diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 1b63629..f14b89c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -55,11 +55,20 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.mod
       - uses: azure/setup-helm@v5
-      - name: Lint Helm chart
-        run: helm lint charts/drop
-      - name: Template Helm chart
-        run: helm template drop charts/drop
+      - name: Generate CRDs and sync into charts
+        run: make sync-crds
+      - name: Lint Helm charts
+        run: |
+          helm lint charts/drop
+          helm lint charts/drop-crds
+      - name: Template Helm charts
+        run: |
+          helm template drop charts/drop
+          helm template drop-crds charts/drop-crds
 
   docs-build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -103,7 +112,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install CRDs
         run: |
           make controller-gen
-          make manifests
+          make sync-crds
           kubectl apply -f config/crd/bases/
       - name: Deploy E2E infrastructure (Prometheus + Registry)
         run: make e2e-infra
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 648bb6c..ab2e15e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -161,13 +161,23 @@ jobs:
           subject-digest: ${{ steps.build.outputs.digest }}
           push-to-registry: true
 
-      - name: Package and push Helm chart
+      - name: Package and push Helm charts
         if: steps.changes.outputs.skip != 'true'
         run: |
           VERSION=${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
           echo "${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}" | helm registry login ghcr.io -u ${{ github.actor }} --password-stdin
+
+          # Sync CRDs from generated sources into chart templates
+          make sync-crds
+
+          # Package and push main operator chart
           helm package charts/drop --version "${VERSION#v}" --app-version "${VERSION#v}"
           helm push drop-*.tgz oci://ghcr.io/$(echo '${{ github.repository_owner }}' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')/charts
+          rm -f drop-*.tgz
+
+          # Package and push CRDs chart
+          helm package charts/drop-crds --version "${VERSION#v}" --app-version "${VERSION#v}"
+          helm push drop-crds-*.tgz oci://ghcr.io/$(echo '${{ github.repository_owner }}' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')/charts
 
       - name: Create GitHub Release
         if: steps.changes.outputs.skip != 'true'
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 06989d0..94e121d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -39,3 +39,7 @@ docs/.hugo_build.lock
 # Generated docs-gen binary
 /gen-ai-docs
 .kubeconfig
+
+# Generated CRD chart templates (produced by make sync-crds in CI)
+charts/drop-crds/templates/drop.corewire.io_*.yaml
+charts/drop/templates/crds-drop.corewire.io_*.yaml
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index de99a67..c4ede01 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -57,8 +57,21 @@ generate: controller-gen ## Generate DeepCopy methods.
 manifests: controller-gen ## Generate CRD and RBAC manifests.
 	$(CONTROLLER_GEN) rbac:roleName=manager-role crd webhook paths="./..." output:crd:artifacts:config=config/crd/bases
 
+.PHONY: sync-crds
+sync-crds: manifests ## Sync generated CRDs into Helm chart templates.
+	@echo "Syncing CRDs into charts/drop-crds/templates/ and charts/drop/templates/"
+	@for f in config/crd/bases/*.yaml; do \
+		base=$$(basename "$$f"); \
+		{ echo '{{- /* Generated from config/crd/bases — do not edit manually. Run make sync-crds */ -}}'; \
+		  echo '{{- if .Values.install }}'; cat "$$f"; echo '{{- end }}'; \
+		} > "charts/drop-crds/templates/$$base"; \
+		{ echo '{{- /* Generated from config/crd/bases — do not edit manually. Run make sync-crds */ -}}'; \
+		  echo '{{- if .Values.crds.install }}'; cat "$$f"; echo '{{- end }}'; \
+		} > "charts/drop/templates/crds-$$base"; \
+	done
+
 .PHONY: codegen
-codegen: generate manifests docs-gen ## Run all code generation (deepcopy + CRDs + docs).
+codegen: generate manifests sync-crds docs-gen ## Run all code generation (deepcopy + CRDs + docs).
 
 ##@ Testing
 
diff --git a/charts/drop-crds/.helmignore b/charts/drop-crds/.helmignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..414bb6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/charts/drop-crds/.helmignore
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Patterns to ignore when building packages.
+.DS_Store
+.git/
+.gitignore
+.bzr/
+.bzrignore
+.hg/
+.hgignore
+.svn/
+*.swp
+*.bak
+*.tmp
+*.orig
+*~
+.project
+.idea/
+*.tmproj
+.vscode/
diff --git a/charts/drop-crds/Chart.yaml b/charts/drop-crds/Chart.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5a3f207
--- /dev/null
+++ b/charts/drop-crds/Chart.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+apiVersion: v2
+name: drop-crds
+description: CRDs for the drop operator (install separately for reliable upgrades)
+type: application
+version: 0.1.0
+appVersion: "0.1.0"
+kubeVersion: ">=1.28.0-0"
+keywords:
+  - kubernetes
+  - operator
+  - image-caching
+  - pre-pull
+  - crds
+home: https://github.com/Breee/drop
+sources:
+  - https://github.com/Breee/drop
+maintainers:
+  - name: Breee
+    url: https://github.com/Breee
diff --git a/charts/drop-crds/values.yaml b/charts/drop-crds/values.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba8a937
--- /dev/null
+++ b/charts/drop-crds/values.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+# Default values for drop-crds.
+
+# Set to false to render the chart without actually creating CRDs
+# (useful for dry-run or templating).
+install: true
diff --git a/charts/drop/values.yaml b/charts/drop/values.yaml
index 19429a4..dca0847 100644
--- a/charts/drop/values.yaml
+++ b/charts/drop/values.yaml
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@ certManager:
     name: selfsigned-issuer
     kind: ClusterIssuer
 
+# CRD management. Set install to false when using the separate drop-crds chart.
+crds:
+  install: true
+
 nodeSelector: {}
 tolerations: []
 affinity: {}
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimages.yaml b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimages.yaml
index 1bce2fd..cc9d58f 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimages.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimages.yaml
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@ spec:
     name: v1alpha1
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
-        description: CachedImage is the Schema for the cachedimages API.
+        description: CachedImage ensures a single container image is pre-cached on
+          cluster nodes.
         properties:
           apiVersion:
             description: |-
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimagesets.yaml b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimagesets.yaml
index 3372da6..0ea3cf7 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimagesets.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_cachedimagesets.yaml
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ spec:
     name: v1alpha1
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
-        description: CachedImageSet is the Schema for the cachedimagesets API.
+        description: CachedImageSet manages a group of images to cache, optionally
+          backed by a DiscoveryPolicy.
         properties:
           apiVersion:
             description: |-
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_discoverypolicies.yaml b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_discoverypolicies.yaml
index d4dad33..397fa38 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_discoverypolicies.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_discoverypolicies.yaml
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ spec:
     name: v1alpha1
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
-        description: DiscoveryPolicy is the Schema for the discoverypolicies API.
+        description: DiscoveryPolicy automatically discovers images from registries
+          or Prometheus metrics.
         properties:
           apiVersion:
             description: |-
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_pullpolicies.yaml b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_pullpolicies.yaml
index 96cad10..2f2155e 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_pullpolicies.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/drop.corewire.io_pullpolicies.yaml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ spec:
     schema:
       openAPIV3Schema:
         description: |-
-          PullPolicy is the Schema for the pullpolicies API.
+          PullPolicy controls the pacing and retry behavior for image pulls across cluster nodes.
           It is a configuration-only resource with no status.
         properties:
           apiVersion:
diff --git a/docs/content/docs/install.md b/docs/content/docs/install.md
index 90182bb..2bdcf0f 100644
--- a/docs/content/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/content/docs/install.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ llmsDescription: |
   Installation guide for the drop operator. Prerequisites: Kubernetes 1.28+,
   Helm 3.12+. Install via Helm chart from ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop.
   Optional: cert-manager for secure metrics, ServiceMonitor for Prometheus.
+  CRDs can be installed separately via the drop-crds chart for reliable upgrades.
 ---
 
 ## Prerequisites
@@ -34,6 +35,62 @@ helm install drop oci://ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop \
   --set certManager.enabled=true
 ```
 
+## CRD Management
+
+Helm does not update CRDs on `helm upgrade`. For reliable CRD lifecycle
+management, install CRDs separately using the **drop-crds** chart:
+
+```bash
+# Install CRDs independently
+helm install drop-crds oci://ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop-crds
+
+# Install the operator with CRD installation disabled
+helm install drop oci://ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop \
+  --namespace drop-system \
+  --create-namespace \
+  --set crds.install=false
+```
+
+To upgrade CRDs later:
+
+```bash
+helm upgrade drop-crds oci://ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop-crds
+```
+
+### ArgoCD
+
+When using ArgoCD, deploy CRDs and the operator as separate Applications so
+that CRD updates are applied independently. See
+[`examples/argocd/`](https://github.com/Breee/drop/tree/main/examples/argocd)
+for ready-to-use Application manifests.
+
+Key points for ArgoCD CRD management:
+
+- Use `ServerSideApply=true` and `Replace=true` sync options on the CRDs Application.
+- Set a negative sync-wave (`argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "-1"`) so CRDs are synced before the operator.
+- Disable `crds.install` in the operator chart values.
+
+### Renovate
+
+The repository includes Renovate custom managers that automatically detect new
+chart versions in the ArgoCD example manifests. Add similar regex managers to
+your own `renovate.json` to keep chart references up to date:
+
+```json
+{
+  "customManagers": [
+    {
+      "customType": "regex",
+      "fileMatch": ["argocd/.*\\.yaml$"],
+      "matchStrings": ["chart: drop-crds\\n\\s+repoURL: oci://ghcr\\.io/breee/charts\\n\\s+targetRevision: (?<currentValue>\\S+)"],
+      "depNameTemplate": "drop-crds",
+      "datasourceTemplate": "docker",
+      "packageNameTemplate": "ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop-crds"
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
 ## Verify
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/examples/argocd/drop-crds.yaml b/examples/argocd/drop-crds.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a31d467
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/argocd/drop-crds.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+# ArgoCD Application — drop CRDs (install first)
+#
+# Best practice: Install CRDs as a separate ArgoCD Application with
+# Replace=true sync option so that ArgoCD can manage CRD lifecycle
+# independently of the operator.
+apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Application
+metadata:
+  name: drop-crds
+  namespace: argocd
+  annotations:
+    argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "-1"
+spec:
+  project: default
+  source:
+    chart: drop-crds
+    repoURL: oci://ghcr.io/breee/charts
+    targetRevision: 0.1.0
+  destination:
+    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
+  syncPolicy:
+    automated:
+      prune: false
+      selfHeal: true
+    syncOptions:
+      - CreateNamespace=false
+      - ServerSideApply=true
+      - Replace=true
diff --git a/examples/argocd/drop-operator.yaml b/examples/argocd/drop-operator.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edc0eb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/argocd/drop-operator.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# ArgoCD Application — drop operator
+#
+# When using the separate drop-crds chart, disable CRD installation in the
+# operator chart by setting crds.install=false.
+apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Application
+metadata:
+  name: drop
+  namespace: argocd
+  annotations:
+    argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "0"
+spec:
+  project: default
+  source:
+    chart: drop
+    repoURL: oci://ghcr.io/breee/charts
+    targetRevision: 0.1.0
+    helm:
+      valuesObject:
+        crds:
+          install: false
+  destination:
+    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
+    namespace: drop-system
+  syncPolicy:
+    automated:
+      prune: true
+      selfHeal: true
+    syncOptions:
+      - CreateNamespace=true
diff --git a/renovate.json b/renovate.json
index 2534534..0a778ba 100644
--- a/renovate.json
+++ b/renovate.json
@@ -14,6 +14,31 @@
       "description": "Major updates require manual approval",
       "matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
       "automerge": false
+    },
+    {
+      "description": "Group drop chart and drop-crds chart version bumps together",
+      "matchFileNames": ["charts/drop/Chart.yaml", "charts/drop-crds/Chart.yaml"],
+      "groupName": "drop-charts"
+    }
+  ],
+  "customManagers": [
+    {
+      "customType": "regex",
+      "description": "Update drop-crds chart version in ArgoCD examples",
+      "fileMatch": ["examples/argocd/.*\\.yaml$"],
+      "matchStrings": ["chart: drop-crds\\n\\s+repoURL: oci://ghcr\\.io/breee/charts\\n\\s+targetRevision: (?<currentValue>\\S+)"],
+      "depNameTemplate": "drop-crds",
+      "datasourceTemplate": "docker",
+      "packageNameTemplate": "ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop-crds"
+    },
+    {
+      "customType": "regex",
+      "description": "Update drop operator chart version in ArgoCD examples",
+      "fileMatch": ["examples/argocd/.*\\.yaml$"],
+      "matchStrings": ["chart: drop\\n\\s+repoURL: oci://ghcr\\.io/breee/charts\\n\\s+targetRevision: (?<currentValue>\\S+)"],
+      "depNameTemplate": "drop",
+      "datasourceTemplate": "docker",
+      "packageNameTemplate": "ghcr.io/breee/charts/drop"
     }
   ]
 }