diff --git a/apps/base/cheeztv/certificate.yaml b/apps/base/cheeztv/certificate.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ddf2aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/base/cheeztv/certificate.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+---
+# Public-facing cheeztv.unkin.net terminates TLS with a real Let's Encrypt cert
+# instead of the internal Vault PKI leaf. A single *.unkin.net wildcard is used
+# so DNS-01 validates against the one delegated _acme-challenge.unkin.net CNAME
+# and no per-host _acme-challenge records are required. The cheeztv gateway's
+# https listener consumes this secret; cheeztv-internal keeps its Vault leaf.
+apiVersion: cert-manager.io/v1
+kind: Certificate
+metadata:
+  name: cheeztv-wildcard-tls
+  namespace: cheeztv
+spec:
+  secretName: cheeztv-wildcard-tls
+  privateKey:
+    size: 4096
+  dnsNames:
+    - "*.unkin.net"
+  issuerRef:
+    name: letsencrypt
+    kind: ClusterIssuer
+    group: cert-manager.io
diff --git a/apps/base/cheeztv/gateway.yaml b/apps/base/cheeztv/gateway.yaml
index 9ceec36..43f8fed 100644
--- a/apps/base/cheeztv/gateway.yaml
+++ b/apps/base/cheeztv/gateway.yaml
@@ -1,17 +1,15 @@
 ---
 # Friendly public hostname for the kids instance, cheeztv.unkin.net. Same
 # internal-Traefik + external-dns pattern as logviewer.unkin.net: external-dns
-# publishes the A record at the internal LB VIP (198.18.200.4) and cert-manager
-# mints cheeztv-tls (CN cheeztv.unkin.net) off the Vault-PKI cluster issuer.
+# publishes the A record at the internal LB VIP (198.18.200.4). Public TLS is
+# terminated with the real Let's Encrypt *.unkin.net wildcard from
+# certificate.yaml (secret cheeztv-wildcard-tls), not the Vault PKI issuer.
 apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
 kind: Gateway
 metadata:
   labels:
     traefik.io/instance: internal
   annotations:
-    cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: vault-issuer
-    cert-manager.io/common-name: cheeztv.unkin.net
-    cert-manager.io/private-key-size: "4096"
     external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: cheeztv.unkin.net
     external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: 198.18.200.4
   name: cheeztv
@@ -37,7 +35,7 @@ spec:
         certificateRefs:
           - group: ""
             kind: Secret
-            name: cheeztv-tls
+            name: cheeztv-wildcard-tls
         mode: Terminate
 ---
 # Cluster hostname variant, mirroring fafflix's jellyfin.k8s.syd1.au.unkin.net
diff --git a/apps/base/cheeztv/kustomization.yaml b/apps/base/cheeztv/kustomization.yaml
index 26efe34..737c7d2 100644
--- a/apps/base/cheeztv/kustomization.yaml
+++ b/apps/base/cheeztv/kustomization.yaml
@@ -22,5 +22,6 @@ resources:
   - service.yaml
   - valkey.yaml
   - vmpodscrape.yaml
+  - certificate.yaml
   - gateway.yaml
   - httproute.yaml