diff --git a/common/cluster-member.nix b/common/cluster-member.nix
index b7ecb6f..2fd453a 100644
--- a/common/cluster-member.nix
+++ b/common/cluster-member.nix
@@ -11,4 +11,8 @@
     ./glusterfs-client.nix  # Keep during migration, will be removed in Phase 3
     ./nfs-services-client.nix  # New: NFS client for /data/services
   ];
+
+  # Wait for eno1 to be routable before considering network online
+  # (hosts with different primary interfaces should override this)
+  systemd.network.wait-online.extraArgs = [ "--interface=eno1:routable" ];
 }
diff --git a/common/nfs-services-client.nix b/common/nfs-services-client.nix
index 77c885f..312d68a 100644
--- a/common/nfs-services-client.nix
+++ b/common/nfs-services-client.nix
@@ -9,12 +9,17 @@
   # The mount is established at boot time and persists - no auto-unmount.
   # This prevents issues with Docker bind mounts seeing empty automount stubs.
 
+  imports = [
+    ./wait-for-dns-ready.nix
+  ];
+
   fileSystems."/data/services" = {
     device = "data-services.service.consul:/persist/services";
     fsType = "nfs";
     options = [
       "nofail"                      # Don't block boot if mount fails
       "x-systemd.mount-timeout=30s" # Timeout for mount attempts
+      "x-systemd.after=wait-for-dns-ready.service" # Wait for DNS to actually work
       "_netdev"                     # Network filesystem (wait for network)
     ];
   };
diff --git a/common/wait-for-dns-ready.nix b/common/wait-for-dns-ready.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04293f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/wait-for-dns-ready.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+{ pkgs, ... }:
+{
+  # Service to wait for DNS resolution to be actually functional
+  # This is needed because network-online.target and wait-online.service
+  # don't guarantee DNS works - they only check that interfaces are configured.
+  #
+  # Problem: NFS mounts using Consul DNS names (data-services.service.consul)
+  # fail at boot because DNS resolution isn't ready even though network is "online"
+  #
+  # Solution: Actively test DNS resolution before considering network truly ready
+
+  systemd.services.wait-for-dns-ready = {
+    description = "Wait for DNS resolution to be functional";
+    after = [
+      "systemd-networkd-wait-online.service"
+      "systemd-resolved.service"
+      "network-online.target"
+    ];
+    wants = [ "network-online.target" ];
+    wantedBy = [ "multi-user.target" ];
+
+    serviceConfig = {
+      Type = "oneshot";
+      RemainAfterExit = true;
+      ExecStart = pkgs.writeShellScript "wait-for-dns-ready" ''
+        # Test DNS resolution by attempting to resolve data-services.service.consul
+        # This ensures the full DNS path works: interface → gateway → Consul DNS
+
+        echo "Waiting for DNS resolution to be ready..."
+
+        for i in {1..30}; do
+          # Use getent which respects /etc/nsswitch.conf and systemd-resolved
+          if ${pkgs.glibc.bin}/bin/getent hosts data-services.service.consul >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "DNS ready: data-services.service.consul resolved successfully"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Also test a public DNS name to distinguish between general DNS failure
+          # vs Consul-specific issues (helpful for debugging)
+          if ! ${pkgs.glibc.bin}/bin/getent hosts www.google.com >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "Attempt $i/30: General DNS not working yet, waiting..."
+          else
+            echo "Attempt $i/30: General DNS works but Consul DNS not ready yet, waiting..."
+          fi
+
+          sleep 1
+        done
+
+        echo "Warning: DNS not fully ready after 30 seconds"
+        echo "NFS mounts with 'nofail' option will handle this gracefully"
+        exit 0  # Don't block boot - let nofail mounts handle DNS failures
+      '';
+    };
+  };
+}
diff --git a/hosts/chilly/default.nix b/hosts/chilly/default.nix
index 698bfe5..7098cc9 100644
--- a/hosts/chilly/default.nix
+++ b/hosts/chilly/default.nix
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
 
   networking.useNetworkd = true;
   systemd.network.enable = true;
+  # Wait for br0 to be routable before considering network online
+  systemd.network.wait-online.extraArgs = [ "--interface=br0:routable" ];
   # not useful and potentially a security loophole
   services.resolved.llmnr = "false";