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+# openbao-gitops
+
+Deploys [OpenBao](https://openbao.org/) (standalone mode, file storage backend)
+as the cluster's central secret management backend, and wires up the
+[External Secrets Operator](https://external-secrets.io/) (ESO) to read from it
+via Vault's Kubernetes auth method.
+
+This chart wraps the official [`openbao-helm`](https://github.com/openbao/openbao-helm)
+chart as a dependency and adds:
+
+- A `ClusterSecretStore` (ESO CRD) pointing at the OpenBao service
+- A one-time bootstrap `Job` (disabled by default) that enables the
+  Kubernetes auth method, a read-only policy, and a role bound to ESO's
+  ServiceAccount
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- ESO must already be installed in the cluster (deployed separately via the
+  `apps-in-apps` repo) with a ServiceAccount named `eso.serviceAccountName`
+  (default: `external-secrets`) in `eso.namespace` (default: `external-secrets`).
+
+## Deployment & manual init/unseal
+
+OpenBao (like Vault) cannot be auto-initialized/unsealed when using file
+storage without a KMS auto-unseal mechanism, so this part is a manual,
+one-time step per environment:
+
+1. Deploy this chart (via ArgoCD, see `apps-in-apps`) - or locally:
+
+   ```sh
+   helm dependency update .
+   helm upgrade --install openbao . -n openbao --create-namespace
+   ```
+
+2. Initialize OpenBao (**save the unseal keys and root token securely**,
+   e.g. in a password manager - they are NOT stored anywhere in git):
+
+   ```sh
+   kubectl exec -n openbao -it openbao-0 -- bao operator init
+   ```
+
+3. Unseal (repeat with 3 of the 5 unseal keys from step 2):
+
+   ```sh
+   kubectl exec -n openbao -it openbao-0 -- bao operator unseal
+   ```
+
+4. Store the root token as a Secret so the bootstrap Job can use it:
+
+   ```sh
+   kubectl create secret generic openbao-root-token \
+     -n openbao --from-literal=token=<root-token-from-step-2>
+   ```
+
+5. Enable the bootstrap Job and re-sync (e.g. `--set bootstrap.enabled=true`
+   via the ArgoCD Application's Helm parameters, or in `values.yaml`). It
+   enables the KV v2 engine, the Kubernetes auth method, the `eso-read`
+   policy and the `eso-role` role bound to the ESO ServiceAccount.
+
+6. Confirm the `ClusterSecretStore/openbao` becomes `Valid`:
+
+   ```sh
+   kubectl get clustersecretstore openbao -o wide
+   ```
+
+After this, any namespace can create an `ExternalSecret` referencing the
+`openbao` `ClusterSecretStore` to pull secrets from OpenBao's `secret/` KV
+mount.
+
+> Note: after a pod restart (upgrade, node reschedule, etc.) OpenBao comes
+> back up **sealed** and must be unsealed again with the keys from step 2
+> unless you later configure an auto-unseal mechanism (e.g. Transit, cloud
+> KMS) - out of scope for this initial setup.
+
+## Configuration
+
+See [`values.yaml`](values.yaml). Key settings:
+
+| Key | Description | Default |
+|---|---|---|
+| `openbao.server.dataStorage.size` | PVC size for OpenBao's data | `10Gi` |
+| `openbao.server.dataStorage.storageClass` | StorageClass, empty = cluster default | `""` |
+| `eso.namespace` / `eso.serviceAccountName` | Where ESO runs and which ServiceAccount to bind | `external-secrets` |
+| `eso.kvMountPath` | KV v2 mount path used by the ClusterSecretStore | `secret` |
+| `bootstrap.enabled` | Toggle the one-time auth/policy bootstrap Job | `false` |