diff --git a/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go b/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go
index 19a295c4..57beae59 100644
--- a/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go
+++ b/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy.go
@@ -498,7 +498,14 @@ func (pm *PolicyManager) SSHCheckParams(
 		// Check if dst node matches any destination.
 		for _, dst := range rule.Destinations {
 			if ag, isAG := dst.(*AutoGroup); isAG && ag.Is(AutoGroupSelf) {
+				// User().Valid() guards the User().ID() dereference: the
+				// NodeStore can hold a non-tagged node with UserID set but
+				// the User association unhydrated (nil), and IsTagged()
+				// alone does not cover that. Mirrors filter.go's
+				// autogroup:self guard. Without it, a tailnet client on the
+				// Noise SSH-check path crashes the server (nil deref).
 				if !srcNode.IsTagged() && !dstNode.IsTagged() &&
+					srcNode.User().Valid() && dstNode.User().Valid() &&
 					srcNode.User().ID() == dstNode.User().ID() {
 					return checkPeriodFromRule(rule), true
 				}
diff --git a/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy_test.go b/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy_test.go
index ef28bf36..9237f33f 100644
--- a/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy_test.go
+++ b/hscontrol/policy/v2/policy_test.go
@@ -292,6 +292,68 @@ func TestSetNodesAutogroupSelfUnhydratedUser(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
+// TestSSHCheckParamsUnhydratedUserNoPanic proves that SSHCheckParams does
+// not panic when a non-tagged node reaches the policy manager with its
+// UserID set but its User association unhydrated (User pointer nil) — the
+// same NodeStore shape that crashed /machine/map in commit 171fd7a3. The
+// autogroup:self SSH branch dereferences node.User().ID() guarded only by
+// !IsTagged(), not by User().Valid(); SSHCheckParams is reached from the
+// Noise SSH-check path (noise.go), so a tailnet client triggers the panic
+// and crashes the server (DoS) whenever an SSH check rule with an
+// autogroup:self destination is active.
+func TestSSHCheckParamsUnhydratedUserNoPanic(t *testing.T) {
+	users := types.Users{
+		{Model: gorm.Model{ID: 1}, Name: "user1", Email: "user1@headscale.net"},
+	}
+
+	policy := `{
+		"ssh": [
+			{
+				"action": "check",
+				"src":    ["user1@headscale.net"],
+				"dst":    ["autogroup:self"],
+				"users":  ["root"]
+			}
+		]
+	}`
+
+	initialNodes := types.Nodes{
+		node("user1-src", "100.64.0.1", "fd7a:115c:a1e0::1", users[0]),
+		node("user1-dst", "100.64.0.2", "fd7a:115c:a1e0::2", users[0]),
+	}
+	for i, n := range initialNodes {
+		n.ID = types.NodeID(i + 1) //nolint:gosec // safe conversion in test
+	}
+
+	pm, err := NewPolicyManager([]byte(policy), users, initialNodes.ViewSlice())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Simulate a node restarting tailscaled: the destination node is pushed
+	// back into the policy manager with no hydrated User association (UserID
+	// set, User pointer nil), the exact shape that crashed beta.1.
+	unhydratedDst := &types.Node{
+		ID:       2,
+		Hostname: "user1-dst",
+		IPv4:     ap("100.64.0.2"),
+		IPv6:     ap("fd7a:115c:a1e0::2"),
+		UserID:   new(users[0].ID),
+		User:     nil,
+	}
+	require.False(t, unhydratedDst.IsTagged(), "dst node must be user-owned for autogroup:self")
+
+	updatedNodes := types.Nodes{
+		node("user1-src", "100.64.0.1", "fd7a:115c:a1e0::1", users[0]),
+		unhydratedDst,
+	}
+	updatedNodes[0].ID = 1
+	_, err = pm.SetNodes(updatedNodes.ViewSlice())
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	require.NotPanics(t, func() {
+		pm.SSHCheckParams(types.NodeID(1), types.NodeID(2))
+	}, "SSHCheckParams must not panic when a non-tagged node has an unhydrated User")
+}
+
 // TestInvalidateGlobalPolicyCache tests the cache invalidation logic for global policies.
 func TestInvalidateGlobalPolicyCache(t *testing.T) {
 	mustIPPtr := func(s string) *netip.Addr {