diff --git a/api/v1alpha1/staticroute_types.go b/api/v1alpha1/staticroute_types.go
index 5ccac3abd..ed0641ad0 100644
--- a/api/v1alpha1/staticroute_types.go
+++ b/api/v1alpha1/staticroute_types.go
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func (spec *StaticRouteSpec) GetOptionsFromSpec() (*options.StaticOptions, error
 		Paths:    paths,
 		Auth:     spec.Auth,
 		Hosts:    spec.Hosts,
-		Upstream: spec.Upstream,
+		Upstream: *spec.Upstream,
 	}
 	if err := opts.Validate(); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to validate options: %w", err)
diff --git a/cmd/kusk/cmd/manifest_data.go b/cmd/kusk/cmd/manifest_data.go
index 5450da491..d62d9e05a 100644
--- a/cmd/kusk/cmd/manifest_data.go
+++ b/cmd/kusk/cmd/manifest_data.go
@@ -982,7 +982,7 @@ func cmdKuskManifestsDashboard_envoyfleetYaml() (*asset, error) {
 	return a, nil
 }
 
-var _cmdKuskManifestsDashboard_staticrouteYaml = []byte("\x1f\x8b\x08\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\xff\x84\x91\xd1\x6e\xb3\x30\x0c\x85\xef\xf3\x14\x56\x2e\x7f\x89\xf6\xef\xdd\x94\xc7\xd8\xa4\xdd\xbb\xe0\x41\x44\x48\x22\xdb\xa1\xe2\xed\xa7\x14\xba\xad\x0c\x69\xbe\x41\xf6\xf9\xf0\xb1\x4e\x30\xfb\x77\x62\xf1\x29\x3a\xe8\x51\xe9\x86\xcb\x69\x2c\x32\x9e\x7c\x3a\xcf\x17\x0c\x79\xc0\x8b\x19\x7d\xec\x1c\xbc\x29\xaa\x6f\x5f\x53\x51\x32\x13\x29\x76\xa8\xe8\x0c\x40\xc4\x89\x1c\xd4\x9f\x9a\x6d\x43\xd3\xa1\x0c\xd7\x84\xdc\x6d\xb2\x64\x6c\x1f\x8c\x2c\xa2\x34\x19\x80\x80\x57\x0a\x52\x37\xc0\xaa\x4c\x18\xb1\xa7\xce\x81\x55\x2e\x64\x8d\x64\x6a\xab\xfc\x11\x88\x74\xe5\x0e\xbc\x32\xfb\x19\x95\x1a\x8a\x73\x5a\x9a\x3b\xfb\x85\x1e\xfa\x0e\x49\x74\xb3\x6d\x20\xa4\x16\x43\x9d\x6c\xbd\xfd\x67\x0d\x40\x46\x1d\x36\xe4\xbc\x7e\x00\xfa\xc7\x0d\xb5\xb8\xa6\xf0\xdd\x02\x94\x2c\xca\x84\xd3\xcf\x19\x00\xd3\x8d\xfd\x33\x58\x2b\xa3\x2a\x71\x74\x60\xed\x4e\x91\x72\x15\xf5\x5a\xf4\xfe\x20\x3b\x59\x88\x67\xdf\xfe\xda\xf6\x47\xfe\x7b\xf4\x30\x93\xa7\xeb\x12\xab\x83\x97\xff\xe6\x33\x00\x00\xff\xff\x74\xeb\xd3\x6c\x1c\x02\x00\x00")
+var _cmdKuskManifestsDashboard_staticrouteYaml = []byte("\x1f\x8b\x08\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\xff\x84\x8f\xbd\x6e\xec\x20\x10\x85\x7b\x9e\x62\xe4\xf2\x4a\xec\xcd\x76\x11\x8f\x91\x48\xe9\xcf\xc2\x64\x8d\xcc\x9f\x98\xb1\x23\xbf\x7d\x44\xec\xed\x56\x09\xdd\xe1\x7c\x7c\xcc\xa0\xc5\x0f\xee\x12\x6b\x71\x74\x87\xf2\x17\xf6\xcb\xb2\xca\x72\x89\xf5\xff\x76\x45\x6a\x33\xae\x66\x89\x25\x38\x7a\x57\x68\xf4\x6f\x75\x55\x36\x99\x15\x01\x0a\x67\x88\x0a\x32\x3b\x1a\x8f\xec\x69\xb0\x01\x32\xdf\x2a\x7a\x38\x6b\x69\xf0\x0f\x46\x76\x51\xce\x86\x28\xe1\xc6\x49\x86\x81\x8e\x26\xa3\xe0\xce\xc1\xd1\xa4\x7d\xe5\xc9\x48\x63\x3f\xea\xb5\x89\x76\x46\x3e\x50\xe1\xbe\x45\xcf\x47\xf8\xf3\xf7\x07\xf2\x74\x82\x71\x5a\xed\xea\xe8\xf5\xc5\x10\x7d\x26\x66\x3d\xbc\x4f\xac\xad\xc7\x0d\xca\x96\xcb\x56\x77\xfb\xc3\x9a\x5f\xed\x73\x15\x3d\xd7\xb3\x94\xaa\x47\x1a\x37\x67\x9e\xfe\x4d\xe6\x3b\x00\x00\xff\xff\x69\x58\x09\x14\x7c\x01\x00\x00")
 
 func cmdKuskManifestsDashboard_staticrouteYamlBytes() ([]byte, error) {
 	return bindataRead(
@@ -997,7 +997,7 @@ func cmdKuskManifestsDashboard_staticrouteYaml() (*asset, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	info := bindataFileInfo{name: "cmd/kusk/manifests/dashboard_staticroute.yaml", size: 540, mode: os.FileMode(420), modTime: time.Unix(1, 0)}
+	info := bindataFileInfo{name: "cmd/kusk/manifests/dashboard_staticroute.yaml", size: 380, mode: os.FileMode(420), modTime: time.Unix(1, 0)}
 	a := &asset{bytes: bytes, info: info}
 	return a, nil
 }
diff --git a/cmd/kusk/manifests/dashboard_staticroute.yaml b/cmd/kusk/manifests/dashboard_staticroute.yaml
index 729b2c157..3e097f650 100644
--- a/cmd/kusk/manifests/dashboard_staticroute.yaml
+++ b/cmd/kusk/manifests/dashboard_staticroute.yaml
@@ -6,21 +6,14 @@ metadata:
   labels:
     kusk-managed: "true"
 spec:
+  upstream:
+    service:
+      name: kusk-gateway-dashboard
+      namespace: kusk-system
+      port: 80
   fleet:
     name: kusk-gateway-private-envoy-fleet
     namespace: kusk-system
   hosts:
     - localhost
     - "*"
-  paths:
-    /:
-      get:
-        route:
-          upstream:
-            rewrite:
-              pattern: ""
-              substitution: ""
-            service:
-              name: kusk-gateway-dashboard
-              namespace: kusk-system
-              port: 80
diff --git a/internal/controllers/staticroute_utils.go b/internal/controllers/staticroute_utils.go
index 7f8d2591c..3835958b8 100644
--- a/internal/controllers/staticroute_utils.go
+++ b/internal/controllers/staticroute_utils.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func staticRouteAppendRootPath(logger logr.Logger, opts *options.StaticOptions)
 
 		// `upstream` should be defined at the `spec` level.
 		opts.Paths[pathRoute][method] = &options.SubOptions{
-			Upstream: opts.Upstream,
+			Upstream: &opts.Upstream,
 		}
 
 		logger.Info(
diff --git a/pkg/options/static_options.go b/pkg/options/static_options.go
index 4f988e2d4..d660ae210 100644
--- a/pkg/options/static_options.go
+++ b/pkg/options/static_options.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ type StaticOptions struct {
 	// It should just contain the route path, "/".
 	Paths map[string]StaticOperationSubOptions `yaml:"paths,omitempty" json:"paths,omitempty"`
 	// Upstream is a set of options of a target service to receive traffic.
-	Upstream *UpstreamOptions `json:"upstream,omitempty" yaml:"upstream,omitempty"`
+	Upstream UpstreamOptions `json:"upstream" yaml:"upstream"`
 }
 
 func (o *StaticOptions) fillDefaults() {