Is there an existing issue already for this feature request/idea?

• I have searched for an existing issue, and could not find anything. I believe this is a new feature request to be evaluated.

What problem is this feature going to solve? Why should it be added?

Add a new BEHAVIOR_REQUEUE value to the OperatorLifecycleResponse.Behavior enum, allowing plugins to signal that reconciliation should be retried later
without treating it as an error.

Currently, when a plugin's lifecycle hook encounters a situation where it
cannot proceed (e.g., waiting for a dependent custom resource to be created),
it can only:

1. Return success (incorrect, as the operation isn't complete)
2. Return an error (causes the cluster to enter a failure state)

Neither option is appropriate for transient "not ready yet" conditions.
Plugins need a way to signal "please try again later" without failing.

Describe the solution you'd like

• Add BEHAVIOR_REQUEUE = 2 to OperatorLifecycleResponse.Behavior enum
• Add optional requeue_after field (int32, seconds) to control requeue timing

Describe alternatives you've considered

1. Use gRPC error codes (e.g., UNAVAILABLE)
   Rejected: Error codes are meant for actual failures, not flow control. No way
   to pass requeue timing.

2. Convention-based error messages (e.g., REQUEUE: reason)
   Rejected: Fragile string parsing, no type safety, cannot carry structured
   metadata.

3. Separate CheckReadiness RPC
   Rejected: Extra complexity, race conditions, and readiness is often
   context-dependent.

4. Plugin blocks internally until ready
   Rejected: Ties up resources, can timeout, plugin cannot coordinate with
   operator's reconciliation loop.

Additional context

No response

Are you willing to actively contribute to this feature?

Yes

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct