diff --git a/examples/route-proxy/challenge_test.go b/examples/route-proxy/challenge_test.go
index 6919f24..3afd141 100644
--- a/examples/route-proxy/challenge_test.go
+++ b/examples/route-proxy/challenge_test.go
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ package main
 // three behaviours tokenOrRoute exists for.
 
 import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"os"
@@ -73,6 +75,27 @@ func TestASecondAuthorityIsProbedBeforeRouting(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAnAuthorityWhosePolicyRefusesTheNameIsProbedPast(t *testing.T) {
+	// autocert checks the host policy before the token and answers 403 — the internal authority
+	// does this for every public name. A policy refusal is as much "not mine" as a missing token:
+	// the request must still reach plain routing, where the workload's own ACME client answers.
+	refusing := &autocert.Manager{
+		Prompt: autocert.AcceptTOS,
+		Cache:  autocert.DirCache(t.TempDir()),
+		HostPolicy: func(ctx context.Context, host string) error {
+			return fmt.Errorf("no internal-only route for %q in this mesh", host)
+		},
+	}
+	h := tokenOrRoute(routedTo(t, "the workload answered"), refusing)
+
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.ServeHTTP(rec, httptest.NewRequest("GET", "http://mail.example/.well-known/acme-challenge/mailus-token", nil))
+
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK || rec.Body.String() != "the workload answered" {
+		t.Fatalf("a policy refusal must fall through to routing; got %d %q", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAnOrdinaryPathNeverTouchesTheChallengeMachinery(t *testing.T) {
 	m := &autocert.Manager{Prompt: autocert.AcceptTOS, Cache: autocert.DirCache(t.TempDir())}
 	h := tokenOrRoute(routedTo(t, "routed"), m)
diff --git a/examples/route-proxy/main.go b/examples/route-proxy/main.go
index 1e775f0..38d9308 100644
--- a/examples/route-proxy/main.go
+++ b/examples/route-proxy/main.go
@@ -458,8 +458,11 @@ func tokenOrRoute(routes http.Handler, managers ...*autocert.Manager) http.Handl
 		for _, probe := range probes {
 			buffered := &probedResponse{header: make(http.Header)}
 			probe.ServeHTTP(buffered, r)
-			if buffered.status == http.StatusNotFound {
-				continue // not this manager's token
+			// Two shapes of "not mine": 404, a token this manager is not holding — and 403, a
+			// name its host policy would never certify at all (autocert checks the policy before
+			// the token, so the internal authority answers 403 for every public name).
+			if buffered.status == http.StatusNotFound || buffered.status == http.StatusForbidden {
+				continue
 			}
 			buffered.replayTo(w)
 			return