Repository: elastic/cloud-on-k8s

Issue:
Support multiple StackConfigPolicies per cluster
We should support multiple SCPs per ES cluster, using a priority approach to avoid conflicts.

Hints from issue comments:

Solution patch:
diff --git a/config/crds/v1/all-crds.yaml b/config/crds/v1/all-crds.yaml
index 749f0672c..4a7bc3e2a 100644
--- a/config/crds/v1/all-crds.yaml
+++ b/config/crds/v1/all-crds.yaml
@@ -10673,6 +10673,9 @@ spec:
     - jsonPath: .metadata.creationTimestamp
       name: Age
       type: date
+    - jsonPath: .spec.weight
+      name: Weight
+      type: integer
     name: v1alpha1
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
@@ -10932,6 +10935,13 @@ spec:
                   - secretName
                   type: object
                 type: array
+              weight:
+                default: 0
+                description: |-
+                  Weight determines the priority of this policy when multiple policies target the same resource.
+                  Lower weight values take precedence. Defaults to 0.
+                format: int32
+                type: integer
             type: object
           status:
             properties:
diff --git a/config/crds/v1/resources/stackconfigpolicy.k8s.elastic.co_stackconfigpolicies.yaml b/config/crds/v1/resources/stackconfigpolicy.k8s.elastic.co_stackconfigpolicies.yaml
index 146a6d3ab..df6bb0992 100644
--- a/config/crds/v1/resources/stackconfigpolicy.k8s.elastic.co_stackconfigpolicies.yaml
+++ b/config/crds/v1/resources/stackconfigpolicy.k8s.elastic.co_stackconfigpolicies.yaml
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ spec:
     - jsonPath: .metadata.creationTimestamp
       name: Age
       type: date
+    - jsonPath: .spec.weight
+      name: Weight
+      type: integer
     name: v1alpha1
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
@@ -288,6 +291,13 @@ spec:
                   - secretName
                   type: object
                 type: array
+              weight:
+                default: 0
+                description: |-
+                  Weight determines the priority of this policy when multiple policies target the same resource.
+                  Lower weight values take precedence. Defaults to 0.
+                format: int32
+                type: integer
             type: object
           status:
             properties:
diff --git a/deploy/eck-operator/charts/eck-operator-crds/templates/all-crds.yaml b/deploy/eck-operator/charts/eck-operator-crds/templates/all-crds.yaml
index f1d9bcf4f..67fe5100f 100644
--- a/deploy/eck-operator/charts/eck-operator-crds/templates/all-crds.yaml
+++ b/deploy/eck-operator/charts/eck-operator-crds/templates/all-crds.yaml
@@ -10743,6 +10743,9 @@ spec:
     - jsonPath: .metadata.creationTimestamp
       name: Age
       type: date
+    - jsonPath: .spec.weight
+      name: Weight
+      type: integer
     name: v1alpha1
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
@@ -11002,6 +11005,13 @@ spec:
                   - secretName
                   type: object
                 type: array
+              weight:
+                default: 0
+                description: |-
+                  Weight determines the priority of this policy when multiple policies target the same resource.
+                  Lower weight values take precedence. Defaults to 0.
+                format: int32
+                type: integer
             type: object
           status:
             properties:
diff --git a/docs/reference/api-reference/main.md b/docs/reference/api-reference/main.md
index 7bbb407bf..ac31396a1 100644
--- a/docs/reference/api-reference/main.md
+++ b/docs/reference/api-reference/main.md
@@ -1991,6 +1991,8 @@ Package v1alpha1 contains API schema definitions for managing StackConfigPolicy
 | *`secureSettings`* __[SecretSource](#secretsource) array__ | SecureSettings are additional Secrets that contain data to be configured to Elasticsearch's keystore. |
 
 
+
+
 ### IndexTemplates  [#indextemplates]
 
 
@@ -2068,6 +2070,7 @@ StackConfigPolicy represents a StackConfigPolicy resource in a Kubernetes cluste
 | Field | Description |
 | --- | --- |
 | *`resourceSelector`* __[LabelSelector](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubernetes-api/v1.32/#labelselector-v1-meta)__ |  |
+| *`weight`* __integer__ | Weight determines the priority of this policy when multiple policies target the same resource.<br>Lower weight values take precedence. Defaults to 0. |
 | *`secureSettings`* __[SecretSource](#secretsource) array__ | Deprecated: SecureSettings only applies to Elasticsearch and is deprecated. It must be set per application instead. |
 | *`elasticsearch`* __[ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec](#elasticsearchconfigpolicyspec)__ |  |
 | *`kibana`* __[KibanaConfigPolicySpec](#kibanaconfigpolicyspec)__ |  |
diff --git a/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1/stackconfigpolicy_types.go b/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1/stackconfigpolicy_types.go
index 058f197d2..d6f5a8fd6 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1/stackconfigpolicy_types.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1/stackconfigpolicy_types.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ func init() {
 // +kubebuilder:printcolumn:name="Ready",type="string",JSONPath=".status.readyCount",description="Resources configured"
 // +kubebuilder:printcolumn:name="Phase",type="string",JSONPath=".status.phase"
 // +kubebuilder:printcolumn:name="Age",type="date",JSONPath=".metadata.creationTimestamp"
+// +kubebuilder:printcolumn:name="Weight",type="integer",JSONPath=".spec.weight"
 // +kubebuilder:subresource:status
 // +kubebuilder:storageversion
 type StackConfigPolicy struct {
@@ -55,6 +56,10 @@ type StackConfigPolicyList struct {
 
 type StackConfigPolicySpec struct {
 	ResourceSelector metav1.LabelSelector `json:"resourceSelector,omitempty"`
+	// Weight determines the priority of this policy when multiple policies target the same resource.
+	// Lower weight values take precedence. Defaults to 0.
+	// +kubebuilder:default=0
+	Weight int32 `json:"weight,omitempty"`
 	// Deprecated: SecureSettings only applies to Elasticsearch and is deprecated. It must be set per application instead.
 	SecureSettings []commonv1.SecretSource       `json:"secureSettings,omitempty"`
 	Elasticsearch  ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec `json:"elasticsearch,omitempty"`
@@ -94,6 +99,53 @@ type ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec struct {
 	SecureSettings []commonv1.SecretSource `json:"secureSettings,omitempty"`
 }
 
+// GetElasticsearchNamespacedSecureSettings returns the Elasticsearch secure settings from this policy
+// as NamespacedSecretSources, with each secret source namespaced to the policy's namespace.
+// Returns nil if the policy is nil or has no Elasticsearch secure settings defined.
+func (p *StackConfigPolicy) GetElasticsearchNamespacedSecureSettings() []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource {
+	if p == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return toNamespacedSecretSources(&p.Spec.Elasticsearch, p.Namespace)
+}
+
+// GetKibanaNamespacedSecureSettings returns the Kibana secure settings from this policy
+// as NamespacedSecretSources, with each secret source namespaced to the policy's namespace.
+// Returns nil if the policy is nil or has no Kibana secure settings defined.
+func (p *StackConfigPolicy) GetKibanaNamespacedSecureSettings() []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource {
+	if p == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return toNamespacedSecretSources(&p.Spec.Kibana, p.Namespace)
+}
+
+// HasSecureSettings represents a ConfigPolicySpec that has secure settings.
+// +kubebuilder:object:generate=false
+type HasSecureSettings interface {
+	GetSecureSettings() []commonv1.SecretSource
+}
+
+func toNamespacedSecretSources(hasSecureSettings HasSecureSettings, inNamespace string) []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource {
+	secureSettings := hasSecureSettings.GetSecureSettings()
+	namespacedSecretSources := make([]commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource, len(secureSettings))
+	for i, s := range secureSettings {
+		namespacedSecretSources[i] = commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{
+			Namespace:  inNamespace,
+			SecretName: s.SecretName,
+			Entries:    s.Entries,
+		}
+	}
+	return namespacedSecretSources
+}
+
+// GetSecureSettings returns the secure settings of the ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec.
+func (e *ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec) GetSecureSettings() []commonv1.SecretSource {
+	if e == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return e.SecureSettings
+}
+
 type KibanaConfigPolicySpec struct {
 	// Config holds the settings that go into kibana.yml.
 	// +kubebuilder:pruning:PreserveUnknownFields
@@ -103,6 +155,14 @@ type KibanaConfigPolicySpec struct {
 	SecureSettings []commonv1.SecretSource `json:"secureSettings,omitempty"`
 }
 
+// GetSecureSettings returns the secure settings of the KibanaConfigPolicySpec.
+func (k *KibanaConfigPolicySpec) GetSecureSettings() []commonv1.SecretSource {
+	if k == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return k.SecureSettings
+}
+
 type ResourceType string
 
 const (
diff --git a/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret.go b/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret.go
index d280023d4..faedb36e0 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret.go
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ package reconciler
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"reflect"
+	"strings"
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
@@ -14,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 
 	policyv1alpha1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1"
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@ const (
 	SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel = "eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-namespace"
 	SoftOwnerNameLabel      = "eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-name"
 	SoftOwnerKindLabel      = "eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-kind"
+	SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation = "eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-refs"
 )
 
 func WithPostUpdate(f func()) func(p *Params) {
@@ -92,6 +96,223 @@ func SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(labels map[string]string) (SoftOwnerRef, bool) {
 	return SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: namespace, Name: name, Kind: kind}, true
 }
 
+// SetMultipleSoftOwners sets multiple soft owner references to an object.
+// Unlike single ownership (which uses labels), multiple ownership stores a JSON-encoded
+// list of owner references in the SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation annotation to accommodate multiple owners.
+//
+// The function sets:
+//   - The label SoftOwnerKindLabel indicating the soft owner kind (e.g., "StackConfigPolicy")
+//   - The annotation SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation containing a JSON list of all owner namespaced names
+//   - Removes any existing single-owner labels if present
+//
+// Returns an error if JSON marshaling fails.
+func SetMultipleSoftOwners(obj metav1.Object, ownerKind string, owners []types.NamespacedName) error {
+	objLabels := obj.GetLabels()
+	if objLabels == nil {
+		objLabels = map[string]string{}
+	} else {
+		// Remove single owner labels if they exist
+		delete(objLabels, SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+		delete(objLabels, SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+	}
+
+	// Mark this Secret as being soft-owned by ownerKind
+	objLabels[SoftOwnerKindLabel] = ownerKind
+
+	objAnnotations := obj.GetAnnotations()
+	if objAnnotations == nil {
+		objAnnotations = map[string]string{}
+	}
+
+	// Build a set of owner references using namespaced names as keys.
+	ownerRefs := sets.Set[string]{}
+	for _, o := range owners {
+		ownerRefs.Insert(o.String())
+	}
+	// Store the owner references as a JSON-encoded annotation
+	ownerRefsBytes, err := json.Marshal(sets.List(ownerRefs))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	objAnnotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation] = string(ownerRefsBytes)
+	obj.SetAnnotations(objAnnotations)
+	obj.SetLabels(objLabels)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// SetSingleSoftOwner sets a single soft owner reference to an object.
+// This uses labels (SoftOwnerKindLabel, SoftOwnerNameLabel, SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+// to store the ownership relationship, allowing the owner to manage
+// the object's lifecycle without using Kubernetes OwnerReferences.
+// Removes any existing multi-owner annotation if present.
+func SetSingleSoftOwner(obj metav1.Object, owner SoftOwnerRef) {
+	objLabels := obj.GetLabels()
+	if objLabels == nil {
+		objLabels = map[string]string{}
+	}
+
+	objAnnotations := obj.GetAnnotations()
+	if objAnnotations != nil {
+		// Remove multi-owner annotation if it exists
+		delete(objAnnotations, SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation)
+	}
+
+	objLabels[SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel] = owner.Namespace
+	objLabels[SoftOwnerNameLabel] = owner.Name
+	objLabels[SoftOwnerKindLabel] = owner.Kind
+	obj.SetLabels(objLabels)
+	obj.SetAnnotations(objAnnotations)
+}
+
+// RemoveSoftOwner removes a soft owner from an object.
+// It handles both single-owner (label-based) and multi-owner (annotation-based) scenarios.
+//
+// For single-owner objects:
+//   - If the owner matches, removes all soft owner labels
+//   - If the owner doesn't match, leaves the object unchanged
+//
+// For multi-owner objects:
+//   - Removes the owner from the JSON list in the SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation
+//   - Updates the annotation with the remaining owners or removes it if no owners remain
+//
+// Returns the number of remaining owners after removal and an error if there's a problem
+// with JSON marshalling/unmarshalling.
+func RemoveSoftOwner(obj metav1.Object, owner types.NamespacedName) (remainingCount int, err error) {
+	objLabels := obj.GetLabels()
+	if objLabels == nil {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	objAnnotations := obj.GetAnnotations()
+
+	// Check for multi-owner ownership (annotation-based)
+	if ownerRefsBytes, exists := objAnnotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation]; exists {
+		// Multi-owner soft owned object - parse and update the set
+		var ownerRefsSlice []string
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(ownerRefsBytes), &ownerRefsSlice); err != nil {
+			return 0, err
+		}
+
+		ownerRefs := sets.New(ownerRefsSlice...)
+		// Remove the specified owner from the set
+		ownerRefs.Delete(owner.String())
+		if ownerRefs.Len() == 0 {
+			// No owners remain, remove the annotation
+			delete(objAnnotations, SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation)
+			return 0, nil
+		}
+
+		// Marshal the updated owner list back to JSON
+		ownerRefsBytes, err := json.Marshal(sets.List(ownerRefs))
+		if err != nil {
+			return 0, err
+		}
+
+		// Update the annotation with the new owner list
+		objAnnotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation] = string(ownerRefsBytes)
+		return len(ownerRefs), nil
+	}
+
+	// Handle single-owner ownership (label-based)
+	currentOwner, referenced := SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(objLabels)
+	if !referenced {
+		// No soft owner found
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	// Check if the single owner matches the owner to be removed
+	if currentOwner.Name == owner.Name && currentOwner.Namespace == owner.Namespace {
+		// Remove the soft owner labels since this was the only owner
+		delete(objLabels, SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+		delete(objLabels, SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	// The owner to remove doesn't match the current owner, so no change
+	return 1, nil
+}
+
+// IsSoftOwnedBy checks if an object is soft-owned by the given owner.
+// It handles both single-owner (label-based) and multi-owner (annotation-based) scenarios.
+// Returns true if the object is owned by the specified owner, false otherwise, and an error
+// if there's a problem unmarshalling the owner references from annotations.
+func IsSoftOwnedBy(obj metav1.Object, ownerKind string, owner types.NamespacedName) (bool, error) {
+	objLabels := obj.GetLabels()
+	if objLabels == nil {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	if objOwnerKind := objLabels[SoftOwnerKindLabel]; objOwnerKind != ownerKind {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	objAnnotations := obj.GetAnnotations()
+	// Check for multi-owner ownership (annotation-based)
+	if ownerRefsBytes, exists := objAnnotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation]; exists {
+		var ownerRefsSlice []string
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(ownerRefsBytes), &ownerRefsSlice); err != nil {
+			return false, err
+		}
+
+		ownerRefs := sets.New(ownerRefsSlice...)
+		return ownerRefs.Has(owner.String()), nil
+	}
+
+	// Fall back to single-owner ownership (label-based)
+	currentOwner, referenced := SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(objLabels)
+	if !referenced {
+		// No soft owner found in labels
+		return false, nil
+	}
+
+	// Check if the single owner matches the given owner
+	return currentOwner.Name == owner.Name && currentOwner.Namespace == owner.Namespace, nil
+}
+
+// SoftOwnerRefs returns the soft owner references of the given object.
+func SoftOwnerRefs(obj metav1.Object) ([]SoftOwnerRef, error) {
+	// Check if this object has a soft-owner kind label set
+	ownerKind, exists := obj.GetLabels()[SoftOwnerKindLabel]
+	if !exists {
+		// Not a soft-owned object
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	// Check for multi-owner ownership (annotation-based)
+	if ownerRefsBytes, exists := obj.GetAnnotations()[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation]; exists {
+		// Multi-owner soft owned object - parse the list of owners
+		var ownerRefsSlice []string
+		if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(ownerRefsBytes), &ownerRefsSlice); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		// Convert the list to []SoftOwnerRef
+		var ownerRefsNsn []SoftOwnerRef
+		for _, nsnStr := range ownerRefsSlice {
+			// Split the string format "namespace/name" into components
+			nsnComponents := strings.Split(nsnStr, string(types.Separator))
+			if len(nsnComponents) != 2 {
+				// Skip malformed entries
+				continue
+			}
+			ownerRefsNsn = append(ownerRefsNsn, SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: nsnComponents[0], Name: nsnComponents[1], Kind: ownerKind})
+		}
+
+		return ownerRefsNsn, nil
+	}
+
+	// Fall back to single-owner ownership (label-based)
+	currentOwner, referenced := SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(obj.GetLabels())
+	if !referenced {
+		// No soft owner found in labels
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	// Return the single owner as a slice with one element
+	return []SoftOwnerRef{currentOwner}, nil
+}
+
 // ReconcileSecretNoOwnerRef should be called to reconcile a Secret for which we explicitly don't want
 // an owner reference to be set, and want existing ownerReferences from previous operator versions to be removed,
 // because of this k8s bug: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/issues/65200 (fixed in k8s 1.20).
@@ -200,43 +421,54 @@ func GarbageCollectAllSoftOwnedOrphanSecrets(ctx context.Context, c k8s.Client,
 	var secrets corev1.SecretList
 	if err := c.List(ctx,
 		&secrets,
-		client.HasLabels{SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel, SoftOwnerNameLabel, SoftOwnerKindLabel},
+		client.HasLabels{SoftOwnerKindLabel},
 	); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	// remove any secret whose owner doesn't exist
 	for i := range secrets.Items {
 		secret := secrets.Items[i]
-		softOwner, referenced := SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(secret.Labels)
-		if !referenced {
-			continue
-		}
-		if restrictedToOwnerNamespace(softOwner.Kind) && softOwner.Namespace != secret.Namespace {
-			// Secret references an owner in a different namespace: this likely results
-			// from a "manual" copy of the secret in another namespace, not handled by the operator.
-			// We don't want to touch that secret.
-			continue
+		softOwners, err := SoftOwnerRefs(&secret)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
 		}
-		owner, managed := ownerKinds[softOwner.Kind]
-		if !managed {
+		if len(softOwners) == 0 {
 			continue
 		}
-		owner = k8s.DeepCopyObject(owner)
-		err := c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: softOwner.Namespace, Name: softOwner.Name}, owner)
-		if err != nil {
-			if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
-				// owner doesn't exit anymore
-				ulog.FromContext(ctx).Info("Deleting secret as part of garbage collection",
-					"namespace", secret.Namespace, "secret_name", secret.Name,
-					"owner_kind", softOwner.Kind, "owner_namespace", softOwner.Namespace, "owner_name", softOwner.Name,
-				)
-				options := client.DeleteOptions{Preconditions: &metav1.Preconditions{UID: &secret.UID}}
-				if err := c.Delete(ctx, &secret, &options); err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
-					return err
-				}
+
+		missingOwners := make(map[types.NamespacedName]client.Object)
+		for _, softOwner := range softOwners {
+			if restrictedToOwnerNamespace(softOwner.Kind) && softOwner.Namespace != secret.Namespace {
+				// Secret references an owner in a different namespace: this likely results
+				// from a "manual" copy of the secret in another namespace, not handled by the operator.
+				// We don't want to touch that secret.
 				continue
 			}
-			return err
+			owner, managed := ownerKinds[softOwner.Kind]
+			if !managed {
+				continue
+			}
+			owner = k8s.DeepCopyObject(owner)
+			err := c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: softOwner.Namespace, Name: softOwner.Name}, owner)
+			if err != nil {
+				if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+					// owner doesn't exit anymore
+					ulog.FromContext(ctx).Info("Deleting secret as part of garbage collection",
+						"namespace", secret.Namespace, "secret_name", secret.Name,
+						"owner_kind", softOwner.Kind, "owner_namespace", softOwner.Namespace, "owner_name", softOwner.Name,
+					)
+					missingOwners[types.NamespacedName{Namespace: softOwner.Namespace, Name: softOwner.Name}] = owner
+					continue
+				}
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+
+		if len(missingOwners) == len(softOwners) {
+			options := client.DeleteOptions{Preconditions: &metav1.Preconditions{UID: &secret.UID}}
+			if err := c.Delete(ctx, &secret, &options); err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+				return err
+			}
 		}
 		// owner still exists, keep the secret
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings.go b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings.go
index 3bdbab508..00ef7798e 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings.go
@@ -81,12 +81,12 @@ func newEmptySettingsState() SettingsState {
 }
 
 // updateState updates the Settings state from a StackConfigPolicy for a given Elasticsearch.
-func (s *Settings) updateState(es types.NamespacedName, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error {
-	p := policy.DeepCopy() // be sure to not mutate the original policy
+func (s *Settings) updateState(es types.NamespacedName, esConfigPolicy policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec) error {
+	esConfigPolicy = *esConfigPolicy.DeepCopy() // be sure to not mutate the original es config policy
 	state := newEmptySettingsState()
 	// mutate Snapshot Repositories
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SnapshotRepositories != nil {
-		for name, untypedDefinition := range p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SnapshotRepositories.Data {
+	if esConfigPolicy.SnapshotRepositories != nil {
+		for name, untypedDefinition := range esConfigPolicy.SnapshotRepositories.Data {
 			definition, ok := untypedDefinition.(map[string]interface{})
 			if !ok {
 				return fmt.Errorf(`invalid type (%T) for definition of snapshot repository %q of Elasticsearch "%s/%s"`, untypedDefinition, name, es.Namespace, es.Name)
@@ -95,31 +95,31 @@ func (s *Settings) updateState(es types.NamespacedName, policy policyv1alpha1.St
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-			p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SnapshotRepositories.Data[name] = repoSettings
+			esConfigPolicy.SnapshotRepositories.Data[name] = repoSettings
 		}
-		state.SnapshotRepositories = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SnapshotRepositories
+		state.SnapshotRepositories = esConfigPolicy.SnapshotRepositories
 	}
 	// just copy other settings
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.ClusterSettings != nil {
-		state.ClusterSettings = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.ClusterSettings
+	if esConfigPolicy.ClusterSettings != nil {
+		state.ClusterSettings = esConfigPolicy.ClusterSettings
 	}
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SnapshotLifecyclePolicies != nil {
-		state.SLM = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SnapshotLifecyclePolicies
+	if esConfigPolicy.SnapshotLifecyclePolicies != nil {
+		state.SLM = esConfigPolicy.SnapshotLifecyclePolicies
 	}
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecurityRoleMappings != nil {
-		state.RoleMappings = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecurityRoleMappings
+	if esConfigPolicy.SecurityRoleMappings != nil {
+		state.RoleMappings = esConfigPolicy.SecurityRoleMappings
 	}
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IndexLifecyclePolicies != nil {
-		state.IndexLifecyclePolicies = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IndexLifecyclePolicies
+	if esConfigPolicy.IndexLifecyclePolicies != nil {
+		state.IndexLifecyclePolicies = esConfigPolicy.IndexLifecyclePolicies
 	}
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IngestPipelines != nil {
-		state.IngestPipelines = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IngestPipelines
+	if esConfigPolicy.IngestPipelines != nil {
+		state.IngestPipelines = esConfigPolicy.IngestPipelines
 	}
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates != nil {
-		state.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates
+	if esConfigPolicy.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates != nil {
+		state.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates = esConfigPolicy.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates
 	}
-	if p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates != nil {
-		state.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates = p.Spec.Elasticsearch.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates
+	if esConfigPolicy.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates != nil {
+		state.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates = esConfigPolicy.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates
 	}
 	s.State = state
 	return nil
diff --git a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/reconciler.go b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/reconciler.go
index 63688838a..ade522d43 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/reconciler.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/reconciler.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ var (
 
 	// managedAnnotations are the annotations managed by the operator for the stack config policy related secrets, which means that the operator
 	// will always take precedence to update or remove these annotations.
-	managedAnnotations = []string{commonannotation.SecureSettingsSecretsAnnotationName, commonannotation.SettingsHashAnnotationName, commonannotation.ElasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsHashAnnotation, commonannotation.KibanaConfigHashAnnotation}
+	managedAnnotations = []string{commonannotation.SecureSettingsSecretsAnnotationName, commonannotation.SettingsHashAnnotationName, commonannotation.ElasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsHashAnnotation, commonannotation.KibanaConfigHashAnnotation, reconciler.SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation}
 )
 
 // ReconcileEmptyFileSettingsSecret reconciles an empty File settings Secret for the given Elasticsearch only when there is no Secret.
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func ReconcileEmptyFileSettingsSecret(
 	// extract the metadata that should be propagated to children
 	meta := metadata.Propagate(&es, metadata.Metadata{Labels: label.NewLabels(k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&es))})
 	// no secret, reconcile a new empty file settings
-	expectedSecret, _, err := NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&es), nil, nil, meta)
+	expectedSecret, _, err := NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&es), nil, nil, nil, meta)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret.go b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret.go
index 69e9604d4..746764790 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret.go
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	commonannotation "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/annotation"
 	commonlabel "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/labels"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/metadata"
-	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
 )
 
@@ -34,18 +33,18 @@ const (
 // The Settings version is updated using the current timestamp only when the Settings have changed.
 // If the new settings from the policy changed compared to the actual from the secret, the settings version is
 // updated
-func NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(es types.NamespacedName, currentSecret *corev1.Secret, policy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, meta metadata.Metadata) (corev1.Secret, int64, error) {
+func NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(es types.NamespacedName, currentSecret *corev1.Secret, esConfigPolicy *policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec, namespacedSecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource, meta metadata.Metadata) (corev1.Secret, int64, error) {
 	newVersion := time.Now().UnixNano()
-	return newSettingsSecret(newVersion, es, currentSecret, policy, meta)
+	return newSettingsSecret(newVersion, es, currentSecret, esConfigPolicy, namespacedSecretSources, meta)
 }
 
 // NewSettingsSecret returns a new SettingsSecret for a given Elasticsearch and StackConfigPolicy.
-func newSettingsSecret(version int64, es types.NamespacedName, currentSecret *corev1.Secret, policy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, meta metadata.Metadata) (corev1.Secret, int64, error) {
+func newSettingsSecret(version int64, es types.NamespacedName, currentSecret *corev1.Secret, esConfigPolicy *policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec, namespacedSecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource, meta metadata.Metadata) (corev1.Secret, int64, error) {
 	settings := NewEmptySettings(version)
 
 	// update the settings according to the config policy
-	if policy != nil {
-		err := settings.updateState(es, *policy)
+	if esConfigPolicy != nil {
+		err := settings.updateState(es, *esConfigPolicy)
 		if err != nil {
 			return corev1.Secret{}, 0, err
 		}
@@ -84,14 +83,9 @@ func newSettingsSecret(version int64, es types.NamespacedName, currentSecret *co
 		},
 	}
 
-	if policy != nil {
-		// set this policy as soft owner of this Secret
-		SetSoftOwner(settingsSecret, *policy)
-
-		// add the Secure Settings Secret sources to the Settings Secret
-		if err := setSecureSettings(settingsSecret, *policy); err != nil {
-			return corev1.Secret{}, 0, err
-		}
+	// add the Secure Settings Secret sources to the Settings Secret
+	if err := setSecureSettings(settingsSecret, namespacedSecretSources); err != nil {
+		return corev1.Secret{}, 0, err
 	}
 
 	// Add a label to reset secret on deletion of the stack config policy
@@ -123,35 +117,12 @@ func hasChanged(settingsSecret corev1.Secret, newSettings Settings) bool {
 	return settingsSecret.Annotations[commonannotation.SettingsHashAnnotationName] != newSettings.hash()
 }
 
-// SetSoftOwner sets the given StackConfigPolicy as soft owner of the Settings Secret using the "softOwned" labels.
-func SetSoftOwner(settingsSecret *corev1.Secret, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) {
-	if settingsSecret.Labels == nil {
-		settingsSecret.Labels = map[string]string{}
-	}
-	settingsSecret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel] = policy.GetNamespace()
-	settingsSecret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel] = policy.GetName()
-	settingsSecret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel] = policyv1alpha1.Kind
-}
-
 // setSecureSettings stores the SecureSettings Secret sources referenced in the given StackConfigPolicy in the annotation of the Settings Secret.
-func setSecureSettings(settingsSecret *corev1.Secret, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error {
-	//nolint:staticcheck
-	if len(policy.Spec.SecureSettings) == 0 && len(policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecureSettings) == 0 {
+func setSecureSettings(settingsSecret *corev1.Secret, secretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource) error {
+	if len(secretSources) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	var secretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource //nolint:prealloc
-	// Common secureSettings field, this is mainly there to maintain backwards compatibility
-	//nolint:staticcheck
-	for _, src := range policy.Spec.SecureSettings {
-		secretSources = append(secretSources, commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{Namespace: policy.GetNamespace(), SecretName: src.SecretName, Entries: src.Entries})
-	}
-
-	// SecureSettings field under Elasticsearch in the StackConfigPolicy
-	for _, src := range policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecureSettings {
-		secretSources = append(secretSources, commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{Namespace: policy.GetNamespace(), SecretName: src.SecretName, Entries: src.Entries})
-	}
-
 	bytes, err := json.Marshal(secretSources)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -160,19 +131,6 @@ func setSecureSettings(settingsSecret *corev1.Secret, policy policyv1alpha1.Stac
 	return nil
 }
 
-// CanBeOwnedBy return true if the Settings Secret can be owned by the given StackConfigPolicy, either because the Secret
-// belongs to no one or because it already belongs to the given policy.
-func CanBeOwnedBy(settingsSecret corev1.Secret, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) (reconciler.SoftOwnerRef, bool) {
-	currentOwner, referenced := reconciler.SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(settingsSecret.Labels)
-	// either there is no soft owner
-	if !referenced {
-		return reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{}, true
-	}
-	// or the owner is already the given policy
-	canBeOwned := currentOwner.Kind == policyv1alpha1.Kind && currentOwner.Namespace == policy.Namespace && currentOwner.Name == policy.Name
-	return currentOwner, canBeOwned
-}
-
 // getSecureSettings returns the SecureSettings Secret sources stores in an annotation of the given file settings Secret.
 func getSecureSettings(settingsSecret corev1.Secret) ([]commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource, error) {
 	rawString, ok := settingsSecret.Annotations[commonannotation.SecureSettingsSecretsAnnotationName]
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller.go
index 02d1e2070..55ca07e07 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ package stackconfigpolicy
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"regexp"
@@ -110,13 +111,24 @@ func addWatches(mgr manager.Manager, c controller.Controller, r *ReconcileStackC
 
 func reconcileRequestForSoftOwnerPolicy() handler.TypedEventHandler[*corev1.Secret, reconcile.Request] {
 	return handler.TypedEnqueueRequestsFromMapFunc[*corev1.Secret](func(ctx context.Context, secret *corev1.Secret) []reconcile.Request {
-		softOwner, referenced := reconciler.SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(secret.GetLabels())
-		if !referenced || softOwner.Kind != policyv1alpha1.Kind {
+		softOwners, err := reconciler.SoftOwnerRefs(secret)
+		if err != nil {
+			ulog.Log.Error(err, "Fail to get soft-owner policies of secret", "secret_name", secret.GetName(), "secret_namespace", secret.GetNamespace())
 			return nil
 		}
-		return []reconcile.Request{
-			{NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Namespace: softOwner.Namespace, Name: softOwner.Name}},
+
+		if len(softOwners) == 0 {
+			return nil
 		}
+
+		requests := make([]reconcile.Request, len(softOwners))
+		for idx, nsn := range softOwners {
+			if nsn.Kind != policyv1alpha1.Kind {
+				continue
+			}
+			requests[idx] = reconcile.Request{NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Namespace: nsn.Namespace, Name: nsn.Name}}
+		}
+		return requests
 	})
 }
 
@@ -124,8 +136,7 @@ func reconcileRequestForSoftOwnerPolicy() handler.TypedEventHandler[*corev1.Secr
 func reconcileRequestForAllPolicies(clnt k8s.Client) handler.TypedEventHandler[client.Object, reconcile.Request] {
 	return handler.TypedEnqueueRequestsFromMapFunc[client.Object](func(ctx context.Context, es client.Object) []reconcile.Request {
 		var stackConfigList policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyList
-		err := clnt.List(context.Background(), &stackConfigList)
-		if err != nil {
+		if err := clnt.List(context.Background(), &stackConfigList); err != nil {
 			ulog.Log.Error(err, "Fail to list StackConfigurationList while watching Elasticsearch")
 			return nil
 		}
@@ -161,8 +172,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, request reco
 
 	// retrieve the StackConfigPolicy resource
 	var policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
-	err := r.Client.Get(ctx, request.NamespacedName, &policy)
-	if err != nil {
+	if err := r.Client.Get(ctx, request.NamespacedName, &policy); err != nil {
 		if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
 			return reconcile.Result{}, r.onDelete(ctx,
 				types.NamespacedName{
@@ -206,12 +216,12 @@ type esMap map[types.NamespacedName]esv1.Elasticsearch
 // instances configured by a StackConfigPolicy.
 type kbMap map[types.NamespacedName]kibanav1.Kibana
 
-func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) doReconcile(ctx context.Context, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) (*reconciler.Results, policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) {
+func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) doReconcile(ctx context.Context, reconcilingPolicy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) (*reconciler.Results, policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) {
 	log := ulog.FromContext(ctx)
 	log.V(1).Info("Reconcile StackConfigPolicy")
 
 	results := reconciler.NewResult(ctx)
-	status := policyv1alpha1.NewStatus(policy)
+	status := policyv1alpha1.NewStatus(reconcilingPolicy)
 	defer status.Update()
 
 	// Enterprise license check
@@ -222,22 +232,27 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) doReconcile(ctx context.Context, policy pol
 	if !enabled {
 		msg := "StackConfigPolicy is an enterprise feature. Enterprise features are disabled"
 		log.Info(msg)
-		r.recorder.Eventf(&policy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReconciliationError, msg)
+		r.recorder.Eventf(&reconcilingPolicy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReconciliationError, msg)
 		// we don't have a good way of watching for the license level to change so just requeue with a reasonably long delay
 		return results.WithRequeue(5 * time.Minute), status
 	}
 	// run validation in case the webhook is disabled
-	if err := r.validate(ctx, &policy); err != nil {
+	if err := r.validate(ctx, &reconcilingPolicy); err != nil {
 		status.Phase = policyv1alpha1.InvalidPhase
-		r.recorder.Eventf(&policy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReasonValidation, err.Error())
+		r.recorder.Eventf(&reconcilingPolicy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReasonValidation, err.Error())
+		return results.WithError(err), status
+	}
+
+	var policyList policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyList
+	if err := r.Client.List(ctx, &policyList); err != nil {
 		return results.WithError(err), status
 	}
 
 	// reconcile elasticsearch resources
-	results, status = r.reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx, policy, status)
+	results, status = r.reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx, reconcilingPolicy, status, policyList.Items)
 
 	// reconcile kibana resources
-	kibanaResults, status := r.reconcileKibanaResources(ctx, policy, status)
+	kibanaResults, status := r.reconcileKibanaResources(ctx, reconcilingPolicy, status, policyList.Items)
 
 	// Combine results from kibana reconciliation with results from Elasticsearch reconciliation
 	results.WithResults(kibanaResults)
@@ -250,7 +265,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) doReconcile(ctx context.Context, policy pol
 	return results, status
 }
 
-func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context.Context, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, status policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) (*reconciler.Results, policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) {
+func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context.Context, reconcilingPolicy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, status policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus, allPolicies []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) (*reconciler.Results, policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) {
 	defer tracing.Span(&ctx)()
 	log := ulog.FromContext(ctx)
 	log.V(1).Info("Reconcile Elasticsearch resources")
@@ -259,17 +274,17 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 
 	// prepare the selector to find Elastic resources to configure
 	selector, err := metav1.LabelSelectorAsSelector(&metav1.LabelSelector{
-		MatchLabels:      policy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchLabels,
-		MatchExpressions: policy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchExpressions,
+		MatchLabels:      reconcilingPolicy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchLabels,
+		MatchExpressions: reconcilingPolicy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchExpressions,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return results.WithError(err), status
 	}
 	listOpts := client.ListOptions{LabelSelector: selector}
 
-	// restrict the search to the policy namespace if it is different from the operator namespace
-	if policy.Namespace != r.params.OperatorNamespace {
-		listOpts.Namespace = policy.Namespace
+	// restrict the search to the reconcilingPolicy namespace if it is different from the operator namespace
+	if reconcilingPolicy.Namespace != r.params.OperatorNamespace {
+		listOpts.Namespace = reconcilingPolicy.Namespace
 	}
 
 	// find the list of Elasticsearch to configure
@@ -278,6 +293,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 		return results.WithError(err), status
 	}
 
+	reconcilingPolicyNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&reconcilingPolicy)
 	configuredResources := esMap{}
 	for _, es := range esList.Items {
 		log.V(1).Info("Reconcile StackConfigPolicy", "es_namespace", es.Namespace, "es_name", es.Name)
@@ -294,7 +310,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 		}
 		if v.LT(filesettings.FileBasedSettingsMinPreVersion) {
 			err = fmt.Errorf("invalid version to configure resource Elasticsearch %s/%s: actual %s, expected >= %s", es.Namespace, es.Name, v, filesettings.FileBasedSettingsMinVersion)
-			r.recorder.Eventf(&policy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReasonUnexpected, err.Error())
+			r.recorder.Eventf(&reconcilingPolicy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReasonUnexpected, err.Error())
 			results.WithError(err)
 			err = status.AddPolicyErrorFor(esNsn, policyv1alpha1.ErrorPhase, err.Error(), policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchResourceType)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -311,33 +327,41 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
 
-		// check that there is no other policy that already owns the Settings Secret
-		currentOwner, ok := filesettings.CanBeOwnedBy(actualSettingsSecret, policy)
-		if !ok {
-			err = fmt.Errorf("conflict: resource Elasticsearch %s/%s already configured by StackConfigpolicy %s/%s", es.Namespace, es.Name, currentOwner.Namespace, currentOwner.Name)
-			r.recorder.Eventf(&policy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReasonUnexpected, err.Error())
-			results.WithError(err)
-			err = status.AddPolicyErrorFor(esNsn, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, err.Error(), policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchResourceType)
-			if err != nil {
+		// build the final config by merging all policies that target the given Elasticsearch cluster
+		esConfigPolicyFinal, err := getConfigPolicyForElasticsearch(&es, allPolicies, r.params)
+		switch {
+		case errors.Is(err, errMergeConflict):
+			log.Info("StackConfigPolicy merge conflict for Elasticsearch", "es_namespace", es.Namespace, "es_name", es.Name, "error", err)
+			if err = status.AddPolicyErrorFor(esNsn, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, err.Error(), policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchResourceType); err != nil {
 				return results.WithError(err), status
 			}
 			continue
+		case err != nil:
+			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
 
 		// extract the metadata that should be propagated to children
 		meta := metadata.Propagate(&es, metadata.Metadata{Labels: eslabel.NewLabels(k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&es))})
 		// create the expected Settings Secret
-		expectedSecret, expectedVersion, err := filesettings.NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(esNsn, &actualSettingsSecret, &policy, meta)
+		expectedSecret, expectedVersion, err := filesettings.NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(esNsn, &actualSettingsSecret, &esConfigPolicyFinal.Spec, esConfigPolicyFinal.SecretSources, meta)
 		if err != nil {
 			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
 
+		// We must keep track of the soft owner references of the file-settings secret to ensure that the secret is reconciled
+		// back to an empty one when no policies are targeting it (look at resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets)
+		if err := setMultipleSoftOwners(&expectedSecret, esConfigPolicyFinal.PolicyRefs); err != nil {
+			return results.WithError(err), status
+		}
+
 		if err := filesettings.ReconcileSecret(ctx, r.Client, expectedSecret, &es); err != nil {
 			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
 
-		// Copy all the Secrets that are present in spec.elasticsearch.secretMounts
-		if err := reconcileSecretMounts(ctx, r.Client, es, &policy, meta); err != nil {
+		// Copy all the Secrets that are present in the reconciling policy. This is required to ensure that the
+		// ES cluster pods can mount the secrets that may be referenced in the Elasticsearch configuration after
+		// merging all policies.
+		if err := reconcileSecretMounts(ctx, r.Client, es, &reconcilingPolicy, meta); err != nil {
 			if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
 				err = status.AddPolicyErrorFor(esNsn, policyv1alpha1.ErrorPhase, err.Error(), policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchResourceType)
 				if err != nil {
@@ -349,7 +373,11 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 		}
 
 		// create expected elasticsearch config secret
-		expectedConfigSecret, err := newElasticsearchConfigSecret(policy, es)
+		expectedConfigSecret, err := newElasticsearchConfigSecret(esConfigPolicyFinal.Spec, es)
+		if err != nil {
+			return results.WithError(err), status
+		}
+		err = setMultipleSoftOwners(&expectedConfigSecret, esConfigPolicyFinal.PolicyRefs)
 		if err != nil {
 			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
@@ -359,7 +387,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 		}
 
 		// Check if required Elasticsearch config and secret mounts are applied.
-		configAndSecretMountsApplied, err := elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied(ctx, r.Client, policy, es)
+		configAndSecretMountsApplied, err := elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied(ctx, r.Client, esConfigPolicyFinal.Spec, es)
 		if err != nil {
 			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
@@ -383,18 +411,18 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileElasticsearchResources(ctx context
 	}
 
 	// Add dynamic watches on the additional secret mounts
-	// This will also remove dynamic watches for secrets that no longer are refrenced in the stackconfigpolicy
-	if err = r.addDynamicWatchesOnAdditionalSecretMounts(policy); err != nil {
+	// This will also remove dynamic watches for secrets that no longer are referenced in the stackconfigpolicy
+	if err = r.addDynamicWatchesOnAdditionalSecretMounts(reconcilingPolicy); err != nil {
 		return results.WithError(err), status
 	}
 
-	// reset/delete Settings secrets for resources no longer selected by this policy
-	results.WithError(handleOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(ctx, r.Client, k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&policy), configuredResources, nil, policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchResourceType))
+	// reset/delete Settings secrets for resources no longer selected by this reconcilingPolicy
+	results.WithError(handleOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(ctx, r.Client, reconcilingPolicyNsn, configuredResources, nil, policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchResourceType))
 
 	return results, status
 }
 
-func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileKibanaResources(ctx context.Context, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, status policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) (*reconciler.Results, policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) {
+func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileKibanaResources(ctx context.Context, reconcilingPolicy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, status policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus, allPolicies []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) (*reconciler.Results, policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicyStatus) {
 	defer tracing.Span(&ctx)()
 	log := ulog.FromContext(ctx)
 	log.V(1).Info("Reconcile Kibana Resources")
@@ -403,17 +431,17 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileKibanaResources(ctx context.Contex
 
 	// prepare the selector to find Kibana resources to configure
 	selector, err := metav1.LabelSelectorAsSelector(&metav1.LabelSelector{
-		MatchLabels:      policy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchLabels,
-		MatchExpressions: policy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchExpressions,
+		MatchLabels:      reconcilingPolicy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchLabels,
+		MatchExpressions: reconcilingPolicy.Spec.ResourceSelector.MatchExpressions,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return results.WithError(err), status
 	}
 	listOpts := client.ListOptions{LabelSelector: selector}
 
-	// restrict the search to the policy namespace if it is different from the operator namespace
-	if policy.Namespace != r.params.OperatorNamespace {
-		listOpts.Namespace = policy.Namespace
+	// restrict the search to the reconcilingPolicy namespace if it is different from the operator namespace
+	if reconcilingPolicy.Namespace != r.params.OperatorNamespace {
+		listOpts.Namespace = reconcilingPolicy.Namespace
 	}
 
 	// find the list of Kibana to configure
@@ -430,29 +458,25 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileKibanaResources(ctx context.Contex
 		// keep the list of Kibana to be configured
 		kibanaNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&kibana)
 
-		// check that there is no other policy that already owns the kibana config secret
-		currentOwner, ok, err := canBeOwned(ctx, r.Client, policy, kibana)
-		if err != nil {
-			return results.WithError(err), status
-		}
-
-		// record error if already owned by another stack config policy
-		if !ok {
-			err := fmt.Errorf("conflict: resource Kibana %s/%s already configured by StackConfigpolicy %s/%s", kibana.Namespace, kibana.Name, currentOwner.Namespace, currentOwner.Name)
-			r.recorder.Eventf(&policy, corev1.EventTypeWarning, events.EventReasonUnexpected, err.Error())
-			results.WithError(err)
-			if err := status.AddPolicyErrorFor(kibanaNsn, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, err.Error(), policyv1alpha1.KibanaResourceType); err != nil {
+		// build the final config by merging all policies that target the given Kibana instance
+		kbnPolicyConfigFinal, err := getConfigPolicyForKibana(&kibana, allPolicies, r.params)
+		switch {
+		case errors.Is(err, errMergeConflict):
+			log.Info("StackConfigPolicy merge conflict for Kibana", "kibana_namespace", kibana.Namespace, "kibana_name", kibana.Name, "error", err)
+			if err = status.AddPolicyErrorFor(kibanaNsn, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, err.Error(), policyv1alpha1.KibanaResourceType); err != nil {
 				return results.WithError(err), status
 			}
 			continue
+		case err != nil:
+			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
 
 		// Create the Secret that holds the Kibana configuration.
-		if policy.Spec.Kibana.Config != nil {
+		if kbnPolicyConfigFinal.Spec.Config != nil {
 			// Only add to configured resources if Kibana config is set.
-			// This will help clean up the config secret if config gets removed from the stack config policy.
+			// This will help clean up the config secret if config gets removed from the stack config reconcilingPolicy.
 			configuredResources[kibanaNsn] = kibana
-			expectedConfigSecret, err := newKibanaConfigSecret(policy, kibana)
+			expectedConfigSecret, err := newKibanaConfigSecret(kbnPolicyConfigFinal.Spec, kbnPolicyConfigFinal.SecretSources, kibana, kbnPolicyConfigFinal.PolicyRefs)
 			if err != nil {
 				return results.WithError(err), status
 			}
@@ -463,7 +487,7 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileKibanaResources(ctx context.Contex
 		}
 
 		// Check if required Kibana configs are applied.
-		configApplied, err := kibanaConfigApplied(r.Client, policy, kibana)
+		configApplied, err := kibanaConfigApplied(r.Client, kbnPolicyConfigFinal.Spec, kibana)
 		if err != nil {
 			return results.WithError(err), status
 		}
@@ -475,8 +499,8 @@ func (r *ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) reconcileKibanaResources(ctx context.Contex
 		}
 	}
 
-	// delete Settings secrets for resources no longer selected by this policy
-	results.WithError(deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(ctx, r.Client, k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&policy), nil, configuredResources, policyv1alpha1.KibanaResourceType))
+	// delete Settings secrets for resources no longer selected by this reconcilingPolicy
+	results.WithError(deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(ctx, r.Client, k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&reconcilingPolicy), nil, configuredResources, policyv1alpha1.KibanaResourceType))
 
 	return results, status
 }
@@ -561,8 +585,7 @@ func handleOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(
 	configuredKibanaResources kbMap,
 	resourceType policyv1alpha1.ResourceType,
 ) error {
-	err := resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets(ctx, c, softOwner, configuredESResources, resourceType)
-	if err != nil {
+	if err := resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets(ctx, c, softOwner, configuredESResources, resourceType); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	return deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(ctx, c, softOwner, configuredESResources, configuredKibanaResources, resourceType)
@@ -582,8 +605,6 @@ func resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets(
 	log := ulog.FromContext(ctx)
 	var secrets corev1.SecretList
 	matchLabels := client.MatchingLabels{
-		reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel:              softOwner.Namespace,
-		reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel:                   softOwner.Name,
 		reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel:                   policyv1alpha1.Kind,
 		commonlabels.StackConfigPolicyOnDeleteLabelName: commonlabels.OrphanSecretResetOnPolicyDelete,
 	}
@@ -602,6 +623,12 @@ func resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets(
 	}
 	for i := range secrets.Items {
 		s := secrets.Items[i]
+		owned, err := isPolicySoftOwner(&s, softOwner)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		} else if !owned {
+			continue
+		}
 		configuredApplicationType := s.Labels[commonv1.TypeLabelName]
 		switch configuredApplicationType {
 		case eslabel.Type:
@@ -613,13 +640,8 @@ func resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets(
 				continue
 			}
 
-			log.V(1).Info("Reconcile empty file settings Secret for Elasticsearch",
-				"es_namespace", namespacedName.Namespace, "es_name", namespacedName.Name,
-				"owner_namespace", softOwner.Namespace, "owner_name", softOwner.Name)
-
 			var es esv1.Elasticsearch
-			err := c.Get(ctx, namespacedName, &es)
-			if err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+			if err := c.Get(ctx, namespacedName, &es); err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
 				return err
 			}
 			if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
@@ -627,9 +649,24 @@ func resetOrphanSoftOwnedFileSettingSecrets(
 				return nil
 			}
 
-			if err := filesettings.ReconcileEmptyFileSettingsSecret(ctx, c, es, false); err != nil {
+			remainingOwners, err := removePolicySoftOwner(&s, softOwner)
+			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+
+			if remainingOwners == 0 {
+				log.V(1).Info("Reconcile empty file settings Secret for Elasticsearch",
+					"es_namespace", namespacedName.Namespace, "es_name", namespacedName.Name,
+					"owner_namespace", softOwner.Namespace, "owner_name", softOwner.Name)
+
+				if err := filesettings.ReconcileEmptyFileSettingsSecret(ctx, c, es, false); err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+					return err
+				}
+			} else {
+				if err := filesettings.ReconcileSecret(ctx, c, s, &es); err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
 		case kblabel.Type:
 			// Currently we do not reset labels for kibana, so we shouldn't hit this.
 			// Implement if needed in the future
@@ -653,8 +690,6 @@ func deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(
 ) error {
 	var secrets corev1.SecretList
 	matchLabels := client.MatchingLabels{
-		reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel:              softOwner.Namespace,
-		reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel:                   softOwner.Name,
 		reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel:                   policyv1alpha1.Kind,
 		commonlabels.StackConfigPolicyOnDeleteLabelName: commonlabels.OrphanSecretDeleteOnPolicyDelete,
 	}
@@ -673,8 +708,15 @@ func deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(
 
 	for i := range secrets.Items {
 		secret := secrets.Items[i]
-		configuredApplicationType := secret.Labels[commonv1.TypeLabelName]
+		owned, err := isPolicySoftOwner(&secret, softOwner)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		} else if !owned {
+			continue
+		}
 
+		var ownerObject client.Object
+		configuredApplicationType := secret.Labels[commonv1.TypeLabelName]
 		switch configuredApplicationType {
 		case eslabel.Type:
 			namespacedName := types.NamespacedName{
@@ -685,6 +727,25 @@ func deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(
 			if _, exist := configuredESResources[namespacedName]; exist {
 				continue
 			}
+
+			if len(secret.OwnerReferences) == 0 {
+				break
+			}
+
+			var es esv1.Elasticsearch
+			err := c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{
+				Namespace: secret.Namespace,
+				Name:      secret.Labels[eslabel.ClusterNameLabelName],
+			}, &es)
+			switch {
+			case err == nil:
+				ownerObject = &es
+			case apierrors.IsNotFound(err):
+				break
+			default:
+				return err
+			}
+
 		case kblabel.Type:
 			namespacedName := types.NamespacedName{
 				Namespace: secret.Namespace,
@@ -694,15 +755,44 @@ func deleteOrphanSoftOwnedSecrets(
 			if _, exist := configuredKibanaResources[namespacedName]; exist {
 				continue
 			}
+
+			if len(secret.OwnerReferences) == 0 {
+				break
+			}
+
+			var kbn kibanav1.Kibana
+			err := c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{
+				Namespace: secret.Namespace,
+				Name:      secret.Labels[kblabel.KibanaNameLabelName],
+			}, &kbn)
+			switch {
+			case err == nil:
+				ownerObject = &kbn
+			case apierrors.IsNotFound(err):
+				break
+			default:
+				return err
+			}
 		default:
 			return fmt.Errorf("secret configured for unknown application type %s", configuredApplicationType)
 		}
 
-		// given kibana/elasticsearch cluster is no longer managed by stack config policy, delete secret.
-		err := c.Delete(ctx, &secret)
-		if err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+		remainingOwners, err := removePolicySoftOwner(&secret, softOwner)
+		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+
+		if remainingOwners == 0 {
+			// given kibana/elasticsearch cluster is no longer managed by stack config policy, delete secret.
+			err = c.Delete(ctx, &secret)
+			if err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+				return err
+			}
+		} else {
+			if err := filesettings.ReconcileSecret(ctx, c, secret, ownerObject); err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/elasticsearch_config_settings.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/elasticsearch_config_settings.go
index f5c1bc96c..8e20112f7 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/elasticsearch_config_settings.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/elasticsearch_config_settings.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/hash"
 	commonlabels "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/labels"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
-	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings"
 	eslabel "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/label"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
 
@@ -35,19 +34,19 @@ const (
 	SecretsMountKey        = "secretMounts.json"
 )
 
-func newElasticsearchConfigSecret(policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, es esv1.Elasticsearch) (corev1.Secret, error) {
+func newElasticsearchConfigSecret(esConfig policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec, es esv1.Elasticsearch) (corev1.Secret, error) {
 	data := make(map[string][]byte)
-	if len(policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecretMounts) > 0 {
-		secretMountBytes, err := json.Marshal(policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecretMounts)
+	if len(esConfig.SecretMounts) > 0 {
+		secretMountBytes, err := json.Marshal(esConfig.SecretMounts)
 		if err != nil {
 			return corev1.Secret{}, err
 		}
 		data[SecretsMountKey] = secretMountBytes
 	}
 
-	elasticsearchAndMountsConfigHash := getElasticsearchConfigAndMountsHash(policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.Config, policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecretMounts)
-	if policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.Config != nil {
-		configDataJSONBytes, err := policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.Config.MarshalJSON()
+	elasticsearchAndMountsConfigHash := getElasticsearchConfigAndMountsHash(esConfig.Config, esConfig.SecretMounts)
+	if esConfig.Config != nil {
+		configDataJSONBytes, err := esConfig.Config.MarshalJSON()
 		if err != nil {
 			return corev1.Secret{}, err
 		}
@@ -69,9 +68,6 @@ func newElasticsearchConfigSecret(policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, es es
 		Data: data,
 	}
 
-	// Set StackConfigPolicy as the soft owner
-	filesettings.SetSoftOwner(&elasticsearchConfigSecret, policy)
-
 	// Add label to delete secret on deletion of the stack config policy
 	elasticsearchConfigSecret.Labels[commonlabels.StackConfigPolicyOnDeleteLabelName] = commonlabels.OrphanSecretDeleteOnPolicyDelete
 
@@ -112,7 +108,7 @@ func reconcileSecretMounts(ctx context.Context, c k8s.Client, es esv1.Elasticsea
 		}
 
 		// Set stackconfigpolicy as a softowner
-		filesettings.SetSoftOwner(&expected, *policy)
+		setSingleSoftOwner(&expected, *policy)
 
 		// Set the secret to be deleted when the stack config policy is deleted.
 		expected.Labels[commonlabels.StackConfigPolicyOnDeleteLabelName] = commonlabels.OrphanSecretDeleteOnPolicyDelete
@@ -179,8 +175,8 @@ func getElasticsearchConfigAndMountsHash(elasticsearchConfig *commonv1.Config, s
 	return hash.HashObject(secretMounts)
 }
 
-// elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied checks if the Elasticsearch config and secret mounts from the stack config policy have been applied to the Elasticsearch cluster.
-func elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied(ctx context.Context, c k8s.Client, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, es esv1.Elasticsearch) (bool, error) {
+// elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied checks if the Elasticsearch config and secret mounts have been applied to the Elasticsearch cluster.
+func elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied(ctx context.Context, c k8s.Client, esConfigPolicy policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec, es esv1.Elasticsearch) (bool, error) {
 	// Get Pods for the given Elasticsearch
 	podList := corev1.PodList{}
 	if err := c.List(ctx, &podList, client.InNamespace(es.Namespace), client.MatchingLabels{
@@ -189,7 +185,7 @@ func elasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsApplied(ctx context.Context, c k8s.Client
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	elasticsearchAndMountsConfigHash := getElasticsearchConfigAndMountsHash(policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.Config, policy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecretMounts)
+	elasticsearchAndMountsConfigHash := getElasticsearchConfigAndMountsHash(esConfigPolicy.Config, esConfigPolicy.SecretMounts)
 	for _, esPod := range podList.Items {
 		if esPod.Annotations[commonannotation.ElasticsearchConfigAndSecretMountsHashAnnotation] != elasticsearchAndMountsConfigHash {
 			return false, nil
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings.go
index b74066105..7b3b77a51 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings.go
@@ -5,15 +5,10 @@
 package stackconfigpolicy
 
 import (
-	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 
-	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/metadata"
-
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
-	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
-	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 
 	commonv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/common/v1"
 	kibanav1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/kibana/v1"
@@ -21,8 +16,7 @@ import (
 	commonannotation "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/annotation"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/hash"
 	commonlabels "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/labels"
-	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
-	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/metadata"
 	kblabel "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/kibana/label"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
 )
@@ -31,12 +25,17 @@ const (
 	KibanaConfigKey = "kibana.json"
 )
 
-func newKibanaConfigSecret(policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, kibana kibanav1.Kibana) (corev1.Secret, error) {
-	kibanaConfigHash := getKibanaConfigHash(policy.Spec.Kibana.Config)
+func newKibanaConfigSecret(
+	kbConfigPolicy policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec,
+	namespacedSecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource,
+	kibana kibanav1.Kibana,
+	policyRefs []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy,
+) (corev1.Secret, error) {
+	kibanaConfigHash := getKibanaConfigHash(kbConfigPolicy.Config)
 	configDataJSONBytes := []byte("")
 	var err error
-	if policy.Spec.Kibana.Config != nil {
-		if configDataJSONBytes, err = policy.Spec.Kibana.Config.MarshalJSON(); err != nil {
+	if kbConfigPolicy.Config != nil {
+		if configDataJSONBytes, err = kbConfigPolicy.Config.MarshalJSON(); err != nil {
 			return corev1.Secret{}, err
 		}
 	}
@@ -58,14 +57,15 @@ func newKibanaConfigSecret(policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, kibana kiban
 		},
 	}
 
-	// Set policy as the soft owner
-	filesettings.SetSoftOwner(&kibanaConfigSecret, policy)
-
 	// Add label to delete secret on deletion of the stack config policy
 	kibanaConfigSecret.Labels[commonlabels.StackConfigPolicyOnDeleteLabelName] = commonlabels.OrphanSecretDeleteOnPolicyDelete
 
 	// Add SecureSettings as annotation
-	if err = setKibanaSecureSettings(&kibanaConfigSecret, policy); err != nil {
+	if err = setKibanaSecureSettings(&kibanaConfigSecret, namespacedSecretSources); err != nil {
+		return kibanaConfigSecret, err
+	}
+
+	if err = setMultipleSoftOwners(&kibanaConfigSecret, policyRefs); err != nil {
 		return kibanaConfigSecret, err
 	}
 
@@ -83,13 +83,13 @@ func GetPolicyConfigSecretName(kibanaName string) string {
 	return kibanaName + "-kb-policy-config"
 }
 
-func kibanaConfigApplied(c k8s.Client, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, kb kibanav1.Kibana) (bool, error) {
+func kibanaConfigApplied(c k8s.Client, kbConfigPolicy policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec, kb kibanav1.Kibana) (bool, error) {
 	existingKibanaPods, err := k8s.PodsMatchingLabels(c, kb.Namespace, map[string]string{"kibana.k8s.elastic.co/name": kb.Name})
 	if err != nil || len(existingKibanaPods) == 0 {
 		return false, err
 	}
 
-	kibanaConfigHash := getKibanaConfigHash(policy.Spec.Kibana.Config)
+	kibanaConfigHash := getKibanaConfigHash(kbConfigPolicy.Config)
 	for _, kbPod := range existingKibanaPods {
 		if kbPod.Annotations[commonannotation.KibanaConfigHashAnnotation] != kibanaConfigHash {
 			return false, nil
@@ -99,45 +99,13 @@ func kibanaConfigApplied(c k8s.Client, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy,
 	return true, nil
 }
 
-func canBeOwned(ctx context.Context, c k8s.Client, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, kb kibanav1.Kibana) (reconciler.SoftOwnerRef, bool, error) {
-	// Check if the secret already exists
-	var kibanaConfigSecret corev1.Secret
-	err := c.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{
-		Name:      GetPolicyConfigSecretName(kb.Name),
-		Namespace: kb.Namespace,
-	}, &kibanaConfigSecret)
-	if err != nil && !apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
-		return reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{}, false, err
-	}
-
-	if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
-		// Secret does not exist, return true
-		return reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{}, true, nil
-	}
-
-	currentOwner, referenced := reconciler.SoftOwnerRefFromLabels(kibanaConfigSecret.Labels)
-	// either there is no soft owner
-	if !referenced {
-		return currentOwner, true, nil
-	}
-	// or the owner is already the given policy
-	canBeOwned := currentOwner.Kind == policyv1alpha1.Kind && currentOwner.Namespace == policy.Namespace && currentOwner.Name == policy.Name
-	return currentOwner, canBeOwned, nil
-}
-
 // setKibanaSecureSettings stores the SecureSettings Secret sources referenced in the given StackConfigPolicy for Kibana in the annotation of the Kibana config Secret.
-func setKibanaSecureSettings(settingsSecret *corev1.Secret, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error {
-	if len(policy.Spec.Kibana.SecureSettings) == 0 {
+func setKibanaSecureSettings(settingsSecret *corev1.Secret, namespacedSecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource) error {
+	if len(namespacedSecretSources) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	var secretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource //nolint:prealloc
-	// SecureSettings field under Kibana in the StackConfigPolicy
-	for _, src := range policy.Spec.Kibana.SecureSettings {
-		secretSources = append(secretSources, commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{Namespace: policy.GetNamespace(), SecretName: src.SecretName, Entries: src.Entries})
-	}
-
-	bytes, err := json.Marshal(secretSources)
+	bytes, err := json.Marshal(namespacedSecretSources)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/ownership.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/ownership.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d5b430b99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/ownership.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+// Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+// or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License 2.0;
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License 2.0.
+
+package stackconfigpolicy
+
+import (
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+
+	policyv1alpha1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
+)
+
+// setSingleSoftOwner marks a Secret as soft-owned by a single StackConfigPolicy.
+func setSingleSoftOwner(secret *corev1.Secret, policy policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) {
+	if secret == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	reconciler.SetSingleSoftOwner(secret, reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{
+		Namespace: policy.GetNamespace(),
+		Name:      policy.GetName(),
+		Kind:      policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+	})
+}
+
+// setMultipleSoftOwners marks a Secret as soft-owned by multiple StackConfigPolicies.
+func setMultipleSoftOwners(secret *corev1.Secret, policies []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error {
+	if secret == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	ownersNsn := make([]types.NamespacedName, len(policies))
+	for idx, p := range policies {
+		ownersNsn[idx] = k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&p)
+	}
+	return reconciler.SetMultipleSoftOwners(secret, policyv1alpha1.Kind, ownersNsn)
+}
+
+// isPolicySoftOwner checks if the given StackConfigPolicy is a soft owner of the Secret.
+func isPolicySoftOwner(secret *corev1.Secret, policyNsn types.NamespacedName) (bool, error) {
+	if secret == nil {
+		return false, nil
+	}
+	return reconciler.IsSoftOwnedBy(secret, policyv1alpha1.Kind, policyNsn)
+}
+
+// removePolicySoftOwner removes a StackConfigPolicy from the soft owners of the given secret.
+// Returns the number of remaining owners after removal.
+func removePolicySoftOwner(secret *corev1.Secret, policyNsn types.NamespacedName) (int, error) {
+	if secret == nil {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	return reconciler.RemoveSoftOwner(secret, policyNsn)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy.go
index ae032d766..c96873c6c 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy.go
@@ -5,12 +5,186 @@
 package stackconfigpolicy
 
 import (
+	"cmp"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"maps"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
+
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
 
+	commonv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/common/v1"
+	esv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/elasticsearch/v1"
+	kbv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/kibana/v1"
 	policyv1alpha1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/operator"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/settings"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
 )
 
+var errMergeConflict = errors.New("merge conflict")
+
+// configPolicy is a generic container for merged StackConfigPolicy specifications.
+// It holds the merged spec of type T (either ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec or KibanaConfigPolicySpec),
+// along with metadata about which policies were merged, any conflicts encountered, and aggregated
+// secret sources. The extractFunc and mergeFunc callbacks allow customization of how specs are
+// extracted from policies and merged together.
+type configPolicy[T any] struct {
+	// Spec is the merged config policy specification
+	Spec T
+	// extractFunc extracts the relevant spec (ES or Kibana) from a StackConfigPolicy
+	extractFunc func(p *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) (spec T)
+	// mergeFunc merges a source spec into the destination configPolicy, handling conflicts and aggregating
+	// secret sources and mounts. It receives the entire configPolicy to allow updating both Spec and SecretSources.
+	mergeFunc func(dst *configPolicy[T], srcSpec T, srcPolicy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error
+	// SecretSources contains aggregated secure settings secret sources, keyed by StackConfigPolicy namespace
+	SecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource
+	// PolicyRefs contains references to all policies that targeted and were merged for this object
+	PolicyRefs []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+}
+
+// merge processes all provided policies, filters those targeting the given object, and merges them
+// in order of their weight (highest weight first). Policies with the same weight are flagged as conflicts.
+// The merge operation is customized through the configPolicy's extractFunc and mergeFunc callbacks.
+func merge[T any](
+	c *configPolicy[T],
+	obj metav1.Object,
+	allPolicies []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy,
+	operatorNamespace string,
+) error {
+	if len(allPolicies) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	policiesByWeight := make(map[int32]policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy)
+	for _, p := range allPolicies {
+		matches, err := DoesPolicyMatchObject(&p, obj, operatorNamespace)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if !matches {
+			// policy does not target the given k8s object
+			continue
+		}
+		pWeight := p.Spec.Weight
+		if pExisting, exists := policiesByWeight[pWeight]; exists {
+			pNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&p)
+			pExistingNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&pExisting)
+			err := fmt.Errorf("%w: policies %q and %q have the same weight %d", errMergeConflict, pNsn, pExistingNsn, pWeight)
+			return err
+		}
+
+		policiesByWeight[pWeight] = p
+		c.PolicyRefs = append(c.PolicyRefs, p)
+	}
+
+	slices.SortFunc(c.PolicyRefs, func(p1, p2 policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) int {
+		return cmp.Compare(p2.Spec.Weight, p1.Spec.Weight)
+	})
+
+	for _, p := range c.PolicyRefs {
+		srcSpec := c.extractFunc(&p)
+		if err := c.mergeFunc(c, srcSpec, &p); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// getConfigPolicyForElasticsearch builds a merged stack config policy for the given Elasticsearch cluster.
+// It processes all provided policies, filtering those that target the Elasticsearch cluster, and merges them
+// in order of their weight (highest to lowest), with lower weight values taking precedence as they are
+// merged last. Policies with the same weight are flagged as conflicts.
+// Returns a configPolicy containing the merged configuration and any error occurred during merging.
+func getConfigPolicyForElasticsearch(es *esv1.Elasticsearch, allPolicies []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, params operator.Parameters) (*configPolicy[policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec], error) {
+	secretMountsAggr := secretMountsAggregator{}
+	cfgPolicy := &configPolicy[policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec]{
+		extractFunc: func(p *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec {
+			return p.Spec.Elasticsearch
+		},
+		mergeFunc: func(c *configPolicy[policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec], src policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec, srcPolicy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error {
+			var err error
+			if err = mergeElasticsearchSpecs(&c.Spec, &src); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			if c.Spec.SecretMounts, err = secretMountsAggr.mergeInto(c.Spec.SecretMounts, srcPolicy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecretMounts, srcPolicy); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			var secureSettings []commonv1.SecretSource
+			secureSettings = append(secureSettings, srcPolicy.Spec.SecureSettings...) //nolint:staticcheck // keep supporting deprecated SecureSettings until it is completely removed
+			secureSettings = append(secureSettings, srcPolicy.Spec.Elasticsearch.SecureSettings...)
+
+			c.SecretSources = mergeSecretSources(c.SecretSources, secureSettings, srcPolicy)
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	if err := merge(cfgPolicy, es, allPolicies, params.OperatorNamespace); err != nil {
+		return cfgPolicy, err
+	}
+	return cfgPolicy, nil
+}
+
+// mergeElasticsearchSpecs merges src policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec into dst.
+func mergeElasticsearchSpecs(dst, src *policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec) error {
+	var err error
+	fields := []struct {
+		dst   **commonv1.Config
+		src   *commonv1.Config
+		merge func(*commonv1.Config, *commonv1.Config) (*commonv1.Config, error)
+	}{
+		// canonicalise and deep merging is supported only for Config and ClusterSettings
+		{&dst.ClusterSettings, src.ClusterSettings, deepMergeConfig},
+		{&dst.Config, src.Config, deepMergeConfig},
+		{&dst.SnapshotRepositories, src.SnapshotRepositories, mergeConfig},
+		{&dst.SnapshotLifecyclePolicies, src.SnapshotLifecyclePolicies, mergeConfig},
+		{&dst.SecurityRoleMappings, src.SecurityRoleMappings, mergeConfig},
+		{&dst.IndexLifecyclePolicies, src.IndexLifecyclePolicies, mergeConfig},
+		{&dst.IngestPipelines, src.IngestPipelines, mergeConfig},
+		{&dst.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates, src.IndexTemplates.ComposableIndexTemplates, mergeConfig},
+		{&dst.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates, src.IndexTemplates.ComponentTemplates, mergeConfig},
+	}
+	for _, f := range fields {
+		*f.dst, err = f.merge(*f.dst, f.src)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// getConfigPolicyForKibana builds a merged stack config policy for the given Kibana instance.
+// It processes all provided policies, filtering those that target the Kibana instance, and merges them
+// in order of their weight (highest to lowest), with lower weight values taking precedence as they are
+// merged last. Policies with the same weight are flagged as conflicts.
+// Returns a configPolicy containing the merged configuration and any error occurred during merging.
+func getConfigPolicyForKibana(kbn *kbv1.Kibana, allPolicies []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, params operator.Parameters) (*configPolicy[policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec], error) {
+	cfgPolicy := &configPolicy[policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec]{
+		extractFunc: func(p *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec {
+			return p.Spec.Kibana
+		},
+		mergeFunc: func(c *configPolicy[policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec], src policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec, srcPolicy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy) error {
+			var err error
+			if c.Spec.Config, err = deepMergeConfig(c.Spec.Config, src.Config); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+
+			c.SecretSources = mergeSecretSources(c.SecretSources, srcPolicy.Spec.Kibana.SecureSettings, srcPolicy)
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	if err := merge(cfgPolicy, kbn, allPolicies, params.OperatorNamespace); err != nil {
+		return cfgPolicy, err
+	}
+	return cfgPolicy, nil
+}
+
 // DoesPolicyMatchObject checks if the given StackConfigPolicy targets the given object (e.g., Elasticsearch or Kibana).
 // A policy targets an object if both following conditions are met:
 // 1. The policy is in either the operator namespace or the same namespace as the object
@@ -40,3 +214,154 @@ func DoesPolicyMatchObject(policy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy, obj metav1.
 	// Both conditions met: namespace is valid and labels match
 	return true, nil
 }
+
+// deepMergeConfig merges the source Config into the destination Config using canonical configuration merging.
+// The merge is performed at the field level, with source values overriding destination values.
+// If src is nil, dst is returned unchanged. If dst is nil, a deep copy of src is returned.
+// Returns the merged config and any error occurred during config parsing or merging.
+func deepMergeConfig(dst *commonv1.Config, src *commonv1.Config) (*commonv1.Config, error) {
+	if src == nil || len(src.Data) == 0 {
+		return dst, nil
+	}
+
+	if dst == nil || len(dst.Data) == 0 {
+		return src.DeepCopy(), nil
+	}
+
+	dstCanonicalConfig, err := settings.NewCanonicalConfigFrom(dst.DeepCopy().Data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	srcCanonicalConfig, err := settings.NewCanonicalConfigFrom(src.DeepCopy().Data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if err = dstCanonicalConfig.MergeWith(srcCanonicalConfig); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	dst.Data = nil
+	if err = dstCanonicalConfig.Unpack(&dst.Data); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return dst, nil
+}
+
+// mergeConfig merges the source Config into the destination Config by replacing entire top-level keys.
+// Unlike deepMergeConfig which performs recursive merging, this function replaces each top-level key
+// in dst with the corresponding value from src. If src is nil, dst is returned unchanged. If dst is nil,
+// a deep copy of src is returned.
+func mergeConfig(dst *commonv1.Config, src *commonv1.Config) (*commonv1.Config, error) {
+	if src == nil || len(src.Data) == 0 {
+		return dst, nil
+	}
+
+	if dst == nil || len(dst.Data) == 0 {
+		return src.DeepCopy(), nil
+	}
+
+	maps.Copy(dst.Data, src.DeepCopy().Data)
+
+	return dst, nil
+}
+
+// secretMountsAggregator aggregates secret mounts from multiple policies while detecting conflicts.
+// It tracks which policy defines each secret name and mount path to ensure no two policies
+// attempt to mount different secrets to the same path or mount the same secret name twice.
+type secretMountsAggregator struct {
+	policiesByMountPath  map[string]*policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+	policiesBySecretName map[string]*policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+}
+
+// mergeInto merges source secret mounts into destination, checking for conflicts on secret names
+// and mount paths. The function validates that no two policies define the same secret name or
+// mount to the same path. Returns the merged slice of secret mounts sorted deterministically when
+// multiple policies have been applied, or an error if conflicts are detected.
+func (s *secretMountsAggregator) mergeInto(
+	dst []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount,
+	src []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount,
+	srcPolicy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy,
+) ([]policyv1alpha1.SecretMount, error) {
+	if len(src) == 0 {
+		return dst, nil
+	}
+
+	// if both dst and src are non-empty, we need to sort the merge result to guarantee deterministic order.
+	// otherwise, we leave the result as it is to avoid undesired differences
+	shouldSort := len(dst) > 0
+
+	if s.policiesBySecretName == nil {
+		s.policiesBySecretName = make(map[string]*policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy)
+	}
+	if s.policiesByMountPath == nil {
+		s.policiesByMountPath = make(map[string]*policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy)
+	}
+
+	srcPolicyNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(srcPolicy)
+
+	// Merge in source entries, checking for conflicts
+	for _, secretMount := range src {
+		if existingPolicy, exists := s.policiesBySecretName[secretMount.SecretName]; exists {
+			existingPolicyNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(existingPolicy)
+			err := fmt.Errorf("%w: secret with name %q is defined in policy %q, %q", errMergeConflict, secretMount.SecretName,
+				srcPolicyNsn.String(), existingPolicyNsn.String())
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if existingPolicy, exists := s.policiesByMountPath[secretMount.MountPath]; exists {
+			existingPolicyNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(existingPolicy)
+			err := fmt.Errorf("%w: secret mount path %q is defined in policy %q, %q", errMergeConflict, secretMount.MountPath,
+				srcPolicyNsn.String(), existingPolicyNsn.String())
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		s.policiesBySecretName[secretMount.SecretName] = srcPolicy
+		s.policiesByMountPath[secretMount.MountPath] = srcPolicy
+		dst = append(dst, secretMount)
+	}
+
+	if shouldSort {
+		slices.SortFunc(dst, func(a, b policyv1alpha1.SecretMount) int {
+			return strings.Compare(a.SecretName, b.SecretName)
+		})
+	}
+	return dst, nil
+}
+
+// mergeSecretSources merges source secure settings into the destination slice, organizing them by the source
+// policy's namespace. Secret sources are sorted deterministically when multiple policies have
+// been applied to ensure consistent results. Returns the updated slice of namespaced secret sources.
+func mergeSecretSources(
+	dst []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource,
+	src []commonv1.SecretSource,
+	srcPolicy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy,
+) []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource {
+	if len(src) == 0 {
+		return dst
+	}
+
+	// if both dst and src are non-empty, we need to sort the merge result to guarantee deterministic order.
+	// otherwise, we leave the result as it is to avoid undesired differences
+	shouldSort := len(dst) > 0
+
+	srcPolicyNamespace := srcPolicy.GetNamespace()
+	for _, ss := range src {
+		dst = append(dst, commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{
+			Namespace:  srcPolicyNamespace,
+			SecretName: ss.SecretName,
+			Entries:    ss.Entries,
+		})
+	}
+
+	if shouldSort {
+		slices.SortFunc(dst, func(a, b commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource) int {
+			if nsComp := strings.Compare(a.Namespace, b.Namespace); nsComp != 0 {
+				return nsComp
+			}
+			return strings.Compare(a.SecretName, b.SecretName)
+		})
+	}
+
+	return dst
+}



Test patch:
diff --git a/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret_test.go b/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret_test.go
index e4e616616..b4b4cfb88 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/common/reconciler/secret_test.go
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ package reconciler
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
@@ -257,6 +259,15 @@ func ownedSecret(namespace, name, ownerNs, ownerName, ownerKind string) *corev1.
 		}}}
 }
 
+func ownedSecretMultiRefs(namespace, name, ownerRefs, ownerKind string) *corev1.Secret {
+	return &corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Namespace: namespace, Name: name, Labels: map[string]string{
+			SoftOwnerKindLabel: ownerKind,
+		}, Annotations: map[string]string{
+			SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: ownerRefs,
+		}}}
+}
+
 func TestGarbageCollectSoftOwnedSecrets(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name            string
@@ -433,6 +444,37 @@ func TestGarbageCollectAllSoftOwnedOrphanSecrets(t *testing.T) {
 				ownedSecret("ns", "secret-1", "another-namespace", sampleOwner().Name, sampleOwner().Kind),
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "secret with multiple soft-owners that all exist",
+			runtimeObjs: []client.Object{
+				&policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "policy-1", Namespace: "namespace-1"}},
+				&policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "policy-2", Namespace: "namespace-2"}},
+				&policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "policy-3", Namespace: "namespace-3"}},
+				ownedSecretMultiRefs("ns", "secret-1", `["namespace-1/policy-1","namespace-2/policy-2","namespace-3/policy-3"]`, "StackConfigPolicy"),
+			},
+			wantObjs: []client.Object{
+				ownedSecretMultiRefs("ns", "secret-1", `["namespace-1/policy-1","namespace-2/policy-2","namespace-3/policy-3"]`, "StackConfigPolicy"),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "secret with multiple soft-owners that all exist but some in different namespace",
+			runtimeObjs: []client.Object{
+				&policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "policy-1", Namespace: "namespace-1"}},
+				&policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "policy-2", Namespace: "namespace-other"}},
+				&policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "policy-3", Namespace: "namespace-3"}},
+				ownedSecretMultiRefs("ns", "secret-1", `["namespace-1/policy-1","namespace-2/policy-2","namespace-3/policy-3"]`, "StackConfigPolicy"),
+			},
+			wantObjs: []client.Object{
+				ownedSecretMultiRefs("ns", "secret-1", `["namespace-1/policy-1","namespace-2/policy-2","namespace-3/policy-3"]`, "StackConfigPolicy"),
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "secret with multiple soft-owners that none exists",
+			runtimeObjs: []client.Object{
+				ownedSecretMultiRefs("ns", "secret-1", `["namespace-1/policy-1","namespace-2/policy-2","namespace-3/policy-3"]`, "StackConfigPolicy"),
+			},
+			wantObjs: []client.Object{},
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -546,3 +588,481 @@ func TestSoftOwnerRefFromLabels(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+//nolint:thelper
+func TestSoftOwnerRefs(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		secret   *corev1.Secret
+		validate func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error)
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "returns multi-owner policies from annotation",
+			secret: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-secret",
+					Namespace: "test-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["namespace-1/policy-1","namespace-2/policy-2"]`,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				require.Len(t, owners, 2)
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, SoftOwnerRef{Name: "policy-1", Namespace: "namespace-1", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind})
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, SoftOwnerRef{Name: "policy-2", Namespace: "namespace-2", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind})
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns single-owner policy from labels",
+			secret: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-secret",
+					Namespace: "test-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "single-policy",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "single-namespace",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				require.Len(t, owners, 1)
+				assert.Equal(t, SoftOwnerRef{Name: "single-policy", Namespace: "single-namespace", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, owners[0])
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns nil when secret has kind label but no owner labels",
+			secret: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-secret",
+					Namespace: "test-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+						"other-label":      "other-value",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Nil(t, owners)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns nil for non-policy-owned secret",
+			secret: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-secret",
+					Namespace: "test-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"some-other-label": "some-value",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Nil(t, owners)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns error for invalid JSON in annotation",
+			secret: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-secret",
+					Namespace: "test-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `invalid-json`,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error) {
+				require.Error(t, err)
+				assert.Nil(t, owners)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "skips malformed namespaced names in annotation",
+			secret: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-secret",
+					Namespace: "test-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["namespace-1/policy-1","malformed","too/many/slashes"]`,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, owners []SoftOwnerRef, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				require.Len(t, owners, 1)
+				assert.Equal(t, SoftOwnerRef{Name: "policy-1", Namespace: "namespace-1", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, owners[0])
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			owners, err := SoftOwnerRefs(tt.secret)
+			tt.validate(t, owners, err)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+//nolint:thelper
+func TestSetSingleSoftOwner(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		obj      *corev1.Secret
+		owner    SoftOwnerRef
+		validate func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret)
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "sets soft owner labels on empty object",
+			obj:  &corev1.Secret{},
+			owner: SoftOwnerRef{
+				Namespace: "test-namespace",
+				Name:      "test-owner",
+				Kind:      "TestKind",
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret) {
+				assert.Equal(t, "TestKind", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "test-owner", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerNameLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "test-namespace", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel])
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "overwrites existing soft owner labels",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "OldKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "old-owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "old-namespace",
+						"existing-label":        "existing-value",
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["old/owner"]`,
+						"existing-annotation":   "existing-value",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			owner: SoftOwnerRef{
+				Namespace: "new-namespace",
+				Name:      "new-owner",
+				Kind:      "NewKind",
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret) {
+				assert.Equal(t, "NewKind", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "new-owner", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerNameLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "new-namespace", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "existing-value", obj.Labels["existing-label"])
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Annotations, SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation)
+				assert.Equal(t, "existing-value", obj.Annotations["existing-annotation"])
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			SetSingleSoftOwner(tt.obj, tt.owner)
+			tt.validate(t, tt.obj)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+//nolint:thelper
+func TestSetMultipleSoftOwners(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		obj       *corev1.Secret
+		ownerKind string
+		owners    []types.NamespacedName
+		validate  func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret, err error)
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "sets multiple owners on empty object",
+			obj:       &corev1.Secret{},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owners: []types.NamespacedName{
+				{Namespace: "ns1", Name: "owner1"},
+				{Namespace: "ns2", Name: "owner2"},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Equal(t, "TestKind", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Labels, SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Labels, SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+
+				var ownerRefs []string
+				err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(obj.Annotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation]), &ownerRefs)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{"ns1/owner1", "ns2/owner2"}, ownerRefs)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "removes single-owner labels when setting multiple owners",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "TestKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "old-owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "old-namespace",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owners: []types.NamespacedName{
+				{Namespace: "ns1", Name: "owner1"},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Labels, SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Labels, SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "deduplicates owners",
+			obj:       &corev1.Secret{},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owners: []types.NamespacedName{
+				{Namespace: "ns1", Name: "owner1"},
+				{Namespace: "ns1", Name: "owner1"}, // duplicate
+				{Namespace: "ns2", Name: "owner2"},
+			},
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret, err error) {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				var ownerRefs []string
+				err = json.Unmarshal([]byte(obj.Annotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation]), &ownerRefs)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Len(t, ownerRefs, 2)
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := SetMultipleSoftOwners(tt.obj, tt.ownerKind, tt.owners)
+			tt.validate(t, tt.obj, err)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+//nolint:thelper
+func TestRemoveSoftOwner(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		obj       *corev1.Secret
+		owner     types.NamespacedName
+		wantCount int
+		wantErr   bool
+		validate  func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret)
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "removes owner from multi-owner with remaining owners",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: "TestKind",
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["ns1/owner1","ns2/owner2","ns3/owner3"]`,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "ns2", Name: "owner2"},
+			wantCount: 2,
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret) {
+				var ownerRefs []string
+				err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(obj.Annotations[SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation]), &ownerRefs)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{"ns1/owner1", "ns3/owner3"}, ownerRefs)
+				assert.Equal(t, "TestKind", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "removes last owner and cleans up annotation",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: "TestKind",
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["ns1/owner1"]`,
+						"other-annotation":      "preserved",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "ns1", Name: "owner1"},
+			wantCount: 0,
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret) {
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Annotations, SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation)
+				assert.Equal(t, "preserved", obj.Annotations["other-annotation"])
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "removes matching single-owner",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "TestKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "single-owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "single-namespace",
+						"other-label":           "preserved",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "single-namespace", Name: "single-owner"},
+			wantCount: 0,
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret) {
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Labels, SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+				assert.NotContains(t, obj.Labels, SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+				assert.Equal(t, "preserved", obj.Labels["other-label"])
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns 1 when owner doesn't match single-owner",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "TestKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "existing-owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "existing-namespace",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "different-namespace", Name: "different-owner"},
+			wantCount: 1,
+			validate: func(t *testing.T, obj *corev1.Secret) {
+				assert.Equal(t, "existing-owner", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerNameLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "existing-namespace", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel])
+				assert.Equal(t, "TestKind", obj.Labels[SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			count, err := RemoveSoftOwner(tt.obj, tt.owner)
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				require.Error(t, err)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+			}
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantCount, count)
+			if tt.validate != nil {
+				tt.validate(t, tt.obj)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsSoftOwnedBy(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		obj       *corev1.Secret
+		ownerKind string
+		owner     types.NamespacedName
+		want      bool
+		wantErr   bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "returns true for multi-owner match",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: "TestKind",
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["ns1/owner1","ns2/owner2"]`,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "ns1", Name: "owner1"},
+			want:      true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns false for multi-owner non-match",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel: "TestKind",
+					},
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation: `["ns1/owner1","ns2/owner2"]`,
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "ns3", Name: "owner3"},
+			want:      false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns true for single-owner match",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "TestKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "single-owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "single-namespace",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "single-namespace", Name: "single-owner"},
+			want:      true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns false for single-owner non-match",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "TestKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "single-owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "single-namespace",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "different-namespace", Name: "different-owner"},
+			want:      false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "returns false for wrong kind",
+			obj: &corev1.Secret{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						SoftOwnerKindLabel:      "DifferentKind",
+						SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "owner",
+						SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "namespace",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			ownerKind: "TestKind",
+			owner:     types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "namespace", Name: "owner"},
+			want:      false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got, err := IsSoftOwnedBy(tt.obj, tt.ownerKind, tt.owner)
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				require.Error(t, err)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+			}
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, got)
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings_test.go b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings_test.go
index 4c0b9a862..e62fd0c63 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/file_settings_test.go
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ func Test_updateState(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			settings := Settings{}
-			err := settings.updateState(esSample, tt.args.policy)
+			err := settings.updateState(esSample, tt.args.policy.Spec.Elasticsearch)
 			if tt.wantErr != nil {
 				assert.Equal(t, tt.wantErr, err)
 				return
diff --git a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret_test.go b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret_test.go
index 8353ee957..de1a592b2 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings/secret_test.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func Test_NewSettingsSecret(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// no policy
 	expectedVersion := int64(1)
-	secret, reconciledVersion, err := newSettingsSecret(expectedVersion, es, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
+	secret, reconciledVersion, err := newSettingsSecret(expectedVersion, es, nil, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, "esNs", secret.Namespace)
 	assert.Equal(t, "esName-es-file-settings", secret.Name)
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ func Test_NewSettingsSecret(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// policy
 	expectedVersion = int64(2)
-	secret, reconciledVersion, err = newSettingsSecret(expectedVersion, es, &secret, &policy, metadata.Metadata{})
+	secret, reconciledVersion, err = newSettingsSecret(expectedVersion, es, &secret, &policy.Spec.Elasticsearch, policy.GetElasticsearchNamespacedSecureSettings(), metadata.Metadata{})
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, "esNs", secret.Namespace)
 	assert.Equal(t, "esName-es-file-settings", secret.Name)
@@ -79,14 +79,14 @@ func Test_SettingsSecret_hasChanged(t *testing.T) {
 	expectedEmptySettings := NewEmptySettings(expectedVersion)
 
 	// no policy -> emptySettings
-	secret, reconciledVersion, err := newSettingsSecret(expectedVersion, es, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
+	secret, reconciledVersion, err := newSettingsSecret(expectedVersion, es, nil, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, false, hasChanged(secret, expectedEmptySettings))
 	assert.Equal(t, expectedVersion, reconciledVersion)
 
 	// policy without settings -> emptySettings
 	sameSettings := NewEmptySettings(expectedVersion)
-	err = sameSettings.updateState(es, policy)
+	err = sameSettings.updateState(es, policy.Spec.Elasticsearch)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, false, hasChanged(secret, sameSettings))
 	assert.Equal(t, strconv.FormatInt(expectedVersion, 10), sameSettings.Metadata.Version)
@@ -95,59 +95,12 @@ func Test_SettingsSecret_hasChanged(t *testing.T) {
 	newVersion := int64(2)
 	newSettings := NewEmptySettings(newVersion)
 
-	err = newSettings.updateState(es, otherPolicy)
+	err = newSettings.updateState(es, otherPolicy.Spec.Elasticsearch)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, true, hasChanged(secret, newSettings))
 	assert.Equal(t, strconv.FormatInt(newVersion, 10), newSettings.Metadata.Version)
 }
 
-func Test_SettingsSecret_setSoftOwner_canBeOwnedBy(t *testing.T) {
-	es := types.NamespacedName{
-		Namespace: "esNs",
-		Name:      "esName",
-	}
-	policy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
-		TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-			Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind,
-		},
-		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-			Namespace: "policyNs",
-			Name:      "policyName",
-		},
-	}
-	otherPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
-		TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-			Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind,
-		},
-		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-			Namespace: "otherPolicyNs",
-			Name:      "otherPolicyName",
-		},
-	}
-
-	// empty settings can be owned by any policy
-	secret, _, err := NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(es, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
-	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	_, canBeOwned := CanBeOwnedBy(secret, policy)
-	assert.Equal(t, true, canBeOwned)
-	_, canBeOwned = CanBeOwnedBy(secret, otherPolicy)
-	assert.Equal(t, true, canBeOwned)
-
-	// set a policy soft owner
-	SetSoftOwner(&secret, policy)
-	_, canBeOwned = CanBeOwnedBy(secret, policy)
-	assert.Equal(t, true, canBeOwned)
-	_, canBeOwned = CanBeOwnedBy(secret, otherPolicy)
-	assert.Equal(t, false, canBeOwned)
-
-	// update the policy soft owner
-	SetSoftOwner(&secret, otherPolicy)
-	_, canBeOwned = CanBeOwnedBy(secret, policy)
-	assert.Equal(t, false, canBeOwned)
-	_, canBeOwned = CanBeOwnedBy(secret, otherPolicy)
-	assert.Equal(t, true, canBeOwned)
-}
-
 func Test_SettingsSecret_setSecureSettings_getSecureSettings(t *testing.T) {
 	es := types.NamespacedName{
 		Namespace: "esNs",
@@ -159,7 +112,9 @@ func Test_SettingsSecret_setSecureSettings_getSecureSettings(t *testing.T) {
 			Name:      "policyName",
 		},
 		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
-			SecureSettings: nil,
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				SecureSettings: nil,
+			},
 		}}
 	otherPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
 		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -167,23 +122,25 @@ func Test_SettingsSecret_setSecureSettings_getSecureSettings(t *testing.T) {
 			Name:      "otherPolicyName",
 		},
 		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
-			SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{{SecretName: "secure-settings-secret"}},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{{SecretName: "secure-settings-secret"}},
+			},
 		}}
 
-	secret, _, err := NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(es, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
+	secret, _, err := NewSettingsSecretWithVersion(es, nil, nil, nil, metadata.Metadata{})
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 
 	secureSettings, err := getSecureSettings(secret)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{}, secureSettings)
 
-	err = setSecureSettings(&secret, policy)
+	err = setSecureSettings(&secret, policy.GetElasticsearchNamespacedSecureSettings())
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	secureSettings, err = getSecureSettings(secret)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{}, secureSettings)
 
-	err = setSecureSettings(&secret, otherPolicy)
+	err = setSecureSettings(&secret, otherPolicy.GetElasticsearchNamespacedSecureSettings())
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	secureSettings, err = getSecureSettings(secret)
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller_test.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller_test.go
index c8804fbc1..838ed663b 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/controller_test.go
@@ -29,11 +29,13 @@ import (
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/hash"
 	commonlabels "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/labels"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/license"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/operator"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/watches"
 	esclient "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/client"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/filesettings"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/label"
+	eslabel "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/elasticsearch/label"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/net"
 )
@@ -296,8 +298,7 @@ func TestReconcileStackConfigPolicy_Reconcile(t *testing.T) {
 
 				// Verify the secret has proper ownership labels pointing to the policy
 				assert.Equal(t, "StackConfigPolicy", secret.Labels["eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-kind"])
-				assert.Equal(t, "ns", secret.Labels["eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-namespace"])
-				assert.Equal(t, "test-policy", secret.Labels["eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-name"])
+				assert.Equal(t, `["ns/test-policy"]`, secret.Annotations[reconciler.SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation])
 
 				// Verify settings are applied in the secret
 				var settings filesettings.Settings
@@ -390,42 +391,6 @@ func TestReconcileStackConfigPolicy_Reconcile(t *testing.T) {
 			wantErr:          false,
 			wantRequeueAfter: true,
 		},
-		{
-			name: "Reconcile Kibana already owned by another policy",
-			args: args{
-				client:         k8s.NewFakeClient(&policyFixture, &kibanaFixture, MkKibanaConfigSecret("ns", "another-policy", "ns", "testvalue")),
-				licenseChecker: &license.MockLicenseChecker{EnterpriseEnabled: true},
-			},
-			post: func(r ReconcileStackConfigPolicy, recorder record.FakeRecorder) {
-				events := fetchEvents(&recorder)
-				assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{"Warning Unexpected conflict: resource Kibana ns/test-kb already configured by StackConfigpolicy ns/another-policy"}, events)
-
-				policy := r.getPolicy(t, k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&policyFixture))
-				assert.Equal(t, 1, policy.Status.Resources)
-				assert.Equal(t, 0, policy.Status.Ready)
-				assert.Equal(t, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, policy.Status.Phase)
-			},
-			wantErr:          true,
-			wantRequeueAfter: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "Reconcile Elasticsearch already owned by another policy",
-			args: args{
-				client:         k8s.NewFakeClient(&policyFixture, &esFixture, conflictingSecretFixture),
-				licenseChecker: &license.MockLicenseChecker{EnterpriseEnabled: true},
-			},
-			post: func(r ReconcileStackConfigPolicy, recorder record.FakeRecorder) {
-				events := fetchEvents(&recorder)
-				assert.ElementsMatch(t, []string{"Warning Unexpected conflict: resource Elasticsearch ns/test-es already configured by StackConfigpolicy ns/another-policy"}, events)
-
-				policy := r.getPolicy(t, k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&policyFixture))
-				assert.Equal(t, 1, policy.Status.Resources)
-				assert.Equal(t, 0, policy.Status.Ready)
-				assert.Equal(t, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, policy.Status.Phase)
-			},
-			wantErr:          true,
-			wantRequeueAfter: true,
-		},
 		{
 			name: "Elasticsearch cluster in old version without support for file based settings",
 			args: args{
@@ -903,6 +868,280 @@ func TestReconcileStackConfigPolicy_Reconcile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+//nolint:thelper
+func TestReconcileStackConfigPolicy_MultipleStackConfigPolicies(t *testing.T) {
+	// Setup: Create an Elasticsearch cluster and multiple StackConfigPolicies with different weights
+	esFixture := esv1.Elasticsearch{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			Name:      "test-es",
+			Labels:    map[string]string{"env": "prod"},
+		},
+		Spec: esv1.ElasticsearchSpec{Version: "8.6.1"},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with weight 10 (applied first)
+	policy1 := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			Name:      "policy-low",
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight:           10,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "prod"}},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+					"indices.recovery.max_bytes_per_sec": "40mb",
+				}},
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+					"logger.org.elasticsearch.discovery": "INFO",
+				}},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with weight 20 (applied second, overrides policy1)
+	policy2 := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			Name:      "policy-high",
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight:           20,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "prod"}},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+					"indices.recovery.max_bytes_per_sec": "50mb", // Overrides policy1
+				}},
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+					"logger.org.elasticsearch.gateway": "DEBUG", // Additional setting
+				}},
+				SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+					{
+						SecretName: "test-secret",
+						MountPath:  "/usr/test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with same weight as policy2 (should cause conflict)
+	policy3Conflicting := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			Name:      "policy-conflict",
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight:           20, // Same weight as policy2
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "prod"}},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]interface{}{
+					"indices.recovery.max_bytes_per_sec": "60mb",
+				}},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Initial empty file settings secret (will be populated by controller)
+	esFileSettingsSecret := corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: "ns",
+			Name:      "test-es-es-file-settings",
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				commonv1.TypeLabelName:                          "elasticsearch",
+				eslabel.ClusterNameLabelName:                    "test-es",
+				commonlabels.StackConfigPolicyOnDeleteLabelName: commonlabels.OrphanSecretResetOnPolicyDelete,
+			},
+		},
+		Data: map[string][]byte{"settings.json": []byte(`{"metadata":{"version":"1","compatibility":"8.4.0"},"state":{"cluster_settings":{},"snapshot_repositories":{},"slm":{},"role_mappings":{},"autoscaling":{},"ilm":{},"ingest_pipelines":{},"index_templates":{"component_templates":{},"composable_index_templates":{}}}}`)},
+	}
+
+	esPod := getEsPod("ns", map[string]string{})
+
+	// Source secret that will be mounted (exists in policy namespace)
+	sourceSecret := corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-secret",
+			Namespace: "ns",
+		},
+		Data: map[string][]byte{
+			"key1": []byte("value1"),
+		},
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name             string
+		policies         []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+		reconcilePolicy  string // Which policy to reconcile
+		wantResources    int
+		wantReady        int
+		wantPhase        policyv1alpha1.PolicyPhase
+		wantErr          bool
+		wantRequeueAfter bool
+		validateSettings func(t *testing.T, r ReconcileStackConfigPolicy)
+	}{
+		{
+			name:             "Multiple policies with different weights merge successfully",
+			policies:         []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{policy1, policy2},
+			reconcilePolicy:  "policy-low",
+			wantResources:    1,
+			wantReady:        0,
+			wantPhase:        policyv1alpha1.ApplyingChangesPhase,
+			wantErr:          false,
+			wantRequeueAfter: true,
+			validateSettings: func(t *testing.T, r ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) {
+				// Verify the file settings secret was updated
+				esNsn := k8s.ExtractNamespacedName(&esFixture)
+
+				settingsSecretNsn := types.NamespacedName{
+					Namespace: esNsn.Namespace,
+					Name:      esv1.FileSettingsSecretName(esNsn.Name),
+				}
+
+				var secret corev1.Secret
+				err := r.Client.Get(context.Background(), settingsSecretNsn, &secret)
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+
+				// Verify the file settings secret has merged config
+				settings := r.getSettings(t, settingsSecretNsn)
+
+				// Check if ClusterSettings was populated
+				if settings.State.ClusterSettings == nil {
+					t.Logf("Secret data: %s", string(secret.Data["settings.json"]))
+					t.Fatal("ClusterSettings should not be nil after reconciliation")
+				}
+				require.NotNil(t, settings.State.ClusterSettings.Data, "ClusterSettings.Data should not be nil")
+
+				// Should have the value from policy2 (higher weight)
+				assert.EqualValues(t, map[string]any{
+					"indices": map[string]any{
+						"recovery": map[string]any{
+							"max_bytes_per_sec": "40mb",
+						},
+					},
+				}, settings.State.ClusterSettings.Data, "ClusterSettings.Data")
+
+				owners, err := reconciler.SoftOwnerRefs(&secret)
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Len(t, owners, 2, "esConfigSecret should be owned by 2 policies")
+				// Verify both policies are in the owner list
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: "ns", Name: "policy-low", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, "policy-low should be an owner of esConfigSecret")
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: "ns", Name: "policy-high", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, "policy-high should be an owner of esConfigSecret")
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:             "Policies with same weight cause conflict",
+			policies:         []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{policy2, policy3Conflicting},
+			reconcilePolicy:  "policy-high",
+			wantResources:    1,
+			wantReady:        0,
+			wantPhase:        policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase,
+			wantErr:          false,
+			wantRequeueAfter: true,
+			validateSettings: func(t *testing.T, r ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) {
+				// Verify policy status shows conflict
+				policy := r.getPolicy(t, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "ns", Name: "policy-high"})
+
+				esStatus := policy.Status.Details["elasticsearch"]["ns/test-es"]
+				assert.Equal(t, policyv1alpha1.ConflictPhase, esStatus.Phase)
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:             "Reconciling second policy sees merged state",
+			policies:         []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{policy1, policy2},
+			reconcilePolicy:  "policy-high",
+			wantResources:    1,
+			wantReady:        0,
+			wantPhase:        policyv1alpha1.ApplyingChangesPhase,
+			wantErr:          false,
+			wantRequeueAfter: true,
+			validateSettings: func(t *testing.T, r ReconcileStackConfigPolicy) {
+				// Verify elasticsearch config secret exists with merged config
+				var esConfigSecret corev1.Secret
+				err := r.Client.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{
+					Namespace: "ns",
+					Name:      esv1.StackConfigElasticsearchConfigSecretName("test-es"),
+				}, &esConfigSecret)
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+				// Verify elasticsearch config secret is soft-owned by multiple policies
+				owners, err := reconciler.SoftOwnerRefs(&esConfigSecret)
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Len(t, owners, 2, "esConfigSecret should be owned by 2 policies")
+				// Verify both policies are in the owner list
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: "ns", Name: "policy-low", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, "policy-low should be an owner of esConfigSecret")
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: "ns", Name: "policy-high", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, "policy-high should be an owner of esConfigSecret")
+
+				// Verify secret mount secret exists
+				var secretMountSecret corev1.Secret
+				err = r.Client.Get(context.Background(), types.NamespacedName{
+					Namespace: "ns",
+					Name:      esv1.StackConfigAdditionalSecretName("test-es", "test-secret"),
+				}, &secretMountSecret)
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+				// Verify secret mount secret is soft-owned by SINGLE policy (the one that defines SecretMounts)
+				// Only policy-high has SecretMounts, so it should be the only owner
+				owners, err = reconciler.SoftOwnerRefs(&secretMountSecret)
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+				assert.Len(t, owners, 1, "secretMountSecret should be owned by 1 policy")
+				// Verify only policy-high is the owner
+				assert.Contains(t, owners, reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{Namespace: "ns", Name: "policy-high", Kind: policyv1alpha1.Kind}, "policy-high should be an owner of secretMountSecret")
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			// Create client with all resources
+			clientObjects := []client.Object{&esFixture, &esFileSettingsSecret, esPod, &sourceSecret}
+			for i := range tt.policies {
+				clientObjects = append(clientObjects, &tt.policies[i])
+			}
+
+			fakeRecorder := record.NewFakeRecorder(100)
+			reconciler := ReconcileStackConfigPolicy{
+				Client:           k8s.NewFakeClient(clientObjects...),
+				esClientProvider: fakeClientProvider(esclient.FileSettings{Version: 1}, nil),
+				recorder:         fakeRecorder,
+				licenseChecker:   &license.MockLicenseChecker{EnterpriseEnabled: true},
+				params: operator.Parameters{
+					OperatorNamespace: "elastic-system",
+				},
+				dynamicWatches: watches.NewDynamicWatches(),
+			}
+
+			// Reconcile the specified policy
+			got, err := reconciler.Reconcile(context.Background(), reconcile.Request{
+				NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{
+					Namespace: "ns",
+					Name:      tt.reconcilePolicy,
+				},
+			})
+
+			if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf("Reconcile() error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
+				return
+			}
+			if (got.RequeueAfter > 0) != tt.wantRequeueAfter {
+				t.Errorf("Reconcile() got = %v, wantRequeueAfter %v", got, tt.wantRequeueAfter)
+			}
+
+			// Verify policy status
+			policy := reconciler.getPolicy(t, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "ns", Name: tt.reconcilePolicy})
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantResources, policy.Status.Resources)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantReady, policy.Status.Ready)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantPhase, policy.Status.Phase)
+
+			// Run custom validation if provided
+			if tt.validateSettings != nil {
+				tt.validateSettings(t, reconciler)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func Test_cleanStackTrace(t *testing.T) {
 	stacktrace := "Error processing slm state change: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Error on validating SLM requests\n\tat org.elasticsearch.ilm@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.xpack.slm.action.ReservedSnapshotAction.prepare(ReservedSnapshotAction.java:66)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.ilm@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.xpack.slm.action.ReservedSnapshotAction.transform(ReservedSnapshotAction.java:77)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.server@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.reservedstate.service.ReservedClusterStateService.trialRun(ReservedClusterStateService.java:328)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.server@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.reservedstate.service.ReservedClusterStateService.process(ReservedClusterStateService.java:169)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.server@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.reservedstate.service.ReservedClusterStateService.process(ReservedClusterStateService.java:122)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.server@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.reservedstate.service.FileSettingsService.processFileSettings(FileSettingsService.java:389)\n\tat org.elasticsearch.server@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.reservedstate.service.FileSettingsService.lambda$startWatcher$3(FileSettingsService.java:312)\n\tat java.base/java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:833)\n\tSuppressed: java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: no such repository [badrepo]\n\t\tat org.elasticsearch.ilm@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.xpack.slm.SnapshotLifecycleService.validateRepositoryExists(SnapshotLifecycleService.java:244)\n\t\tat org.elasticsearch.ilm@8.6.1/org.elasticsearch.xpack.slm.action.ReservedSnapshotAction.prepare(ReservedSnapshotAction.java:57)\n\t\t... 7 more\n"
 	err := cleanStackTrace([]string{stacktrace})
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings_test.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings_test.go
index 1397e3ede..21a16783b 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/kibana_config_settings_test.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 package stackconfigpolicy
 
 import (
-	"context"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -15,7 +14,6 @@ import (
 	commonv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/common/v1"
 	kibanav1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/kibana/v1"
 	policyv1alpha1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1"
-	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
 	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/utils/k8s"
 )
 
@@ -69,12 +67,11 @@ func Test_newKibanaConfigSecret(t *testing.T) {
 						"kibana.k8s.elastic.co/name":            "test-kb",
 						"common.k8s.elastic.co/type":            "kibana",
 						"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-kind":         "StackConfigPolicy",
-						"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-name":         "test-policy",
-						"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-namespace":    "test-policy-ns",
 					},
 					Annotations: map[string]string{
 						"policy.k8s.elastic.co/kibana-config-hash":      "3077592849",
 						"policy.k8s.elastic.co/secure-settings-secrets": `[{"namespace":"test-policy-ns","secretName":"shared-secret"}]`,
+						"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-refs":                 `["test-policy-ns/test-policy"]`,
 					},
 				},
 				Data: map[string][]byte{
@@ -86,7 +83,7 @@ func Test_newKibanaConfigSecret(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			got, err := newKibanaConfigSecret(*tt.args.policy, tt.args.kb)
+			got, err := newKibanaConfigSecret(tt.args.policy.Spec.Kibana, tt.args.policy.GetKibanaNamespacedSecureSettings(), tt.args.kb, []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{*tt.args.policy})
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.Equal(t, tt.want, got)
 		})
@@ -193,141 +190,13 @@ func Test_kibanaConfigApplied(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			got, err := kibanaConfigApplied(tt.args.client, *tt.args.policy, tt.args.kb)
+			got, err := kibanaConfigApplied(tt.args.client, tt.args.policy.Spec.Kibana, tt.args.kb)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.Equal(t, tt.want, got)
 		})
 	}
 }
 
-func Test_canBeOwned(t *testing.T) {
-	type args struct {
-		kb     kibanav1.Kibana
-		policy *policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
-		client k8s.Client
-	}
-
-	tests := []struct {
-		name           string
-		args           args
-		wantSecretRef  reconciler.SoftOwnerRef
-		wantCanbeOwned bool
-	}{
-		{
-			name: "secret owned by current policy",
-			args: args{
-				kb: kibanav1.Kibana{
-					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-						Name:      "test-kb",
-						Namespace: "test-ns",
-					},
-				},
-				policy: &policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
-					TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-						Kind: "StackConfigPolicy",
-					},
-					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-						Name:      "test-policy",
-						Namespace: "test-policy-ns",
-					},
-					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
-						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
-							Config: &commonv1.Config{
-								Data: map[string]interface{}{
-									"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
-								},
-							},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-				client: k8s.NewFakeClient(MkKibanaConfigSecret("test-ns", "test-policy", "test-policy-ns", "3077592849")),
-			},
-			wantSecretRef: reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{
-				Namespace: "test-policy-ns",
-				Name:      "test-policy",
-				Kind:      "StackConfigPolicy",
-			},
-			wantCanbeOwned: true,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "secret owned by another policy",
-			args: args{
-				kb: kibanav1.Kibana{
-					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-						Name:      "test-kb",
-						Namespace: "test-ns",
-					},
-				},
-				policy: &policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
-					TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-						Kind: "StackConfigPolicy",
-					},
-					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-						Name:      "test-policy",
-						Namespace: "test-policy-ns",
-					},
-					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
-						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
-							Config: &commonv1.Config{
-								Data: map[string]interface{}{
-									"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
-								},
-							},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-				client: k8s.NewFakeClient(MkKibanaConfigSecret("test-ns", "test-another-policy", "test-policy-ns", "3077592849")),
-			},
-			wantSecretRef: reconciler.SoftOwnerRef{
-				Namespace: "test-policy-ns",
-				Name:      "test-another-policy",
-				Kind:      "StackConfigPolicy",
-			},
-			wantCanbeOwned: false,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "secret does not exist",
-			args: args{
-				kb: kibanav1.Kibana{
-					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-						Name:      "test-kb",
-						Namespace: "test-ns",
-					},
-				},
-				policy: &policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
-					TypeMeta: metav1.TypeMeta{
-						Kind: "StackConfigPolicy",
-					},
-					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-						Name:      "test-policy",
-						Namespace: "test-policy-ns",
-					},
-					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
-						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
-							Config: &commonv1.Config{
-								Data: map[string]interface{}{
-									"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
-								},
-							},
-						},
-					},
-				},
-				client: k8s.NewFakeClient(),
-			},
-			wantCanbeOwned: true,
-		},
-	}
-
-	for _, tt := range tests {
-		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			secretRef, canBeOwned, err := canBeOwned(context.Background(), tt.args.client, *tt.args.policy, tt.args.kb)
-			require.NoError(t, err)
-			require.Equal(t, tt.wantSecretRef, secretRef)
-			require.Equal(t, tt.wantCanbeOwned, canBeOwned)
-		})
-	}
-}
-
 func mkKibanaPod(namespace string, hashapplied bool, hashValue string) *corev1.Pod {
 	pod := corev1.Pod{
 		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
@@ -356,11 +225,10 @@ func MkKibanaConfigSecret(namespace string, owningPolicyName string, owningPolic
 				"kibana.k8s.elastic.co/name":            "test-kb",
 				"common.k8s.elastic.co/type":            "kibana",
 				"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-kind":         "StackConfigPolicy",
-				"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-name":         owningPolicyName,
-				"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-namespace":    owningPolicyNamespace,
 			},
 			Annotations: map[string]string{
 				"policy.k8s.elastic.co/kibana-config-hash": hashValue,
+				"eck.k8s.elastic.co/owner-refs":            `["` + owningPolicyNamespace + `/` + owningPolicyName + `"]`,
 			},
 		},
 		Data: map[string][]byte{
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/ownership_test.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/ownership_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6beafe6b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/ownership_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+// Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+// or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License 2.0;
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License 2.0.
+
+package stackconfigpolicy
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+
+	policyv1alpha1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/reconciler"
+)
+
+func Test_setSingleSoftOwner(t *testing.T) {
+	secret := &corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-secret",
+			Namespace: "test-namespace",
+		},
+	}
+	policy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-policy",
+			Namespace: "policy-namespace",
+		},
+	}
+
+	setSingleSoftOwner(secret, policy)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, policyv1alpha1.Kind, secret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+	assert.Equal(t, "test-policy", secret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel])
+	assert.Equal(t, "policy-namespace", secret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel])
+}
+
+func Test_setMultipleSoftOwners(t *testing.T) {
+	secret := &corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-secret",
+			Namespace: "test-namespace",
+		},
+	}
+	policies := []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name:      "policy-1",
+				Namespace: "namespace-1",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name:      "policy-2",
+				Namespace: "namespace-2",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	err := setMultipleSoftOwners(secret, policies)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, policyv1alpha1.Kind, secret.Labels[reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel])
+	assert.NotContains(t, secret.Labels, reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+	assert.NotContains(t, secret.Labels, reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+	assert.NotEmpty(t, secret.Annotations[reconciler.SoftOwnerRefsAnnotation])
+}
+
+func Test_isPolicySoftOwner(t *testing.T) {
+	secret := &corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-secret",
+			Namespace: "test-namespace",
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel:      policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+				reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "test-policy",
+				reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "policy-namespace",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	isOwner, err := isPolicySoftOwner(secret, types.NamespacedName{
+		Namespace: "policy-namespace",
+		Name:      "test-policy",
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.True(t, isOwner)
+
+	isOwner, err = isPolicySoftOwner(secret, types.NamespacedName{
+		Namespace: "different-namespace",
+		Name:      "different-policy",
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.False(t, isOwner)
+}
+
+func Test_removePolicySoftOwner(t *testing.T) {
+	secret := &corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "test-secret",
+			Namespace: "test-namespace",
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				reconciler.SoftOwnerKindLabel:      policyv1alpha1.Kind,
+				reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel:      "test-policy",
+				reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel: "policy-namespace",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	remainingCount, err := removePolicySoftOwner(secret, types.NamespacedName{
+		Namespace: "policy-namespace",
+		Name:      "test-policy",
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, remainingCount)
+	assert.NotContains(t, secret.Labels, reconciler.SoftOwnerNameLabel)
+	assert.NotContains(t, secret.Labels, reconciler.SoftOwnerNamespaceLabel)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy_test.go b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6d28813b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/controller/stackconfigpolicy/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,1416 @@
+// Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
+// or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License 2.0;
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License 2.0.
+
+package stackconfigpolicy
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+
+	commonv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/common/v1"
+	esv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/elasticsearch/v1"
+	kbv1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/kibana/v1"
+	policyv1alpha1 "github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/apis/stackconfigpolicy/v1alpha1"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/operator"
+	"github.com/elastic/cloud-on-k8s/v3/pkg/controller/common/settings"
+)
+
+func Test_getStackPolicyConfigForElasticsearch(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name                  string
+		operatorNamespace     string
+		targetElasticsearch   *esv1.Elasticsearch
+		stackConfigPolicies   []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+		expectedConfigPolicy  policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+		expectedSecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource
+		expectedPolicyRefs    map[string]struct{}
+		expectedMergeConflict bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "merges without overwrites",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"test": "test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+							{
+								SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting",
+							},
+						},
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1.name": "policy1",
+							}},
+							SnapshotRepositories: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"type": "gcp",
+								},
+							}},
+							SnapshotLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"schedule": "0 1 2 3 4 ?",
+								},
+							}},
+							SecurityRoleMappings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"enabled": true,
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"phases": map[string]any{
+										"delete": map[string]any{
+											"actions": map[string]any{
+												"delete": map[string]any{},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							}},
+							IngestPipelines: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"description": "description",
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexTemplates: policyv1alpha1.IndexTemplates{
+								ComponentTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy1": map[string]any{
+										"template": map[string]any{},
+									},
+								}},
+								ComposableIndexTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy1": map[string]any{
+										"priority": 500,
+									},
+								}},
+							},
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"node.roles": []any{"policy1"},
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "policy1-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+							},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting",
+									Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+										{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy2",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+							{
+								SecretName: "policy2-deprecated-secure-setting",
+							},
+						},
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy2.name": "policy2",
+							}},
+							SnapshotRepositories: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"type": "gcp",
+								},
+							}},
+							SnapshotLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"schedule": "0 1 2 3 4 ?",
+								},
+							}},
+							SecurityRoleMappings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"enabled": true,
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"phases": map[string]any{
+										"delete": map[string]any{
+											"actions": map[string]any{
+												"delete": map[string]any{},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							}},
+							IngestPipelines: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"description": "description",
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexTemplates: policyv1alpha1.IndexTemplates{
+								ComponentTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy2": map[string]any{
+										"template": map[string]any{},
+									},
+								}},
+								ComposableIndexTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy2": map[string]any{
+										"priority": 500,
+									},
+								}},
+							},
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"node.roles": []any{"policy2"},
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "policy2-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+							},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "policy2-secure-setting",
+									Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+										{Key: "test", Path: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+						ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: canonicaliseMap(t, map[string]any{
+							"policy1.name": "policy1",
+							"policy2.name": "policy2",
+						})},
+						SnapshotRepositories: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy1": map[string]any{
+								"type": "gcp",
+							},
+							"policy2": map[string]any{
+								"type": "gcp",
+							},
+						}},
+						SnapshotLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy1": map[string]any{
+								"schedule": "0 1 2 3 4 ?",
+							},
+							"policy2": map[string]any{
+								"schedule": "0 1 2 3 4 ?",
+							},
+						}},
+						SecurityRoleMappings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy1": map[string]any{
+								"enabled": true,
+							},
+							"policy2": map[string]any{
+								"enabled": true,
+							},
+						}},
+						IndexLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy1": map[string]any{
+								"phases": map[string]any{
+									"delete": map[string]any{
+										"actions": map[string]any{
+											"delete": map[string]any{},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+							"policy2": map[string]any{
+								"phases": map[string]any{
+									"delete": map[string]any{
+										"actions": map[string]any{
+											"delete": map[string]any{},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						}},
+						IngestPipelines: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy1": map[string]any{
+								"description": "description",
+							},
+							"policy2": map[string]any{
+								"description": "description",
+							},
+						}},
+						IndexTemplates: policyv1alpha1.IndexTemplates{
+							ComponentTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"template": map[string]any{},
+								},
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"template": map[string]any{},
+								},
+							}},
+							ComposableIndexTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy1": map[string]any{
+									"priority": float64(500),
+								},
+								"policy2": map[string]any{
+									"priority": float64(500),
+								},
+							}},
+						},
+						Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: canonicaliseMap(t, map[string]any{
+							"node.roles": []any{"policy2", "policy1"},
+						})},
+						SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+							{SecretName: "policy1-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+							{SecretName: "policy2-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedSecretSources: []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+						{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy2-deprecated-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy2-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+						{Key: "test", Path: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{
+				"test/policy1": {},
+				"test/policy2": {},
+			},
+		}, {
+			name: "merges with overwrites",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"test": "test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+							{
+								SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting",
+							},
+						},
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy.name": "policy1",
+							}},
+							SnapshotRepositories: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"type": "gcp",
+								},
+							}},
+							SnapshotLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"schedule": "0 1 2 3 4 ?",
+								},
+							}},
+							SecurityRoleMappings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"enabled": true,
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"phases": map[string]any{
+										"delete": map[string]any{
+											"actions": map[string]any{
+												"delete": map[string]any{},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							}},
+							IngestPipelines: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"description": "policy1",
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexTemplates: policyv1alpha1.IndexTemplates{
+								ComponentTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy": map[string]any{
+										"template": map[string]any{},
+									},
+								}},
+								ComposableIndexTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy": map[string]any{
+										"priority": 500,
+									},
+								}},
+							},
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"node.store.allow_mmap": false,
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "policy1-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+							},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting",
+									Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+										{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy2",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+							{
+								SecretName: "policy2-deprecated-secure-setting",
+							},
+						},
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy.name": "policy2",
+							}},
+							SnapshotRepositories: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"type": "fs",
+								},
+							}},
+							SnapshotLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"schedule": "5 ?",
+								},
+							}},
+							SecurityRoleMappings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"enabled": false,
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"phases": map[string]any{
+										"delete": map[string]any{
+											"actions": map[string]any{
+												"delete": []any{"*"},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							}},
+							IngestPipelines: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"description": "policy2",
+								},
+							}},
+							IndexTemplates: policyv1alpha1.IndexTemplates{
+								ComponentTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy": map[string]any{
+										"template": map[string]any{
+											"properties": map[string]any{},
+										},
+									},
+								}},
+								ComposableIndexTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+									"policy": map[string]any{
+										"priority": 300,
+									},
+								}},
+							},
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"node.store.allow_mmap": true,
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "policy2-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+							},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "policy2-secure-setting",
+									Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+										{Key: "test", Path: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+						ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: canonicaliseMap(t, map[string]any{
+							"policy.name": "policy1",
+						})},
+						SnapshotRepositories: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy": map[string]any{
+								"type": "gcp",
+							},
+						}},
+						SnapshotLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy": map[string]any{
+								"schedule": "0 1 2 3 4 ?",
+							},
+						}},
+						SecurityRoleMappings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy": map[string]any{
+								"enabled": true,
+							},
+						}},
+						IndexLifecyclePolicies: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy": map[string]any{
+								"phases": map[string]any{
+									"delete": map[string]any{
+										"actions": map[string]any{
+											"delete": map[string]any{},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						}},
+						IngestPipelines: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy": map[string]any{
+								"description": "policy1",
+							},
+						}},
+						IndexTemplates: policyv1alpha1.IndexTemplates{
+							ComponentTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"template": map[string]any{},
+								},
+							}},
+							ComposableIndexTemplates: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy": map[string]any{
+									"priority": float64(500),
+								},
+							}},
+						},
+						Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: canonicaliseMap(t, map[string]any{
+							"node.store.allow_mmap": false,
+						})},
+						SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+							{SecretName: "policy1-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+							{SecretName: "policy2-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedSecretSources: []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+						{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy2-deprecated-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy2-secure-setting",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+						{Key: "test", Path: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{
+				"test/policy1": {},
+				"test/policy2": {},
+			},
+		}, {
+			name: "no changes for single policy",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"test": "test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+							{
+								SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting-2",
+							},
+							{
+								SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting-1",
+							},
+						},
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"policy.name": "policy1",
+							}},
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"node.store.allow_mmap": false,
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "policy2-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+								{SecretName: "policy1-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+							},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting-2",
+									Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+										{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+									},
+								},
+								{
+									SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting-1",
+									Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+										{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+						ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"policy.name": "policy1",
+						}},
+						Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"node.store.allow_mmap": false,
+						}},
+						SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+							{SecretName: "policy2-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy2-mount-path"},
+							{SecretName: "policy1-secret-mount", MountPath: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedSecretSources: []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting-2",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-deprecated-secure-setting-1",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting-2",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+						{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "policy1-secure-setting-1",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries: []commonv1.KeyToPath{
+						{Key: "test", Path: "/policy1-mount-path"},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{
+				"test/policy1": {},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "detects policies weight conflicts",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"test": "test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				// Policy with unique weight - should be merged
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"from": "policy1",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				// Two policies with the same weight - should conflict and be skipped
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy2-conflict",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 5,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"conflict": "policy2",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy3-conflict",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 5,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"conflict": "policy3",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedMergeConflict: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "detects conflicts when same secret defined in multiple policies",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"test": "test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				// Policy 1 with lower weight - should be merged first
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"from": "policy1",
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "shared-secret", MountPath: "/mnt/policy1"},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				// Policy 2 with higher weight - attempts to define the same secret, should conflict
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy2",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 5,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"from": "policy2",
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "shared-secret", MountPath: "/mnt/policy2"},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedMergeConflict: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "detects conflicts when same mount path defined in multiple policies",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"test": "test",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				// Policy 1 with lower weight - should be merged first
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"from": "policy1",
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "secret1", MountPath: "/mnt/shared"},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				// Policy 2 with higher weight - attempts to use the same mount path, should conflict
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy2",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"test": "test"},
+						},
+						Weight: 5,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"from": "policy2",
+							}},
+							SecretMounts: []policyv1alpha1.SecretMount{
+								{SecretName: "secret2", MountPath: "/mnt/shared"},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedMergeConflict: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:              "elasticsearch different namespace",
+			operatorNamespace: "operator-namespace",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-es",
+					Namespace: "es-namespace",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"env": "production",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				// Policy in wrong namespace - should not match
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "wrong-namespace",
+						Name:            "policy-wrong-ns",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "production"},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"should-not": "be-included",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "elasticsearch non-matching labels",
+			targetElasticsearch: &esv1.Elasticsearch{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-es",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"env":  "production",
+						"team": "platform",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				// Policy with non-matching label selector - should not match
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy-wrong-labels",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{
+								"env": "development", // doesn't match ES labels
+							},
+						},
+						Weight: 1,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"should-not": "be-included",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				// Policy with partially matching labels - should not match
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "policy-partial-match",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{
+								"env":     "production",
+								"team":    "platform",
+								"missing": "label", // this label doesn't exist on ES
+							},
+						},
+						Weight: 2,
+						Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+							ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"also-should-not": "be-included",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{},
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			esConfigPolicy, err := getConfigPolicyForElasticsearch(tc.targetElasticsearch, tc.stackConfigPolicies, operator.Parameters{
+				OperatorNamespace: tc.operatorNamespace,
+			})
+			// Check for expected conflict errors
+			if tc.expectedMergeConflict {
+				assert.ErrorIs(t, err, errMergeConflict, "getConfigPolicyForElasticsearch should return an error")
+				return
+			}
+			assert.NoError(t, err, "getConfigPolicyForElasticsearch should not return an error")
+
+			// Compare secret sources if expected
+			if tc.expectedSecretSources != nil {
+				assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedSecretSources, esConfigPolicy.SecretSources)
+			}
+
+			assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedConfigPolicy.Spec.Elasticsearch, esConfigPolicy.Spec)
+
+			// Compare policy references by building a map from the actual refs
+			actualPolicyRefs := make(map[string]struct{})
+			for _, policy := range esConfigPolicy.PolicyRefs {
+				nsn := types.NamespacedName{Namespace: policy.Namespace, Name: policy.Name}
+				actualPolicyRefs[nsn.String()] = struct{}{}
+			}
+			assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedPolicyRefs, actualPolicyRefs)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func Test_getPolicyConfigForKibana(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name                  string
+		operatorNamespace     string
+		targetKibana          *kbv1.Kibana
+		stackConfigPolicies   []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+		expectedConfigPolicy  policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy
+		expectedSecretSources []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource
+		expectedPolicyRefs    map[string]struct{}
+		expectedMergeConflict bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "merges Kibana configs without overwrites",
+			targetKibana: &kbv1.Kibana{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-kb",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"app": "kibana",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-policy1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
+								"logging.root.level":   "info",
+							}},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "kb-secret1",
+									Entries:    []commonv1.KeyToPath{{Key: "key1", Path: "path1"}},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-policy2",
+						ResourceVersion: "2",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"},
+						},
+						Weight: 20,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"xpack.reporting.enabled": false,
+								"server.maxPayload":       float64(2097152),
+							}},
+							SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+								{
+									SecretName: "kb-secret2",
+									Entries:    []commonv1.KeyToPath{{Key: "key2", Path: "path2"}},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+						Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"xpack": map[string]any{
+								"canvas": map[string]any{
+									"enabled": true,
+								},
+								"reporting": map[string]any{
+									"enabled": false,
+								},
+							},
+							"logging": map[string]any{
+								"root": map[string]any{
+									"level": "info",
+								},
+							},
+							"server": map[string]any{
+								"maxPayload": float64(2097152),
+							},
+						}},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedSecretSources: []commonv1.NamespacedSecretSource{
+				{
+					SecretName: "kb-secret1",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries:    []commonv1.KeyToPath{{Key: "key1", Path: "path1"}},
+				},
+				{
+					SecretName: "kb-secret2",
+					Namespace:  "test",
+					Entries:    []commonv1.KeyToPath{{Key: "key2", Path: "path2"}},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{
+				"test/kb-policy1": {},
+				"test/kb-policy2": {},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "merges Kibana configs with overwrites - lower weight wins",
+			targetKibana: &kbv1.Kibana{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-kb",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"env": "prod",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-low-priority",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "prod"},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"logging.root.level": "info",
+								"server.port":        5601,
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-high-priority",
+						ResourceVersion: "2",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "prod"},
+						},
+						Weight: 20,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"logging.root.level": "debug", // Override from policy with weight 10
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+						Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"logging": map[string]any{
+								"root": map[string]any{
+									"level": "info",
+								},
+							},
+							"server": map[string]any{
+								"port": uint64(5601),
+							},
+						}},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{
+				"test/kb-low-priority":  {},
+				"test/kb-high-priority": {},
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Kibana policies with same weight cause conflict",
+			targetKibana: &kbv1.Kibana{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-kb",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"env": "staging",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-conflict-1",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "staging"},
+						},
+						Weight: 15,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-conflict-2",
+						ResourceVersion: "2",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"env": "staging"},
+						},
+						Weight: 15, // Same weight as kb-conflict-1
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"xpack.reporting.enabled": false,
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedMergeConflict: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Kibana policy doesn't match due to namespace",
+			targetKibana: &kbv1.Kibana{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-kb",
+					Namespace: "prod",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"app": "kibana",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			operatorNamespace: "elastic-system",
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "dev",
+						Name:            "kb-policy-wrong-ns",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Kibana policy doesn't match due to labels",
+			targetKibana: &kbv1.Kibana{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-kb",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"app": "kibana",
+						"env": "prod",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-policy-wrong-labels",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{
+								"app": "kibana",
+								"env": "dev", // Different value
+							},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: canonicaliseMap(t, map[string]any{
+								"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
+							})},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "no changes for single policy",
+			targetKibana: &kbv1.Kibana{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "test-kb",
+					Namespace: "test",
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						"app": "kibana",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			stackConfigPolicies: []policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Namespace:       "test",
+						Name:            "kb-single-policy",
+						ResourceVersion: "1",
+					},
+					Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+						ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+							MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"},
+						},
+						Weight: 10,
+						Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+							Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+								"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
+								"logging.root.level":   "info",
+							}},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedConfigPolicy: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+				Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+					Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+						Config: &commonv1.Config{Data: map[string]any{
+							"xpack.canvas.enabled": true,
+							"logging.root.level":   "info",
+						}},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectedPolicyRefs: map[string]struct{}{
+				"test/kb-single-policy": {},
+			},
+		},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			kbPolicyConfig, err := getConfigPolicyForKibana(tc.targetKibana, tc.stackConfigPolicies, operator.Parameters{
+				OperatorNamespace: tc.operatorNamespace,
+			})
+			// Verify conflict errors
+			if tc.expectedMergeConflict {
+				assert.ErrorIs(t, err, errMergeConflict)
+				return
+			}
+			assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+			// Compare secret sources if expected
+			if tc.expectedSecretSources != nil {
+				assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedSecretSources, kbPolicyConfig.SecretSources)
+			}
+
+			assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedConfigPolicy.Spec.Kibana, kbPolicyConfig.Spec)
+
+			// Compare policy references
+			actualPolicyRefs := make(map[string]struct{})
+			for _, policy := range kbPolicyConfig.PolicyRefs {
+				nsn := types.NamespacedName{Namespace: policy.Namespace, Name: policy.Name}
+				actualPolicyRefs[nsn.String()] = struct{}{}
+			}
+			assert.EqualValues(t, tc.expectedPolicyRefs, actualPolicyRefs)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func canonicaliseMap(t *testing.T, src map[string]any) map[string]any {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	dstCanonicalConfig, err := settings.NewCanonicalConfigFrom(src)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to canonicalise map")
+
+	var canonicalisedMap map[string]any
+	err = dstCanonicalConfig.Unpack(&canonicalisedMap)
+	require.NoError(t, err, "failed to unpack")
+	return canonicalisedMap
+}
diff --git a/test/e2e/es/stackconfigpolicy_test.go b/test/e2e/es/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
index 01f48ef35..d81eeeba9 100644
--- a/test/e2e/es/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/es/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
@@ -336,6 +336,227 @@ func TestStackConfigPolicy(t *testing.T) {
 	test.Sequence(nil, steps, esWithlicense).RunSequential(t)
 }
 
+// TestStackConfigPolicyMultipleWeights tests multiple StackConfigPolicies with different weights.
+func TestStackConfigPolicyMultipleWeights(t *testing.T) {
+	// only execute this test if we have a test license to work with
+	if test.Ctx().TestLicense == "" {
+		t.SkipNow()
+	}
+
+	// StackConfigPolicy is supported for ES versions with file-based settings feature
+	stackVersion := version.MustParse(test.Ctx().ElasticStackVersion)
+	if !stackVersion.GTE(filesettings.FileBasedSettingsMinPreVersion) {
+		t.SkipNow()
+	}
+
+	es := elasticsearch.NewBuilder("test-es-scp-multi").
+		WithESMasterDataNodes(1, elasticsearch.DefaultResources).
+		WithLabel("app", "elasticsearch")
+
+	namespace := test.Ctx().ManagedNamespace(0)
+
+	// Policy with weight 20 (lower priority) - sets cluster.name
+	lowPriorityPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      fmt.Sprintf("low-priority-scp-%s", rand.String(4)),
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight: 20,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "elasticsearch"},
+			},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"cluster.name": "low-priority-cluster",
+					},
+				},
+				ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"indices": map[string]interface{}{
+							"recovery.max_bytes_per_sec": "50mb",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with weight 10 (higher priority) - should override cluster.name and settings
+	highPriorityPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      fmt.Sprintf("high-priority-scp-%s", rand.String(4)),
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight: 10,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "elasticsearch"},
+			},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"cluster": map[string]interface{}{
+							"name": "high-priority-cluster",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				ClusterSettings: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"indices": map[string]interface{}{
+							"recovery": map[string]interface{}{
+								"max_bytes_per_sec": "200mb",
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with same weight 20 but different selector (should not conflict)
+	nonConflictingPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      fmt.Sprintf("non-conflicting-scp-%s", rand.String(4)),
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight: 20,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"}, // Different selector
+			},
+			Elasticsearch: policyv1alpha1.ElasticsearchConfigPolicySpec{
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"cluster.name": "should-not-apply",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	esWithlicense := test.LicenseTestBuilder(es)
+
+	steps := func(k *test.K8sClient) test.StepList {
+		return test.StepList{
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create low priority StackConfigPolicy",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&lowPriorityPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create high priority StackConfigPolicy",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&highPriorityPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create non-conflicting StackConfigPolicy",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&nonConflictingPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "High priority cluster name should be applied",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					esClient, err := elasticsearch.NewElasticsearchClient(es.Elasticsearch, k)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					var apiResponse ClusterInfoResponse
+					if _, _, err = request(esClient, http.MethodGet, "/", nil, &apiResponse); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					if apiResponse.ClusterName != "high-priority-cluster" {
+						return fmt.Errorf("expected cluster name 'high-priority-cluster', got '%s'", apiResponse.ClusterName)
+					}
+					return nil
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "High priority cluster settings should be applied",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					esClient, err := elasticsearch.NewElasticsearchClient(es.Elasticsearch, k)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					var settings ClusterSettings
+					_, _, err = request(esClient, http.MethodGet, "/_cluster/settings", nil, &settings)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					if settings.Persistent.Indices.Recovery.MaxBytesPerSec != "200mb" {
+						return fmt.Errorf("expected max_bytes_per_sec '200mb', got '%s'", settings.Persistent.Indices.Recovery.MaxBytesPerSec)
+					}
+					return nil
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Delete high priority policy - low priority should take effect",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &highPriorityPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Low priority cluster name should now be applied",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					esClient, err := elasticsearch.NewElasticsearchClient(es.Elasticsearch, k)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					var apiResponse ClusterInfoResponse
+					if _, _, err = request(esClient, http.MethodGet, "/", nil, &apiResponse); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					if apiResponse.ClusterName != "low-priority-cluster" {
+						return fmt.Errorf("expected cluster name 'low-priority-cluster', got '%s'", apiResponse.ClusterName)
+					}
+					return nil
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Low priority cluster settings should now be applied",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					esClient, err := elasticsearch.NewElasticsearchClient(es.Elasticsearch, k)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					var settings ClusterSettings
+					_, _, err = request(esClient, http.MethodGet, "/_cluster/settings", nil, &settings)
+					if err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+
+					if settings.Persistent.Indices.Recovery.MaxBytesPerSec != "50mb" {
+						return fmt.Errorf("expected max_bytes_per_sec '50mb', got '%s'", settings.Persistent.Indices.Recovery.MaxBytesPerSec)
+					}
+					return nil
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Clean up remaining policies",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					if err := k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &lowPriorityPolicy); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					return k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &nonConflictingPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+		}
+	}
+
+	test.Sequence(nil, steps, esWithlicense).RunSequential(t)
+}
+
 func checkAPIStatusCode(esClient client.Client, url string, expectedStatusCode int) error {
 	var items map[string]interface{}
 	_, actualStatusCode, _ := request(esClient, http.MethodGet, url, nil, &items)
diff --git a/test/e2e/kb/stackconfigpolicy_test.go b/test/e2e/kb/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
index a8a2644d8..704db02c6 100644
--- a/test/e2e/kb/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/kb/stackconfigpolicy_test.go
@@ -125,3 +125,190 @@ func TestStackConfigPolicyKibana(t *testing.T) {
 
 	test.Sequence(nil, steps, esWithlicense, kbBuilder).RunSequential(t)
 }
+
+// TestStackConfigPolicyKibanaMultipleWeights tests multiple StackConfigPolicies with different weights for Kibana.
+func TestStackConfigPolicyKibanaMultipleWeights(t *testing.T) {
+	// only execute this test if we have a test license to work with
+	if test.Ctx().TestLicense == "" {
+		t.SkipNow()
+	}
+
+	namespace := test.Ctx().ManagedNamespace(0)
+	// set up a 1-node Kibana deployment
+	name := "test-kb-scp-multi"
+	esBuilder := elasticsearch.NewBuilder(name).
+		WithESMasterDataNodes(1, elasticsearch.DefaultResources)
+	kbBuilder := kibana.NewBuilder(name).
+		WithElasticsearchRef(esBuilder.Ref()).
+		WithNodeCount(1).WithLabel("app", "kibana")
+
+	kbPodListOpts := test.KibanaPodListOptions(kbBuilder.Kibana.Namespace, kbBuilder.Kibana.Name)
+
+	// Policy with weight 20 (lower priority)
+	lowPriorityPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      fmt.Sprintf("low-priority-kb-scp-%s", rand.String(4)),
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight: 20,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"},
+			},
+			Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"server.customResponseHeaders": map[string]interface{}{
+							"priority":    "low",
+							"test-header": "low-priority-value",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+					{SecretName: fmt.Sprintf("low-priority-secret-%s", rand.String(4))},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with weight 10 (higher priority) - should override lower priority settings
+	highPriorityPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      fmt.Sprintf("high-priority-kb-scp-%s", rand.String(4)),
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight: 10,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "kibana"},
+			},
+			Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"server.customResponseHeaders": map[string]interface{}{
+							"priority":    "high",
+							"test-header": "high-priority-value",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				SecureSettings: []commonv1.SecretSource{
+					{SecretName: fmt.Sprintf("high-priority-secret-%s", rand.String(4))},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Policy with same weight 20 but different selector (should not conflict)
+	nonConflictingPolicy := policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicy{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      fmt.Sprintf("non-conflicting-kb-scp-%s", rand.String(4)),
+		},
+		Spec: policyv1alpha1.StackConfigPolicySpec{
+			Weight: 20,
+			ResourceSelector: metav1.LabelSelector{
+				MatchLabels: map[string]string{"app": "elasticsearch"}, // Different selector
+			},
+			Kibana: policyv1alpha1.KibanaConfigPolicySpec{
+				Config: &commonv1.Config{
+					Data: map[string]interface{}{
+						"server.customResponseHeaders": map[string]interface{}{
+							"priority": "should-not-apply",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Create secure settings secrets
+	lowPrioritySecret := corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      lowPriorityPolicy.Spec.Kibana.SecureSettings[0].SecretName,
+			Namespace: namespace,
+		},
+		Data: map[string][]byte{
+			"elasticsearch.pingTimeout": []byte("30000"),
+		},
+	}
+
+	highPrioritySecret := corev1.Secret{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      highPriorityPolicy.Spec.Kibana.SecureSettings[0].SecretName,
+			Namespace: namespace,
+		},
+		Data: map[string][]byte{
+			"elasticsearch.requestTimeout": []byte("30000"),
+		},
+	}
+
+	esWithlicense := test.LicenseTestBuilder(esBuilder)
+
+	steps := func(k *test.K8sClient) test.StepList {
+		kibanaChecks := kibana.KbChecks{
+			Client: k,
+		}
+		return test.StepList{
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create secure settings secrets",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					if err := k.CreateOrUpdate(&lowPrioritySecret); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&highPrioritySecret)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create low priority StackConfigPolicy",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&lowPriorityPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create high priority StackConfigPolicy",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&highPriorityPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Create non-conflicting StackConfigPolicy",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.CreateOrUpdate(&nonConflictingPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			// High priority settings should be applied
+			kibanaChecks.CheckHeaderForKey(kbBuilder, "priority", "high"),
+			kibanaChecks.CheckHeaderForKey(kbBuilder, "test-header", "high-priority-value"),
+			// High priority secure settings should be in keystore
+			test.CheckKeystoreEntries(k, KibanaKeystoreCmd, []string{"elasticsearch.pingTimeout", "elasticsearch.requestTimeout"}, kbPodListOpts...),
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Delete high priority policy - low priority should take effect",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					return k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &highPriorityPolicy)
+				}),
+			},
+			// Low priority settings should now be applied
+			kibanaChecks.CheckHeaderForKey(kbBuilder, "priority", "low"),
+			kibanaChecks.CheckHeaderForKey(kbBuilder, "test-header", "low-priority-value"),
+			// Low priority secure settings should be in keystore
+			test.CheckKeystoreEntries(k, KibanaKeystoreCmd, []string{"elasticsearch.pingTimeout"}, kbPodListOpts...),
+			test.Step{
+				Name: "Clean up remaining policies and secrets",
+				Test: test.Eventually(func() error {
+					if err := k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &lowPriorityPolicy); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					if err := k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &nonConflictingPolicy); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					if err := k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &lowPrioritySecret); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					return k.Client.Delete(context.Background(), &highPrioritySecret)
+				}),
+			},
+		}
+	}
+
+	test.Sequence(nil, steps, esWithlicense, kbBuilder).RunSequential(t)
+}