diff --git a/client/internal/networkmonitor/monitor.go b/client/internal/networkmonitor/monitor.go
index b80bf9b69..b3fa82e52 100644
--- a/client/internal/networkmonitor/monitor.go
+++ b/client/internal/networkmonitor/monitor.go
@@ -141,14 +141,12 @@ func (nw *NetworkMonitor) checkChanges(ctx context.Context, event chan struct{},
 }
 
 // nexthopChanged reports whether the current default next hop differs from the
-// given baseline. A lookup error is treated as a change so we fail safe and
-// restart rather than miss a real network change.
+// given baseline, per protocol. A failed lookup is treated as an absent route
+// (zero Nexthop), so a protocol that had no default route to begin with (e.g.
+// IPv6 in a single-stack network) does not by itself count as a change.
 func nexthopChanged(oldv4, oldv6 systemops.Nexthop) bool {
-	newv4, errv4 := systemops.GetNextHop(netip.IPv4Unspecified())
-	newv6, errv6 := systemops.GetNextHop(netip.IPv6Unspecified())
-	if errv4 != nil || errv6 != nil {
-		return true
-	}
+	newv4, _ := systemops.GetNextHop(netip.IPv4Unspecified())
+	newv6, _ := systemops.GetNextHop(netip.IPv6Unspecified())
 	return !sameNexthop(oldv4, newv4) || !sameNexthop(oldv6, newv6)
 }