diff --git a/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/OpenSsl.cs b/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/OpenSsl.cs
index 6a03a66b..653e0d0e 100644
--- a/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/OpenSsl.cs
+++ b/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/OpenSsl.cs
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ internal static unsafe partial class OpenSsl
     public const int SSL_VERIFY_NONE = 0x00;
     public const int SSL_VERIFY_PEER = 0x01;
     public const long X509_V_OK = 0;
+    public const uint X509_CHECK_FLAG_NO_PARTIAL_WILDCARDS = 0x4;
 
     // --- context ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@@ -131,6 +132,9 @@ public static unsafe int Write(nint ssl, byte* buf, int num, out int error)
     [LibraryImport(Ssl, StringMarshalling = StringMarshalling.Utf8)]
     public static partial int SSL_set1_host(nint ssl, string hostname);
 
+    /// <summary>How <see cref="SSL_set1_host"/>'s name is matched: X509_CHECK_FLAG_* bits.</summary>
+    [LibraryImport(Ssl)] public static partial void SSL_set_hostflags(nint ssl, uint flags);
+
     [LibraryImport(Ssl)] public static partial long SSL_get_verify_result(nint ssl);
     [LibraryImport(Ssl)] public static partial void SSL_get0_alpn_selected(nint ssl, byte** data, uint* length);
 
diff --git a/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/TlsClientStream.cs b/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/TlsClientStream.cs
index e9278cd3..b5da6943 100644
--- a/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/TlsClientStream.cs
+++ b/src/clients/ioxide.httpclient/Tls/TlsClientStream.cs
@@ -138,6 +138,9 @@ private static void ConfigureNames(nint ssl, TlsClientOptions options, string se
         {
             throw new IOException($"SSL_set1_host('{serverName}'): {OpenSsl.LastError()}");
         }
+
+        // 'ww*.example.com' must not match 'www.example.com': a partial wildcard names a prefix, not a host.
+        OpenSsl.SSL_set_hostflags(ssl, OpenSsl.X509_CHECK_FLAG_NO_PARTIAL_WILDCARDS);
     }
 
     private async ValueTask RunHandshakeAsync(TlsClientOptions options, string serverName)
diff --git a/tests/Ioxide.Tests.Http/TlsClientVerificationTests.cs b/tests/Ioxide.Tests.Http/TlsClientVerificationTests.cs
index 2a7d8646..de53b482 100644
--- a/tests/Ioxide.Tests.Http/TlsClientVerificationTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Ioxide.Tests.Http/TlsClientVerificationTests.cs
@@ -34,12 +34,12 @@ public static void Register(Runner runner)
     }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Wildcard matching, which the client never spells out: it calls SSL_set1_host and inherits
-    /// whatever OpenSSL's default hostflags mean this month.
+    /// Wildcard matching, which the client spells out rather than inheriting whatever OpenSSL's
+    /// default hostflags mean this month: SSL_set1_host with X509_CHECK_FLAG_NO_PARTIAL_WILDCARDS.
     /// </summary>
     private static void RegisterWildcards(Runner runner)
     {
-        runner.Pending("tls client: a partial wildcard must not match (ww*.example.com is not www.example.com)", () =>
+        runner.Test("tls client: a partial wildcard must not match (ww*.example.com is not www.example.com)", () =>
         {
             // A certificate issued for 'ww*.example.com' is a certificate for a PREFIX, and the
             // holder of one for 'ww*' can speak for www, wwx and every other name that starts the
@@ -55,15 +55,13 @@ private static void RegisterWildcards(Runner runner)
                 $"a partial wildcard should not have authenticated www.example.com, got: {body}");
             Assert.True(body.Contains("certificate verify failed"),
                 $"should be refused as a verification failure, got: {body}");
-        }, "SSL_set1_host runs with OpenSSL's default hostflags: X509_CHECK_FLAG_NO_PARTIAL_WILDCARDS "
-           + "is never set, so 'ww*' matches 'www'. curl sets it, and SslStream and Python refuse "
-           + "partial wildcards outright");
+        });
 
         runner.Test("tls client: control - a full wildcard matches one label below it", () =>
         {
             // The control for the case above, and the reason it is a control: the ONLY difference
             // is the two characters in front of the star. A '*.example.com' certificate is
-            // ordinary and has to keep working, so the pending test above cannot be satisfied by
+            // ordinary and has to keep working, so the test above cannot be satisfied by
             // refusing wildcards altogether.
             using Authority ca = Authority.Mint();
             using X509Certificate2 leaf = ca.Leaf("CN=wildcard origin", dns: ["*.example.com"]);
@@ -75,7 +73,7 @@ private static void RegisterWildcards(Runner runner)
         runner.Test("tls client: a wildcard does not match across a label", () =>
         {
             // '*.example.com' covers one label, not a subtree - so it must not authenticate
-            // a.b.example.com. Pinned because the obvious wrong fix for the pending case above is
+            // a.b.example.com. Pinned because the obvious wrong fix for the partial case above is
             // to reach for the hostflags argument and pass the wrong constant:
             // X509_CHECK_FLAG_MULTI_LABEL_WILDCARDS is right next to the one that is wanted and
             // widens matching instead of narrowing it.