diff --git a/backend/routes/cardApi.js b/backend/routes/cardApi.js
index eed018d..c572022 100644
--- a/backend/routes/cardApi.js
+++ b/backend/routes/cardApi.js
@@ -596,7 +596,8 @@ function createCardApiRouter() {
 
         // Fast path: if Ivanti hostId is provided, try asset-search first
         // The asset-search returns the full record including owner data, so we can
-        // return directly without a separate getOwner() call.
+        // often return directly without a separate getOwner() call.
+        // If update_token is missing, do a follow-up getOwner() to fetch it.
         let assetId = null;
         if (hostId && /^\d+$/.test(hostId)) {
             try {
@@ -607,6 +608,19 @@ function createCardApiRouter() {
                     if (assets.length > 0) {
                         const asset = assets[0];
                         const owner = asset.owner || {};
+                        let updateToken = owner.update_token || null;
+
+                        // If no update_token, fetch it from the owner endpoint using the resolved _id
+                        if (!updateToken && asset._id) {
+                            try {
+                                const ownerResult = await getOwner(asset._id);
+                                if (ownerResult.ok) {
+                                    const ownerData = JSON.parse(ownerResult.body);
+                                    updateToken = (ownerData.owner && ownerData.owner.update_token) || null;
+                                }
+                            } catch (_) { /* best effort */ }
+                        }
+
                         return res.json({
                             asset_id: asset._id || null,
                             ip: ip.trim(),
@@ -614,7 +628,7 @@ function createCardApiRouter() {
                             unconfirmed: owner.unconfirmed || null,
                             declined: owner.declined || [],
                             candidate: owner.candidate || [],
-                            update_token: owner.update_token || null,
+                            update_token: updateToken,
                         });
                     }
                 }