diff --git a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts
index b807f00e7a..dc719f2860 100644
--- a/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts
+++ b/plugins/techdocs-backend/src/service/router.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import {
   PluginCacheManager,
 } from '@backstage/backend-common';
 import { CatalogClient } from '@backstage/catalog-client';
-import { Entity, stringifyEntityRef } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
+import { stringifyEntityRef } from '@backstage/catalog-model';
 import { Config } from '@backstage/config';
 import { NotFoundError, NotModifiedError } from '@backstage/errors';
 import {
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ import {
   PreparerBuilder,
   PublisherBase,
 } from '@backstage/techdocs-common';
-import fetch from 'node-fetch';
 import express, { Response } from 'express';
 import Router from 'express-promise-router';
 import { Knex } from 'knex';
@@ -107,6 +106,16 @@ export async function createRouter(
   router.get('/metadata/techdocs/:namespace/:kind/:name', async (req, res) => {
     const { kind, namespace, name } = req.params;
     const entityName = { kind, namespace, name };
+    const token = getBearerToken(req.headers.authorization);
+
+    // Verify that the related entity exists and the current user has permission to view it.
+    const entity = await catalogClient.getEntityByName(entityName, { token });
+
+    if (!entity) {
+      throw new NotFoundError(
+        `Unable to get metadata for '${stringifyEntityRef(entityName)}'`,
+      );
+    }
 
     try {
       const techdocsMetadata = await publisher.fetchTechDocsMetadata(
@@ -128,23 +137,19 @@ export async function createRouter(
   });
 
   router.get('/metadata/entity/:namespace/:kind/:name', async (req, res) => {
-    const catalogUrl = await discovery.getBaseUrl('catalog');
-
     const { kind, namespace, name } = req.params;
     const entityName = { kind, namespace, name };
+    const token = getBearerToken(req.headers.authorization);
+
+    const entity = await catalogClient.getEntityByName(entityName, { token });
+
+    if (!entity) {
+      throw new NotFoundError(
+        `Unable to get metadata for '${stringifyEntityRef(entityName)}'`,
+      );
+    }
 
     try {
-      const token = getBearerToken(req.headers.authorization);
-      // TODO: Consider using the catalog client here
-      const entity = (await (
-        await fetch(
-          `${catalogUrl}/entities/by-name/${kind}/${namespace}/${name}`,
-          {
-            headers: token ? { Authorization: `Bearer ${token}` } : {},
-          },
-        )
-      ).json()) as Entity;
-
       const locationMetadata = getLocationForEntity(entity, scmIntegrations);
       res.json({ ...entity, locationMetadata });
     } catch (err) {
@@ -226,6 +231,23 @@ export async function createRouter(
     );
   });
 
+  // Ensures that the related entity exists and the current user has permission to view it.
+  router.use('/static/docs/:namespace/:kind/:name', async (req, _res, next) => {
+    const { kind, namespace, name } = req.params;
+    const entityName = { kind, namespace, name };
+    const token = getBearerToken(req.headers.authorization);
+
+    const entity = await catalogClient.getEntityByName(entityName, { token });
+
+    if (!entity) {
+      throw new NotFoundError(
+        `Entity not found for ${stringifyEntityRef(entityName)}`,
+      );
+    }
+
+    next();
+  });
+
   // If a cache manager was provided, attach the cache middleware.
   if (cache) {
     router.use(createCacheMiddleware({ logger, cache }));