diff --git a/operator/README.md b/operator/README.md
index 6ec280240..0e4fbb0d9 100644
--- a/operator/README.md
+++ b/operator/README.md
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ On `apply` this reconciles (idempotently, reused by name):
 1. **Cloud Map** private DNS namespace (`<cloudMapNamespace>-<vpc-id>`, shared per-VPC) + a per-service **SRV** record (carries the container port; a plain A record does not work as a VPC-Link integration target)
 2. **ECS service registry** wiring (attached at service creation)
 3. **VPC Link** (`oab-vpc-link-<vpc-id>`, shared per-VPC), waits until `AVAILABLE`
-4. **API Gateway HTTP API** (`oab-webhook-<ns>-<name>`, one per bot) + `HTTP_PROXY` integration over the VPC Link
+4. **API Gateway HTTP API** (`oab-webhook-<ns>-<name>`, one per bot) + `HTTP_PROXY` integration over the VPC Link, with an `overwrite:path` request parameter mapping so the backend receives the raw path (e.g. `/webhook/telegram`) instead of the stage-prefixed one (e.g. `/prod/webhook/telegram`) — see caveat below
 5. One **route** per path + a `prod` auto-deploy **stage**
 6. A self-referencing **security-group** inbound rule on `containerPort`
 
@@ -269,6 +269,19 @@ LINE console:
 > `TELEGRAM_SECRET_TOKEN` when registering the webhook with BotFather to enable
 > that check.
 >
+> **Stage prefix stripped before it reaches the backend:** for private
+> (VPC_LINK) integrations, API Gateway forwards the *stage-prefixed* request
+> path to the backend by default (e.g. `/prod/webhook/telegram`, not
+> `/webhook/telegram`) — [documented AWS
+> behavior](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/http-api-develop-integrations-private.html).
+> OpenAB's webhook router matches the exact configured path, so without
+> stripping the prefix every request 404s at the container despite the
+> integration and Cloud Map wiring being otherwise correct. `apply` sets an
+> `overwrite:path=$request.path` request parameter on the integration to strip
+> it, and self-heals existing integrations created before this fix by patching
+> the parameter in on the next `apply` — no manual intervention or recreate
+> needed.
+>
 > **Adding/fixing service discovery never requires recreating the service:**
 > if an existing ECS service has no Cloud Map registry, or has one pointing at a
 > different Cloud Map service than the one currently resolved for
diff --git a/operator/src/ingress.rs b/operator/src/ingress.rs
index 8de6b0430..3c33d7db9 100644
--- a/operator/src/ingress.rs
+++ b/operator/src/ingress.rs
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ use crate::manifest::{Ingress, OABServiceManifest};
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use aws_sdk_apigatewayv2::types::{ConnectionType, IntegrationType, ProtocolType};
 use aws_sdk_servicediscovery::types::{DnsConfig, DnsRecord, RecordType};
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 
 const STAGE_NAME: &str = "prod";
 
@@ -143,6 +144,19 @@ fn route_key(path: &str) -> String {
     format!("POST {path}")
 }
 
+/// Whether an integration's request parameters already carry the
+/// `overwrite:path` override needed to strip the stage prefix before it
+/// reaches the backend. Without this, private (VPC_LINK) integrations
+/// forward the stage-prefixed path (e.g. `/prod/webhook/telegram`) to the
+/// container, and openab's exact-match router 404s on it. See:
+/// <https://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/http-api-develop-integrations-private.html>
+fn has_stage_path_override(request_parameters: Option<&HashMap<String, String>>) -> bool {
+    request_parameters
+        .and_then(|p| p.get("overwrite:path"))
+        .map(|v| v == "$request.path")
+        .unwrap_or(false)
+}
+
 /// Extract the Cloud Map service ID from its ARN
 /// (`arn:aws:servicediscovery:<region>:<account>:service/<id>`).
 fn cloud_map_service_id_from_arn(arn: &str) -> Option<String> {
@@ -733,7 +747,23 @@ async fn ensure_integration(
                     .integration_id()
                     .context("integration missing id")?
                     .to_string();
-                eprintln!("  ✓ Integration exists → {integration_uri}");
+                if has_stage_path_override(i.request_parameters()) {
+                    eprintln!("  ✓ Integration exists → {integration_uri}");
+                } else {
+                    // Self-heal: existing integrations created before this
+                    // fix forward the stage-prefixed path to the backend,
+                    // causing every request to 404. Patch in the override.
+                    eprintln!(
+                        "  ↻ Integration exists but missing path override → {integration_uri}, patching"
+                    );
+                    api.update_integration()
+                        .api_id(api_id)
+                        .integration_id(&id)
+                        .request_parameters("overwrite:path", "$request.path")
+                        .send()
+                        .await
+                        .context("failed to patch integration path override")?;
+                }
                 return Ok(id);
             }
         }
@@ -743,6 +773,13 @@ async fn ensure_integration(
         }
     }
     eprintln!("  ⊕ Creating integration → {integration_uri}");
+    // For private (VPC_LINK) integrations, API Gateway forwards the stage
+    // portion of the request path to the backend by default (e.g.
+    // `/prod/webhook/telegram` instead of `/webhook/telegram`), per AWS docs:
+    // https://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/http-api-develop-integrations-private.html
+    // openab's router matches the exact configured path, so without this
+    // override every request 404s at the backend. Overwrite the forwarded
+    // path with $request.path (stage-stripped) to match.
     let out = api
         .create_integration()
         .api_id(api_id)
@@ -752,6 +789,7 @@ async fn ensure_integration(
         .connection_type(ConnectionType::VpcLink)
         .connection_id(vpc_link_id)
         .payload_format_version("1.0")
+        .request_parameters("overwrite:path", "$request.path")
         .send()
         .await
         .context("failed to create integration")?;
@@ -882,6 +920,31 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(route_key("/webhook/line"), "POST /webhook/line");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_path_override_absent_when_no_request_parameters() {
+        // Integrations created before this fix have no RequestParameters at
+        // all, so they must be detected as needing the self-heal patch.
+        assert!(!has_stage_path_override(None));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_path_override_absent_when_other_params_present() {
+        let params = HashMap::from([("someOtherKey".to_string(), "value".to_string())]);
+        assert!(!has_stage_path_override(Some(&params)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_path_override_absent_when_value_wrong() {
+        let params = HashMap::from([("overwrite:path".to_string(), "/literal/path".to_string())]);
+        assert!(!has_stage_path_override(Some(&params)));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn stage_path_override_present_when_correctly_set() {
+        let params = HashMap::from([("overwrite:path".to_string(), "$request.path".to_string())]);
+        assert!(has_stage_path_override(Some(&params)));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn cloud_map_service_id_parses_from_arn() {
         assert_eq!(