diff --git a/src/function-limits.test.ts b/src/function-limits.test.ts
index 43c41e5..4b5f423 100644
--- a/src/function-limits.test.ts
+++ b/src/function-limits.test.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const LIMITS = { lines: 50, complexity: 20 };
 // Each function over a limit, at its measurement. A ceiling follows its function down, and a metric
 // leaves the entry once it fits, so a function that shrank can't grow back.
 const grandfathered: Record<string, { lines?: number; complexity?: number }> = {
-  "src/http/app.ts createApp": { lines: 144, complexity: 26 },
+  "src/http/app.ts createApp": { lines: 135, complexity: 26 },
   "src/auth/flow-view.ts buildFlowView": { complexity: 24 },
   "src/auth/hydra-admin.ts createHydraAdmin": { lines: 87 },
   "src/auth/kratos-admin.ts createKratosAdmin": { lines: 68 },
diff --git a/src/http/app-plugins.test.ts b/src/http/app-plugins.test.ts
index 1f5309c..3f3ee9b 100644
--- a/src/http/app-plugins.test.ts
+++ b/src/http/app-plugins.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import { KratosError, type Session } from "../auth/kratos-public.ts";
 import { SESSION_COOKIE } from "../auth/login.ts";
 import { createLogger } from "../logger.ts";
 import type { Plugin } from "../plugin-host/plugin.ts";
-import { ecJwk, fakeKeto, mintJwt, startApp, stubAdmin, withWhoami } from "../test-tooling/app-harness.ts";
+import { ecJwk, fakeKeto, mintJwt, session, startApp, stubAdmin, withWhoami } from "../test-tooling/app-harness.ts";
 
 // A test plugin exercising each RouteResult shape, a path param, and the permission gate.
 const demoPlugin: Plugin = {
@@ -350,6 +350,29 @@ test("plugin hooks: onRequest can short-circuit a request and onResponse observe
   assert.ok(seen.includes("/hooked/ok:handler ran"));
 });
 
+test("plugin hooks: onResponse observes the result of a plugin-owned `/` and `/dashboard`", async (t) => {
+  const seen: string[] = [];
+  const owner: Plugin = {
+    apiVersion: "1.0.0",
+    dashboard: () => ({ html: "owned dashboard" }),
+    home: () => ({ html: "owned home" }),
+    id: "owner",
+  };
+  const observer: Plugin = {
+    apiVersion: "1.0.0",
+    hooks: { onResponse: (c, r) => void seen.push(`${c.url.pathname}:${r && "html" in r ? r.html : "?"}`) },
+    id: "observer",
+  };
+  const app = createApp({ jwks: staticJwks([ecJwk]), plugins: [owner, observer] });
+  await new Promise<void>((r) => app.listen(0, r));
+  t.after(() => app.close());
+  const url = `http://localhost:${(app.address() as AddressInfo).port}`;
+
+  assert.match(await (await fetch(url + "/")).text(), /owned home/);
+  assert.match(await (await fetch(url + "/dashboard", { headers: { cookie: session() } })).text(), /owned dashboard/);
+  assert.deepEqual(seen, ["/:owned home", "/dashboard:owned dashboard"]);
+});
+
 test("plugin hooks: the request routes by the method and path it arrived with, whatever onRequest does to req", async (t) => {
   const rewriter: Plugin = {
     apiVersion: "1.0.0",
diff --git a/src/http/app.ts b/src/http/app.ts
index 7987776..685e851 100644
--- a/src/http/app.ts
+++ b/src/http/app.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { createServer, type IncomingMessage, type Server, type ServerResponse }
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import ejs from "ejs";
-import { type BuiltinRoute, matchBuiltinRoute, type PluginContextFactory, type RequestCsrf } from "./builtin-route.ts";
+import { type BuiltinRoute, matchBuiltinRoute, type PluginContextFactory, type PluginOwned, type RequestCsrf } from "./builtin-route.ts";
 import { buildPluginChrome, type PageChrome } from "../ui/chrome.ts";
 import { buildContext, type RequestContext, type User } from "./context.ts";
 import { csrfCookie, ensureCsrfToken, verifyCsrfRequest } from "../auth/csrf.ts";
@@ -140,32 +140,22 @@ export function createApp(options: AppOptions = {}): Server {
   const pluginViewsFor = (ctx: RequestContext, id: string): ViewRenderer => (view, data) => renderView(id, view, { ...data, ...i18nLocals(localsOf(ctx)), assetHref: assets.href });
 
   // The public landing "/", ungated. A plugin may own it via `home`; else the built-in intro page.
-  const serveHome = async (ctx: RequestContext, csrf: RequestCsrf, contextFor: PluginContextFactory): Promise<RouteResult | null> => {
+  const serveHome = async (ctx: RequestContext, csrf: RequestCsrf, contextFor: PluginContextFactory): Promise<RouteResult | PluginOwned> => {
     csrf.setCookie();
-    if (homePlugin) {
-      // The plugin owns this page, so it runs on its own context — its catalog first, then core.
-      const pluginCtx = contextFor(homePlugin.id);
-      const result = (await homePlugin.home(pluginCtx)) ?? null;
-      if (anyResponseHooks) await runResponseHooks(plugins, contextFor, result);
-      await sendResult(ctx.res, result, pluginViewsFor(pluginCtx, homePlugin.id), pluginCtx.localeHref);
-      return null;
-    }
-    return { data: { chrome: ctx.chrome, user: ctx.user }, view: "home" };
+    if (!homePlugin) return { data: { chrome: ctx.chrome, user: ctx.user }, view: "home" };
+    // The plugin owns this page, so it runs on its own context — its catalog first, then core.
+    const pluginCtx = contextFor(homePlugin.id);
+    return { ctx: pluginCtx, pluginId: homePlugin.id, result: (await homePlugin.home(pluginCtx)) ?? null };
   };
 
   // "/dashboard", gated to a signed-in user. A plugin may own it via `dashboard`; else the built-in
   // starter page.
-  const serveDashboard = async (ctx: RequestContext, csrf: RequestCsrf, contextFor: PluginContextFactory): Promise<RouteResult | null> => {
+  const serveDashboard = async (ctx: RequestContext, csrf: RequestCsrf, contextFor: PluginContextFactory): Promise<RouteResult | PluginOwned> => {
     // The page carries the Sign-out form, so Set-Cookie a fresh CSRF token here when absent.
     csrf.setCookie();
-    if (dashboardPlugin) {
-      const pluginCtx = contextFor(dashboardPlugin.id); // as serveHome: the owner's own translator
-      const result = (await dashboardPlugin.dashboard(pluginCtx)) ?? null;
-      if (anyResponseHooks) await runResponseHooks(plugins, contextFor, result);
-      await sendResult(ctx.res, result, pluginViewsFor(pluginCtx, dashboardPlugin.id), pluginCtx.localeHref);
-      return null;
-    }
-    return { data: { chrome: ctx.chrome }, view: "dashboard" };
+    if (!dashboardPlugin) return { data: { chrome: ctx.chrome }, view: "dashboard" };
+    const pluginCtx = contextFor(dashboardPlugin.id); // as serveHome: the owner's own translator
+    return { ctx: pluginCtx, pluginId: dashboardPlugin.id, result: (await dashboardPlugin.dashboard(pluginCtx)) ?? null };
   };
 
   // The internal route table, matched after plugin routes: the auth/OAuth2 group (src/auth/
@@ -178,8 +168,9 @@ export function createApp(options: AppOptions = {}): Server {
 
   const host: Host = { anyRequestHooks, anyResponseHooks, assets, authOptions, builtinRoutes, csrfSecret, i18n, jwks, keto, kratos, kratosAdmin, menu, permissionCatalog, pluginViewsFor, plugins, secureCookies, settingsCatalog, system, viewsFor };
 
-  // A stage that returns a boolean returns true once it has answered the request, and false to
-  // pass the request to the next stage.
+  // Static files, the canonical-host redirect and prepareRequest come first; then the answering
+  // stages in order — onRequest hook, plugin route, built-in route, else 404/405. A stage that
+  // returns a boolean returns true once it has answered the request, and false to pass it on.
   const handleRequest = async (req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse, reqLog: Log): Promise<void> => {
     // Error pages can render before this request has a context at all (a throw on the way to one),
     // so they start on the built-in English and switch to the visitor's locale once it is resolved.
@@ -279,17 +270,16 @@ async function prepareRequest(host: Host, req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerRespo
   const carryLocale = (href: string): string => localeHref(href, explicit ? locale : null);
   const t = i18n.translator(locale);
   const user = await resolveUser(host, req, res, reqLog);
-  const { fresh, token } = ensureCsrfToken(req.headers.cookie, host.csrfSecret);
-  const csrf: RequestCsrf = {
-    setCookie: (): void => { if (fresh) res.appendHeader("set-cookie", csrfCookie(token, { secure: host.secureCookies })); },
-    token,
-  };
+  const csrf = requestCsrf(host, req, res);
   const verifyCsrf = (submitted: string | null | undefined): boolean =>
     verifyCsrfRequest({ cookieHeader: req.headers.cookie, secret: host.csrfSecret, submitted });
   // Chrome composes the whole menu, so it is memoized and resolved lazily — a json/redirect
   // handler, or the public "/" with a standalone home, never pays for it.
   let chromeMemo: PageChrome | undefined;
-  const chrome = (): PageChrome => (chromeMemo ??= buildPluginChrome({ csrfToken: token, currentPath: url.pathname, localeHref: carryLocale, menu: host.menu, plugins: host.plugins, t, translatorFor: (id) => i18n.translator(locale, id), user }));
+  const chrome = (): PageChrome => (chromeMemo ??= buildPluginChrome({
+    csrfToken: csrf.token, currentPath: url.pathname, localeHref: carryLocale, menu: host.menu, plugins: host.plugins, t,
+    translatorFor: (id) => i18n.translator(locale, id), user,
+  }));
   const shared = { assetHref: host.assets.href, chrome, declaredPermissions: host.permissionCatalog, declaredSettings: host.settingsCatalog, locale, localeHref: carryLocale, locales: i18n.available, log: reqLog, user, verifyCsrf, ...(host.system ? { system: host.system } : {}) };
   return {
     carryLocale,
@@ -302,6 +292,14 @@ async function prepareRequest(host: Host, req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerRespo
   };
 }
 
+function requestCsrf(host: Host, req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse): RequestCsrf {
+  const { fresh, token } = ensureCsrfToken(req.headers.cookie, host.csrfSecret);
+  return {
+    setCookie: (): void => { if (fresh) res.appendHeader("set-cookie", csrfCookie(token, { secure: host.secureCookies })); },
+    token,
+  };
+}
+
 // A lapsed token still backed by a live Kratos session is silently re-minted — "stay signed
 // in". The only place the hot path touches Ory.
 async function resolveUser(host: Host, req: IncomingMessage, res: ServerResponse, reqLog: Log): Promise<User | null> {
@@ -355,8 +353,18 @@ async function answerBuiltinRoute(host: Host, state: RequestState): Promise<bool
   const builtin = matchBuiltinRoute(host.builtinRoutes, state.method, state.pathname);
   if (!builtin) return false;
   ctx.log.context["http.route"] = builtin.path;
-  if (!allows(builtin, ctx.user)) await refuse(host, state, builtin, ctx);
-  else await sendResult(ctx.res, await builtin.handler(ctx, csrf, contextFor), host.viewsFor(ctx), carryLocale);
+  if (!allows(builtin, ctx.user)) {
+    await refuse(host, state, builtin, ctx);
+    return true;
+  }
+  const answer = await builtin.handler(ctx, csrf, contextFor);
+  if (answer && "pluginId" in answer) {
+    // A plugin-owned landing slot answers as a plugin route does: its hooks observe it, its views render it.
+    if (host.anyResponseHooks) await runResponseHooks(host.plugins, contextFor, answer.result);
+    await sendResult(ctx.res, answer.result, host.pluginViewsFor(answer.ctx, answer.pluginId), carryLocale);
+  } else {
+    await sendResult(ctx.res, answer, host.viewsFor(ctx), carryLocale);
+  }
   return true;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/http/builtin-route.ts b/src/http/builtin-route.ts
index 1c24997..c1b89e5 100644
--- a/src/http/builtin-route.ts
+++ b/src/http/builtin-route.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // slots, /error) is a named handler with the plugin RouteHandler shape, plus the request's CSRF
 // mint (host-only — a plugin reads the token via ctx.chrome instead). app.ts matches this table
 // after plugin routes — exact path, a GET route also answering HEAD like the plugin router — and
-// pipes the result through sendResult against the core views.
+// sends the result against the core views, or against the owning plugin's where it is a PluginOwned.
 import type { Gate } from "../auth/gate.ts";
 import type { RequestContext } from "./context.ts";
 import type { RouteResult } from "../plugin-host/plugin.ts";
@@ -20,10 +20,17 @@ export interface RequestCsrf {
 // own context — otherwise the plugin's keys render as bare keys on the pages it owns.
 export type PluginContextFactory = (pluginId: string) => RequestContext;
 
+// A landing slot's result when a plugin owns it: rendered against that plugin's views, and
+// observed by the response hooks, on `ctx`.
+export interface PluginOwned {
+  ctx: RequestContext; // the owner's own context, from PluginContextFactory
+  pluginId: string;
+  result: RouteResult | null;
+}
+
 export interface BuiltinRoute extends Gate {
-  // Returns a RouteResult, or null when the handler wrote to ctx.res itself
-  // (the landing slots dispatch a plugin's own result against that plugin's views).
-  handler: (ctx: RequestContext, csrf: RequestCsrf, contextFor: PluginContextFactory) => Promise<RouteResult | null> | RouteResult | null;
+  // Returns a RouteResult, or null when the handler wrote to ctx.res itself.
+  handler: (ctx: RequestContext, csrf: RequestCsrf, contextFor: PluginContextFactory) => Promise<RouteResult | PluginOwned | null> | RouteResult | PluginOwned | null;
   method: "GET" | "POST"; // a GET route also answers HEAD, like plugin routes
   path: string; // exact pathname
 }