diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/android/capacitor/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 74b7379f73..d436515b78 100644
--- a/android/capacitor/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
+    <!-- Local-network access on API 37+. Unknown to older SDKs, safely ignored there. -->
+    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK" />
 </manifest>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/Bridge.java b/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/Bridge.java
index 6122565b37..3344dd3cca 100644
--- a/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/Bridge.java
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/Bridge.java
@@ -598,6 +598,7 @@ private void registerAllPlugins() {
         this.registerPlugin(com.getcapacitor.plugin.WebView.class);
         this.registerPlugin(com.getcapacitor.plugin.CapacitorHttp.class);
         this.registerPlugin(com.getcapacitor.plugin.SystemBars.class);
+        this.registerPlugin(com.getcapacitor.plugin.LocalNetwork.class);
 
         for (Class<? extends Plugin> pluginClass : this.initialPlugins) {
             this.registerPlugin(pluginClass);
@@ -1058,6 +1059,19 @@ protected boolean validatePermissions(Plugin plugin, PluginCall savedCall, Map<S
             String permString = permission.getKey();
             boolean isGranted = permission.getValue();
 
+            if (!PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(permString)) {
+                // Not enforced on this SDK (e.g. local-network permission pre-37).
+                // Clear any cached state and skip rationale/DENIED caching entirely.
+                String cachedState = prefs.getString(permString, null);
+
+                if (cachedState != null) {
+                    SharedPreferences.Editor nonEnforcedEditor = prefs.edit();
+                    nonEnforcedEditor.remove(permString);
+                    nonEnforcedEditor.apply();
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
+
             if (isGranted) {
                 // Permission granted. If previously denied, remove cached state
                 String state = prefs.getString(permString, null);
@@ -1082,9 +1096,15 @@ protected boolean validatePermissions(Plugin plugin, PluginCall savedCall, Map<S
             }
         }
 
-        String[] permStrings = permissions.keySet().toArray(new String[0]);
+        ArrayList<String> enforcedPerms = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (String permString : permissions.keySet()) {
+            if (PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(permString)) {
+                enforcedPerms.add(permString);
+            }
+        }
+        String[] permStrings = enforcedPerms.toArray(new String[0]);
 
-        if (!PermissionHelper.hasDefinedPermissions(getContext(), permStrings)) {
+        if (permStrings.length > 0 && !PermissionHelper.hasDefinedPermissions(getContext(), permStrings)) {
             StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
             builder.append("Missing the following permissions in AndroidManifest.xml:\n");
             String[] missing = PermissionHelper.getUndefinedPermissions(getContext(), permStrings);
@@ -1125,7 +1145,9 @@ protected Map<String, PermissionState> getPermissionStates(Plugin plugin) {
                     for (String permString : perm.strings()) {
                         String key = perm.alias().isEmpty() ? permString : perm.alias();
                         PermissionState permissionStatus;
-                        if (ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission(this.getContext(), permString) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
+                        if (!PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(permString)) {
+                            permissionStatus = PermissionState.GRANTED;
+                        } else if (ActivityCompat.checkSelfPermission(this.getContext(), permString) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
                             permissionStatus = PermissionState.GRANTED;
                         } else {
                             permissionStatus = PermissionState.PROMPT;
diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/plugin/LocalNetwork.java b/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/plugin/LocalNetwork.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9fc96279a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/plugin/LocalNetwork.java
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+package com.getcapacitor.plugin;
+
+import com.getcapacitor.Plugin;
+import com.getcapacitor.annotation.CapacitorPlugin;
+import com.getcapacitor.annotation.Permission;
+import com.getcapacitor.util.PermissionHelper;
+
+/**
+ * First-party helper exposing the standard checkPermissions()/requestPermissions()
+ * flow for Android's local-network runtime permission (ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, API 37+).
+ *
+ * On older SDKs the Bridge reports the permission as granted, so no prompt ever
+ * appears there.
+ *
+ * @since 9.0.0
+ */
+@CapacitorPlugin(
+    name = "LocalNetwork",
+    permissions = {
+        @Permission(alias = "localNetwork", strings = { PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK })
+    }
+)
+public class LocalNetwork extends Plugin {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelper.java b/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelper.java
index e7b8332104..37c58d40d0 100644
--- a/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelper.java
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/main/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelper.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import android.content.Context;
 import android.content.pm.PackageInfo;
 import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
+import android.os.Build;
 import androidx.core.app.ActivityCompat;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
@@ -15,6 +16,90 @@
  */
 public class PermissionHelper {
 
+    /**
+     * Local-network access runtime permission introduced in API 37.
+     * Kept as a string literal even though the default compile SDK is 37,
+     * because consumers can override the compile SDK below API 37 via the
+     * compileSdkVersion Gradle property, in which case
+     * Manifest.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK is not available at compile time.
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     */
+    public static final String ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK = "android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK";
+
+    /**
+     * API level that introduced the local-network runtime permission.
+     * Kept as a literal because there is no compile-time guarantee that a
+     * Build.VERSION_CODES constant exists for API 37 (builds may use a compile
+     * SDK below 37 via the compileSdkVersion Gradle property).
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     */
+    public static final int ANDROID_API_LOCAL_NETWORK_PERMISSION = 37;
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the given permission string is the local-network permission.
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     * @param permission A permission string to check.
+     * @return True if it matches the local-network permission, false otherwise (including null).
+     */
+    public static boolean isLocalNetworkPermission(String permission) {
+        return ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK.equals(permission);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the local-network runtime permission is enforced on this device.
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     * @return True on API 37+, false on older SDKs where the permission is unknown.
+     */
+    public static boolean isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced() {
+        return isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(Build.VERSION.SDK_INT);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the local-network runtime permission is enforced for the given API level.
+     * Exists so both sides of the API-37 gate are unit-testable on the JVM.
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     * @param sdkInt An API level, e.g. Build.VERSION.SDK_INT.
+     * @return True on API 37+, false on older SDKs where the permission is unknown.
+     */
+    public static boolean isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(int sdkInt) {
+        return sdkInt >= ANDROID_API_LOCAL_NETWORK_PERMISSION;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the given permission is enforced on this device.
+     * The local-network permission is only enforced on API 37+; on older SDKs it
+     * is unknown to PackageManager and must be treated as granted.
+     * All other permissions are always enforced.
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     * @param permission A permission string to check.
+     * @return False only for the local-network permission on SDK < 37, true otherwise.
+     */
+    public static boolean isPermissionEnforced(String permission) {
+        return isPermissionEnforced(permission, Build.VERSION.SDK_INT);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Checks whether the given permission is enforced for the given API level.
+     * Exists so both sides of the API-37 gate are unit-testable on the JVM.
+     *
+     * @since 9.0.0
+     * @param permission A permission string to check.
+     * @param sdkInt An API level, e.g. Build.VERSION.SDK_INT.
+     * @return False only for the local-network permission on SDK < 37, true otherwise.
+     */
+    public static boolean isPermissionEnforced(String permission, int sdkInt) {
+        if (isLocalNetworkPermission(permission) && !isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(sdkInt)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Checks if a list of given permissions are all granted by the user
      *
diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/BridgePermissionTest.java b/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/BridgePermissionTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..871381724c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/BridgePermissionTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+package com.getcapacitor;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
+
+import android.content.Context;
+import android.content.SharedPreferences;
+import com.getcapacitor.annotation.CapacitorPlugin;
+import com.getcapacitor.annotation.Permission;
+import com.getcapacitor.util.PermissionHelper;
+import java.util.Collections;
+import java.util.Map;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class BridgePermissionTest {
+
+    private Plugin pluginWithLocalNetworkAlias() {
+        Permission permission = mock(Permission.class);
+        when(permission.alias()).thenReturn("localNetwork");
+        when(permission.strings()).thenReturn(new String[] { PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK });
+
+        CapacitorPlugin annotation = mock(CapacitorPlugin.class);
+        when(annotation.permissions()).thenReturn(new Permission[] { permission });
+
+        PluginHandle handle = mock(PluginHandle.class);
+        when(handle.getPluginAnnotation()).thenReturn(annotation);
+
+        Plugin plugin = mock(Plugin.class);
+        when(plugin.getPluginHandle()).thenReturn(handle);
+        return plugin;
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void getPermissionStatesGrantsLocalNetworkWithoutPackageManager() {
+        // Unit tests stub Build.VERSION.SDK_INT to 0, exercising the pre-37 path.
+        Bridge bridge = mock(Bridge.class);
+        Plugin plugin = pluginWithLocalNetworkAlias();
+        when(bridge.getPermissionStates(plugin)).thenCallRealMethod();
+
+        Map<String, PermissionState> states = bridge.getPermissionStates(plugin);
+
+        assertEquals(PermissionState.GRANTED, states.get("localNetwork"));
+        verify(bridge, never()).getContext();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void validatePermissionsSwallowsDeniedResultWhenNotEnforced() {
+        // Even a DENIED result from the OS must not reject or cache state pre-37.
+        Bridge bridge = mock(Bridge.class);
+        Context context = mock(Context.class);
+        SharedPreferences prefs = mock(SharedPreferences.class);
+        PluginCall savedCall = mock(PluginCall.class);
+        when(bridge.getContext()).thenReturn(context);
+        when(context.getSharedPreferences(anyString(), anyInt())).thenReturn(prefs);
+        Map<String, Boolean> results = Collections.singletonMap(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, Boolean.FALSE);
+        when(bridge.validatePermissions(any(Plugin.class), eq(savedCall), eq(results))).thenCallRealMethod();
+
+        assertTrue(bridge.validatePermissions(mock(Plugin.class), savedCall, results));
+
+        verifyNoInteractions(savedCall);
+        verify(bridge, never()).getActivity();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void validatePermissionsClearsStaleCacheWhenNotEnforced() {
+        Bridge bridge = mock(Bridge.class);
+        Context context = mock(Context.class);
+        SharedPreferences prefs = mock(SharedPreferences.class);
+        SharedPreferences.Editor editor = mock(SharedPreferences.Editor.class);
+        PluginCall savedCall = mock(PluginCall.class);
+        when(bridge.getContext()).thenReturn(context);
+        when(context.getSharedPreferences(anyString(), anyInt())).thenReturn(prefs);
+        when(prefs.getString(eq(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK), isNull())).thenReturn(PermissionState.DENIED.toString());
+        when(prefs.edit()).thenReturn(editor);
+        Map<String, Boolean> results = Collections.singletonMap(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, Boolean.TRUE);
+        when(bridge.validatePermissions(any(Plugin.class), eq(savedCall), eq(results))).thenCallRealMethod();
+
+        assertTrue(bridge.validatePermissions(mock(Plugin.class), savedCall, results));
+
+        verify(editor).remove(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK);
+        verify(editor).apply();
+        verifyNoInteractions(savedCall);
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/plugin/LocalNetworkTest.java b/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/plugin/LocalNetworkTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f962530b4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/plugin/LocalNetworkTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+package com.getcapacitor.plugin;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
+
+import com.getcapacitor.Bridge;
+import com.getcapacitor.JSObject;
+import com.getcapacitor.PermissionState;
+import com.getcapacitor.PluginCall;
+import com.getcapacitor.PluginHandle;
+import com.getcapacitor.annotation.CapacitorPlugin;
+import com.getcapacitor.annotation.Permission;
+import com.getcapacitor.util.PermissionHelper;
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.mockito.ArgumentCaptor;
+
+public class LocalNetworkTest {
+
+    @Test
+    public void annotatedWithLocalNetworkPermission() {
+        CapacitorPlugin annotation = LocalNetwork.class.getAnnotation(CapacitorPlugin.class);
+
+        assertNotNull(annotation);
+        assertEquals("LocalNetwork", annotation.name());
+
+        Permission[] permissions = annotation.permissions();
+        assertEquals(1, permissions.length);
+        assertEquals("localNetwork", permissions[0].alias());
+        assertArrayEquals(new String[] { PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK }, permissions[0].strings());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void checkPermissionsReportsGrantedOnPreApi37() {
+        // Local JVM unit tests stub Build.VERSION.SDK_INT to 0, exercising the pre-37 path:
+        // the bridge must report the localNetwork alias as GRANTED without touching
+        // PackageManager (no getContext call), so no prompt can ever appear.
+        // CALLS_REAL_METHODS runs Bridge.getPermissionStates() for real while
+        // keeping the rest of the mock inert (the pre-37 path never reaches them).
+        Bridge bridge = mock(Bridge.class, CALLS_REAL_METHODS);
+
+        PluginHandle handle = mock(PluginHandle.class);
+        when(handle.getPluginAnnotation()).thenReturn(LocalNetwork.class.getAnnotation(CapacitorPlugin.class));
+
+        LocalNetwork plugin = new LocalNetwork();
+        plugin.setBridge(bridge);
+        plugin.setPluginHandle(handle);
+
+        PluginCall call = mock(PluginCall.class);
+        plugin.checkPermissions(call);
+
+        ArgumentCaptor<JSObject> captor = ArgumentCaptor.forClass(JSObject.class);
+        verify(call).resolve(captor.capture());
+        assertEquals(PermissionState.GRANTED.toString(), captor.getValue().optString("localNetwork", "missing"));
+        verify(bridge, never()).getContext();
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelperTest.java b/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelperTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..544a262a18
--- /dev/null
+++ b/android/capacitor/src/test/java/com/getcapacitor/util/PermissionHelperTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package com.getcapacitor.util;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class PermissionHelperTest {
+
+    @Test
+    public void localNetworkConstants() {
+        assertEquals("android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK", PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK);
+        assertEquals(37, PermissionHelper.ANDROID_API_LOCAL_NETWORK_PERMISSION);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void isLocalNetworkPermission() {
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermission(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermission("android.permission.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK"));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermission("android.permission.INTERNET"));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermission("android.permission.CAMERA"));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermission(""));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermission(null));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void localNetworkNotEnforcedBelowApi37() {
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(24));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(36));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, 24));
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, 36));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void localNetworkEnforcedOnApi37Plus() {
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(37));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced(38));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, 37));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK, 38));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void otherPermissionsAlwaysEnforced() {
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced("android.permission.INTERNET", 24));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced("android.permission.INTERNET", 37));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced("android.permission.CAMERA", 24));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced("android.permission.CAMERA", 37));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(null, 24));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced("", 36));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void deviceMethodsReflectUnitTestSdk() {
+        // Local JVM unit tests stub Build.VERSION.SDK_INT to 0 (pre-37),
+        // so the local-network permission must report as not enforced here.
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isLocalNetworkPermissionEnforced());
+        assertFalse(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced(PermissionHelper.ACCESS_LOCAL_NETWORK));
+        assertTrue(PermissionHelper.isPermissionEnforced("android.permission.CAMERA"));
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/core-plugins.ts b/core/src/core-plugins.ts
index a1efe9c901..6459b5431f 100644
--- a/core/src/core-plugins.ts
+++ b/core/src/core-plugins.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import type { Plugin } from './definitions';
+import type { PermissionResult, Plugin } from './definitions';
 import { registerPlugin } from './global';
 import { WebPlugin } from './web-plugin';
 
@@ -659,3 +659,29 @@ export const SystemBars = registerPlugin<SystemBarsPlugin>('SystemBars', {
 });
 
 /******** END SYSTEM BARS PLUGIN ********/
+
+/******** LOCAL NETWORK PLUGIN ********/
+export interface LocalNetworkPlugin {
+  checkPermissions(): Promise<PermissionResult>;
+  requestPermissions(): Promise<PermissionResult>;
+}
+
+export class LocalNetworkPluginWeb extends WebPlugin implements LocalNetworkPlugin {
+  async checkPermissions(): Promise<PermissionResult> {
+    return {
+      localNetwork: 'granted',
+    };
+  }
+
+  async requestPermissions(): Promise<PermissionResult> {
+    return {
+      localNetwork: 'granted',
+    };
+  }
+}
+
+export const LocalNetwork = registerPlugin<LocalNetworkPlugin>('LocalNetwork', {
+  web: () => new LocalNetworkPluginWeb(),
+});
+
+/******** END LOCAL NETWORK PLUGIN ********/
diff --git a/core/src/definitions.ts b/core/src/definitions.ts
index a8259607cc..c6ecfb0897 100644
--- a/core/src/definitions.ts
+++ b/core/src/definitions.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,16 @@ export interface Plugin {
 
 export type PermissionState = 'prompt' | 'prompt-with-rationale' | 'granted' | 'denied';
 
+/**
+ * A mapping of permission aliases to their current state, as returned by the
+ * standard `checkPermissions()` / `requestPermissions()` plugin flow.
+ *
+ * @since 9.0.0
+ */
+export type PermissionResult = {
+  [key: string]: PermissionState;
+};
+
 export interface PluginListenerHandle {
   remove: () => Promise<void>;
 }
diff --git a/core/src/index.ts b/core/src/index.ts
index 5afa512cf3..d498f62956 100644
--- a/core/src/index.ts
+++ b/core/src/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // Type Definitions
 export type {
   CapacitorGlobal,
+  PermissionResult,
   PermissionState,
   Plugin,
   PluginCallback,
@@ -24,6 +25,7 @@ export {
   SystemBarsAnimation,
   CapacitorCookies,
   CapacitorHttp,
+  LocalNetwork,
   WebView,
   buildRequestInit,
 } from './core-plugins';
@@ -38,6 +40,7 @@ export type {
   HttpParams,
   HttpResponse,
   HttpResponseType,
+  LocalNetworkPlugin,
   WebViewPath,
   WebViewPlugin,
   SystemBarsVisibilityOptions,