diff --git a/scripts/gitops-render.mjs b/scripts/gitops-render.mjs
index 167d2a9a..bb7250bd 100644
--- a/scripts/gitops-render.mjs
+++ b/scripts/gitops-render.mjs
@@ -5583,6 +5583,7 @@ function runtimeSecretPlaneExternalSecret({ config, secret, index, namespace, la
   const data = Array.isArray(secret?.data) ? secret.data : [];
   assert.ok(data.length > 0, `secretPlane.secrets[${index}].data must not be empty`);
   const sourceRefs = data.map((item) => requiredSecretPlaneString(item?.remoteRef, `secretPlane.secrets[${index}].data.remoteRef`));
+  const issueRef = String(config.issue ?? "pikasTech/HWLAB#2234");
   return {
     apiVersion: "external-secrets.io/v1",
     kind: "ExternalSecret",
@@ -5593,10 +5594,11 @@ function runtimeSecretPlaneExternalSecret({ config, secret, index, namespace, la
         ...labels,
         "app.kubernetes.io/name": externalSecretName,
         "app.kubernetes.io/component": "external-secret",
-        "hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane": String(config.issue ?? "pikasTech/HWLAB#2234")
+        "hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane": secretPlaneIssueLabelValue(issueRef)
       },
       annotations: {
         ...annotations,
+        "hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane-issue": issueRef,
         "hwlab.pikastech.local/source-ref": sourceRefs.join(","),
         "hwlab.pikastech.local/values-printed": "false"
       }
@@ -5622,6 +5624,16 @@ function runtimeSecretPlaneExternalSecret({ config, secret, index, namespace, la
   };
 }
 
+function secretPlaneIssueLabelValue(issueRef) {
+  const text = String(issueRef ?? "").trim();
+  const issueNumber = text.match(/#([0-9]+)$/u)?.[1];
+  const raw = issueNumber ? `issue-${issueNumber}` : text;
+  const normalized = raw.replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9_.-]+/gu, "-").replace(/^[^A-Za-z0-9]+|[^A-Za-z0-9]+$/gu, "");
+  const label = normalized.slice(0, 63).replace(/[^A-Za-z0-9]+$/u, "");
+  assert.ok(label.length > 0, "secretPlane.issue must produce a Kubernetes label-safe value");
+  return label;
+}
+
 function requiredSecretPlaneString(value, label) {
   assert.equal(typeof value, "string", `${label} must be a string`);
   const trimmed = value.trim();
diff --git a/scripts/gitops-render.test.ts b/scripts/gitops-render.test.ts
index 0a6e67e5..50cf28be 100644
--- a/scripts/gitops-render.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/gitops-render.test.ts
@@ -584,6 +584,8 @@ test("v03 render keeps node identity as data instead of generated structure", as
     const smokeExternalSecret = (externalSecretsJson.items ?? []).find((item) => item.kind === "ExternalSecret" && item.metadata?.name === "hwlab-secret-plane-smoke");
     assert.ok(smokeExternalSecret, "expected v03 secret-plane smoke ExternalSecret");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.metadata?.namespace, "hwlab-v03");
+    assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.metadata?.labels?.["hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane"], "issue-2234");
+    assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.metadata?.annotations?.["hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane-issue"], "pikasTech/HWLAB#2234");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.spec?.secretStoreRef?.kind, "ClusterSecretStore");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.spec?.secretStoreRef?.name, "hwlab-secret-plane-vault-cluster");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.spec?.target?.name, "hwlab-secret-plane-smoke");
@@ -696,6 +698,8 @@ test("v03 render includes D518 secret-plane smoke on D518 gitops root", async ()
     const smokeExternalSecret = (externalSecretsJson.items ?? []).find((item) => item.kind === "ExternalSecret" && item.metadata?.name === "hwlab-secret-plane-smoke");
     assert.ok(smokeExternalSecret, "expected D518 v03 secret-plane smoke ExternalSecret");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.metadata?.namespace, "hwlab-v03");
+    assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.metadata?.labels?.["hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane"], "issue-2234");
+    assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.metadata?.annotations?.["hwlab.pikastech.local/secret-plane-issue"], "pikasTech/HWLAB#2234");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.spec?.secretStoreRef?.kind, "ClusterSecretStore");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.spec?.secretStoreRef?.name, "hwlab-secret-plane-vault-cluster");
     assert.equal(smokeExternalSecret.spec?.target?.name, "hwlab-secret-plane-smoke");