diff --git a/cypress/e2e/po/pages/explorer/cluster-dashboard.po.ts b/cypress/e2e/po/pages/explorer/cluster-dashboard.po.ts
index bb8770e6564..92ba3571c74 100644
--- a/cypress/e2e/po/pages/explorer/cluster-dashboard.po.ts
+++ b/cypress/e2e/po/pages/explorer/cluster-dashboard.po.ts
@@ -63,4 +63,20 @@ export default class ClusterDashboardPagePo extends PagePo {
   clusterActionsHeader() {
     return new HeaderPo();
   }
+
+  fleetStatus() {
+    return cy.get('[data-testid="k8s-service-fleet"]');
+  }
+
+  etcdStatus() {
+    return cy.get('[data-testid="k8s-service-etcd"]');
+  }
+
+  schedulerStatus() {
+    return cy.get('[data-testid="k8s-service-scheduler"]');
+  }
+
+  controllerManagerStatus() {
+    return cy.get('[data-testid="k8s-service-controller-manager"]');
+  }
 }
diff --git a/cypress/e2e/tests/pages/explorer/dashboard/cluster-dashboard.spec.ts b/cypress/e2e/tests/pages/explorer/dashboard/cluster-dashboard.spec.ts
index ea24cb0888a..97cf7cf1b5b 100644
--- a/cypress/e2e/tests/pages/explorer/dashboard/cluster-dashboard.spec.ts
+++ b/cypress/e2e/tests/pages/explorer/dashboard/cluster-dashboard.spec.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,12 @@ describe('Cluster Dashboard', { testIsolation: 'off', tags: ['@explorer', '@admi
     cy.title().should('eq', 'Rancher - local - Cluster Dashboard');
   });
 
+  it('shows fleet controller status', () => {
+    ClusterDashboardPagePo.navTo();
+    clusterDashboard.waitForPage();
+    clusterDashboard.fleetStatus().should('exist');
+  });
+
   it('can import a YAML successfully, using the header action "Import YAML"', () => {
     ClusterDashboardPagePo.navTo();
 
@@ -284,6 +290,73 @@ describe('Cluster Dashboard', { testIsolation: 'off', tags: ['@explorer', '@admi
       });
   });
 
+  describe('Cluster dashboard with limited permissions', () => {
+    let stdProjectName;
+    let stdNsName;
+    let stdUsername;
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      stdProjectName = `standard-user-project${ +new Date() }`;
+      stdNsName = `standard-user-ns${ +new Date() }`;
+      stdUsername = `standard-user-${ +new Date() }`;
+      // log in as admin
+      cy.login();
+      cy.getRancherResource('v3', 'users?me=true').then((resp: Cypress.Response<any>) => {
+        const adminUserId = resp.body.data[0].id.trim();
+
+        // create project
+        cy.createProject(stdProjectName, 'local', adminUserId).then((resp: Cypress.Response<any>) => {
+          cy.wrap(resp.body.id.trim()).as('standardUserProject');
+
+          // create ns in project
+          cy.get<string>('@standardUserProject').then((projId) => {
+            cy.createNamespaceInProject(stdNsName, projId);
+
+            // create std user and assign to project
+            cy.createUser({
+              username:    stdUsername,
+              globalRole:  { role: 'user' },
+              projectRole: {
+                clusterId: 'local', projectName: stdProjectName, role: 'project-owner'
+              }
+            }).as('createUserRequest');
+          });
+        });
+      });
+      // log in as new standard user
+      cy.login(stdUsername, Cypress.env('password'), false);
+
+      // go to cluster dashboard
+      ClusterDashboardPagePo.navTo();
+      clusterDashboard.waitForPage();
+    });
+
+    // note - this would be 'fleet agent' on downstream clusters
+    it('does not show fleet controller status if the user does not have permission to view the fleet controller deployment', () => {
+      clusterDashboard.fleetStatus().should('not.exist');
+
+      clusterDashboard.etcdStatus().should('exist');
+      clusterDashboard.schedulerStatus().should('exist');
+      clusterDashboard.controllerManagerStatus().should('exist');
+    });
+
+    // log back in as admin and delete the project, ns, and user from previous test
+    afterEach(() => {
+      cy.login();
+      cy.deleteRancherResource('v1', 'namespaces', stdNsName);
+
+      cy.get('@standardUserProject').then((projectId) => {
+        cy.deleteRancherResource('v3', 'projects', projectId);
+      });
+
+      cy.get('@createUserRequest').then((req) => {
+        const userId = req.body.userPrincipalId.split('//').pop();
+
+        cy.deleteRancherResource('v3', 'users', userId);
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
   after(function() {
     if (removePod) {
       cy.deleteRancherResource('v1', `pods/${ nsName }`, `pod-${ podName }`);
diff --git a/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/__tests__/index.test.ts b/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/__tests__/index.test.ts
index 733527246ce..86849df86d8 100644
--- a/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/__tests__/index.test.ts
+++ b/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/__tests__/index.test.ts
@@ -25,9 +25,12 @@ describe('page: cluster dashboard', () => {
             'cluster/inError':   () => false,
             'cluster/schemaFor': jest.fn(),
             'cluster/canList':   jest.fn(),
-            'cluster/all':       jest.fn(),
-            'i18n/exists':       jest.fn(),
-            'i18n/t':            (label: string) => label === 'generic.provisioning' ? '—' : jest.fn()(),
+            'cluster/byId':      () => {
+              return {};
+            },
+            'cluster/all': jest.fn(),
+            'i18n/exists': jest.fn(),
+            'i18n/t':      (label: string) => label === 'generic.provisioning' ? '—' : jest.fn()(),
           }
         }
       },
diff --git a/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/index.vue b/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/index.vue
index 37af4248bf4..6aca6c700d2 100644
--- a/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/index.vue
+++ b/shell/pages/c/_cluster/explorer/index.vue
@@ -115,12 +115,6 @@ export default {
       if (this.currentCluster.isLocal && this.$store.getters['management/schemaFor'](MANAGEMENT.NODE)) {
         this.$store.dispatch('management/findAll', { type: MANAGEMENT.NODE });
       }
-
-      this.canViewAgents = this.$store.getters['cluster/canList'](WORKLOAD_TYPES.DEPLOYMENT) && this.$store.getters['cluster/canList'](WORKLOAD_TYPES.STATEFUL_SET);
-
-      if (this.canViewAgents) {
-        this.loadAgents();
-      }
     }
   },
 
@@ -138,7 +132,6 @@ export default {
       cattleDeployment:   'loading',
       fleetDeployment:    'loading',
       fleetStatefulSet:   'loading',
-      canViewAgents:      false,
       disconnected:       false,
       events:             [],
       nodeMetrics:        [],
@@ -172,6 +165,17 @@ export default {
     clearInterval(this.interval);
   },
 
+  watch: {
+    canViewAgents: {
+      handler(neu, old) {
+        if (neu && !old) {
+          this.loadAgents();
+        }
+      },
+      immediate: true
+    }
+  },
+
   computed: {
     ...mapGetters(['currentCluster']),
     ...monitoringStatus(),
@@ -184,6 +188,22 @@ export default {
       return this.$store.getters['management/all'](MANAGEMENT.CLUSTER);
     },
 
+    fleetAgentNamespace() {
+      return this.$store.getters['cluster/byId'](NAMESPACE, 'cattle-fleet-system');
+    },
+
+    cattleAgentNamespace() {
+      if (this.currentCluster.isLocal) {
+        return;
+      }
+
+      return this.$store.getters['cluster/byId'](NAMESPACE, 'cattle-system');
+    },
+
+    canViewAgents() {
+      return !!this.fleetAgentNamespace || (!this.currentCluster.isLocal && this.cattleAgentNamespace);
+    },
+
     showClusterTools() {
       return this.$store.getters['cluster/canList'](CATALOG.CLUSTER_REPO) &&
       this.$store.getters['cluster/canList'](CATALOG.APP);
@@ -268,15 +288,15 @@ export default {
         });
       });
 
-      if (this.canViewAgents) {
-        if (!this.currentCluster.isLocal) {
-          services.push({
-            name:     'cattle',
-            status:   this.cattleStatus,
-            labelKey: 'clusterIndexPage.sections.componentStatus.cattle',
-          });
-        }
+      if (this.cattleAgentNamespace) {
+        services.push({
+          name:     'cattle',
+          status:   this.cattleStatus,
+          labelKey: 'clusterIndexPage.sections.componentStatus.cattle',
+        });
+      }
 
+      if (this.fleetAgentNamespace) {
         services.push({
           name:     'fleet',
           status:   this.fleetStatus,
@@ -485,14 +505,16 @@ export default {
 
   methods: {
     loadAgents() {
-      if (this.currentCluster.isLocal) {
-        this.setAgentResource('fleetDeployment', WORKLOAD_TYPES.DEPLOYMENT, 'cattle-fleet-system/fleet-controller');
-        this.setAgentResource('fleetStatefulSet', WORKLOAD_TYPES.STATEFUL_SET, 'cattle-fleet-local-system/fleet-agent');
-      } else {
-        this.setAgentResource('fleetStatefulSet', WORKLOAD_TYPES.STATEFUL_SET, 'cattle-fleet-system/fleet-agent');
+      if (this.fleetAgentNamespace) {
+        if (this.currentCluster.isLocal) {
+          this.setAgentResource('fleetDeployment', WORKLOAD_TYPES.DEPLOYMENT, 'cattle-fleet-system/fleet-controller');
+          this.setAgentResource('fleetStatefulSet', WORKLOAD_TYPES.STATEFUL_SET, 'cattle-fleet-local-system/fleet-agent');
+        } else {
+          this.setAgentResource('fleetStatefulSet', WORKLOAD_TYPES.STATEFUL_SET, 'cattle-fleet-system/fleet-agent');
+        }
+      }
+      if (this.cattleAgentNamespace) {
         this.setAgentResource('cattleDeployment', WORKLOAD_TYPES.DEPLOYMENT, 'cattle-system/cattle-cluster-agent');
-
-        // Scaling Up/Down cattle deployment causes web sockets disconnection;
         this.interval = setInterval(() => {
           this.disconnected = !!this.$store.getters['cluster/inError']({ type: NODE });
         }, 1000);