diff --git a/appc/appconnector.go b/appc/appconnector.go
index 2e645eabb..fadda0b8c 100644
--- a/appc/appconnector.go
+++ b/appc/appconnector.go
@@ -189,7 +189,6 @@ type Config struct {
 	EventBus *eventbus.Bus
 
 	// RouteAdvertiser allows the connector to update the set of advertised routes.
-	// It must be non-nil.
 	RouteAdvertiser RouteAdvertiser
 
 	// RouteInfo, if non-nil, use used as the initial set of routes for the
@@ -208,8 +207,6 @@ func NewAppConnector(c Config) *AppConnector {
 		panic("missing logger")
 	case c.EventBus == nil:
 		panic("missing event bus")
-	case c.RouteAdvertiser == nil:
-		panic("missing route advertiser")
 	}
 	ec := c.EventBus.Client("appc.AppConnector")
 
@@ -363,11 +360,13 @@ func (e *AppConnector) updateDomains(domains []string) {
 		}
 
 		if len(toRemove) != 0 {
-			e.queue.Add(func() {
-				if err := e.routeAdvertiser.UnadvertiseRoute(toRemove...); err != nil {
-					e.logf("failed to unadvertise routes on domain removal: %v: %v: %v", slicesx.MapKeys(oldDomains), toRemove, err)
-				}
-			})
+			if ra := e.routeAdvertiser; ra != nil {
+				e.queue.Add(func() {
+					if err := e.routeAdvertiser.UnadvertiseRoute(toRemove...); err != nil {
+						e.logf("failed to unadvertise routes on domain removal: %v: %v: %v", slicesx.MapKeys(oldDomains), toRemove, err)
+					}
+				})
+			}
 			e.updatePub.Publish(RouteUpdate{Unadvertise: toRemove})
 		}
 	}
@@ -411,14 +410,16 @@ nextRoute:
 		}
 	}
 
-	e.queue.Add(func() {
-		if err := e.routeAdvertiser.AdvertiseRoute(routes...); err != nil {
-			e.logf("failed to advertise routes: %v: %v", routes, err)
-		}
-		if err := e.routeAdvertiser.UnadvertiseRoute(toRemove...); err != nil {
-			e.logf("failed to unadvertise routes: %v: %v", toRemove, err)
-		}
-	})
+	if e.routeAdvertiser != nil {
+		e.queue.Add(func() {
+			if err := e.routeAdvertiser.AdvertiseRoute(routes...); err != nil {
+				e.logf("failed to advertise routes: %v: %v", routes, err)
+			}
+			if err := e.routeAdvertiser.UnadvertiseRoute(toRemove...); err != nil {
+				e.logf("failed to unadvertise routes: %v: %v", toRemove, err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
 	e.updatePub.Publish(RouteUpdate{
 		Advertise:   routes,
 		Unadvertise: toRemove,
@@ -624,9 +625,11 @@ func (e *AppConnector) isAddrKnownLocked(domain string, addr netip.Addr) bool {
 // associated with the given domain.
 func (e *AppConnector) scheduleAdvertisement(domain string, routes ...netip.Prefix) {
 	e.queue.Add(func() {
-		if err := e.routeAdvertiser.AdvertiseRoute(routes...); err != nil {
-			e.logf("failed to advertise routes for %s: %v: %v", domain, routes, err)
-			return
+		if e.routeAdvertiser != nil {
+			if err := e.routeAdvertiser.AdvertiseRoute(routes...); err != nil {
+				e.logf("failed to advertise routes for %s: %v: %v", domain, routes, err)
+				return
+			}
 		}
 		e.updatePub.Publish(RouteUpdate{Advertise: routes})
 		e.mu.Lock()
diff --git a/ipn/ipnlocal/local.go b/ipn/ipnlocal/local.go
index b34ca8316..f047bd474 100644
--- a/ipn/ipnlocal/local.go
+++ b/ipn/ipnlocal/local.go
@@ -641,7 +641,12 @@ func (b *LocalBackend) consumeEventbusTopics() {
 		case changeDelta := <-b.changeDeltaSub.Events():
 			b.linkChange(&changeDelta)
 		case ru := <-b.routeUpdateSub.Events():
-			b.logf("TODO: received route update: %+v", ru)
+			if err := b.AdvertiseRoute(ru.Advertise...); err != nil {
+				b.logf("appc: failed to advertise routes: %v: %v", ru.Advertise, err)
+			}
+			if err := b.UnadvertiseRoute(ru.Unadvertise...); err != nil {
+				b.logf("appc: failed to unadvertise routes: %v: %v", ru.Unadvertise, err)
+			}
 		case ri := <-b.storeRoutesSub.Events():
 			b.logf("TODO: received store routes: %+v", ri)
 		}
@@ -5077,7 +5082,6 @@ func (b *LocalBackend) reconfigAppConnectorLocked(nm *netmap.NetworkMap, prefs i
 		b.appConnector = appc.NewAppConnector(appc.Config{
 			Logf:            b.logf,
 			EventBus:        b.sys.Bus.Get(),
-			RouteAdvertiser: b,
 			RouteInfo:       ri,
 			StoreRoutesFunc: storeFunc,
 		})