diff --git a/pkg/multus/multus.go b/pkg/multus/multus.go
index fbb219028..a54854ba4 100644
--- a/pkg/multus/multus.go
+++ b/pkg/multus/multus.go
@@ -378,6 +378,7 @@ func conflistStatus(rt *libcni.RuntimeConf, rawnetconflist []byte, multusNetconf
 	}
 	if gt, _ := cniversion.GreaterThanOrEqualTo(confList.CNIVersion, "1.1.0"); !gt {
 		logging.Debugf("conflistStatus: skipping STATUS for network list %q cniVersion %q (< 1.1.0)", confList.Name, confList.CNIVersion)
+		return nil
 	}
 
 	err = cniNet.GetStatusNetworkList(context.Background(), confList)
diff --git a/pkg/server/server.go b/pkg/server/server.go
index 121f7c14f..8541532c2 100644
--- a/pkg/server/server.go
+++ b/pkg/server/server.go
@@ -434,9 +434,14 @@ func (s *Server) handleCNIRequest(r *http.Request) ([]byte, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not extract the CNI command args: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	k8sArgs, err := kubernetesRuntimeArgs(cr.Env, s.kubeclient)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not extract the kubernetes runtime args: %w", err)
+	// STATUS and GC are plugin-level commands with no pod context,
+	// so they don't have K8S_POD_NAME/K8S_POD_NAMESPACE in CNI_ARGS.
+	var k8sArgs *types.K8sArgs
+	if cmdType != "STATUS" && cmdType != "GC" {
+		k8sArgs, err = kubernetesRuntimeArgs(cr.Env, s.kubeclient)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("could not extract the kubernetes runtime args: %w", err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	result, err := s.HandleCNIRequest(cmdType, k8sArgs, cniCmdArgs)
@@ -514,6 +519,18 @@ func (s *Server) extractCniData(cniRequest *api.Request, overrideConf []byte) (s
 	}
 
 	cniCmdArgs := &skel.CmdArgs{}
+
+	// STATUS and GC are plugin-level commands with no pod context;
+	// they don't require CNI_CONTAINERID, CNI_NETNS, or CNI_ARGS.
+	if cmd == "STATUS" || cmd == "GC" {
+		var err error
+		cniCmdArgs.StdinData, err = overrideCNIConfigWithServerConfig(cniRequest.Config, overrideConf, s.ignoreReadinessIndicator)
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", nil, err
+		}
+		return cmd, cniCmdArgs, nil
+	}
+
 	cniCmdArgs.ContainerID, ok = cniRequest.Env["CNI_CONTAINERID"]
 	if !ok {
 		return "", nil, fmt.Errorf("missing CNI_CONTAINERID")
@@ -648,24 +665,12 @@ func (s *Server) cmdCheck(cmdArgs *skel.CmdArgs, k8sArgs *types.K8sArgs) error {
 }
 
 func (s *Server) cmdGC(cmdArgs *skel.CmdArgs, k8sArgs *types.K8sArgs) error {
-	namespace := string(k8sArgs.K8S_POD_NAMESPACE)
-	podName := string(k8sArgs.K8S_POD_NAME)
-	if namespace == "" || podName == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("required CNI variable missing. pod name: %s; pod namespace: %s", podName, namespace)
-	}
-
-	logging.Debugf("CmdGC for [%s/%s]. CNI conf: %+v", namespace, podName, *cmdArgs)
+	logging.Debugf("CmdGC. CNI conf: %+v", *cmdArgs)
 	return multus.CmdGC(cmdArgs, s.exec, s.kubeclient)
 }
 
 func (s *Server) cmdStatus(cmdArgs *skel.CmdArgs, k8sArgs *types.K8sArgs) error {
-	namespace := string(k8sArgs.K8S_POD_NAMESPACE)
-	podName := string(k8sArgs.K8S_POD_NAME)
-	if namespace == "" || podName == "" {
-		return fmt.Errorf("required CNI variable missing. pod name: %s; pod namespace: %s", podName, namespace)
-	}
-
-	logging.Debugf("CmdStatus for [%s/%s]. CNI conf: %+v", namespace, podName, *cmdArgs)
+	logging.Debugf("CmdStatus. CNI conf: %+v", *cmdArgs)
 	return multus.CmdStatus(cmdArgs, s.exec, s.kubeclient)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/server/thick_cni_test.go b/pkg/server/thick_cni_test.go
index e97612fa9..a5a143b6f 100644
--- a/pkg/server/thick_cni_test.go
+++ b/pkg/server/thick_cni_test.go
@@ -91,6 +91,69 @@ var _ = Describe(suiteName, func() {
 		})
 	})
 
+	Context("STATUS and GC commands without pod context", func() {
+		const configPath = "/tmp/foo.multus.conf"
+
+		var (
+			cniServer *Server
+			K8sClient *k8s.ClientInfo
+			ctx       context.Context
+			cancel    context.CancelFunc
+		)
+
+		BeforeEach(func() {
+			var err error
+			K8sClient = fakeK8sClient()
+			// Touch the default network file.
+			os.OpenFile(configPath, os.O_RDONLY|os.O_CREATE, 0755)
+
+			Expect(FilesystemPreRequirements(thickPluginRunDir)).To(Succeed())
+
+			ctx, cancel = context.WithCancel(context.TODO())
+			cniServer, err = startCNIServer(ctx, thickPluginRunDir, K8sClient, nil)
+			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+
+			// Only set CNI_COMMAND — no CNI_CONTAINERID, CNI_NETNS, or CNI_ARGS
+			// to simulate how kubelet invokes STATUS/GC (plugin-level, no pod context).
+			os.Unsetenv("CNI_CONTAINERID")
+			os.Unsetenv("CNI_NETNS")
+			os.Unsetenv("CNI_ARGS")
+		})
+
+		AfterEach(func() {
+			cancel()
+			if _, errStat := os.Stat(configPath); errStat == nil {
+				Expect(os.Remove(configPath)).To(Succeed())
+			}
+			unregisterMetrics(cniServer)
+			Expect(cniServer.Close()).To(Succeed())
+			os.Unsetenv("CNI_COMMAND")
+			os.Unsetenv("CNI_ARGS")
+		})
+
+		It("STATUS succeeds with CNI_ARGS unset", func() {
+			Expect(os.Setenv("CNI_COMMAND", "STATUS")).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(api.CmdStatus(cniCmdArgs("", "", "", referenceConfig(thickPluginRunDir)))).To(Succeed())
+		})
+
+		It("GC succeeds with CNI_ARGS unset", func() {
+			Expect(os.Setenv("CNI_COMMAND", "GC")).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(api.CmdGC(cniCmdArgs("", "", "", referenceConfig(thickPluginRunDir)))).To(Succeed())
+		})
+
+		It("STATUS succeeds with CNI_ARGS empty", func() {
+			Expect(os.Setenv("CNI_COMMAND", "STATUS")).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(os.Setenv("CNI_ARGS", "")).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(api.CmdStatus(cniCmdArgs("", "", "", referenceConfig(thickPluginRunDir)))).To(Succeed())
+		})
+
+		It("GC succeeds with CNI_ARGS empty", func() {
+			Expect(os.Setenv("CNI_COMMAND", "GC")).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(os.Setenv("CNI_ARGS", "")).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(api.CmdGC(cniCmdArgs("", "", "", referenceConfig(thickPluginRunDir)))).To(Succeed())
+		})
+	})
+
 	Context("CNI operations started from the shim", func() {
 		const (
 			containerID = "123456789"