diff --git a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/CanvasEdge.tsx b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/CanvasEdge.tsx
index 0b4ed97f8..e3c314ac7 100644
--- a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/CanvasEdge.tsx
+++ b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/CanvasEdge.tsx
@@ -99,6 +99,8 @@ export const CanvasEdge = memo(function CanvasEdge({
     targetY,
     targetPosition,
     waypoints: effectiveWaypoints,
+    // Face-clearance applies to router waypoints only; manual ones render as-is.
+    autoRouted: waypoints.length === 0,
     enableSegments: editingEnabled,
     hideArrowHead,
   });
diff --git a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.test.ts b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.test.ts
index 741ccbcc3..2c1abf9b8 100644
--- a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.test.ts
+++ b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.test.ts
@@ -185,6 +185,110 @@ describe('buildPathVertices', () => {
     const indices = result.map((v) => v.waypointIndex).filter((i) => i >= 0);
     expect(indices.sort()).toEqual([0, 1]);
   });
+
+  it('shifts an auto-routed first waypoint sitting against the source face out to STUB_OFFSET (regression)', () => {
+    // Auto-routed bend hard against the Right face → pushed out to STUB_OFFSET.
+    const result = buildPathVertices(
+      0,
+      0,
+      Position.Right,
+      200,
+      100,
+      Position.Left,
+      [wp('a', 5, 50)],
+      true
+    );
+    const drawn = result.find((v) => v.waypointIndex === 0);
+    const src = ARROW_OFFSETS[Position.Right];
+    expect(drawn).toMatchObject({ x: src.x + EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET, y: 50 });
+    expect(isOrthogonal(result)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('renders a MANUAL close waypoint exactly where placed (no face-clearance)', () => {
+    // Same close bend, user-placed (autoRouted = false) → rendered as-is.
+    const result = buildPathVertices(
+      0,
+      0,
+      Position.Right,
+      200,
+      100,
+      Position.Left,
+      [wp('a', 5, 50)],
+      false
+    );
+    expect(result.find((v) => v.waypointIndex === 0)).toMatchObject({ x: 5, y: 50 });
+  });
+
+  it('leaves an auto-routed first waypoint that already clears the source face untouched', () => {
+    const result = buildPathVertices(
+      0,
+      0,
+      Position.Right,
+      200,
+      100,
+      Position.Left,
+      [wp('a', 100, 50)],
+      true
+    );
+    expect(result.find((v) => v.waypointIndex === 0)).toMatchObject({ x: 100, y: 50 });
+  });
+
+  it('shifts an auto-routed last waypoint sitting against the target face out to STUB_OFFSET', () => {
+    // Target (Left face) is cleared symmetrically — riser pushed away from it.
+    const result = buildPathVertices(
+      0,
+      0,
+      Position.Right,
+      200,
+      100,
+      Position.Left,
+      [wp('a', 100, 50), wp('b', 198, 50)],
+      true
+    );
+    const drawn = result.find((v) => v.waypointIndex === 1);
+    const endX = 200 + ARROW_OFFSETS[Position.Left].x;
+    expect(drawn).toMatchObject({ x: endX - EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET, y: 50 });
+    expect(isOrthogonal(result)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('clears a vertical (Bottom) source face on the y axis', () => {
+    // Bottom-face exit: the shift runs on y, not x.
+    const result = buildPathVertices(
+      0,
+      0,
+      Position.Bottom,
+      100,
+      200,
+      Position.Top,
+      [wp('a', 50, 5)],
+      true
+    );
+    const drawn = result.find((v) => v.waypointIndex === 0);
+    const src = ARROW_OFFSETS[Position.Bottom];
+    expect(drawn).toMatchObject({ x: 50, y: src.y + EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET });
+    expect(isOrthogonal(result)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('pulls a bend behind the source face forward to a clean STUB_OFFSET exit', () => {
+    // Behind the face (gap < 0), e.g. router port behind the handle: the riser is
+    // pulled forward to exactly STUB_OFFSET in front, never left hugging the node.
+    const src = ARROW_OFFSETS[Position.Right];
+    const result = buildPathVertices(
+      0,
+      0,
+      Position.Right,
+      200,
+      100,
+      Position.Left,
+      [wp('a', src.x - 20, 50)],
+      true
+    );
+    expect(result.find((v) => v.waypointIndex === 0)).toMatchObject({
+      x: src.x + EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET,
+      y: 50,
+    });
+    expect(isOrthogonal(result)).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('extractSegments', () => {
diff --git a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.ts b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.ts
index f607f39a0..5094be8ad 100644
--- a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.ts
+++ b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/geometry.ts
@@ -153,6 +153,33 @@ function connectorElbow(from: Point, to: Point, incoming: SegmentOrientation | n
   return incoming === 'horizontal' ? { x: from.x, y: to.y } : { x: to.x, y: from.y };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Push the waypoint riser nearest a node face (`anchor` = inset source/target
+ * endpoint) out to `EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET` so the edge keeps a perpendicular
+ * offset. Any riser closer than that is shifted forward, including bends behind
+ * the face (gap < 0) — common on multi-handle nodes where the router's port sits
+ * behind the rendered handle. Shifting stored waypoints (ids kept) survives
+ * consolidation, whereas a derived elbow would not.
+ */
+function clearNodeFace(waypoints: Waypoint[], anchor: Point, position: Position): Waypoint[] {
+  const dir = getDirection(position);
+  const axis = dir.dx !== 0 ? 'x' : 'y';
+  const sign = dir.dx !== 0 ? dir.dx : dir.dy;
+  const nearest = waypoints.reduce(
+    (acc, w) => (sign > 0 ? Math.min(acc, w[axis]) : Math.max(acc, w[axis])),
+    sign > 0 ? Infinity : -Infinity
+  );
+  // Lands the riser exactly STUB_OFFSET in front of the face for any gap < that,
+  // including bends behind the face (gap < 0) — common on multi-handle nodes
+  // where the router's port sits behind the rendered handle.
+  const gap = (nearest - anchor[axis]) * sign;
+  if (gap >= EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET) return waypoints;
+  const shift = (EDGE_CONSTANTS.STUB_OFFSET - gap) * sign;
+  return waypoints.map((w) =>
+    Math.abs(w[axis] - nearest) < TOL ? { ...w, [axis]: w[axis] + shift } : w
+  );
+}
+
 /**
  * Build the ordered, provenance-tagged vertices of the path:
  * `[start, …, end]`. Falls back to auto-routing when no manual waypoints are
@@ -176,7 +203,9 @@ export function buildPathVertices(
   targetX: number,
   targetY: number,
   targetPosition: Position,
-  waypoints: Waypoint[] = []
+  waypoints: Waypoint[] = [],
+  // Router waypoints get face-clearance (clearNodeFace); manual ones render as-is.
+  autoRouted = false
 ): PathVertex[] {
   const sourceOffset = ARROW_OFFSETS[sourcePosition];
   const targetOffset = ARROW_OFFSETS[targetPosition];
@@ -201,6 +230,11 @@ export function buildPathVertices(
   const startVertex = derived(start);
   const endVertex = derived(end);
 
+  // Clear both faces for auto-routed bends; leave manual waypoints as placed.
+  const routed = autoRouted
+    ? clearNodeFace(clearNodeFace(waypoints, start, sourcePosition), end, targetPosition)
+    : waypoints;
+
   // `path` carries the start anchor only as orientation context for the
   // interior-elbow heuristic; it is sliced off before consolidation. The
   // anchors must never be fed to `consolidateWaypoints` — they are trivially
@@ -209,22 +243,22 @@ export function buildPathVertices(
   const path: PathVertex[] = [startVertex];
 
   // Source stub: anchor face → first waypoint.
-  for (const elbow of routeAnchorToPoint(start, sourcePosition, waypoints[0]!)) {
+  for (const elbow of routeAnchorToPoint(start, sourcePosition, routed[0]!)) {
     path.push(derived(elbow));
   }
-  path.push({ x: waypoints[0]!.x, y: waypoints[0]!.y, waypointIndex: 0 });
+  path.push({ x: routed[0]!.x, y: routed[0]!.y, waypointIndex: 0 });
 
   // Interior links: orthogonalize between consecutive waypoints.
-  for (let i = 1; i < waypoints.length; i++) {
+  for (let i = 1; i < routed.length; i++) {
     const from = path[path.length - 1]!;
     const incoming = path.length >= 2 ? getSegmentOrientation(path[path.length - 2]!, from) : null;
-    const elbow = connectorElbow(from, waypoints[i]!, incoming);
+    const elbow = connectorElbow(from, routed[i]!, incoming);
     if (elbow) path.push(derived(elbow));
-    path.push({ x: waypoints[i]!.x, y: waypoints[i]!.y, waypointIndex: i });
+    path.push({ x: routed[i]!.x, y: routed[i]!.y, waypointIndex: i });
   }
 
   // Target stub: last waypoint → anchor face (reverse of the anchor-outward order).
-  const targetStub = routeAnchorToPoint(end, targetPosition, waypoints[waypoints.length - 1]!);
+  const targetStub = routeAnchorToPoint(end, targetPosition, routed[routed.length - 1]!);
   for (let j = targetStub.length - 1; j >= 0; j--) {
     path.push(derived(targetStub[j]!));
   }
diff --git a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/hooks/useEdgeGeometry.ts b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/hooks/useEdgeGeometry.ts
index de13e86bb..67ab066d9 100644
--- a/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/hooks/useEdgeGeometry.ts
+++ b/packages/apollo-react/src/canvas/components/Edges/shared/hooks/useEdgeGeometry.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ export type UseEdgeGeometryArgs = {
   targetPosition: Position;
   /** Manual waypoints — only used in `waypoint` routing. */
   waypoints: Waypoint[];
+  /**
+   * True when `waypoints` are router-produced (not user-placed), so the path
+   * builder may shift bends off the node faces. Manual waypoints render as-is.
+   */
+  autoRouted?: boolean;
   /**
    * When false, `segments` is always empty and segment extraction is skipped.
    * Segments are only consumed by the editing chrome, so consumers with
@@ -81,6 +86,7 @@ export function useEdgeGeometry(args: UseEdgeGeometryArgs): EdgeGeometry {
     targetY,
     targetPosition,
     waypoints,
+    autoRouted = false,
     enableSegments = true,
     hideArrowHead = false,
   } = args;
@@ -99,10 +105,21 @@ export function useEdgeGeometry(args: UseEdgeGeometryArgs): EdgeGeometry {
             targetX,
             targetY,
             targetPosition,
-            waypoints
+            waypoints,
+            autoRouted
           )
         : EMPTY_VERTICES,
-    [isWaypoint, sourceX, sourceY, sourcePosition, targetX, targetY, targetPosition, waypoints]
+    [
+      isWaypoint,
+      sourceX,
+      sourceY,
+      sourcePosition,
+      targetX,
+      targetY,
+      targetPosition,
+      waypoints,
+      autoRouted,
+    ]
   );
 
   const segments = useMemo(