diff --git a/deploy/helm/templates/_helpers.tpl b/deploy/helm/templates/_helpers.tpl
index 04100291cae..9add8500c67 100644
--- a/deploy/helm/templates/_helpers.tpl
+++ b/deploy/helm/templates/_helpers.tpl
@@ -237,6 +237,27 @@ Uses existing secret if provided, otherwise derives "{release}-redis-secret"
 {{- .Values.redis.auth.existingSecret | default (printf "%s-redis-secret" .Release.Name) -}}
 {{- end -}}
 
+{{/*
+Redis: validate the redis.auth.password configuration.
+
+redis.auth.password is a Bitnami subchart passthrough that the Appsmith
+templates never read on their own. There is exactly ONE supported way to use
+it: the fully self-managed path, where the operator also disables the chart's
+bootstrap secret (existingSecret: "") and hands the app a matching connection
+string via applicationConfig.APPSMITH_REDIS_URL. Any other use silently splits
+the password between Redis and the app, so we fail fast instead.
+
+Invoked from a template that always renders (configMap.yaml) so it evaluates on
+every `helm template`/install/upgrade.
+*/}}
+{{- define "appsmith.validateRedisAuth" -}}
+{{- if .Values.redis.auth.password -}}
+{{- if or .Values.redis.auth.existingSecret (not .Values.applicationConfig.APPSMITH_REDIS_URL) -}}
+{{ fail (printf "redis.auth.password is set, which is only supported on the self-managed path. Choose one of:\n  1. Leave redis.auth.password unset and let the chart bootstrap a password (default), or supply your own secret via redis.auth.existingSecret / redis.auth.existingSecretPasswordKey.\n  2. Self-manage the password: set redis.auth.password, set redis.auth.existingSecret: \"\", and set applicationConfig.APPSMITH_REDIS_URL=redis://:<password>@%s-redis-master:6379 so the app uses the same credential." .Release.Name) }}
+{{- end -}}
+{{- end -}}
+{{- end -}}
+
 {{/*
 Redis: master service hostname (FQDN inside the cluster).
 Derived from the release name to stay uniform with the chart's other components.
diff --git a/deploy/helm/templates/configMap.yaml b/deploy/helm/templates/configMap.yaml
index 0f633731344..91dd5c66f12 100644
--- a/deploy/helm/templates/configMap.yaml
+++ b/deploy/helm/templates/configMap.yaml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 {{- $postgresqlPassword := .Values.postgresql.auth.password -}}
 {{- $postgresqlDatabase := .Values.postgresql.auth.database -}}
 {{- $releaseName := .Release.Name -}}
+{{- include "appsmith.validateRedisAuth" . -}}
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: ConfigMap
 metadata:
diff --git a/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml b/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml
index c45c8891f31..dc5a8c11122 100644
--- a/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -80,7 +80,13 @@ spec:
         image: "{{ .Values.redis.image.registry }}/{{ .Values.redis.image.repository }}:{{ .Values.redis.image.tag }}"
       {{- end }}
         command: ['sh', '-c', "until redis-cli -h {{ include "appsmith.redisMasterHost" . }} ping ; do echo waiting for redis; sleep 2; done"]
-        {{- if .Values.redis.auth.enabled }}
+        {{- if and .Values.redis.auth.enabled (not .Values.applicationConfig.APPSMITH_REDIS_URL) }}
+        # Pull the password from the chart-managed Secret so the readiness ping can
+        # authenticate. Skipped when the operator supplies their own APPSMITH_REDIS_URL
+        # (the self-managed redis.auth.password path), because then no chart Secret exists
+        # to reference and an unresolvable secretKeyRef would wedge the pod in
+        # CreateContainerConfigError. The wait still works unauthenticated: `redis-cli ping`
+        # against an auth-required server replies NOAUTH but exits 0, satisfying the loop.
         env:
           - name: REDISCLI_AUTH
             valueFrom:
diff --git a/deploy/helm/templates/hooks/redis.yaml b/deploy/helm/templates/hooks/redis.yaml
index 30b9231e75b..43e507bc463 100644
--- a/deploy/helm/templates/hooks/redis.yaml
+++ b/deploy/helm/templates/hooks/redis.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,16 @@ secret (or a user who pre-created their own) is left untouched.
 The resulting Secret has no Helm release labels/annotations and no
 ownerReferences, so ArgoCD does not track or diff it.
 */}}
-{{- if and .Values.redis.enabled .Values.redis.auth.enabled }}
+{{/*
+Skip the bootstrap entirely when redis.auth.password is set: on that path the
+operator self-manages the credential (Bitnami uses redis.auth.password directly)
+and there is no chart secret to create. Safe ONLY because appsmith.validateRedisAuth
+(see _helpers.tpl, invoked from configMap.yaml) rejects every redis.auth.password
+configuration except the self-managed one (existingSecret: "" + a matching
+APPSMITH_REDIS_URL) — so this can no longer leave a non-empty existingSecret
+pointing at a secret the hook never creates.
+*/}}
+{{- if and .Values.redis.enabled .Values.redis.auth.enabled (not .Values.redis.auth.password) }}
 {{- $secretName := include "appsmith.redisSecretName" . -}}
 {{- $passwordKey := .Values.redis.auth.existingSecretPasswordKey -}}
 {{- $jobName := printf "%s-redis-password-init" (include "appsmith.fullname" .) | trunc 63 | trimSuffix "-" -}}