diff --git a/frontend/src/pages/PatternExplorer.tsx b/frontend/src/pages/PatternExplorer.tsx
index 475e196..6e438f8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/pages/PatternExplorer.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/pages/PatternExplorer.tsx
@@ -308,10 +308,12 @@ function enrichTree(node: any, parentPath: string[] = []): TaxonomyNode {
 
 function TreeView({ patterns }: { patterns: Pattern[] }) {
   const { data: taxonomyData } = usePatternTaxonomy()
-  // API returns { tree: {...}, patterns: [...] } — extract the tree and enrich nodes with path arrays
+  // API returns { tree: {...}, patterns: [...] } — extract the tree and enrich nodes with path arrays.
+  // Start enriching from root's children with [] so paths match pattern taxonomy_path (no "root" prefix).
   const taxonomy: TaxonomyNode | undefined = useMemo(() => {
     const raw = (taxonomyData as any)?.tree
-    return raw ? enrichTree(raw) : undefined
+    if (!raw) return undefined
+    return { ...raw, path: [], children: (raw.children ?? []).map((c: any) => enrichTree(c, [])) }
   }, [taxonomyData])
 
   const [selectedPath, setSelectedPath] = useState<string[]>([])