diff --git a/routes/web.php b/routes/web.php
index eb9ea0f..6db772f 100644
--- a/routes/web.php
+++ b/routes/web.php
@@ -135,11 +135,13 @@ Route::middleware('auth')->group(function () {
         Route::get('/help', Help\Index::class)->name('help');
         Route::get('/wireguard', Wireguard\Index::class)->name('wireguard');
 
-        // Dev-only Release page. The route is always registered (routes/web.php is evaluated once at
-        // boot, so a boot-time config flag could not be toggled per-request), but the component's
-        // mount() abort_unless(config('clusev.release_controls')) is the real gate: with the flag off
-        // every hit 404s, exactly as if the route did not exist. The sidebar item is flag-gated too.
-        Route::get('/release', Release\Index::class)->name('release');
+        // Dev-only Release page — first of the gating triple (spec): the route is registered ONLY when
+        // the flag is on, so with it off /release does not exist (uncached route file is re-included
+        // per request, so the flag is honoured). Release\Index::mount() abort_unless(...) is the second
+        // guard (covers a cached route file); the sidebar item is flag-gated too (third).
+        if (config('clusev.release_controls')) {
+            Route::get('/release', Release\Index::class)->name('release');
+        }
 
         Route::get('/wg-status.json', fn (\App\Services\WgStatus $wg) => response()->json($wg->read()))->name('wg.status');
 
diff --git a/tests/Feature/ReleaseGatingTest.php b/tests/Feature/ReleaseGatingTest.php
index b74130a..6f27149 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/ReleaseGatingTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/ReleaseGatingTest.php
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ namespace Tests\Feature;
 
 use App\Models\User;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Testing\RefreshDatabase;
+use Illuminate\Routing\RouteCollection;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
 use Tests\TestCase;
 
 class ReleaseGatingTest extends TestCase
@@ -16,27 +18,41 @@ class ReleaseGatingTest extends TestCase
         $this->actingAs(User::factory()->create(['must_change_password' => false]));
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Set the release flag and re-evaluate routes/web.php so the conditional `/release`
+     * registration reflects it. The route file is read once at boot (flag default off), so a
+     * runtime config()->set() alone cannot register the route — re-loading the file mirrors a
+     * fresh request that re-includes routes/web.php with the flag now set.
+     */
+    private function withReleaseFlag(bool $on): void
+    {
+        config()->set('clusev.release_controls', $on);
+        Route::setRoutes(new RouteCollection);
+        require base_path('routes/web.php');
+        $this->app['router']->getRoutes()->refreshNameLookups();
+    }
+
     public function test_release_route_is_404_when_the_flag_is_off(): void
     {
-        config()->set('clusev.release_controls', false);
+        $this->withReleaseFlag(false);
         $this->get('/release')->assertNotFound();
     }
 
     public function test_release_route_loads_when_the_flag_is_on(): void
     {
-        config()->set('clusev.release_controls', true);
+        $this->withReleaseFlag(true);
         $this->get('/release')->assertOk();
     }
 
     public function test_sidebar_hides_the_release_item_when_the_flag_is_off(): void
     {
-        config()->set('clusev.release_controls', false);
+        $this->withReleaseFlag(false);
         $this->get('/audit')->assertOk()->assertDontSee(__('release.nav'));
     }
 
     public function test_sidebar_shows_the_release_item_when_the_flag_is_on(): void
     {
-        config()->set('clusev.release_controls', true);
+        $this->withReleaseFlag(true);
         $this->get('/audit')->assertOk()->assertSee(__('release.nav'));
     }
 }