diff --git a/Chart.lock b/Chart.lock
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..07af9d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Chart.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+dependencies:
+- name: openbao
+  repository: https://openbao.github.io/openbao-helm
+  version: 0.29.5
+digest: sha256:010799b5366eec27e8e4d717e352e443850ac3a2e2bff05f13c6aefbd560a550
+generated: "2026-09-18T19:41:59.078705685+02:00"
diff --git a/Chart.yaml b/Chart.yaml
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/Chart.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+apiVersion: v2
+name: openbao-gitops
+description: >
+  Deploys OpenBao (standalone, file storage) as the cluster's secret
+  management backend, plus the Kubernetes RBAC/CRDs needed to bind the
+  External Secrets Operator (ESO) to it via the Vault-compatible Kubernetes
+  auth method.
+type: application
+version: 0.1.0
+appVersion: "2.6.2"
+home: https://git.smokyzone.de/SmokyZone/openbao-gitops
+sources:
+  - https://git.smokyzone.de/SmokyZone/openbao-gitops
+  - https://github.com/openbao/openbao-helm
+keywords:
+  - openbao
+  - vault
+  - secrets-management
+  - external-secrets
+maintainers:
+  - name: SmokyZone
+dependencies:
+  - name: openbao
+    version: "0.29.5"
+    repository: https://openbao.github.io/openbao-helm
diff --git a/charts/openbao-0.29.5.tgz b/charts/openbao-0.29.5.tgz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c1b509b
Binary files /dev/null and b/charts/openbao-0.29.5.tgz differ
diff --git a/templates/bootstrap-job.yaml b/templates/bootstrap-job.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89c01a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/bootstrap-job.yaml
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+{{- if .Values.bootstrap.enabled }}
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ServiceAccount
+metadata:
+  name: openbao-bootstrap
+  namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  annotations:
+    "helm.sh/hook": post-install,post-upgrade
+    "helm.sh/hook-weight": "1"
+    "helm.sh/hook-delete-policy": before-hook-creation
+---
+apiVersion: batch/v1
+kind: Job
+metadata:
+  name: openbao-bootstrap
+  namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  annotations:
+    "helm.sh/hook": post-install,post-upgrade
+    "helm.sh/hook-weight": "2"
+    "helm.sh/hook-delete-policy": before-hook-creation,hook-succeeded
+spec:
+  backoffLimit: 3
+  template:
+    spec:
+      serviceAccountName: openbao-bootstrap
+      restartPolicy: Never
+      containers:
+        - name: bootstrap
+          image: {{ .Values.bootstrap.image }}
+          env:
+            - name: BAO_ADDR
+              value: "http://{{ .Release.Name }}-openbao:8200"
+            - name: BAO_TOKEN
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: {{ .Values.bootstrap.rootTokenSecretName }}
+                  key: {{ .Values.bootstrap.rootTokenSecretKey }}
+          command:
+            - sh
+            - -ec
+            - |
+              echo "Enabling kv-v2 secrets engine at {{ .Values.eso.kvMountPath }} (if not already enabled)..."
+              bao secrets enable -path={{ .Values.eso.kvMountPath }} kv-v2 || true
+
+              echo "Enabling kubernetes auth method (if not already enabled)..."
+              bao auth enable kubernetes || true
+
+              echo "Configuring kubernetes auth method against the in-cluster API..."
+              bao write auth/kubernetes/config \
+                kubernetes_host="https://kubernetes.default.svc:443"
+
+              echo "Writing eso-read policy..."
+              cat <<EOF | bao policy write eso-read -
+              path "{{ .Values.eso.kvMountPath }}/data/*" {
+                capabilities = ["read"]
+              }
+              path "{{ .Values.eso.kvMountPath }}/metadata/*" {
+                capabilities = ["list", "read"]
+              }
+              EOF
+
+              echo "Binding role '{{ .Values.eso.roleName }}' to ServiceAccount {{ .Values.eso.namespace }}/{{ .Values.eso.serviceAccountName }}..."
+              bao write auth/kubernetes/role/{{ .Values.eso.roleName }} \
+                bound_service_account_names={{ .Values.eso.serviceAccountName }} \
+                bound_service_account_namespaces={{ .Values.eso.namespace }} \
+                policies=eso-read \
+                ttl=1h
+
+              echo "Bootstrap complete."
+{{- end }}
diff --git a/templates/clustersecretstore.yaml b/templates/clustersecretstore.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..14e6290
--- /dev/null
+++ b/templates/clustersecretstore.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+apiVersion: external-secrets.io/v1
+kind: ClusterSecretStore
+metadata:
+  name: openbao
+  annotations:
+    # Give ESO + OpenBao time to become healthy before ArgoCD tries to sync this.
+    argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "1"
+spec:
+  provider:
+    vault:
+      server: "http://{{ .Release.Name }}-openbao.{{ .Release.Namespace }}.svc:8200"
+      path: {{ .Values.eso.kvMountPath }}
+      version: v2
+      auth:
+        kubernetes:
+          mountPath: kubernetes
+          role: {{ .Values.eso.roleName }}
+          serviceAccountRef:
+            name: {{ .Values.eso.serviceAccountName }}
+            namespace: {{ .Values.eso.namespace }}
diff --git a/values.yaml b/values.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46f4812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/values.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+## Values for openbao-gitops.
+##
+## `openbao:` maps directly onto the upstream openbao-helm chart values
+## (https://github.com/openbao/openbao-helm). Only the settings relevant for
+## a standalone/file-storage deployment with ESO integration are overridden
+## here - see `helm show values openbao/openbao` for the full list.
+
+openbao:
+  server:
+    # Standalone mode: single replica, file storage backend, PVC-backed.
+    standalone:
+      enabled: true
+
+    dataStorage:
+      enabled: true
+      size: 10Gi
+      # Empty = cluster default StorageClass.
+      storageClass: ""
+
+    # Required so OpenBao's ServiceAccount can call the Kubernetes
+    # TokenReview API - needed for the "kubernetes" auth method used by ESO.
+    serviceAccount:
+      create: true
+      authDelegator:
+        enabled: true
+
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        cpu: 250m
+        memory: 256Mi
+      limits:
+        cpu: 500m
+        memory: 512Mi
+
+  ui:
+    enabled: true
+    serviceType: ClusterIP
+
+  injector:
+    # Sidecar-injector webhook is not needed for ESO integration.
+    enabled: false
+
+# --- ESO <-> OpenBao binding -------------------------------------------------
+
+eso:
+  # Namespace and ServiceAccount name that the External Secrets Operator
+  # (its `SecretStore`/`ClusterSecretStore`) authenticates with. Must match
+  # the ESO Helm release deployed via apps-in-apps.
+  serviceAccountName: external-secrets
+  namespace: external-secrets
+
+  # Name of the Vault/OpenBao Kubernetes auth role that ESO will use.
+  roleName: eso-role
+
+  # KV v2 mount path that ClusterSecretStore(s) will read from.
+  kvMountPath: secret
+
+# One-time bootstrap Job that enables the Kubernetes auth method, creates the
+# "eso-read" policy and the "eso-role" role bound to the ESO ServiceAccount.
+#
+# OpenBao must already be initialized AND unsealed before this can run (see
+# README). Enable this only after that manual step, providing the root token
+# via the referenced secret.
+bootstrap:
+  enabled: false
+  image: openbao/openbao:2.6.2
+  rootTokenSecretName: openbao-root-token
+  rootTokenSecretKey: token