diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/AnnotationControllerConfiguration.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/AnnotationControllerConfiguration.java
index 70059f9683..19535c6d3e 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/AnnotationControllerConfiguration.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/AnnotationControllerConfiguration.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.ReconcilerUtils;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.dependent.DependentResourceSpec;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Constants;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.ControllerConfiguration;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Reconciler;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.dependent.Dependent;
@@ -189,8 +190,12 @@ private Object createKubernetesResourceConfig(Class<? extends DependentResource>
       configuredNS = true;
     }
 
-    final var labelSelector =
-        Utils.valueOrDefault(kubeDependent, KubernetesDependent::labelSelector, null);
+    String labelSelector = null;
+    if (kubeDependent != null) {
+      final var fromAnnotation = kubeDependent.labelSelector();
+      labelSelector = Constants.NO_VALUE_SET.equals(fromAnnotation) ? null : fromAnnotation;
+    }
+
     config =
         new KubernetesDependentResourceConfig(namespaces, labelSelector, configuredNS);
     return config;
diff --git a/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/config/runtime/AnnotationControllerConfigurationTest.java b/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/config/runtime/AnnotationControllerConfigurationTest.java
index 90c013c095..ad97653946 100644
--- a/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/config/runtime/AnnotationControllerConfigurationTest.java
+++ b/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/config/runtime/AnnotationControllerConfigurationTest.java
@@ -14,16 +14,36 @@
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.UpdateControl;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.dependent.Dependent;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.dependent.DependentResource;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.dependent.kubernetes.KubernetesDependent;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.dependent.kubernetes.KubernetesDependentResource;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.dependent.kubernetes.KubernetesDependentResourceConfig;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.sample.readonly.ReadOnlyDependent;
 
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 
 class AnnotationControllerConfigurationTest {
 
+  @Test
+  void defaultValuesShouldBeConsistent() {
+    final var configuration = new AnnotationControllerConfiguration<>(new SelectorReconciler());
+    final var annotated = extractDependentKubernetesResourceConfig(configuration, 1);
+    final var unannotated = extractDependentKubernetesResourceConfig(configuration, 0);
+
+    assertNull(annotated.labelSelector());
+    assertNull(unannotated.labelSelector());
+  }
+
+  private KubernetesDependentResourceConfig extractDependentKubernetesResourceConfig(
+      io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.ControllerConfiguration<?> configuration, int index) {
+    return (KubernetesDependentResourceConfig) configuration.getDependentResources().get(index)
+        .getDependentResourceConfiguration()
+        .orElseThrow();
+  }
+
   @Test
   void getDependentResources() {
     var configuration = new AnnotationControllerConfiguration<>(new NoDepReconciler());
@@ -144,4 +164,25 @@ public UpdateControl<ConfigMap> reconcile(ConfigMap resource, Context<ConfigMap>
       return null;
     }
   }
+
+  @ControllerConfiguration(dependents = {
+      @Dependent(type = SelectorReconciler.WithAnnotation.class),
+      @Dependent(type = ReadOnlyDependent.class)
+  })
+  private static class SelectorReconciler implements Reconciler<ConfigMap> {
+
+    @Override
+    public UpdateControl<ConfigMap> reconcile(ConfigMap resource, Context<ConfigMap> context)
+        throws Exception {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    @KubernetesDependent
+    private static class WithAnnotation extends KubernetesDependentResource<ConfigMap, ConfigMap> {
+
+      public WithAnnotation() {
+        super(ConfigMap.class);
+      }
+    }
+  }
 }