diff --git a/hscontrol/app.go b/hscontrol/app.go
index 16d5c26be..e37e1f5f5 100644
--- a/hscontrol/app.go
+++ b/hscontrol/app.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"os/signal"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"syscall"
@@ -1150,7 +1151,7 @@ func readOrCreatePrivateKey(path string) (*key.MachinePrivate, error) {
 // All change should be enqueued here and empty will be automatically
 // ignored.
 func (h *Headscale) Change(cs ...change.Change) {
-	h.mapBatcher.AddWork(cs...)
+	h.mapBatcher.AddWork(slices.Concat(cs, h.state.DrainSelfRefreshes())...)
 }
 
 // HTTPHandler returns an [http.Handler] for the [Headscale] control server.
diff --git a/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go b/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go
index 00d2404a1..70ec0232b 100644
--- a/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go
+++ b/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go
@@ -96,6 +96,10 @@ type PolicyManager struct {
 	// can tell the policy moved even when another goroutine (the
 	// NodeStore writer) applied the SetNodes.
 	nodesGen atomic.Uint64
+
+	// nodeAttrsPending mirrors len(nodeAttrsChanged) > 0 so the drain,
+	// called on every dispatched change, skips pm.mu when idle.
+	nodeAttrsPending atomic.Bool
 }
 
 // filterAndPolicy combines the compiled filter rules with policy content for hashing.
@@ -1934,6 +1938,10 @@ func (pm *PolicyManager) refreshNodeAttrsLocked(newMap map[types.NodeID]tailcfg.
 	pm.nodeAttrsMap = newMap
 	pm.nodeAttrsHashes = newHashes
 	pm.nodeAttrsChanged = append(pm.nodeAttrsChanged, changed...)
+
+	if len(pm.nodeAttrsChanged) > 0 {
+		pm.nodeAttrsPending.Store(true)
+	}
 }
 
 // NodeCapMap returns the policy-derived CapMap for the given node, or
@@ -1980,9 +1988,9 @@ func (pm *PolicyManager) NodeCapMaps() map[types.NodeID]tailcfg.NodeCapMap {
 
 // NodesWithChangedCapMap returns the IDs of nodes whose nodeAttrs
 // CapMap shifted across one or more [PolicyManager.updateLocked] calls
-// since the last drain. The buffer drains on return. The mapper calls
-// this once per [state.State.ReloadPolicy] to decide which nodes need
-// a [change.SelfUpdate].
+// since the last drain. The buffer drains on return.
+// [state.State.DrainSelfRefreshes] calls this whenever changes are
+// dispatched to decide which nodes need a [change.SelfUpdate].
 //
 // [PolicyManager.refreshNodeAttrsLocked] APPENDS to the buffer; the drain
 // returns the union of every change since the previous read. A concurrent
@@ -1990,7 +1998,7 @@ func (pm *PolicyManager) NodeCapMaps() map[types.NodeID]tailcfg.NodeCapMap {
 // [PolicyManager.SetPolicy] and a drain cannot silently lose the
 // policy-reload diff.
 func (pm *PolicyManager) NodesWithChangedCapMap() []types.NodeID {
-	if pm == nil {
+	if pm == nil || !pm.nodeAttrsPending.Load() {
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -1999,6 +2007,7 @@ func (pm *PolicyManager) NodesWithChangedCapMap() []types.NodeID {
 
 	out := pm.nodeAttrsChanged
 	pm.nodeAttrsChanged = nil
+	pm.nodeAttrsPending.Store(false)
 
 	return out
 }
diff --git a/hscontrol/state/maprequest.go b/hscontrol/state/maprequest.go
index 868950091..fb529df63 100644
--- a/hscontrol/state/maprequest.go
+++ b/hscontrol/state/maprequest.go
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ type mapRequestDelta struct {
 	// changed (see [peerHostinfo]). Only that forces a whole-node resend.
 	peerHostinfoChanged bool
 
+	// dnsMetadataChanged reports whether a Hostinfo field feeding the
+	// node's NextDNS device metadata (Hostname, OS) changed.
+	dnsMetadataChanged bool
+
 	// routesChanged reports whether announced routes (RoutableIPs)
 	// changed. Routes are policy and election inputs, so they are tracked
 	// on their own.
diff --git a/hscontrol/state/state.go b/hscontrol/state/state.go
index e93af37e8..7916ea595 100644
--- a/hscontrol/state/state.go
+++ b/hscontrol/state/state.go
@@ -191,6 +191,11 @@ type State struct {
 	// caller snapshot or resurrected by an update racing with deletion.
 	persistMu sync.Mutex
 
+	// selfRefresh holds nodes whose NextDNS device metadata changed, drained
+	// by [State.DrainSelfRefreshes].
+	selfRefresh   []types.NodeID
+	selfRefreshMu sync.Mutex
+
 	// registerLocks serialises registration per machine key so concurrent
 	// registrations of the same machine resolve to a single node instead of
 	// racing the find-then-create section and each creating their own.
@@ -365,21 +370,11 @@ func (s *State) ReloadPolicy() ([]change.Change, error) {
 	// policies to not propagate correctly when switching between policy types.
 	s.nodeStore.RebuildPeerMaps()
 
+	// Nodes whose CapMap shifted get their self refresh from
+	// [State.DrainSelfRefreshes] when these changes are dispatched.
 	//nolint:prealloc // cs starts with one element and may grow
 	cs := []change.Change{change.PolicyChange()}
 
-	// Per-node selective self refresh for nodeAttrs. A broadcast
-	// [change.PolicyChange] re-renders peer lists and packet filters
-	// but never repopulates a node's own [tailcfg.Node.CapMap]; that
-	// lives on the self entry only. The drain returns every node ID
-	// whose cap output shifted across recent updateLocked calls —
-	// refreshNodeAttrsLocked appends rather than overwrites so a
-	// concurrent SetUsers/SetNodes between SetPolicy and the drain
-	// cannot silently lose the policy-reload diff.
-	for _, id := range s.polMan.NodesWithChangedCapMap() {
-		cs = append(cs, change.SelfUpdate(id))
-	}
-
 	// Always call autoApproveNodes during policy reload, regardless of whether
 	// the policy content has changed. This ensures that routes are re-evaluated
 	// when they might have been manually disabled but could now be auto-approved
@@ -3083,6 +3078,29 @@ func (s *State) UpdatePolicyManagerUsersForTest() error {
 	return err
 }
 
+// DrainSelfRefreshes returns a [change.SelfUpdate] for every node whose own
+// entry or DNS config changed since the last call: its policy CapMap, from
+// any policy, user or node update, or its NextDNS device metadata. Drained
+// where changes are dispatched, so no path has to return the refresh itself.
+func (s *State) DrainSelfRefreshes() []change.Change {
+	ids := s.polMan.NodesWithChangedCapMap()
+
+	s.selfRefreshMu.Lock()
+	ids = append(ids, s.selfRefresh...)
+	s.selfRefresh = nil
+	s.selfRefreshMu.Unlock()
+
+	slices.Sort(ids)
+	ids = slices.Compact(ids)
+
+	cs := make([]change.Change, 0, len(ids))
+	for _, id := range ids {
+		cs = append(cs, change.SelfUpdate(id))
+	}
+
+	return cs
+}
+
 // updatePolicyManagerNodes refreshes the policy manager with current node
 // data and returns a PolicyChange when a node write since genBefore moved
 // the policy. genBefore is [policy.PolicyManager.NodesGeneration] read
@@ -3332,6 +3350,10 @@ func (s *State) UpdateNodeFromMapRequest(id types.NodeID, req tailcfg.MapRequest
 			!hostinfoEqual(currentNode.Hostinfo, newHostinfo)
 		delta.peerHostinfoChanged = newHostinfo != nil &&
 			!peerHostinfoEqual(currentNode.Hostinfo, newHostinfo)
+		delta.dnsMetadataChanged = newHostinfo != nil &&
+			(currentNode.Hostinfo == nil ||
+				currentNode.Hostinfo.Hostname != newHostinfo.Hostname ||
+				currentNode.Hostinfo.OS != newHostinfo.OS)
 
 		// A change carrying only an updated LastSeen is not worth a
 		// full-row database UPDATE plus the O(n) policy rescan
@@ -3435,6 +3457,12 @@ func (s *State) UpdateNodeFromMapRequest(id types.NodeID, req tailcfg.MapRequest
 		return change.Change{}, fmt.Errorf("%w: %d", ErrNodeNotInNodeStore, id)
 	}
 
+	if delta.dnsMetadataChanged {
+		s.selfRefreshMu.Lock()
+		s.selfRefresh = append(s.selfRefresh, id)
+		s.selfRefreshMu.Unlock()
+	}
+
 	// SubnetRoutes = announced ∩ approved, so a Hostinfo update can
 	// move a primary without ever touching ApprovedRoutes. The pre/post
 	// snapshot diff catches that.
diff --git a/hscontrol/types/change/change.go b/hscontrol/types/change/change.go
index fc44c4c5d..d3cc8001b 100644
--- a/hscontrol/types/change/change.go
+++ b/hscontrol/types/change/change.go
@@ -331,11 +331,14 @@ func FullSelf(nodeID types.NodeID) Change {
 	}
 }
 
+// SelfUpdate sends a node its own entry and the DNS config derived from it
+// (NextDNS profile and device metadata).
 func SelfUpdate(nodeID types.NodeID) Change {
 	return Change{
 		Reason:      "self update",
 		TargetNode:  nodeID,
 		IncludeSelf: true,
+		IncludeDNS:  true,
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/hscontrol/types/change/change_test.go b/hscontrol/types/change/change_test.go
index ea420ea70..abae55a7d 100644
--- a/hscontrol/types/change/change_test.go
+++ b/hscontrol/types/change/change_test.go
@@ -464,6 +464,7 @@ func TestSelfUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, "self update", r.Reason)
 	assert.Equal(t, types.NodeID(42), r.TargetNode)
 	assert.True(t, r.IncludeSelf)
+	assert.True(t, r.IncludeDNS, "DNS config derives from the node's own CapMap and Hostinfo")
 	assert.True(t, r.IsSelfOnly())
 }