diff --git a/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/synthesizer.go b/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/synthesizer.go
index 2a3002784..c7fab2241 100644
--- a/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/synthesizer.go
+++ b/management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/synthesizer.go
@@ -945,6 +945,7 @@ func buildAccountService(
 		Name:         "agent-network-" + accountID,
 		Domain:       domain,
 		ProxyCluster: cluster,
+		DNSZone:      settings.Zone, // empty for legacy rows → unchanged behavior
 		Mode:         rpservice.ModeHTTP,
 		Enabled:      true,
 		Private:      true,
diff --git a/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service.go b/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service.go
index b6438abde..4fbc12102 100644
--- a/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service.go
+++ b/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service.go
@@ -255,6 +255,13 @@ type Service struct {
 	Private bool
 	// AccessGroups is the group ID allowlist for inbound peers on private services. Mutually exclusive with bearer SSO.
 	AccessGroups []string `json:"access_groups,omitempty" gorm:"serializer:json"`
+	// DNSZone is the parent zone a private service's synthesized mesh A record
+	// hangs under, for the case where that zone cannot be derived from
+	// ProxyCluster or a validated custom domain — i.e. placement-free
+	// agent-network endpoints, which are <subdomain>.<zone>. In-memory only:
+	// set by the agent-network synthesizer on services it builds per read,
+	// never stored and never exposed on the API or the proxy wire.
+	DNSZone string `gorm:"-" json:"-"`
 }
 
 // InitNewRecord generates a new unique ID and resets metadata for a newly created
@@ -1412,6 +1419,7 @@ func (s *Service) Copy() *Service {
 		PortAutoAssigned:  s.PortAutoAssigned,
 		Private:           s.Private,
 		AccessGroups:      accessGroups,
+		DNSZone:           s.DNSZone,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service_test.go b/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service_test.go
index a149ac609..e1e384252 100644
--- a/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service_test.go
+++ b/management/internals/modules/reverseproxy/service/service_test.go
@@ -1215,6 +1215,17 @@ func TestService_Copy_RoundtripsPrivate(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{"grp-admins", "grp-ops"}, svc.AccessGroups)
 }
 
+// TestServiceCopy_PreservesDNSZone — DNSZone is in-memory only, so it is easy
+// to omit from Copy()'s explicit field list; if it is dropped, a copied
+// account silently loses its zone apex and the tenant's endpoint resolves to
+// nothing.
+func TestServiceCopy_PreservesDNSZone(t *testing.T) {
+	svc := &Service{Domain: "brave-otter.gateway.netbird.ai", DNSZone: "gateway.netbird.ai"}
+	cp := svc.Copy()
+	require.NotNil(t, cp)
+	assert.Equal(t, "gateway.netbird.ai", cp.DNSZone)
+}
+
 func TestService_APIRoundtrip_Private(t *testing.T) {
 	enabled := true
 	private := true
diff --git a/management/server/types/account.go b/management/server/types/account.go
index 1a3a30544..a0f5c9c6a 100644
--- a/management/server/types/account.go
+++ b/management/server/types/account.go
@@ -272,6 +272,12 @@ func (a *Account) SynthesizePrivateServiceZones(peerID string) []nbdns.CustomZon
 
 		serviceDomainZone := a.privateServiceDomainZone(svc)
 		if serviceDomainZone == "" {
+			// This service passed every gate above (enabled, private,
+			// AccessGroups, connected proxy peers) and would otherwise have
+			// emitted a record, but its domain matches neither its DNSZone,
+			// its ProxyCluster, nor any validated custom-domain row.
+			log.Debugf("private-zone synth: svc %s domain=%s cluster=%s dns_zone=%q has no matching zone apex, skipping",
+				svc.ID, svc.Domain, svc.ProxyCluster, svc.DNSZone)
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -344,8 +350,18 @@ func (a *Account) SynthesizePrivateServiceZones(peerID string) []nbdns.CustomZon
 }
 
 // privateServiceDomainZone returns the DNS zone name for the given private service domain by
-// looking at the proxy cluster domain then the custom domains.
+// checking its DNSZone, then the proxy cluster domain, then the custom domains.
 func (a *Account) privateServiceDomainZone(svc *service.Service) string {
+	// Placement-free endpoints (<subdomain>.<zone>) carry their zone
+	// explicitly: it is server config, so it matches neither the serving
+	// proxy's address nor any per-account custom-domain row. Checked first so
+	// the apex stays the zone even once ProxyCluster becomes the tenant
+	// hostname itself (a private managed proxy), which would otherwise make the
+	// apex the full hostname and churn the client's zone set on cutover.
+	if svc.DNSZone != "" && domainFromSuffix(svc.Domain, svc.DNSZone) {
+		return svc.DNSZone
+	}
+
 	if domainFromSuffix(svc.Domain, svc.ProxyCluster) {
 		return svc.ProxyCluster
 	}
diff --git a/management/server/types/account_private_zones_test.go b/management/server/types/account_private_zones_test.go
index efbbbffaf..38cd5790a 100644
--- a/management/server/types/account_private_zones_test.go
+++ b/management/server/types/account_private_zones_test.go
@@ -423,6 +423,39 @@ func TestSynthesizePrivateServiceZones_MixedClusterCustomAndPublic(t *testing.T)
 		"only the 4 private custom services surface in the custom zone (public one excluded)")
 }
 
+// TestSynthesizePrivateServiceZones_ZoneBasedEndpoint_UsesZoneApex — a
+// zone-based tenant still served by the SHARED proxy has a hostname whose
+// parent is the zone, matching neither ProxyCluster nor any validated
+// custom-domain row. Without DNSZone the apex resolves to "" and the service is
+// skipped entirely, so the tenant's endpoint resolves to nothing.
+func TestSynthesizePrivateServiceZones_ZoneBasedEndpoint_UsesZoneApex(t *testing.T) {
+	account := privateZoneTestAccount(t)
+	svc := account.Services[0]
+	svc.Domain = "brave-otter.gateway.netbird.ai"
+	svc.DNSZone = "gateway.netbird.ai"
+	// ProxyCluster stays the shared cluster address — the pre-private cohort.
+
+	zones := account.SynthesizePrivateServiceZones("user-peer")
+	require.Len(t, zones, 1, "a zone-based endpoint must still produce one zone")
+	assert.Equal(t, "gateway.netbird.ai.", zones[0].Domain, "apex must be the placement-free zone, not the cluster")
+	require.Len(t, zones[0].Records, 1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "brave-otter.gateway.netbird.ai.", zones[0].Records[0].Name)
+	assert.Equal(t, "100.64.0.99", zones[0].Records[0].RData, "still points at the serving proxy peer")
+}
+
+// TestSynthesizePrivateServiceZones_UnvalidatedDomain_StillSkipped locks the
+// scope of the fix: a service matching no cluster suffix, no validated custom
+// domain, AND carrying no DNSZone must keep resolving to nothing. A blanket
+// "use the parent domain" fallback would hand it mesh DNS and bypass domain
+// validation.
+func TestSynthesizePrivateServiceZones_UnvalidatedDomain_StillSkipped(t *testing.T) {
+	account := privateZoneTestAccount(t)
+	account.Services[0].Domain = "api.unvalidated.example.com"
+
+	zones := account.SynthesizePrivateServiceZones("user-peer")
+	assert.Empty(t, zones, "no cluster suffix, no validated Domains row, no DNSZone → no records")
+}
+
 // recordNames returns the record names of a zone for order-independent assertions.
 func recordNames(zone nbdns.CustomZone) []string {
 	names := make([]string, 0, len(zone.Records))