diff --git a/hscontrol/mapper/mapper_test.go b/hscontrol/mapper/mapper_test.go
index d6d6088b..9c736ccb 100644
--- a/hscontrol/mapper/mapper_test.go
+++ b/hscontrol/mapper/mapper_test.go
@@ -484,12 +484,12 @@ func TestBuildFromChangeVisibilityMatchesFullMap(t *testing.T) {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	// wantFull pins the actual peer-visibility semantics so the invariant below
-	// cannot pass vacuously (e.g. if every path broke to zero identically).
-	// Note deny_all: an empty ACL set compiles to zero matchers, which headscale
-	// treats as "no visibility restriction" — all peers are visible on every
-	// path (the packet filter denies traffic separately). user_isolation and
-	// autogroup_self are the discriminating cases that prove filtering works.
+	// wantFull pins the actual peer-visibility semantics so the cross-path
+	// check below cannot pass vacuously (e.g. if every path broke to zero
+	// identically).
+	// Note deny_all: an empty ACL set yields no peer adjacency, so nothing is
+	// visible on any path. user_isolation and autogroup_self remain the
+	// discriminating cases that prove filtering works.
 	tests := []struct {
 		name     string
 		policy   string
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ func TestBuildFromChangeVisibilityMatchesFullMap(t *testing.T) {
 			]}`,
 			1,
 		},
-		{"deny_all", `{"acls":[]}`, 2},
+		{"deny_all", `{"acls":[]}`, 0},
 		{
 			"autogroup_self",
 			`{"acls":[{"action":"accept","src":["autogroup:member"],"dst":["autogroup:self:*"]}]}`,
diff --git a/hscontrol/policy/policy_test.go b/hscontrol/policy/policy_test.go
index 45f0d629..41312f1e 100644
--- a/hscontrol/policy/policy_test.go
+++ b/hscontrol/policy/policy_test.go
@@ -284,11 +284,7 @@ func TestBuildPeerMapFromPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 					want = append(want, n.ID)
 				}
 
-				var got []types.NodeID
-				for _, n := range pm.BuildPeerMap(tt.nodes.ViewSlice())[tt.node.ID] {
-					got = append(got, n.ID())
-				}
-
+				got := pm.BuildPeerMap(tt.nodes.ViewSlice())[tt.node.ID]
 				if !assert.ElementsMatch(t, want, got) {
 					t.Log("Matchers: ")
 
diff --git a/hscontrol/state/state.go b/hscontrol/state/state.go
index fb0f6263..c0d355d7 100644
--- a/hscontrol/state/state.go
+++ b/hscontrol/state/state.go
@@ -871,14 +871,10 @@ func (s *State) ListPeers(nodeID types.NodeID, peerIDs ...types.NodeID) views.Sl
 		return s.nodeStore.ListPeers(nodeID)
 	}
 
-	// For specific peerIDs, filter from all nodes.
-	// This path is used for incremental updates (NodeAdded, NodeChanged)
-	// where the caller already knows which peer IDs are involved.
-	// Peer visibility filtering happens in the mapper against the live
-	// policy (buildTailPeers and the shared visiblePeerIDs filter), because
-	// the snapshot peer map is not rebuilt on policy changes.
-	allNodes := s.nodeStore.ListNodes()
-
+	// Incremental updates (NodeAdded, NodeChanged) name the peers involved.
+	// Resolve them through the recipient's adjacency so a changed node the
+	// policy hides from this recipient is never delivered; the mapper still
+	// applies the live matchers on top.
 	nodeIDSet := make(map[types.NodeID]struct{}, len(peerIDs))
 	for _, id := range peerIDs {
 		nodeIDSet[id] = struct{}{}
@@ -886,20 +882,11 @@ func (s *State) ListPeers(nodeID types.NodeID, peerIDs ...types.NodeID) views.Sl
 
 	var filteredNodes []types.NodeView
 
-	for _, node := range allNodes.All() {
-		// A node is never its own peer. [db.ListPeers] enforces this with
-		// `id <> nodeID`; the caller may name the recipient in peerIDs
-		// (a change batch that includes it), and the mapper's only other
-		// self filter is [policy.ReduceNodes], which is skipped when the
-		// node has no matchers. Self would then reach the client in
-		// [tailcfg.MapResponse.PeersChanged], where it is merged into the
-		// peer map and listed alongside the self node.
-		if node.ID() == nodeID {
-			continue
-		}
-
-		if _, exists := nodeIDSet[node.ID()]; exists {
-			filteredNodes = append(filteredNodes, node)
+	// Adjacency is built from node pairs, so it never contains the
+	// recipient: a change batch naming it cannot return it as its own peer.
+	for _, peer := range s.nodeStore.ListPeers(nodeID).All() {
+		if _, exists := nodeIDSet[peer.ID()]; exists {
+			filteredNodes = append(filteredNodes, peer)
 		}
 	}