diff --git a/controllers/util/test_util.go b/controllers/util/test_util.go
index 962a5ddbed2..995497de05a 100644
--- a/controllers/util/test_util.go
+++ b/controllers/util/test_util.go
@@ -54,3 +54,16 @@ func SetOAuthAPIFound(found bool) {
 func SetOLMAPIFound(found bool) {
 	olmAPIFound = found
 }
+
+// *** THIS SHOULD ONLY BE USED FOR UNIT TESTING ***
+// SetVerifyAPI overrides the API verification function used by InspectCluster.
+// Call with nil to restore the default (argoutil.VerifyAPI).
+func SetVerifyAPI(fn func(string, string) (bool, error)) {
+	if fn == nil {
+		fn = defaultVerifyAPI
+	}
+	verifyAPI = fn
+}
+
+// defaultVerifyAPI stores the original verifyAPI value for restoring in tests.
+var defaultVerifyAPI = verifyAPI
diff --git a/controllers/util/util.go b/controllers/util/util.go
index b7cc6e89032..5714553868c 100644
--- a/controllers/util/util.go
+++ b/controllers/util/util.go
@@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ var (
 	appsAPIFound       = false
 	oauthAPIFound      = false
 	olmAPIFound        = false
+
+	// verifyAPI is the function used to check API group availability.
+	// It defaults to argoutil.VerifyAPI and can be overridden in tests.
+	verifyAPI = argoutil.VerifyAPI
 )
 
 // GetClusterVersion returns the OpenShift Cluster version in which the operator is installed
@@ -88,6 +92,11 @@ func NewClusterVersion(version string) *configv1.ClusterVersion {
 	}
 }
 
+// InspectCluster probes the API server to determine which optional API groups
+// (OLM, Monitoring, Route, Config, Console, Template, Apps, OAuth) are available
+// in the cluster and sets the corresponding package-level flags. On non-OpenShift
+// clusters where config.openshift.io is absent, only OLM, Monitoring, and Route
+// APIs are checked; remaining OpenShift-specific groups are skipped.
 func InspectCluster() error {
 	var errs []error
 	if err := verifyOLMAPI(); err != nil {
@@ -96,17 +105,19 @@ func InspectCluster() error {
 	if err := verifyMonitoringAPI(); err != nil {
 		errs = append(errs, err)
 	}
+	if err := verifyRouteAPI(); err != nil {
+		errs = append(errs, err)
+	}
 
 	if err := verifyConfigAPI(); err != nil {
 		errs = append(errs, err)
 		return stderrors.Join(errs...)
 	}
 	if !configAPIFound {
-		return nil
+		return stderrors.Join(errs...)
 	}
 
 	for _, check := range []func() error{
-		verifyRouteAPI,
 		verifyConsoleAPI,
 		verifyTemplateAPI,
 		verifyAppsAPI,
@@ -131,7 +142,7 @@ func IsOpenShiftCluster() bool {
 
 // verify if the Config.Openshift.io API is found
 func verifyConfigAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(configv1.GroupName, configv1.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(configv1.GroupName, configv1.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -145,7 +156,7 @@ func IsConsoleAPIFound() bool {
 }
 
 func verifyConsoleAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(console.GroupName, console.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(console.GroupName, console.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -159,7 +170,7 @@ func IsRouteAPIFound() bool {
 }
 
 func verifyRouteAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(routev1.GroupName, routev1.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(routev1.GroupName, routev1.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -168,7 +179,7 @@ func verifyRouteAPI() error {
 }
 
 func verifyMonitoringAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(
+	found, err := verifyAPI(
 		monitoringv1.SchemeGroupVersion.Group,
 		monitoringv1.SchemeGroupVersion.Version,
 	)
@@ -190,7 +201,7 @@ func IsTemplateAPIFound() bool {
 }
 
 func verifyTemplateAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(templatev1.GroupName, templatev1.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(templatev1.GroupName, templatev1.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -204,7 +215,7 @@ func IsAppsAPIFound() bool {
 }
 
 func verifyAppsAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(oappsv1.GroupName, oappsv1.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(oappsv1.GroupName, oappsv1.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -218,7 +229,7 @@ func IsOAuthAPIFound() bool {
 }
 
 func verifyOAuthAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(oauthv1.GroupName, oauthv1.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(oauthv1.GroupName, oauthv1.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -232,7 +243,7 @@ func IsOLMAPIFound() bool {
 }
 
 func verifyOLMAPI() error {
-	found, err := argoutil.VerifyAPI(operatorsv1.GroupVersion.Group, operatorsv1.GroupVersion.Version)
+	found, err := verifyAPI(operatorsv1.GroupVersion.Group, operatorsv1.GroupVersion.Version)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/controllers/util/util_test.go b/controllers/util/util_test.go
index 2a254894519..485d2a68ed2 100644
--- a/controllers/util/util_test.go
+++ b/controllers/util/util_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	configv1 "github.com/openshift/api/config/v1"
+	routev1 "github.com/openshift/api/route/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes/scheme"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client/fake"
@@ -48,6 +49,51 @@ func TestGetClusterVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestInspectCluster_RouteDetectedWithoutConfigAPI(t *testing.T) {
+	// Save and restore package-level state so this test is hermetic.
+	origRoute := routeAPIFound
+	origConfig := configAPIFound
+	origOLM := olmAPIFound
+	origMonitoring := monitoringAPIFound
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		routeAPIFound = origRoute
+		configAPIFound = origConfig
+		olmAPIFound = origOLM
+		monitoringAPIFound = origMonitoring
+		SetVerifyAPI(nil) // restore default
+	})
+
+	// Reset all flags before the test.
+	routeAPIFound = false
+	configAPIFound = false
+	olmAPIFound = false
+	monitoringAPIFound = false
+
+	// Mock API verification: route.openshift.io is present, config.openshift.io is not.
+	SetVerifyAPI(func(group, version string) (bool, error) {
+		if group == routev1.GroupName {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+		if group == configv1.GroupName {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+		// All other API groups are absent.
+		return false, nil
+	})
+
+	err := InspectCluster()
+	assertNoError(t, err)
+
+	// The bug: before the fix, verifyRouteAPI was gated behind configAPIFound,
+	// so on xKS clusters with Route but without Config, Route was never detected.
+	if !IsRouteAPIFound() {
+		t.Fatal("IsRouteAPIFound() = false; want true when route.openshift.io is available without config.openshift.io")
+	}
+	if IsConfigAPIFound() {
+		t.Fatal("IsConfigAPIFound() = true; want false because config.openshift.io is absent")
+	}
+}
+
 func addKnownTypesToScheme(scheme *runtime.Scheme) {
 	scheme.AddKnownTypes(configv1.GroupVersion, &configv1.ClusterVersion{})
 }