diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.test.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.test.ts
index 18b0adaee7..3ce4ba2ee5 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.test.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.test.ts
@@ -1093,7 +1093,9 @@ describe('BackendInitializer', () => {
             instanceMetadata: coreServices.instanceMetadata,
           },
           async init({ instanceMetadata }) {
-            expect(instanceMetadata.getInstalledPlugins()).toEqual([
+            await expect(
+              instanceMetadata.getInstalledPlugins(),
+            ).resolves.toEqual([
               {
                 pluginId: 'test',
                 modules: [
@@ -1127,6 +1129,29 @@ describe('BackendInitializer', () => {
     await backend.start();
   });
 
+  it('should prevent writes to the instance metadata service', async () => {
+    expect.assertions(1);
+    const backend = new BackendInitializer(baseFactories);
+    const plugin = createBackendPlugin({
+      pluginId: 'test',
+      register(reg) {
+        reg.registerInit({
+          deps: {
+            instanceMetadata: coreServices.instanceMetadata,
+          },
+          async init({ instanceMetadata }) {
+            const plugins = await instanceMetadata.getInstalledPlugins();
+            await expect(() => {
+              (plugins[0] as any).pluginId = 'foo';
+            }).toThrow(/Cannot assign to read only property/);
+          },
+        });
+      },
+    });
+    backend.add(plugin);
+    await backend.start();
+  });
+
   it('should properly wait for all modules that consume an extension point to really finish, before starting the module that provides that extension point', async () => {
     expect.assertions(3);
     const backend = new BackendInitializer(baseFactories);
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.ts
index 6d3939a4b5..080f6c7c69 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/BackendInitializer.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ import { ForwardedError, ConflictError, assertError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import { DependencyGraph } from '../lib/DependencyGraph';
 import { ServiceRegistry } from './ServiceRegistry';
 import { createInitializationLogger } from './createInitializationLogger';
-import { unwrapFeature } from './helpers';
+import { deepFreeze, unwrapFeature } from './helpers';
 // eslint-disable-next-line @backstage/no-relative-monorepo-imports
 import type { InstanceMetadataServicePluginInfo } from '../../../backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/InstanceMetadataService';
 
@@ -135,13 +135,17 @@ function createInstanceMetadataServiceFactory(
       logger: coreServices.rootLogger,
     },
     factory: async ({ logger }) => {
+      const readonlyInstalledPlugins = deepFreeze(
+        Object.values(installedPlugins),
+      );
       const instanceMetadata = {
-        getInstalledPlugins: () => Object.values(installedPlugins),
+        getInstalledPlugins: () => Promise.resolve(readonlyInstalledPlugins),
       };
 
+      const plugins = await instanceMetadata.getInstalledPlugins();
+
       logger.info(
-        `Installed plugins on this instance: ${instanceMetadata
-          .getInstalledPlugins()
+        `Installed plugins on this instance: ${plugins
           .map(p => p.pluginId)
           .join(', ')}`,
       );
diff --git a/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/helpers.ts b/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/helpers.ts
index ffb7e3b079..e67c9a1125 100644
--- a/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/helpers.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-app-api/src/wiring/helpers.ts
@@ -34,3 +34,29 @@ export function unwrapFeature(
 
   return feature;
 }
+
+/** @internal */
+export type DeepReadonly<T> = {
+  readonly [K in keyof T]: T[K] extends object ? DeepReadonly<T[K]> : T[K];
+};
+
+/**
+ * Deeply freezes an object by recursively freezing all of its properties.
+ *
+ * - https://gist.github.com/tkrotoff/e997cd6ff8d6cf6e51e6bb6146407fc3
+ * - https://stackoverflow.com/a/69656011
+ *
+ * FIXME Should be part of Lodash and related: https://github.com/Maggi64/moderndash/issues/139
+ *
+ * Does not work with Set and Map: https://stackoverflow.com/q/31509175
+ */
+export function deepFreeze<
+  T,
+  // Can cause: "Type instantiation is excessively deep and possibly infinite."
+>(obj: T) {
+  // @ts-expect-error
+  Object.values(obj).forEach(
+    value => Object.isFrozen(value) || deepFreeze(value),
+  );
+  return Object.freeze(obj) as DeepReadonly<T>;
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/InstanceMetadataService.ts b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/InstanceMetadataService.ts
index 78d6f8356c..7e3b3b03d1 100644
--- a/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/InstanceMetadataService.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-plugin-api/src/services/definitions/InstanceMetadataService.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,14 @@ export interface InstanceMetadataServicePluginInfo {
   }[];
 }
 
+/** @internal */
+export type DeepReadonly<T> = {
+  readonly [K in keyof T]: T[K] extends object ? DeepReadonly<T[K]> : T[K];
+};
+
 /** @public */
 export interface InstanceMetadataService {
-  getInstalledPlugins: () => readonly InstanceMetadataServicePluginInfo[];
+  getInstalledPlugins: () => Promise<
+    ReadonlyArray<DeepReadonly<InstanceMetadataServicePluginInfo>>
+  >;
 }
diff --git a/plugins/gateway-backend/src/plugin.ts b/plugins/gateway-backend/src/plugin.ts
index 391efb6852..efd7a372de 100644
--- a/plugins/gateway-backend/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/plugins/gateway-backend/src/plugin.ts
@@ -38,11 +38,11 @@ export const gatewayPlugin = createBackendPlugin({
       async init({ logger, discovery, instanceMeta, rootHttpRouter }) {
         rootHttpRouter.use(
           '/api/:pluginId',
-          createRouter({
+          (await createRouter({
             discovery,
             instanceMeta,
             logger,
-          }) as Handler,
+          })) as Handler,
         );
       },
     });
diff --git a/plugins/gateway-backend/src/router.ts b/plugins/gateway-backend/src/router.ts
index 4b041ef06d..7f8c898761 100644
--- a/plugins/gateway-backend/src/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/gateway-backend/src/router.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { createProxyMiddleware } from 'http-proxy-middleware';
 import { context } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { getRPCMetadata } from '@opentelemetry/core';
 
-export function createRouter({
+export async function createRouter({
   discovery,
   instanceMeta,
 }: {
@@ -31,9 +31,8 @@ export function createRouter({
   instanceMeta: InstanceMetadataService;
   logger: LoggerService;
 }) {
-  const localPluginIds = new Set(
-    instanceMeta.getInstalledPlugins().map(f => f.pluginId),
-  );
+  const plugins = await instanceMeta.getInstalledPlugins();
+  const localPluginIds = new Set(plugins.map(f => f.pluginId));
 
   const proxy = createProxyMiddleware({
     changeOrigin: true,