diff --git a/cmd/felis/operator.go b/cmd/felis/operator.go
index 3a3534e..40c9b30 100644
--- a/cmd/felis/operator.go
+++ b/cmd/felis/operator.go
@@ -117,8 +117,11 @@ func cmdOperator(args []string, _, stderr io.Writer) int {
 		FelisImage: os.Getenv("FELIS_IMAGE"),
 		// Uncached: the maintenance-lock check lists Jobs only when a server is
 		// about to start, which does not justify a namespace-wide Job informer.
-		Jobs:  mgr.GetAPIReader(),
-		Watch: watch,
+		Jobs: mgr.GetAPIReader(),
+		// Uncached too: RCON Secrets are read by name, so the Role grants
+		// secrets:get without the list/watch an informer would need.
+		Secrets: mgr.GetAPIReader(),
+		Watch:   watch,
 	}
 	if err := r.SetupWithManager(mgr); err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "felis operator: setup controller: %v\n", err)
diff --git a/internal/operator/autorestart_test.go b/internal/operator/autorestart_test.go
index fe91c3f..b03ed58 100644
--- a/internal/operator/autorestart_test.go
+++ b/internal/operator/autorestart_test.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 
 	"felis.lolicon.best/internal/apis/felis/v1alpha1"
 	"felis.lolicon.best/internal/operator"
@@ -182,3 +183,64 @@ func TestFailedServerRequeuesWhenTheRetryIsDue(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("spent requeue = %v, want 5m", res.RequeueAfter)
 	}
 }
+
+// noCachedSecrets stands in for the manager's cached client, which has no Secret
+// informer: any Secret read through it fails.
+type noCachedSecrets struct{ client.Client }
+
+func (c noCachedSecrets) Get(ctx context.Context, key client.ObjectKey, obj client.Object, opts ...client.GetOption) error {
+	if _, ok := obj.(*corev1.Secret); ok {
+		return errors.New("secrets are not cached")
+	}
+	return c.Client.Get(ctx, key, obj, opts...)
+}
+
+// RCON Secrets are provisioned and read through Reconciler.Secrets alone, so the
+// operator runs with secrets:get and no Secret informer.
+func TestRconSecretsAreReadThroughTheUncachedReader(t *testing.T) {
+	r, c := newReconciler(t, fakeProber{players: operator.PlayerCount{Online: 2, Max: 20}}, runningServer())
+	r.Client = noCachedSecrets{c}
+	r.Secrets = c
+	reconcile(t, r, "survival") // provisions survival-rcon
+	var secret corev1.Secret
+	if err := c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "minecraft", Name: "survival-rcon"}, &secret); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("rcon secret not provisioned: %v", err)
+	}
+	markPodReady(t, c, "survival")
+	reconcile(t, r, "survival")
+	if s := getServer(t, c, "survival"); s.Status.Phase != v1alpha1.PhaseRunning || !s.Status.Ready {
+		t.Fatalf("phase=%s ready=%v, want Running ready", s.Status.Phase, s.Status.Ready)
+	}
+}
+
+// staleOnce answers the first Secret Get NotFound, like a reader that lost the
+// race to a concurrent create, then reads through.
+type staleOnce struct {
+	client.Reader
+	missed bool
+}
+
+func (s *staleOnce) Get(ctx context.Context, key client.ObjectKey, obj client.Object, opts ...client.GetOption) error {
+	if !s.missed {
+		s.missed = true
+		return apierrors.NewNotFound(corev1.Resource("secrets"), key.Name)
+	}
+	return s.Reader.Get(ctx, key, obj, opts...)
+}
+
+// Losing the create race re-reads the winner through the same uncached reader.
+func TestRconSecretCreateRaceRereadsUncached(t *testing.T) {
+	r, c := newReconciler(t, fakeProber{}, runningServer(), rconSecret())
+	r.Client = noCachedSecrets{c}
+	r.Secrets = &staleOnce{Reader: c}
+	reconcile(t, r, "survival")
+	var secret corev1.Secret
+	if err := c.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "minecraft", Name: "survival-rcon"}, &secret); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := string(secret.Data["password"]); got != "hunter2" {
+		t.Fatalf("password = %q, want the winner's hunter2", got)
+	}
+	// The pass went on to build the workload instead of parking on RconSecretUnavailable.
+	getSTS(t, c, "survival")
+}
diff --git a/internal/operator/reconciler.go b/internal/operator/reconciler.go
index 7f9b4ef..02d138f 100644
--- a/internal/operator/reconciler.go
+++ b/internal/operator/reconciler.go
@@ -122,6 +122,12 @@ type Reconciler struct {
 	// (internal/maintenance). It is the manager's uncached API reader, so the
 	// operator needs jobs:list and no Job informer. Nil skips the check.
 	Jobs client.Reader
+	// Secrets reads the RCON password Secrets, each by name. It is the manager's
+	// uncached API reader, so the operator holds secrets:get and no list or watch:
+	// a Secret informer would cache every Secret in the namespace (the felis-config
+	// mirror with the database URL among them) and grow with them. Nil falls back
+	// to the embedded client.
+	Secrets client.Reader
 	// Watch records the passes in flight for the liveness probe. Nil skips it.
 	Watch *ReconcileWatch
 
@@ -146,10 +152,9 @@ func (r *Reconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
 		For(&v1alpha1.MinecraftServer{}).
 		Owns(&appsv1.StatefulSet{}).
 		Owns(&corev1.Service{}).
-		// Owns the Secrets too: the per-server RCON password is managed here,
-		// and a watch is what lets a deleted Secret be noticed at all (a quiet
-		// Running server otherwise produces no events).
-		Owns(&corev1.Secret{}).
+		// No Secret watch: a Running server is re-reconciled every
+		// requeueRunningProbe anyway, which recreates a deleted RCON Secret, and
+		// a stopped one gets it back on its next start.
 		WithOptions(controller.Options{MaxConcurrentReconciles: maxConcurrentReconciles}).
 		Complete(r)
 }
@@ -522,7 +527,7 @@ func (r *Reconciler) ensureRconSecret(ctx context.Context, server *v1alpha1.Mine
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("rcon.secretRef.name and .key are required when rcon is enabled")
 	}
 	var existing corev1.Secret
-	err := r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: server.Namespace, Name: ref.Name}, &existing)
+	err := r.secretReader().Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: server.Namespace, Name: ref.Name}, &existing)
 	if err == nil {
 		if b, ok := existing.Data[ref.Key]; ok {
 			return rconStamp(b), nil
@@ -561,7 +566,7 @@ func (r *Reconciler) ensureRconSecret(ctx context.Context, server *v1alpha1.Mine
 		// value that would flip on the next reconcile and roll the pod twice.
 		if apierrors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
 			var winner corev1.Secret
-			if gerr := r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: server.Namespace, Name: ref.Name}, &winner); gerr != nil {
+			if gerr := r.secretReader().Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: server.Namespace, Name: ref.Name}, &winner); gerr != nil {
 				return "", gerr
 			}
 			return rconStamp(winner.Data[ref.Key]), nil
@@ -583,13 +588,20 @@ func randomRconPassword() (string, error) {
 	return hex.EncodeToString(b[:]), nil
 }
 
+func (r *Reconciler) secretReader() client.Reader {
+	if r.Secrets != nil {
+		return r.Secrets
+	}
+	return r.Client
+}
+
 func (r *Reconciler) rconPassword(ctx context.Context, server *v1alpha1.MinecraftServer) (string, error) {
 	ref := server.Spec.Rcon.SecretRef
 	if ref.Name == "" || ref.Key == "" {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("rcon.secretRef.name and .key are required when rcon is enabled")
 	}
 	var secret corev1.Secret
-	if err := r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: server.Namespace, Name: ref.Name}, &secret); err != nil {
+	if err := r.secretReader().Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: server.Namespace, Name: ref.Name}, &secret); err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
 	b, ok := secret.Data[ref.Key]
diff --git a/internal/platform/rbac.go b/internal/platform/rbac.go
index 4ac3573..1608451 100644
--- a/internal/platform/rbac.go
+++ b/internal/platform/rbac.go
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ func APIBuildRole(p Params) *rbacv1.Role {
 // status (Status().Update — `update` only) and patches spec.desiredState to
 // Stopped for idle auto-stop (spec §8 — the one spec field it may write, using
 // the same merge patch as the reaper's Stop: without the grant the auto-stop
-// call fails closed with a 403), and reads RCON Secrets. Jobs are list-only,
+// call fails closed with a 403), and reads RCON Secrets by name, uncached. Jobs are list-only,
 // through the manager's uncached API reader: before scaling a server up from zero
 // the operator checks that no restore/backup/file-write Job holds its world
 // (internal/maintenance). Pods are delete-only: a start that timed out is retried
@@ -164,13 +164,13 @@ func OperatorRole(p Params) *rbacv1.Role {
 		rule([]string{groupFelis}, []string{"minecraftservers/status"}, []string{"update"}),
 		rule([]string{groupApps}, []string{"statefulsets"}, []string{"get", "list", "watch", "create", "update"}),
 		rule([]string{groupCore}, []string{"services"}, []string{"get", "list", "watch", "create", "update"}),
-		// create is here for the per-server RCON password Secret the operator
-		// provisions on first reconcile (internal/operator.ensureRconSecret). It is a
-		// smaller grant than it looks: this identity already holds get/list/watch on
-		// every Secret in this namespace, so being able to add one grants no read it
-		// did not already have. No update/delete — the password is written once and
+		// get by name, through the uncached API reader (Reconciler.Secrets), of the
+		// RCON password Secret a server's spec names; create for the one the operator
+		// provisions on first reconcile (internal/operator.ensureRconSecret). No
+		// list/watch, so there is no Secret informer and nothing enumerates the
+		// namespace's Secrets. No update/delete — the password is written once and
 		// removed by garbage collection through its controller reference.
-		rule([]string{groupCore}, []string{"secrets"}, []string{"get", "list", "watch", "create"}),
+		rule([]string{groupCore}, []string{"secrets"}, []string{"get", "create"}),
 		// list only: an uncached List (no informer, so no watch) of the world-volume
 		// maintenance Jobs; the operator never creates or deletes a Job.
 		rule([]string{groupBatch}, []string{"jobs"}, []string{"list"}),
diff --git a/internal/platform/rbac_test.go b/internal/platform/rbac_test.go
index 189baf6..2e91cee 100644
--- a/internal/platform/rbac_test.go
+++ b/internal/platform/rbac_test.go
@@ -194,6 +194,18 @@ func TestOperatorRole_ScopeExact(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Errorf("operator must NOT touch core/%s", res)
 		}
 	}
+	// RCON Secrets are read by name through the uncached reader and created once;
+	// no list/watch, so no informer mirrors the namespace's Secrets into it.
+	for _, v := range []string{"get", "create"} {
+		if !hasRule(op, groupCore, "secrets", v) {
+			t.Errorf("operator must have secrets:%s", v)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, v := range []string{"list", "watch", "update", "patch", "delete", "deletecollection", "*"} {
+		if hasRule(op, groupCore, "secrets", v) {
+			t.Errorf("operator secrets rule must be get+create only, found %s", v)
+		}
+	}
 	// Pods are delete-only: the bounded retry of a timed-out start.
 	if !hasRule(op, groupCore, "pods", "delete") {
 		t.Error("operator must have pods:delete (auto-restart of a timed-out start)")
diff --git a/internal/platform/workloads.go b/internal/platform/workloads.go
index 11e3e14..64fcf7e 100644
--- a/internal/platform/workloads.go
+++ b/internal/platform/workloads.go
@@ -540,8 +540,11 @@ func operatorMetricsService(p Params) *corev1.Service {
 // the felis-operator SA and carries controlPlanePodLabels(operator), the second
 // pod the allow-rcon peer admits (the readiness prober dials RCON). It takes NO
 // config Secret: the operator reads everything from flags + the in-cluster API,
-// so it never holds the database URL — a deliberately smaller attack surface than
-// the api. It watches the minecraft namespace (--namespace) while running in the
+// so it never loads the database URL — a deliberately smaller attack surface than
+// the api. Its secrets:get in the minecraft namespace is by name and uncached
+// (no list, no informer), yet namespaced RBAC cannot exclude a name, so a
+// compromised operator could still fetch the felis-config mirror the Jobs and
+// the reaper mount there. It watches the minecraft namespace (--namespace) while running in the
 // control namespace, exactly the split cmd/felis/operator.go documents.
 func OperatorDeployment(p Params) *appsv1.Deployment {
 	p = p.withDefaults()