diff --git a/add-on/src/lib/dnslink.js b/add-on/src/lib/dnslink.js
index c9c44201b..f18bbf686 100644
--- a/add-on/src/lib/dnslink.js
+++ b/add-on/src/lib/dnslink.js
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ module.exports = function createDnslinkResolver (getState) {
         // to load the correct path from IPFS
         // - https://github.com/ipfs/ipfs-companion/issues/298
         const ipnsPath = dnslinkResolver.convertToIpnsPath(url)
-        const gateway = state.localGwAvailable ? state.gwURLString : state.pubGwURLString
+        const gateway = state.redirect && state.localGwAvailable ? state.gwURLString : state.pubGwURLString
         return pathAtHttpGateway(ipnsPath, gateway)
       }
     },
diff --git a/test/functional/lib/dnslink.test.js b/test/functional/lib/dnslink.test.js
index 1e52cb763..ee0caa882 100644
--- a/test/functional/lib/dnslink.test.js
+++ b/test/functional/lib/dnslink.test.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 'use strict'
-const { describe, it, before, after } = require('mocha')
+const { describe, it, before, beforeEach, after } = require('mocha')
 const { expect } = require('chai')
 const { URL } = require('url')
 const sinon = require('sinon')
@@ -58,10 +58,15 @@ describe('dnslinkResolver (dnslinkPolicy=detectIpfsPathHeader)', function () {
     global.URL = URL
   })
 
-  const getState = () => Object.assign(initState(testOptions), {
-    ipfsNodeType: 'external',
-    dnslinkPolicy: 'detectIpfsPathHeader',
-    peerCount: 1
+  let getState
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    // ensure each case uses clean state
+    getState = () => Object.assign(initState(testOptions), {
+      ipfsNodeType: 'external',
+      dnslinkPolicy: 'detectIpfsPathHeader',
+      redirect: true,
+      peerCount: 1
+    })
   })
   const getExternalNodeState = () => Object.assign(getState(), { ipfsNodeType: 'external' })
   const getEmbeddedNodeState = () => Object.assign(getState(), { ipfsNodeType: 'embedded' })
@@ -86,6 +91,18 @@ describe('dnslinkResolver (dnslinkPolicy=detectIpfsPathHeader)', function () {
       expect(dnslinkResolver.dnslinkAtGateway(url.toString()))
         .to.equal('http://localhost:8080/ipns/dnslinksite4.io/foo/barl?a=b#c=d')
     })
+    it('[external node] should return redirect to public gateway if dnslink is present in cache but redirect to local gw is off', function () {
+      const oldState = getState
+      getState = () => Object.assign(oldState(), { redirect: false })
+      const url = new URL('https://dnslinksite4.io/foo/barl?a=b#c=d')
+      const dnslinkResolver = createDnslinkResolver(getExternalNodeState)
+      dnslinkResolver.setDnslink(url.hostname, '/ipfs/bafybeigxjv2o4jse2lajbd5c7xxl5rluhyqg5yupln42252e5tcao7hbge')
+      expectNoDnsTxtRecordLookup(url.hostname, dnslinkResolver)
+      // note: locahost will redirect to subdomain if its go-ipfs >0.5,
+      // so companion does not need to handle that
+      expect(dnslinkResolver.dnslinkAtGateway(url.toString()))
+        .to.equal('https://gateway.foobar.io/ipns/dnslinksite4.io/foo/barl?a=b#c=d')
+    })
     it('[embedded node] should return redirect to public gateway if dnslink is present in cache', function () {
       const url = new URL('https://dnslinksite4.io/foo/barl?a=b#c=d')
       const dnslinkResolver = createDnslinkResolver(getEmbeddedNodeState)