diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 4f5aee6..0c3e93f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,15 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- Support the annotation `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore` on ConfigMaps and Secrets and the
+  annotations `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-configmap.x` and
+  `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-secret.x` on StatefulSets to exclude ConfigMaps and Secrets from
+  the restarter controller ([#410]).
+
+[#410]: https://github.com/stackabletech/commons-operator/pull/410
+
 ## [26.3.0] - 2026-03-16
 
 ## [26.3.0-rc1] - 2026-03-16
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 038e8ea..37b5cbb 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2428,9 +2428,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rustls-webpki"
-version = "0.103.9"
+version = "0.103.10"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "d7df23109aa6c1567d1c575b9952556388da57401e4ace1d15f79eedad0d8f53"
+checksum = "df33b2b81ac578cabaf06b89b0631153a3f416b0a886e8a7a1707fb51abbd1ef"
 dependencies = [
  "ring",
  "rustls-pki-types",
diff --git a/Cargo.nix b/Cargo.nix
index c6cadaa..c1f0ce5 100644
--- a/Cargo.nix
+++ b/Cargo.nix
@@ -4801,7 +4801,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "k8s_version";
         authors = [
@@ -8178,9 +8178,9 @@ rec {
       };
       "rustls-webpki" = rec {
         crateName = "rustls-webpki";
-        version = "0.103.9";
+        version = "0.103.10";
         edition = "2021";
-        sha256 = "0lwg1nnyv7pp2lfwwjhy81bxm233am99jnsp3iymdhd6k8827pyp";
+        sha256 = "1vyipcdbazvhl6kyi1m8n0bg98sk25iv12bby2xcly653awb4cyz";
         libName = "webpki";
         dependencies = [
           {
@@ -9293,7 +9293,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "stackable_certs";
         authors = [
@@ -9391,7 +9391,7 @@ rec {
       "stackable-commons-operator" = rec {
         crateName = "stackable-commons-operator";
         version = "0.0.0-dev";
-        edition = "2021";
+        edition = "2024";
         crateBin = [
           {
             name = "stackable-commons-operator";
@@ -9479,7 +9479,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "stackable_operator";
         authors = [
@@ -9651,7 +9651,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         procMacro = true;
         libName = "stackable_operator_derive";
@@ -9686,7 +9686,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "stackable_shared";
         authors = [
@@ -9767,7 +9767,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "stackable_telemetry";
         authors = [
@@ -9877,7 +9877,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "stackable_versioned";
         authors = [
@@ -9921,7 +9921,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         procMacro = true;
         libName = "stackable_versioned_macros";
@@ -9989,7 +9989,7 @@ rec {
         src = pkgs.fetchgit {
           url = "https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git";
           rev = "8425ce312cfadcc49c157bada79cac04c3ad5229";
-          sha256 = "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c";
+          sha256 = "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3";
         };
         libName = "stackable_webhook";
         authors = [
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 76451a1..f205682 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ resolver = "2"
 version = "0.0.0-dev"
 authors = ["Stackable GmbH <info@stackable.tech>"]
 license = "OSL-3.0"
-edition = "2021"
+edition = "2024"
 repository = "https://github.com/stackabletech/commons-operator"
 
 [workspace.dependencies]
diff --git a/crate-hashes.json b/crate-hashes.json
index 6839c8b..2bebff2 100644
--- a/crate-hashes.json
+++ b/crate-hashes.json
@@ -4,14 +4,14 @@
   "git+https://github.com/kube-rs/kube-rs?rev=fe69cc486ff8e62a7da61d64ec3ebbd9e64c43b5#kube-derive@3.0.1": "1irm4g79crlxjm3iqrgvx0f6wxdcj394ky84q89pk9i36y2mlw3n",
   "git+https://github.com/kube-rs/kube-rs?rev=fe69cc486ff8e62a7da61d64ec3ebbd9e64c43b5#kube-runtime@3.0.1": "1irm4g79crlxjm3iqrgvx0f6wxdcj394ky84q89pk9i36y2mlw3n",
   "git+https://github.com/kube-rs/kube-rs?rev=fe69cc486ff8e62a7da61d64ec3ebbd9e64c43b5#kube@3.0.1": "1irm4g79crlxjm3iqrgvx0f6wxdcj394ky84q89pk9i36y2mlw3n",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#k8s-version@0.1.3": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-certs@0.4.0": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-operator-derive@0.3.1": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-operator@0.107.1": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-shared@0.1.0": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-telemetry@0.6.2": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-versioned-macros@0.8.3": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-versioned@0.8.3": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
-  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-webhook@0.9.0": "1yg7hbpgclp1zvfnhi4qkrwbgsa19v86plh77vqvwxzdxxxvxr4c",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#k8s-version@0.1.3": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-certs@0.4.0": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-operator-derive@0.3.1": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-operator@0.107.1": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-shared@0.1.0": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-telemetry@0.6.2": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-versioned-macros@0.8.3": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-versioned@0.8.3": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
+  "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/operator-rs.git?tag=stackable-operator-0.107.1#stackable-webhook@0.9.0": "08ahxagis53c7bxnj53xgzv5l619av1lwfc67cswrsp2wcakzns3",
   "git+https://github.com/stackabletech/product-config.git?tag=0.8.0#product-config@0.8.0": "1dz70kapm2wdqcr7ndyjji0lhsl98bsq95gnb2lw487wf6yr7987"
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/modules/commons-operator/pages/restarter.adoc b/docs/modules/commons-operator/pages/restarter.adoc
index e2e2c8b..9f951bc 100644
--- a/docs/modules/commons-operator/pages/restarter.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/commons-operator/pages/restarter.adoc
@@ -30,3 +30,61 @@ Label:: `restarter.stackable.tech/enabled`
 
 The operator can restart StatefulSets when any referenced configuration object (ConfigMap or Secret) changes.
 To enable this, set the `restarter.stackable.tech/enabled` label on the StatefulSet to `true`.
+
+Annotation:: `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-configmap.*`
+Annotation:: `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-secret.*`
+
+These annotations can be added if the restarter is enabled on a StatefulSet, but some ConfigMaps or Secrets should be excluded from triggering a restart. `*` can be replaced with any value and is only used to make the annotation key unique.
+
+[source,yaml]
+----
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: statefulset-with-enabled-restarter
+  labels:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/enabled: "true"
+  annotations:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-configmap.0: hot-reloaded-configmap
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-secret.0: hot-reloaded-secret
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      volumes:
+        - name: configuration
+          configMap:
+            name: hot-reloaded-configmap
+        - name: credentials
+          secret:
+            secretName: hot-reloaded-secret
+...
+----
+
+== ConfigMap/Secret
+
+Label:: `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore`
+
+If a ConfigMap or Secret is only used for initializing a StatefulSet or contains data which can be hot-reloaded, add the label `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore: "true"` to avoid unnecessary restarts of the StatefulSet pods:
+
+[source,yaml]
+----
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: hot-reloaded-configmap
+  labels:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore: "true"
+...
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: hot-reloaded-secret
+  labels:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore: "true"
+...
+----
+
+Unlike the StatefulSet annotations `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-configmap.\*` and `restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-secret.*`, this label affects every StatefulSet that references the labeled ConfigMaps or Secrets.
diff --git a/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/pod.rs b/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/pod.rs
index 0fffaa7..7a7e2e1 100644
--- a/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/pod.rs
+++ b/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/pod.rs
@@ -220,23 +220,20 @@ async fn report_result(
         const EVICT_ERROR_MESSAGE: &str =
             "Cannot evict pod as it would violate the pod's disruption budget.";
 
-        // TODO: We need Rust 1.88 and 2024 edition for if-let-chains
-        if let kube::Error::Api(s) = evict_pod_error {
-            if let Status {
+        if let kube::Error::Api(s) = evict_pod_error
+            && let Status {
                 code: TOO_MANY_REQUESTS_HTTP_CODE,
                 message: error_message,
                 ..
             } = s.deref()
-            {
-                if error_message == EVICT_ERROR_MESSAGE {
-                    tracing::info!(
-                        k8s.object.ref = %pod_ref,
-                        error = %evict_pod_error,
-                        "Tried to evict Pod, but wasn't allowed to do so, as it would violate the Pod's disruption budget. Retrying later"
-                    );
-                    return;
-                }
-            }
+            && error_message == EVICT_ERROR_MESSAGE
+        {
+            tracing::info!(
+                k8s.object.ref = %pod_ref,
+                error = %evict_pod_error,
+                "Tried to evict Pod, but wasn't allowed to do so, as it would violate the Pod's disruption budget. Retrying later"
+            );
+            return;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/statefulset.rs b/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/statefulset.rs
index 2cbdd92..5d9d5a7 100644
--- a/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/statefulset.rs
+++ b/rust/operator-binary/src/restart_controller/statefulset.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,9 @@
-use std::{collections::BTreeMap, future::Future, sync::Arc, time::Duration};
+use std::{
+    collections::{BTreeMap, BTreeSet},
+    future::Future,
+    sync::Arc,
+    time::Duration,
+};
 
 use futures::{Stream, StreamExt, TryStream, stream};
 use serde_json::json;
@@ -128,13 +133,20 @@ pub async fn start<F>(
                 trigger_all(
                     {
                         let cm_reader = cm_store.as_reader();
-                        reflector(cm_store, metadata_watcher(cms, watcher::Config::default()))
-                            .inspect(move |_| {
-                                if let Some(tx) = cm_store_tx.take() {
-                                    tx.init(cm_reader.clone());
-                                }
-                            })
-                            .touched_objects()
+                        reflector(
+                            cm_store,
+                            metadata_watcher(
+                                cms,
+                                watcher::Config::default()
+                                    .labels("restarter.stackable.tech/ignore != true"),
+                            ),
+                        )
+                        .inspect(move |_| {
+                            if let Some(tx) = cm_store_tx.take() {
+                                tx.init(cm_reader.clone());
+                            }
+                        })
+                        .touched_objects()
                     },
                     sts_store.as_reader(),
                 ),
@@ -143,7 +155,11 @@ pub async fn start<F>(
                         let secret_reader = secret_store.as_reader();
                         reflector(
                             secret_store,
-                            metadata_watcher(secrets, watcher::Config::default()),
+                            metadata_watcher(
+                                secrets,
+                                watcher::Config::default()
+                                    .labels("restarter.stackable.tech/ignore != true"),
+                            ),
                         )
                         .inspect(move |_| {
                             if let Some(tx) = secret_store_tx.take() {
@@ -235,11 +251,13 @@ pub async fn get_updated_restarter_annotations(
     let ns = sts.metadata.namespace.as_deref().expect(
         "A StatefulSet observed by a reflector (so send by Kubernetes) always has a namespace set",
     );
+
     let mut annotations = BTreeMap::<String, String>::new();
     let pod_specs = sts
         .spec
         .iter()
         .flat_map(|sts_spec| sts_spec.template.spec.as_ref());
+
     let cm_refs = pod_specs
         .clone()
         .flat_map(|pod_spec| {
@@ -269,19 +287,37 @@ pub async fn get_updated_restarter_annotations(
         })
         .map(|cm_ref| cm_ref.within(ns));
     let cms = ctx.cms.get().await.context(ConfigMapsUninitializedSnafu)?;
-    annotations.extend(cm_refs.flat_map(|cm_ref| cms.get(&cm_ref)).flat_map(|cm| {
-        Some((
-            format!(
-                "configmap.restarter.stackable.tech/{}",
-                cm.metadata.name.as_ref()?
-            ),
-            format!(
-                "{}/{}",
-                cm.metadata.uid.as_ref()?,
-                cm.metadata.resource_version.as_ref()?
-            ),
-        ))
-    }));
+    let ignored_cms = sts
+        .metadata
+        .annotations
+        .iter()
+        .flatten()
+        .filter(|annotation| {
+            annotation
+                .0
+                .starts_with("restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-configmap.")
+        })
+        .map(|x| x.1)
+        .collect::<BTreeSet<_>>();
+    annotations.extend(
+        cm_refs
+            .map(|cm_ref| (cm_ref.name.clone(), cms.get(&cm_ref)))
+            .map(|(cm_name, cm)| {
+                (
+                    format!("configmap.restarter.stackable.tech/{cm_name}",),
+                    if let Some(cm) = cm
+                        && let Some(uid) = &cm.metadata.uid
+                        && let Some(resource_version) = &cm.metadata.resource_version
+                        && !ignored_cms.contains(&cm_name)
+                    {
+                        format!("{uid}/{resource_version}",)
+                    } else {
+                        "changes-ignored".to_owned()
+                    },
+                )
+            }),
+    );
+
     let secret_refs = pod_specs
         .flat_map(|pod_spec| {
             find_pod_refs(
@@ -305,23 +341,37 @@ pub async fn get_updated_restarter_annotations(
         })
         .map(|secret_ref| secret_ref.within(ns));
     let secrets = ctx.secrets.get().await.context(SecretsUninitializedSnafu)?;
+    let ignored_secrets = sts
+        .metadata
+        .annotations
+        .iter()
+        .flatten()
+        .filter(|annotation| {
+            annotation
+                .0
+                .starts_with("restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-secret.")
+        })
+        .map(|x| x.1)
+        .collect::<BTreeSet<_>>();
     annotations.extend(
         secret_refs
-            .flat_map(|secret_ref| secrets.get(&secret_ref))
-            .flat_map(|cm| {
-                Some((
-                    format!(
-                        "secret.restarter.stackable.tech/{}",
-                        cm.metadata.name.as_ref()?
-                    ),
-                    format!(
-                        "{}/{}",
-                        cm.metadata.uid.as_ref()?,
-                        cm.metadata.resource_version.as_ref()?
-                    ),
-                ))
+            .map(|secret_ref| (secret_ref.name.clone(), secrets.get(&secret_ref)))
+            .map(|(secret_name, secret)| {
+                (
+                    format!("secret.restarter.stackable.tech/{secret_name}",),
+                    if let Some(secret) = secret
+                        && let Some(uid) = &secret.metadata.uid
+                        && let Some(resource_version) = &secret.metadata.resource_version
+                        && !ignored_secrets.contains(&secret_name)
+                    {
+                        format!("{uid}/{resource_version}",)
+                    } else {
+                        "changes-ignored".to_owned()
+                    },
+                )
             }),
     );
+
     Ok(annotations)
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-assert.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-assert.yaml
index 8926a3d..dbf238f 100644
--- a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-assert.yaml
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-assert.yaml
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 ---
 apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
 kind: TestAssert
-timeout: 30
+timeout: 120
 ---
 apiVersion: apps/v1
 kind: StatefulSet
 metadata:
-  name: sleep
+  name: test
 status:
   readyReplicas: 1
   replicas: 1
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-create-test-resources.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-create-test-resources.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0bc86fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-create-test-resources.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: configmap-not-ignored
+data:
+  revision: "1"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: secret-not-ignored
+stringData:
+  revision: "1"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: configmap-self-ignored
+  annotations:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore: "true"
+data:
+  revision: "1"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: secret-self-ignored
+  annotations:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore: "true"
+stringData:
+  revision: "1"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+data:
+  revision: "1"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+stringData:
+  revision: "1"
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: test
+  labels:
+    restarter.stackable.tech/enabled: "true"
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-configmap.0: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+    restarter.stackable.tech/ignore-secret.0: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+spec:
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: test
+  serviceName: test
+  replicas: 1
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: test
+    spec:
+      serviceAccount: integration-tests-sa
+      volumes:
+        - name: configmap-not-ignored
+          configMap:
+            name: configmap-not-ignored
+        - name: secret-not-ignored
+          secret:
+            secretName: secret-not-ignored
+        - name: configmap-self-ignored
+          configMap:
+            name: configmap-self-ignored
+        - name: secret-self-ignored
+          secret:
+            secretName: secret-self-ignored
+        - name: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+          configMap:
+            name: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+        - name: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+          secret:
+            secretName: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+      containers:
+        - name: test
+          image: alpine
+          command:
+            - sleep
+          args:
+            - infinity
+          volumeMounts:
+            - mountPath: /config/configmap-not-ignored-subpath/revision
+              name: configmap-not-ignored
+              # Use a subPath, so that changes are only visible after a restart.
+              subPath: revision
+            - mountPath: /config/secret-not-ignored-subpath/revision
+              name: secret-not-ignored
+              # Use a subPath, so that changes are only visible after a restart.
+              subPath: revision
+            - mountPath: /config/configmap-self-ignored
+              name: configmap-self-ignored
+            - mountPath: /config/secret-self-ignored
+              name: secret-self-ignored
+            - mountPath: /config/configmap-self-ignored-subpath/revision
+              name: configmap-self-ignored
+              # Use a subPath, so that changes are only visible after a restart.
+              subPath: revision
+            - mountPath: /config/secret-self-ignored-subpath/revision
+              name: secret-self-ignored
+              # Use a subPath, so that changes are only visible after a restart.
+              subPath: revision
+            - mountPath: /config/configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+              name: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+            - mountPath: /config/secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+              name: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+            - mountPath: /config/configmap-ignored-in-statefulset-subpath/revision
+              name: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+              # Use a subPath, so that changes are only visible after a restart.
+              subPath: revision
+            - mountPath: /config/secret-ignored-in-statefulset-subpath/revision
+              name: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+              # Use a subPath, so that changes are only visible after a restart.
+              subPath: revision
+      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: 5
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-sleep.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-sleep.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 4d592f6..0000000
--- a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/10-sleep.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,44 +0,0 @@
----
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: ConfigMap
-metadata:
-  name: sleep
-data:
-  property: value
----
-apiVersion: apps/v1
-kind: StatefulSet
-metadata:
-  name: sleep
-  labels:
-    restarter.stackable.tech/enabled: "true"
-spec:
-  selector:
-    matchLabels:
-      app: sleep
-  serviceName: "sleep"
-  replicas: 1
-  template:
-    metadata:
-      labels:
-        app: sleep
-    spec:
-      serviceAccount: integration-tests-sa
-      volumes:
-        - name: config
-          configMap:
-            name: sleep
-            items:
-              - key: property
-                path: property
-      containers:
-        - name: sleep
-          image: alpine
-          command:
-            - sleep
-          args:
-            - infinity
-          volumeMounts:
-            - name: config
-              mountPath: /config
-      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: 5
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-assert.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-assert.yaml
index 5235897..42f197f 100644
--- a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-assert.yaml
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-assert.yaml
@@ -3,4 +3,20 @@ apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
 kind: TestAssert
 timeout: 180
 commands:
-  - script: test "restarted" = $(kubectl exec sleep-0 -c sleep -n $NAMESPACE -- cat /config/property)
+  - script: |
+      . ../../../../templates/kuttl/restarter/test-script.sh
+
+      # Resources mounted via subPath are not hot-reloaded by Kubernetes.
+      # It is expected, that the restart controller ignored the annotated resources and that only
+      # the resources not mounted via subPath were updated.
+
+      assert_revision 1 configmap-not-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 1 secret-not-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 1 configmap-self-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 1 secret-self-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-self-ignored
+      assert_revision 2 secret-self-ignored
+      assert_revision 1 configmap-ignored-in-statefulset-subpath
+      assert_revision 1 secret-ignored-in-statefulset-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+      assert_revision 2 secret-ignored-in-statefulset
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-hot-reload.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-hot-reload.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ef493e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-hot-reload.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: configmap-self-ignored
+data:
+  revision: "2"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: secret-self-ignored
+stringData:
+  revision: "2"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+data:
+  revision: "2"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: secret-ignored-in-statefulset
+stringData:
+  revision: "2"
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-update-cm.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-update-cm.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 0ac0446..0000000
--- a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/20-update-cm.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
----
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: ConfigMap
-metadata:
-  name: sleep
-data:
-  property: restarted
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/21-assert.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/21-assert.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..974de6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/21-assert.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+---
+apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
+kind: TestAssert
+timeout: 180
+commands:
+  - script: |
+      . ../../../../templates/kuttl/restarter/test-script.sh
+
+      # After a restart, all resources should have been updated.
+
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-not-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 secret-not-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-self-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 secret-self-ignored-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-self-ignored
+      assert_revision 2 secret-self-ignored
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-ignored-in-statefulset-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 secret-ignored-in-statefulset-subpath
+      assert_revision 2 configmap-ignored-in-statefulset
+      assert_revision 2 secret-ignored-in-statefulset
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/21-trigger-restart.yaml b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/21-trigger-restart.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..08650bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/21-trigger-restart.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: configmap-not-ignored
+data:
+  revision: "2"
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+  name: secret-not-ignored
+stringData:
+  revision: "2"
diff --git a/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/test-script.sh b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/test-script.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b2e69dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/templates/kuttl/restarter/test-script.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+
+get_revision () {
+    resource="$1"
+
+    kubectl exec test-0 \
+        --namespace "$NAMESPACE" \
+        --container test -- \
+        cat "/config/$resource/revision"
+}
+
+assert_revision () {
+    expected_value="$1"
+    resource="$2"
+
+    actual_value="$(get_revision "$resource")"
+    if test "$expected_value" = "$actual_value"
+    then
+        echo "[PASS] $resource contains expected value"
+    else
+        echo "[FAIL] $resource does not contain expected value: " \
+             "expected: $expected_value != actual: $actual_value"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}