diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index d273465..cd1f7f9 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -3900,8 +3900,8 @@ dependencies = [
  "clap",
  "jwt-compact",
  "log",
- "poem",
- "poem-openapi",
+ "poem 3.1.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "poem-openapi 5.1.16 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "reqwest",
  "rusqlite",
  "serde",
@@ -3934,7 +3934,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "parking_lot",
  "percent-encoding",
  "pin-project-lite",
- "poem-derive",
+ "poem-derive 3.1.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "quick-xml",
  "rcgen",
  "regex",
@@ -3956,7 +3956,54 @@ dependencies = [
  "tokio-util",
  "tracing",
  "wildmatch",
- "x509-parser",
+ "x509-parser 0.17.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "poem"
+version = "3.1.12"
+source = "git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async#aa0067f0880c9e0a7b043bbf5f78f21c58b303f2"
+dependencies = [
+ "base64 0.22.1",
+ "bytes",
+ "chrono",
+ "futures-util",
+ "headers",
+ "http",
+ "http-body-util",
+ "httpdate",
+ "hyper",
+ "hyper-util",
+ "mime",
+ "mime_guess",
+ "multer",
+ "nix",
+ "parking_lot",
+ "percent-encoding",
+ "pin-project-lite",
+ "poem-derive 3.1.12 (git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async)",
+ "quick-xml",
+ "rcgen",
+ "regex",
+ "reqwest",
+ "rfc7239",
+ "ring",
+ "rustls-pemfile",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+ "serde_urlencoded",
+ "serde_yaml",
+ "smallvec",
+ "sync_wrapper",
+ "tempfile",
+ "thiserror 2.0.16",
+ "tokio",
+ "tokio-rustls 0.26.2",
+ "tokio-stream",
+ "tokio-util",
+ "tracing",
+ "wildmatch",
+ "x509-parser 0.18.1",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3971,6 +4018,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "poem-derive"
+version = "3.1.12"
+source = "git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async#aa0067f0880c9e0a7b043bbf5f78f21c58b303f2"
+dependencies = [
+ "proc-macro-crate",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "poem-openapi"
 version = "5.1.16"
@@ -3985,8 +4043,33 @@ dependencies = [
  "itertools 0.14.0",
  "mime",
  "num-traits",
- "poem",
- "poem-openapi-derive",
+ "poem 3.1.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "poem-openapi-derive 5.1.16 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+ "quick-xml",
+ "regex",
+ "serde",
+ "serde_json",
+ "serde_urlencoded",
+ "serde_yaml",
+ "thiserror 2.0.16",
+ "tokio",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "poem-openapi"
+version = "5.1.16"
+source = "git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async#aa0067f0880c9e0a7b043bbf5f78f21c58b303f2"
+dependencies = [
+ "base64 0.22.1",
+ "bytes",
+ "derive_more",
+ "futures-util",
+ "indexmap 2.11.4",
+ "itertools 0.14.0",
+ "mime",
+ "num-traits",
+ "poem 3.1.12 (git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async)",
+ "poem-openapi-derive 5.1.16 (git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async)",
  "quick-xml",
  "regex",
  "serde",
@@ -4015,6 +4098,23 @@ dependencies = [
  "thiserror 2.0.16",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "poem-openapi-derive"
+version = "5.1.16"
+source = "git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async#aa0067f0880c9e0a7b043bbf5f78f21c58b303f2"
+dependencies = [
+ "darling",
+ "http",
+ "indexmap 2.11.4",
+ "mime",
+ "proc-macro-crate",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "regex",
+ "syn",
+ "thiserror 2.0.16",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "portable-atomic"
 version = "1.11.0"
@@ -4372,7 +4472,7 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "clap",
  "log",
- "poem",
+ "poem 3.1.12 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
  "serde",
  "tokio",
  "tracing-subscriber",
@@ -5115,8 +5215,8 @@ dependencies = [
  "log",
  "metrics",
  "metrics-exporter-prometheus 0.17.2",
- "poem",
- "poem-openapi",
+ "poem 3.1.12 (git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async)",
+ "poem-openapi 5.1.16 (git+https://github.com/uniphil/poem.git?branch=acme%2Fissue-async)",
  "reqwest",
  "rustls 0.23.31",
  "serde",
@@ -6587,6 +6687,23 @@ dependencies = [
  "time",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "x509-parser"
+version = "0.18.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d43b0f71ce057da06bc0851b23ee24f3f86190b07203dd8f567d0b706a185202"
+dependencies = [
+ "asn1-rs",
+ "data-encoding",
+ "der-parser",
+ "lazy_static",
+ "nom",
+ "oid-registry",
+ "rusticata-macros",
+ "thiserror 2.0.16",
+ "time",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "xxhash-rust"
 version = "0.8.15"
diff --git a/slingshot/src/server.rs b/slingshot/src/server.rs
index 8576156..8223358 100644
--- a/slingshot/src/server.rs
+++ b/slingshot/src/server.rs
@@ -1466,6 +1466,8 @@ fn tlsify(
             "0.0.0.0:80"
         }));
 
+    let https_plz = "this service must be accessed with https (port 443).";
+
     let app = if let Some(redir) = acme_challenge_redirect {
         use poem::web;
 
@@ -1475,12 +1477,15 @@ fn tlsify(
             web::Redirect::temporary(format!("{redir}{token}"))
         });
 
+        RouteScheme::new().https(app).http(
+            Route::new()
+                .nest("/", make_sync(move |_| https_plz))
+                .at("/.well-known/acme-challenge/:token", redirect),
+        )
+    } else {
         RouteScheme::new()
             .https(app)
-            .http(Route::new().at("/.well-known/acme-challenge/:token", redirect))
-    } else {
-        // just uh... 404 for port 80? should probably reply with something.
-        RouteScheme::new().https(app).http(Route::new())
+            .http(Route::new().nest("/", make_sync(move |_| https_plz)))
     };
 
     Ok((listener, app))