Unexpected behaviour while using preserveValues #1371
Description
Background
When we upgrade Helm release with HelmRelease CR preserveValues: true option, helm-controller is not able to handle it properly, causing repetitive helm upgrade operations
HelmRelease CR
Version: 1
apiVersion: helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v2
kind: HelmRelease
metadata:
name: gitrepo-nginx
namespace: helm-system
spec:
interval: 5m
upgrade:
preserveValues: true
chart:
spec:
chart: ./helm-charts/test-nginx
sourceRef:
kind: GitRepository
name: nginx-gitrepo
namespace: helm-system
values:
replicaCount: 7
containerPort: 80
Version: 2
apiVersion: helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v2
kind: HelmRelease
metadata:
name: gitrepo-nginx
namespace: helm-system
spec:
interval: 5m
upgrade:
preserveValues: true
chart:
spec:
chart: ./helm-charts/test-nginx
sourceRef:
kind: GitRepository
name: nginx-gitrepo
namespace: helm-system
values:
replicaCount: 2
HelmRelease spec is applied one after the other.
Expected Behavior
When the second chart is applied with preserveValues enabled, reconciliation should not trigger a Helm upgrade because there is no change in the effective values. The replicaCount remains the same (2), and the containerPort will be reused from version 1 (80).
Actual Behavior
The Helm controller detects a change in the spec and repeatedly triggers upgrade operations because the latest HelmRelease history configDigest differs from the values in the spec. The configDigest includes both replicaCount and containerPort—since Helm reuses these values—while the spec contains only replicaCount. This mismatch leads the Helm controller to believe there is a discrepancy.
Details
Logs
{"level":"info","ts":"2025-12-10T17:53:54.331Z","msg":"release out-of-sync with desired state: release config values changed","controller":"helmrelease","controllerGroup":"helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io","controllerKind":"HelmRelease","HelmRelease":{"name":"gitrepo-nginx","namespace":"helm-system"},"namespace":"helm-system","name":"gitrepo-nginx","reconcileID":"xxx"}
{"level":"info","ts":"2025-12-10T17:53:54.335Z","msg":"running 'upgrade' action with timeout of 5m0s","controller":"helmrelease","controllerGroup":"helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io","controllerKind":"HelmRelease","HelmRelease":{"name":"gitrepo-nginx","namespace":"helm-system"},"namespace":"helm-system","name":"gitrepo-nginx","reconcileID":"xxx"}
{"level":"info","ts":"2025-12-10T17:53:54.537Z","msg":"release in-sync with desired state","controller":"helmrelease","controllerGroup":"helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io","controllerKind":"HelmRelease","HelmRelease":{"name":"gitrepo-nginx","namespace":"helm-system"},"namespace":"helm-system","name":"gitrepo-nginx","reconcileID":"xxx"}
...
{"level":"info","ts":"2025-12-10T18:03:49.889Z","msg":"release out-of-sync with desired state: release config values changed","controller":"helmrelease","controllerGroup":"helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io","controllerKind":"HelmRelease","HelmRelease":{"name":"gitrepo-nginx","namespace":"helm-system"},"namespace":"helm-system","name":"gitrepo-nginx","reconcileID":"yyy"}
{"level":"info","ts":"2025-12-10T18:03:49.893Z","msg":"running 'upgrade' action with timeout of 5m0s","controller":"helmrelease","controllerGroup":"helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io","controllerKind":"HelmRelease","HelmRelease":{"name":"gitrepo-nginx","namespace":"helm-system"},"namespace":"helm-system","name":"gitrepo-nginx","reconcileID":"yyy"}
{"level":"info","ts":"2025-12-10T18:03:50.094Z","msg":"release in-sync with desired state","controller":"helmrelease","controllerGroup":"helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io","controllerKind":"HelmRelease","HelmRelease":{"name":"gitrepo-nginx","namespace":"helm-system"},"namespace":"helm-system","name":"gitrepo-nginx","reconcileID":"yyy"}
HelmRelease CR
Namespace: helm-system
Labels: <none>
Annotations: <none>
API Version: helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v2
Kind: HelmRelease
Metadata:
Creation Timestamp: 2025-12-10T17:53:06Z
Finalizers:
finalizers.fluxcd.io
Generation: 2
...
Spec:
Chart:
Spec:
Chart: ./helm-charts/test-nginx
Reconcile Strategy: ChartVersion
Source Ref:
Kind: GitRepository
Name: nginx-gitrepo
Namespace: helm-system
Interval: 5m
Upgrade:
Preserve Values: true
Remediation:
Retries: 1
Values:
Replica Count: 2
Status:
Conditions:
Last Transition Time: 2025-12-10T18:08:58Z
Message: Helm upgrade succeeded for release helm-system/gitrepo-nginx.v4 with chart [email protected]+1
Observed Generation: 2
Reason: UpgradeSucceeded
Status: True
Type: Ready
Last Transition Time: 2025-12-10T18:08:58Z
Message: Helm upgrade succeeded for release helm-system/gitrepo-nginx.v4 with chart [email protected]+1
Observed Generation: 2
Reason: UpgradeSucceeded
Status: True
Type: Released
Helm Chart: helm-system/helm-system-gitrepo-nginx
History:
Chart Name: nginx-chart-mgmt-1
Chart Version: 0.5.2+1
Config Digest: sha256:496bf56e4240686807d4c20b4c74e2c4b1bb5a95acaf3f803b073a9dc5be067a
Digest: sha256:cb7f81050e65a6d0ddb64d5055468a655841c0821a7a079a43004089130c3f27
First Deployed: 2025-12-10T17:53:09Z
Last Deployed: 2025-12-10T18:08:58Z
Name: gitrepo-nginx
Namespace: helm-system
Status: deployed
Version: 4
...
Last Attempted Config Digest: sha256:e15c415d62760896bd8bec192a44c5716dc224db9e0fc609b9ac14718f8f9e56
Last Attempted Generation: 2
Last Attempted Release Action: upgrade
Last Attempted Revision: 0.5.2+1
Observed Generation: 2
Storage Namespace: helm-system
Helm
REVISION UPDATED STATUS CHART APP VERSION DESCRIPTION
1 Wed Dec 10 17:53:09 2025 superseded nginx-chart-mgmt-1-0.5.2+1 1.25.3 Install complete
2 Wed Dec 10 17:53:54 2025 superseded nginx-chart-mgmt-1-0.5.2+1 1.25.3 Upgrade complete
3 Wed Dec 10 18:03:49 2025 deployed nginx-chart-mgmt-1-0.5.2+1 1.25.3 Upgrade complete