diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/registry-api.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/registry-api.test.ts
index 11c5ac0e..4e93cab1 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/registry-api.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/registry-api.test.ts
@@ -115,6 +115,34 @@ describe('repoDigestMatchesRef', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('parseImageRef', () => {
+  // docker.io / index.docker.io / registry-1.docker.io are the same registry, but only
+  // the literal 'registry-1.docker.io' is recognized elsewhere (getAuthToken, the
+  // library/ auto-prefix in parseImageRef). An unnormalized 'docker.io' or 'index.docker.io'
+  // leaks through into request URLs and hits the marketing domain instead of the registry API.
+  // Each alias is listed with and without an explicit library/ namespace to pin both paths.
+  it.each([
+    'docker.io/library/traefik:latest',
+    'docker.io/traefik:latest',
+    'index.docker.io/library/traefik:latest',
+    'index.docker.io/traefik:latest',
+  ])('normalizes %s to the registry API host and the library/ namespace', (ref) => {
+    expect(parseImageRef(ref)).toEqual({
+      registry: 'registry-1.docker.io',
+      repo: 'library/traefik',
+      tag: 'latest',
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('leaves a bare official image name unchanged (regression guard)', () => {
+    expect(parseImageRef('traefik:latest')).toEqual({
+      registry: 'registry-1.docker.io',
+      repo: 'library/traefik',
+      tag: 'latest',
+    });
+  });
+});
+
 describe('getRemoteDigest HEAD-first lookup', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
     calls.length = 0;
diff --git a/backend/src/__tests__/update-preview-service.test.ts b/backend/src/__tests__/update-preview-service.test.ts
index 931cbacd..81b43f05 100644
--- a/backend/src/__tests__/update-preview-service.test.ts
+++ b/backend/src/__tests__/update-preview-service.test.ts
@@ -432,6 +432,15 @@ describe('buildSummary', () => {
         expect(buildSummary('stacky', images).rollback_target).toBe('postgres:16');
     });
 
+    it('computes rollback target for an explicit docker.io/ ref the same as the bare form', () => {
+        // docker.io is a Docker Hub alias normalized by parseImageRef; the rollback target
+        // must render the same shortened form as the bare-name case above, not the literal host.
+        const images = [
+            baseImage({ service: 'db', image: 'docker.io/library/postgres:16', has_update: true, semver_bump: 'patch', next_tag: '16', current_tag: '16' }),
+        ];
+        expect(buildSummary('stacky', images).rollback_target).toBe('postgres:16');
+    });
+
     it('computes rollback target for registry with port', () => {
         const images = [
             baseImage({
diff --git a/backend/src/services/registry-api.ts b/backend/src/services/registry-api.ts
index b2c6dd24..13125668 100644
--- a/backend/src/services/registry-api.ts
+++ b/backend/src/services/registry-api.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,12 @@ export function parseImageRef(imageRef: string): ParsedRef | null {
     if (slashIdx !== -1) {
         const firstPart = imageRef.slice(0, slashIdx);
         if (firstPart.includes('.') || firstPart.includes(':') || firstPart === 'localhost') {
-            registry = firstPart;
+            // docker.io / index.docker.io are Docker Hub aliases; normalize them to the
+            // actual registry API host so requests never hit the marketing domain (which
+            // redirects instead of serving /v2/) and the library/ auto-prefix below still applies.
+            registry = (firstPart === 'docker.io' || firstPart === 'index.docker.io')
+                ? 'registry-1.docker.io'
+                : firstPart;
             rest = imageRef.slice(slashIdx + 1);
         }
     }
@@ -214,7 +219,12 @@ const MANIFEST_ACCEPT = [
     'application/vnd.oci.image.manifest.v1+json',
 ].join(', ');
 
-/** docker.io has three hostnames that all address the same registry. */
+/**
+ * docker.io has three hostnames that all address the same registry. Folds two
+ * already-parsed ParsedRef.registry values down to a shared form for equality/cache-key
+ * comparisons; not the canonical form parseImageRef assigns (which normalizes to
+ * 'registry-1.docker.io').
+ */
 function canonicalRegistry(host: string): string {
     if (host === 'docker.io' || host === 'index.docker.io' || host === 'registry-1.docker.io') {
         return 'docker.io';