diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/BaseConfigurationService.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/BaseConfigurationService.java
index 2e8895ad87..e294e0babf 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/BaseConfigurationService.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/BaseConfigurationService.java
@@ -105,9 +105,10 @@ protected <P extends HasMetadata> ControllerConfiguration<P> configFor(Reconcile
               +
               " annotation for reconciler:  " + reconciler);
     }
+    Class<Reconciler<P>> reconcilerClass = (Class<Reconciler<P>>) reconciler.getClass();
+    final var resourceClass = ConfigurationServiceProvider.instance().getResourceClassResolver()
+        .getResourceClass(reconcilerClass);
 
-    final var resourceClass = (Class<P>) Utils.getFirstTypeArgumentFromSuperClassOrInterface(
-        reconciler.getClass(), Reconciler.class);
     final var name = ReconcilerUtils.getNameFor(reconciler);
     final var generationAware = valueOrDefault(
         annotation,
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
index e9249505ab..d7dccd5bb4 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
@@ -206,4 +206,8 @@ default Optional<InformerStoppedHandler> getInformerStoppedHandler() {
   default ManagedWorkflowFactory getWorkflowFactory() {
     return ManagedWorkflowFactory.DEFAULT;
   }
+
+  default ResourceClassResolver getResourceClassResolver() {
+    return new DefaultResourceClassResolver();
+  }
 }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java
index 2b8aee9708..22a4b6e6bd 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationServiceOverrider.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ public class ConfigurationServiceOverrider {
   private InformerStoppedHandler informerStoppedHandler;
   private Boolean stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup;
   private Duration cacheSyncTimeout;
+  private ResourceClassResolver resourceClassResolver;
 
   ConfigurationServiceOverrider(ConfigurationService original) {
     this.original = original;
@@ -113,6 +114,12 @@ public ConfigurationServiceOverrider withCacheSyncTimeout(Duration cacheSyncTime
     return this;
   }
 
+  public ConfigurationServiceOverrider withResourceClassResolver(
+      ResourceClassResolver resourceClassResolver) {
+    this.resourceClassResolver = resourceClassResolver;
+    return this;
+  }
+
   public ConfigurationService build() {
     return new BaseConfigurationService(original.getVersion(), cloner, objectMapper) {
       @Override
@@ -196,6 +203,12 @@ public boolean stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup() {
       public Duration cacheSyncTimeout() {
         return cacheSyncTimeout != null ? cacheSyncTimeout : super.cacheSyncTimeout();
       }
+
+      @Override
+      public ResourceClassResolver getResourceClassResolver() {
+        return resourceClassResolver != null ? resourceClassResolver
+            : super.getResourceClassResolver();
+      }
     };
   }
 
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfiguration.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfiguration.java
index b2640777a7..1363ef0101 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfiguration.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfiguration.java
@@ -114,6 +114,9 @@ default ConfigurationService getConfigurationService() {
   @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
   @Override
   default Class<P> getResourceClass() {
+    // note that this implementation at the end not used within the boundaries of the core
+    // framework, should be removed in the future, (and marked as an API changed, or behavior
+    // change)
     return (Class<P>) Utils.getFirstTypeArgumentFromSuperClassOrInterface(getClass(),
         ControllerConfiguration.class);
   }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationOverrider.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationOverrider.java
index 4a3efbc4a6..74a1d78a07 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationOverrider.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationOverrider.java
@@ -36,20 +36,22 @@ public class ControllerConfigurationOverrider<R extends HasMetadata> {
   private GenericFilter<R> genericFilter;
   private RateLimiter rateLimiter;
   private Map<DependentResourceSpec, Object> configurations;
+  private String name;
 
   private ControllerConfigurationOverrider(ControllerConfiguration<R> original) {
-    finalizer = original.getFinalizerName();
-    generationAware = original.isGenerationAware();
-    namespaces = new HashSet<>(original.getNamespaces());
-    retry = original.getRetry();
-    labelSelector = original.getLabelSelector();
-    customResourcePredicate = original.getEventFilter();
-    reconciliationMaxInterval = original.maxReconciliationInterval().orElse(null);
+    this.finalizer = original.getFinalizerName();
+    this.generationAware = original.isGenerationAware();
+    this.namespaces = new HashSet<>(original.getNamespaces());
+    this.retry = original.getRetry();
+    this.labelSelector = original.getLabelSelector();
+    this.customResourcePredicate = original.getEventFilter();
+    this.reconciliationMaxInterval = original.maxReconciliationInterval().orElse(null);
     this.onAddFilter = original.onAddFilter().orElse(null);
     this.onUpdateFilter = original.onUpdateFilter().orElse(null);
     this.genericFilter = original.genericFilter().orElse(null);
     this.original = original;
     this.rateLimiter = original.getRateLimiter();
+    this.name = original.getName();
   }
 
   public ControllerConfigurationOverrider<R> withFinalizer(String finalizer) {
@@ -152,6 +154,11 @@ public ControllerConfigurationOverrider<R> withGenericFilter(GenericFilter<R> ge
     return this;
   }
 
+  public ControllerConfigurationOverrider<R> withName(String name) {
+    this.name = name;
+    return this;
+  }
+
   public ControllerConfigurationOverrider<R> replacingNamedDependentResourceConfig(String name,
       Object dependentResourceConfig) {
 
@@ -165,13 +172,12 @@ public ControllerConfigurationOverrider<R> replacingNamedDependentResourceConfig
       configurations = new HashMap<>(specs.size());
     }
     configurations.put(spec, dependentResourceConfig);
-
     return this;
   }
 
   public ControllerConfiguration<R> build() {
-    final var overridden = new ResolvedControllerConfiguration<>(
-        original.getResourceClass(), original.getName(),
+    final var overridden = new ResolvedControllerConfiguration<>(original.getResourceClass(),
+        name,
         generationAware, original.getAssociatedReconcilerClassName(), retry, rateLimiter,
         reconciliationMaxInterval, onAddFilter, onUpdateFilter, genericFilter,
         original.getDependentResources(),
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/DefaultResourceClassResolver.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/DefaultResourceClassResolver.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c038e7d966
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/DefaultResourceClassResolver.java
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Reconciler;
+
+public class DefaultResourceClassResolver implements ResourceClassResolver {
+
+  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+  @Override
+  public <R extends HasMetadata> Class<R> getResourceClass(
+      Class<? extends Reconciler<R>> reconcilerClass) {
+    return (Class<R>) Utils.getFirstTypeArgumentFromSuperClassOrInterface(reconcilerClass,
+        Reconciler.class);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ResourceClassResolver.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ResourceClassResolver.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e15d53016a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ResourceClassResolver.java
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Reconciler;
+
+public interface ResourceClassResolver {
+
+  <R extends HasMetadata> Class<R> getResourceClass(Class<? extends Reconciler<R>> reconcilerClass);
+
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationTest.java b/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationTest.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 1e78288232..0000000000
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ControllerConfigurationTest.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config;
-
-import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
-
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.sample.simple.TestCustomResource;
-
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
-
-class ControllerConfigurationTest {
-
-  @Test
-  void getCustomResourceClass() {
-    final ControllerConfiguration<TestCustomResource> lambdasCannotBeUsedToExtractGenericParam =
-        () -> null;
-    assertThrows(RuntimeException.class,
-        lambdasCannotBeUsedToExtractGenericParam::getResourceClass);
-
-    final ControllerConfiguration<TestCustomResource> conf = new ControllerConfiguration<>() {
-      @Override
-      public String getAssociatedReconcilerClassName() {
-        return null;
-      }
-    };
-    assertEquals(TestCustomResource.class, conf.getResourceClass());
-  }
-}