diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ed5b3b0..6129f36 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ variables set by the file's `env:` section are checked the same way.
 | `PIXA_UPSTREAM_FETCH_TIMEOUT`        | `upstream_fetch_timeout`        | Time allowed for one fetch from an upstream host; default `30s`              |
 | `PIXA_UPSTREAM_MAX_RESPONSE_SIZE`    | `upstream_max_response_size`    | Largest upstream response accepted, in bytes; default 50 MiB                 |
 | `PIXA_DOWNSTREAM_TIMEOUT`            | `downstream_timeout`            | Time allowed for answering one client request; default `60s`                 |
-| `PIXA_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_ORIGIN`   | `access_control_allow_origin`   | CORS origin allowed to read responses: `*` or one origin; default `*`        |
+| `PIXA_ACCESS_CONTROL_ALLOW_ORIGIN`   | `access_control_allow_origin`   | CORS origin allowed to read image responses: `*` or one origin; default `*`  |
 | `PIXA_METRICS_USERNAME`              | `metrics.username`              | Username for `/metrics`, which is served only when both are set              |
 | `PIXA_METRICS_PASSWORD`              | `metrics.password`              | Password for `/metrics`; set together with the username                      |
 | `PIXA_SENTRY_DSN`                    | `sentry_dsn`                    | Sentry DSN for error reporting; empty disables it                            |
@@ -247,8 +247,9 @@ variables set by the file's `env:` section are checked the same way.
 
 Key settings in more detail:
 
-- `access_control_allow_origin` — the origin a browser lets read pixa's
-  responses, sent as the CORS `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` header: `*`, the
+- `access_control_allow_origin` — the origin a browser lets read the responses
+  of the image routes, `/v1/image/` and `/v1/e/`, sent as the CORS
+  `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` header; no other route sends it. `*`, the
   default, is any site; otherwise one `http` or `https` origin such as
   `https://example.com`, whose host is a lowercase host name (letters,
   digits, hyphens and dots, with a letter in its last part) or an IP address
diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 637e3a5..3f394f9 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@ P2: security: referer blacklist
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-29 only the image routes send CORS headers (closes #98): the CORS
+  middleware, with the `access_control_allow_origin` origin, moved from the
+  router root onto a `/v1` subrouter holding `/v1/image/` and `/v1/e/`, where it
+  still answers a preflight `OPTIONS` request; the login and URL generator
+  pages, `/metrics` and the other routes send no `Access-Control-Allow-Origin`;
+  documented in `README.md` and `config.example.yml`.
 - 2026-09-29 the container makes `/var/lib/pixa` usable by itself (closes
   #159): `deploy/docker-entrypoint.sh` creates the directory if it is missing,
   gives the directory and everything in it to `pixad` when the directory or one
diff --git a/config.example.yml b/config.example.yml
index ebbc833..ac32c98 100644
--- a/config.example.yml
+++ b/config.example.yml
@@ -103,8 +103,9 @@ upstream_max_response_size: 52428800
 # longer than upstream_fetch_timeout plus 20 seconds.
 downstream_timeout: 60s
 
-# The origin a browser lets read pixa's responses, sent as the CORS
-# Access-Control-Allow-Origin header: "*" (the default) is any site;
+# The origin a browser lets read the responses of the image routes,
+# /v1/image/ and /v1/e/, sent as the CORS Access-Control-Allow-Origin
+# header; no other route sends it. "*" (the default) is any site;
 # otherwise one http or https origin such as https://example.com, whose
 # host is a lowercase host name (letters, digits, hyphens and dots, with a
 # letter in its last part) or an IP address (IPv6 in brackets, in its
diff --git a/internal/server/routes.go b/internal/server/routes.go
index ade30ee..f341e8a 100644
--- a/internal/server/routes.go
+++ b/internal/server/routes.go
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ func (s *Server) SetupRoutes() {
 		s.router.Use(s.mw.Metrics())
 	}
 
-	s.router.Use(s.mw.CORS())
 	s.router.Use(middleware.Timeout(s.config.DownstreamTimeout))
 
 	if s.sentryEnabled {
@@ -74,22 +73,31 @@ func (s *Server) SetupRoutes() {
 
 	s.router.Get("/logout", s.h.HandleLogout())
 
-	// Image routes, refused while maintenance mode is on. Only these: the
-	// image's Docker HEALTHCHECK requests the health check, a 503 there
-	// would make the container unhealthy, and upaas marks a deploy failed
-	// when its container is unhealthy.
-	s.router.Group(func(r chi.Router) {
-		r.Use(s.refuseDuringMaintenance)
+	// Image routes, the only ones that send CORS headers, as pages on other
+	// sites read them. They are a subrouter rather than a group: a group's
+	// middleware runs only for a request that matches one of its routes,
+	// and a browser's preflight OPTIONS request matches none, so the CORS
+	// middleware could not answer it.
+	s.router.Route("/v1", func(r chi.Router) {
+		r.Use(s.mw.CORS())
 
-		// Main image proxy route
-		// /v1/image/<host>/<path>/<width>x<height>.<format>
-		r.Get("/v1/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
-		r.Head("/v1/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
+		// Refused while maintenance mode is on. Only these: the image's
+		// Docker HEALTHCHECK requests the health check, a 503 there would
+		// make the container unhealthy, and upaas marks a deploy failed
+		// when its container is unhealthy.
+		r.Group(func(r chi.Router) {
+			r.Use(s.refuseDuringMaintenance)
 
-		// Encrypted image URL route
-		// The trailing filename (e.g., /img.jpg) is ignored but helps
-		// browsers with content type
-		r.Get("/v1/e/{token}/*", s.h.HandleImageEnc())
+			// Main image proxy route
+			// /v1/image/<host>/<path>/<width>x<height>.<format>
+			r.Get("/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
+			r.Head("/image/*", s.h.HandleImage())
+
+			// Encrypted image URL route
+			// The trailing filename (e.g., /img.jpg) is ignored but helps
+			// browsers with content type
+			r.Get("/e/{token}/*", s.h.HandleImageEnc())
+		})
 	})
 
 	// Metrics endpoint with auth