diff --git a/.github/workflows/image-push-manual.yml b/.github/workflows/image-push-manual.yml
index dda5a035ae..2fd8351498 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/image-push-manual.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/image-push-manual.yml
@@ -328,6 +328,18 @@ jobs:
             exit 1
           fi
           echo "discovered: ${indexes[*]}"
+          # A subtree with several targets all named `image` (nvca: cmd/nvca,
+          # cmd/nvca-operator, cmd/cluster-validator, cmd/tools) would map every
+          # one of them to the service repo and the last push would win. When
+          # that is the case, the package leaf names the repo instead, with the
+          # leaf that equals the service keeping the plain service name. A
+          # subtree with a single `image` target keeps mapping to the service
+          # wherever that target lives (cmd/, crates/server/, ...).
+          plain_image_count=0
+          for tgt in "${indexes[@]}"; do
+            n="${tgt##*:}"; n="${n%_index}"
+            [ "$n" = "image" ] && plain_image_count=$((plain_image_count + 1))
+          done
           for tgt in "${indexes[@]}"; do
             name="${tgt##*:}"; name="${name%_index}"
             # Two naming conventions exist in the tree and they mean different
@@ -342,7 +354,13 @@ jobs:
             # Previously the hyphenated form fell through to the default and
             # produced names like byoo-otel-collector-byoo-otel-collector-image.
             case "$name" in
-              image)   repo="${svc}" ;;
+              image)
+                if [ "$plain_image_count" -gt 1 ]; then
+                  pkg="${tgt%%:*}"; leaf="${pkg##*/}"
+                  if [ "$leaf" = "$svc" ]; then repo="${svc}"; else repo="${leaf}"; fi
+                else
+                  repo="${svc}"
+                fi ;;
               *_image) sub="$(printf '%s' "${name%_image}" | tr '_' '-')"; repo="${svc}-${sub}" ;;
               *-image) repo="${name%-image}" ;;
               *)       sub="$(printf '%s' "$name" | tr '_' '-')"; repo="${svc}-${sub}" ;;
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/gc.go b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/gc.go
index 0521ace4a7..ac8545ff89 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/gc.go
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/gc.go
@@ -59,6 +59,16 @@ type Cleaner interface {
 type Runnable struct {
 	cleaners []Cleaner
 	interval time.Duration
+	// logCtx carries the agent's logger. controller-runtime starts runnables
+	// with its own context, on which core.GetLogger returns a discard logger,
+	// so without this every GC log line, including deletions, is lost.
+	logCtx context.Context
+}
+
+// SetLogContext records a context whose logger the GC uses for its own log
+// lines. Call it before the runnable is started.
+func (gc *Runnable) SetLogContext(ctx context.Context) {
+	gc.logCtx = ctx
 }
 
 // NewRunnable creates a new garbage collection controller with the specified interval
@@ -85,6 +95,9 @@ func NewRunnable(clients *kubeclients.KubeClients, m *metrics.Metrics, interval
 // Start begins the GC controller, executing cleaners immediately and then at the configured interval
 // This implements the controller-runtime Runnable interface
 func (gc *Runnable) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
+	if gc.logCtx != nil {
+		ctx = core.WithLogger(ctx, core.GetLogger(gc.logCtx))
+	}
 	log := core.GetLogger(ctx)
 
 	// Run cleaners immediately on startup
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/BUILD.bazel b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/BUILD.bazel
index 3a22d44038..3a03b81ff9 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/BUILD.bazel
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ go_library(
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/metrics/gctypes",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/apis/nvca/v2beta1",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/client/clientset/versioned",
+        "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/storage",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/types",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/vendor/github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/libraries/go/lib/pkg/core",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/vendor/github.com/sourcegraph/conc/pool",
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ go_test(
     deps = [
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/apis/nvca/v2beta1",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/client/clientset/versioned/fake",
+        "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/storage",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/types",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/assert",
         "//src/compute-plane-services/nvca/vendor/github.com/stretchr/testify/require",
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner.go b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner.go
index 86af690ebc..cc26b08718 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner.go
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/metrics"
 	metricsgctypes "github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/metrics/gctypes"
 	bartclient "github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/client/clientset/versioned"
+	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/storage"
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/types"
 )
 
@@ -112,6 +113,13 @@ func (c *Cleaner) collectOrphanedNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]corev1.Names
 
 	var toCleanup []corev1.Namespace
 	for _, ns := range nsList.Items {
+		// The shared model-cache init namespace carries the miniservice
+		// instance-type label so the unbound-DNS policy matches its writer
+		// jobs, but it never has an ICMSRequest. It is owned by the agent
+		// for the cluster's lifetime, not by any function instance.
+		if ns.Name == storage.ModelCacheInitNamespace {
+			continue
+		}
 		if c.isOrphaned(ctx, &ns) {
 			toCleanup = append(toCleanup, ns)
 		} else if ns.DeletionTimestamp != nil {
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner_test.go b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner_test.go
index 0b654b4937..91ba86cc5a 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner_test.go
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/gc/namespace/cleaner_test.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import (
 
 	nvcav2beta1 "github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/apis/nvca/v2beta1"
 	bartfake "github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/client/clientset/versioned/fake"
+	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/storage"
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/types"
 )
 
@@ -132,9 +133,13 @@ func TestCleaner_collectOrphanedNamespaces(t *testing.T) {
 	nsOrphan := &corev1.Namespace{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "ns-orphan", Labels: map[string]string{"nvca.nvcf.nvidia.io/workload-instance-type": "miniservice"}}}
 	nsValid := &corev1.Namespace{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "ns-valid", Labels: map[string]string{"nvca.nvcf.nvidia.io/workload-instance-type": "miniservice"}}}
 
+	// The model-cache init namespace carries the same label and has no
+	// ICMSRequest, but must never be collected.
+	nsInit := &corev1.Namespace{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: storage.ModelCacheInitNamespace, Labels: map[string]string{"nvca.nvcf.nvidia.io/workload-instance-type": "miniservice"}}}
+
 	// StorageRequest inside nsValid (to be cleaned later)
 	// Create fake clients
-	k8sClient := fake.NewSimpleClientset(nsOrphan, nsValid)
+	k8sClient := fake.NewSimpleClientset(nsOrphan, nsValid, nsInit)
 	nvcaClient := bartfake.NewSimpleClientset()
 
 	icmsGetter := &mockICMSRequestGetter{requests: map[string]*nvcav2beta1.ICMSRequest{"ns-valid": {ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "ns-valid", Namespace: types.DefaultICMSRequestNamespace}}}}
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/nvca/agent_manager.go b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/nvca/agent_manager.go
index 477bbc9c97..be56878234 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/nvca/agent_manager.go
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/nvca/agent_manager.go
@@ -225,6 +225,7 @@ func startControllerManagerForAgent(
 
 	// Add GC cleaners to the manager
 	gcRunnable := gc.NewRunnable(clients, metrics, gc.DefaultInterval, a.RequestsNamespace)
+	gcRunnable.SetLogContext(ctx)
 	if err := mgr.Add(gcRunnable); err != nil {
 		log.WithError(err).Error("Failed to add GC controller to controller manager")
 		return fmt.Errorf("add GC controller to controller manager: %v", err)
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook.go b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook.go
index d32642e08b..aab4dc06a3 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook.go
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook.go
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/internal/util/k8sutil"
 	nvcfdra "github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/dra"
 	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/featureflag"
+	"github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/storage"
 	nvcatypes "github.com/NVIDIA/nvcf/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/types"
 )
 
@@ -219,6 +220,13 @@ func (w *miniserviceMutatingWebhook) Handle(ctx context.Context, req admission.R
 		// MutatingWebhookConfiguration should prevent this case in practice.
 		return admission.Allowed("cluster-scoped object: skipping miniservice mutating webhook")
 	}
+	if namespace == storage.ModelCacheInitNamespace {
+		// The shared model-cache init namespace matches the webhook's namespace
+		// selector (it carries the miniservice instance-type label for DNS
+		// injection) but hosts cache writer jobs, not function instances: there
+		// is no per-instance metadata ConfigMap to inject.
+		return admission.Allowed("model-cache init namespace: no NVCF metadata to inject")
+	}
 
 	gvk := schema.GroupVersionKind(req.Kind)
 
diff --git a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook_test.go b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook_test.go
index 49a8f49d03..9c20a70270 100644
--- a/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook_test.go
+++ b/src/compute-plane-services/nvca/pkg/webhook/miniservice_mutating_webhook_test.go
@@ -183,6 +183,26 @@ func TestMiniserviceOperatorWebhook_ConfigMapMissing(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, http.StatusForbidden, int(resp.Result.Code), "Denied should use 403, not 500 (Errored)")
 }
 
+func TestMiniserviceOperatorWebhook_ModelCacheInitNamespace_Allowed(t *testing.T) {
+	wh := makeWebhook(t) // no ConfigMap, as in the real init namespace
+	ctx := core.WithDefaultLogger(context.Background())
+
+	pod := &corev1.Pod{
+		TypeMeta:   metav1.TypeMeta{APIVersion: "v1", Kind: "Pod"},
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "writer-job-abc-xyz", Namespace: cmnnvcastorage.ModelCacheInitNamespace},
+	}
+	raw, _ := json.Marshal(pod)
+	req := admission.Request{}
+	req.Namespace = cmnnvcastorage.ModelCacheInitNamespace
+	req.Kind = metav1.GroupVersionKind{Version: "v1", Kind: "Pod"}
+	req.Object = runtime.RawExtension{Raw: raw}
+	req.Operation = admissionv1.Create
+
+	resp := wh.Handle(ctx, req)
+	assert.True(t, resp.Allowed, "cache writer pods carry no instance metadata and must not be denied")
+	assert.Empty(t, resp.Patches)
+}
+
 func TestMiniserviceOperatorWebhook_ClusterScopedObject(t *testing.T) {
 	wh := makeWebhook(t) // no ConfigMap needed
 	ctx := core.WithDefaultLogger(context.Background())