diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index d26232d7c4..156c09764d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -152,9 +152,16 @@ jobs:
                   user: 'root'
                   password: 'neos'
                   dbname: 'flow_functional_testing'
+
+              # see Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\RoutingTest
               mvc:
                 routes:
-                  'Neos.Flow': TRUE
+                  "Neos.Flow:TestingAttributes":
+                    providerFactory: Neos\Flow\Mvc\Routing\AttributeRoutesProviderFactory
+                    providerOptions:
+                      classNames:
+                        - Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller\*Controller
+                  "Neos.Flow": true
           EOF
           echo "Running in context '$FLOW_CONTEXT'"
           ./flow configuration:show
@@ -196,9 +203,16 @@ jobs:
                   charset: 'utf8'
                   defaultTableOptions:
                     charset: 'utf8'
+
+              # see Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\RoutingTest
               mvc:
                 routes:
-                  'Neos.Flow': TRUE
+                  "Neos.Flow:TestingAttributes":
+                    providerFactory: Neos\Flow\Mvc\Routing\AttributeRoutesProviderFactory
+                    providerOptions:
+                      classNames:
+                        - Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller\*Controller
+                  "Neos.Flow": true
           EOF
 
       - name: Run unit tests (PGSQL)
diff --git a/Neos.Flow/Classes/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProvider.php b/Neos.Flow/Classes/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProvider.php
index 039215da9c..13158df81b 100644
--- a/Neos.Flow/Classes/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProvider.php
+++ b/Neos.Flow/Classes/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProvider.php
@@ -152,13 +152,13 @@ public static function compileRoutesConfiguration(ObjectManagerInterface $object
                             'uriPattern' => $annotation->uriPattern,
                             'httpMethods' => $annotation->httpMethods,
                             'defaults' => Arrays::arrayMergeRecursiveOverrule(
-                                [
+                                array_filter([
                                     '@package' => $controllerPackageKey,
                                     '@subpackage' => $subPackage,
                                     '@controller' => $controller,
                                     '@action' => $action,
                                     '@format' => 'html'
-                                ],
+                                ], fn ($value) => $value !== null),
                                 $annotation->defaults ?? []
                             )
                         ];
diff --git a/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/Fixtures/Controller/RoutingAnnotationTestBController.php b/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/Fixtures/Controller/RoutingAnnotationTestBController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8fd3ae3891
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/Fixtures/Controller/RoutingAnnotationTestBController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+<?php
+namespace Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller;
+
+/*
+ * This file is part of the Neos.Flow package.
+ *
+ * (c) Contributors of the Neos Project - www.neos.io
+ *
+ * This package is Open Source Software. For the full copyright and license
+ * information, please view the LICENSE file which was distributed with this
+ * source code.
+ */
+
+use Neos\Flow\Annotations as Flow;
+use Neos\Flow\Mvc\Controller\ActionController;
+
+/**
+ * A controller fixture
+ *
+ * @Flow\Scope("singleton")
+ */
+class RoutingAnnotationTestBController extends ActionController
+{
+    #[Flow\Route('neos/flow/test/annotation')]
+    public function annotatedAction()
+    {
+        return 'returned from "annotatedAction"';
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/RoutingTest.php b/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/RoutingTest.php
index db45616b47..be5fa041db 100644
--- a/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/RoutingTest.php
+++ b/Neos.Flow/Tests/Functional/Mvc/RoutingTest.php
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 use Neos\Flow\Mvc\Routing\Route;
 use Neos\Flow\Mvc\Routing\TestingRoutesProvider;
 use Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller\ActionControllerTestAController;
+use Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller\RoutingAnnotationTestBController;
 use Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller\RoutingTestAController;
 use Neos\Flow\Tests\FunctionalTestCase;
 use Neos\Utility\Arrays;
@@ -48,11 +49,27 @@ protected function setUp(): void
         parent::setUp();
         $this->serverRequestFactory = $this->objectManager->get(ServerRequestFactoryInterface::class);
 
+        $routeSettings = $this->objectManager->get(ConfigurationManager::class)
+            ->getConfiguration(ConfigurationManager::CONFIGURATION_TYPE_SETTINGS, 'Neos.Flow.mvc.routes');
+
         if (
-            ($this->objectManager->get(ConfigurationManager::class)
-                ->getConfiguration(ConfigurationManager::CONFIGURATION_TYPE_SETTINGS, 'Neos.Flow.mvc.routes')['Neos.Flow'] ?? false) !== true
+            ($routeSettings['Neos.Flow'] ?? false) !== true
+            || !is_array($routeSettings['Neos.Flow:TestingAttributes'] ?? null)
         ) {
-            self::markTestSkipped(sprintf('In this distribution the Flow routes are not included into the global configuration and thus cannot be tested. Please set in Neos.Flow.mvc.routes "Neos.Flow": true.'));
+            self::markTestSkipped(<<<'EOF'
+            In this distribution the Neos.Flow or Flow\Annotation routes are not included into the global configuration and thus cannot be tested:
+            
+            Neos:
+              Flow:
+                mvc:
+                  routes:
+                    "Neos.Flow:TestingAttributes":
+                      providerFactory: Neos\Flow\Mvc\Routing\AttributeRoutesProviderFactory
+                      providerOptions:
+                        classNames:
+                          - Neos\Flow\Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures\Controller\*Controller
+                    "Neos.Flow": true
+            EOF);
         }
     }
 
@@ -98,6 +115,19 @@ public function httpMethodsAreRespectedForPostRequests()
         self::assertEquals('second', $actionRequest->getControllerActionName());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @test
+     */
+    public function routeToControllerWithAnnotatedAction()
+    {
+        $requestUri = 'http://localhost/neos/flow/test/annotation';
+        $request = $this->serverRequestFactory->createServerRequest('GET', new Uri($requestUri));
+        $matchResults = $this->router->route(new RouteContext($request, RouteParameters::createEmpty()));
+        $actionRequest = $this->createActionRequest($request, $matchResults);
+        self::assertEquals(RoutingAnnotationTestBController::class, $actionRequest->getControllerObjectName());
+        self::assertEquals('annotated', $actionRequest->getControllerActionName());
+    }
+
     /**
      * Data provider for routeTests()
      *
@@ -360,6 +390,24 @@ public function routerInitializesRoutesIfNotInjectedExplicitly()
         self::assertSame('/neos/flow/test/http/foo', (string)$actualResult);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @test
+     */
+    public function routerMatchesRouteFromAnnotation()
+    {
+        $routeValues = [
+            '@package' => 'Neos.Flow',
+            '@subpackage' => 'Tests\Functional\Mvc\Fixtures',
+            '@controller' => 'RoutingAnnotationTestB',
+            '@action' => 'annotated',
+            '@format' => 'html'
+        ];
+        $baseUri = new Uri('http://localhost');
+        $actualResult = $this->router->resolve(new ResolveContext($baseUri, $routeValues, false, '', RouteParameters::createEmpty()));
+
+        self::assertSame('/neos/flow/test/annotation', (string)$actualResult);
+    }
+
     /**
      * @test
      */
diff --git a/Neos.Flow/Tests/Unit/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProviderTest.php b/Neos.Flow/Tests/Unit/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProviderTest.php
index 5daf788efc..c8bc6e70f8 100644
--- a/Neos.Flow/Tests/Unit/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProviderTest.php
+++ b/Neos.Flow/Tests/Unit/Mvc/Routing/AttributeRoutesProviderTest.php
@@ -110,7 +110,6 @@ class ExampleController extends \Neos\Flow\Mvc\Controller\ActionController {
         $expectedRoute1->setUriPattern('my/path');
         $expectedRoute1->setDefaults([
             '@package' => 'Vendor.Example',
-            '@subpackage' => null,
             '@controller' => 'Example',
             '@action' => 'special',
             '@format' => 'html',
@@ -121,7 +120,6 @@ class ExampleController extends \Neos\Flow\Mvc\Controller\ActionController {
         $expectedRoute2->setUriPattern('my/other/path');
         $expectedRoute2->setDefaults([
             '@package' => 'Vendor.Example',
-            '@subpackage' => null,
             '@controller' => 'Example',
             '@action' => 'special',
             '@format' => 'html',