net.IP) error {
+	if defaultRouteAccepted.Load() {
+		return nil
+	}
 	matched, err := netlink.RouteGetWithOptions(sid, &netlink.RouteGetOptions{FIBMatch: true})
 	if err != nil || len(matched) == 0 {
 		return nil
@@ -227,6 +232,26 @@ func rejectDefaultRoute(sid net.IP) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// defaultRouteAccepted is set by AcceptDefaultRoute.
+var defaultRouteAccepted atomic.Bool
+
+// AcceptDefaultRoute makes a default route an acceptable route to any SID for
+// the rest of the process, turning off rejectDefaultRoute.
+//
+// It is for a process that resolves SIDs from a network namespace that never
+// holds fabric routes. The ingress sidecar runs in Envoy's pod namespace, whose
+// only route is the default toward the host, and the host carries the fabric's
+// specific routes. There a default-route match is the only answer a reachable
+// SID can ever give, so rejecting it would refuse every backend.
+func AcceptDefaultRoute() {
+	defaultRouteAccepted.Store(true)
+}
+
+// DefaultRouteAccepted reports whether AcceptDefaultRoute has been called.
+func DefaultRouteAccepted() bool {
+	return defaultRouteAccepted.Load()
+}
+
 func isDefault(dst *net.IPNet) bool {
 	ones, _ := dst.Mask.Size()
 	return ones == 0
diff --git a/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/resolve_default_test.go b/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/resolve_default_test.go
index 800f2b3e..0d954a89 100644
--- a/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/resolve_default_test.go
+++ b/internal/plumbing/ebpf/egressroutemap/resolve_default_test.go
@@ -51,3 +51,52 @@ func TestResolveLinkAndL2_RejectsADefaultRouteOverAnUplink(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("resolve through the advertised locator: %v", specificErr)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestResolveLinkAndL2_AcceptsADefaultRouteWhenTheProcessAllowsIt(t *testing.T) {
+	requireRoot(t)
+
+	nearNS, linkIndex, farIP := setUpVethPair(t,
+		"vrfdr1", "fd00:beef:4::1/64",
+		"vrfdr1p", "fd00:beef:4::2/64")
+
+	restore := uplinkIndexesFn
+	uplinkIndexesFn = func() (map[int]struct{}, error) { return map[int]struct{}{linkIndex: {}}, nil }
+	t.Cleanup(func() { uplinkIndexesFn = restore })
+
+	acceptDefaultRouteForTest(t)
+
+	sid := net.ParseIP("2001:db8:ff02:2002:e001::")
+
+	var resolveErr error
+	err := nearNS.Do(func(_ ns.NetNS) error {
+		if err := netlink.RouteAdd(&netlink.Route{LinkIndex: linkIndex, Gw: farIP}); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("add default route: %w", err)
+		}
+		_, _, _, resolveErr = resolveLinkAndL2(sid)
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if resolveErr != nil {
+		t.Errorf("resolve through only a default route with default routes accepted: %v", resolveErr)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRejectDefaultRoute_SkippedOnceDefaultRoutesAreAccepted(t *testing.T) {
+	acceptDefaultRouteForTest(t)
+
+	if !DefaultRouteAccepted() {
+		t.Fatal("DefaultRouteAccepted() = false after AcceptDefaultRoute")
+	}
+	if err := rejectDefaultRoute(net.ParseIP("2001:db8:ff02:2002:e001::")); err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("rejectDefaultRoute with default routes accepted: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func acceptDefaultRouteForTest(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Helper()
+	prev := defaultRouteAccepted.Load()
+	AcceptDefaultRoute()
+	t.Cleanup(func() { defaultRouteAccepted.Store(prev) })
+}