diff --git a/pkg/deploysecrets/plan.go b/pkg/deploysecrets/plan.go
index e25b932c..e36a31d1 100644
--- a/pkg/deploysecrets/plan.go
+++ b/pkg/deploysecrets/plan.go
@@ -64,6 +64,10 @@ const (
 	// ActionRequire: the property is absent and nothing can produce it; the
 	// operator supplies it.
 	ActionRequire Action = "require"
+	// ActionEmpty: the property is absent, nothing supplies it, and the
+	// environment declares in service-secrets.may-be-empty that its correct value
+	// here is empty; it is stored empty so the workload's secret materializes.
+	ActionEmpty Action = "empty"
 	// ActionUnverified: the remote key exists but was not read, so whether it
 	// holds the property is unknown. Source says what would happen if it does not.
 	ActionUnverified Action = "unverified"
@@ -273,7 +277,7 @@ func Build(ctx context.Context, in *Inputs) (*Plan, error) {
 		for _, property := range state.secret.Properties {
 			location := propertyLocation{state.secret.RemoteKey, property.Property}
 			propertyPlan, value, err := planConfigured(state, property, states, generators, generated, in.Configured,
-				aliases[location], rotating)
+				aliases[location], rotating, in.MayBeEmpty)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, err
 			}
@@ -282,7 +286,7 @@ func Build(ctx context.Context, in *Inputs) (*Plan, error) {
 					Source: "derived: the stored URL's password follows rotated " + strings.Join(rewrite.from, ", ")}
 				value = rewrite.value
 			}
-			if value != "" {
+			if value != "" || propertyPlan.Action == ActionEmpty {
 				changes[property.Property] = value
 			}
 			secretPlan.Properties = append(secretPlan.Properties, propertyPlan)
@@ -531,7 +535,7 @@ func refuseSharedSigningKey(state *remoteState, property gitops.RenderedSecretPr
 // only consulted for a property nothing holds.
 func planConfigured(state *remoteState, property gitops.RenderedSecretProperty, states []*remoteState,
 	generators map[string]environments.EnvironmentSecretGenerator, generated map[string]string,
-	configured map[string]ConfiguredValue, keys []string, rotating map[string]bool) (PropertyPlan, string, error) {
+	configured map[string]ConfiguredValue, keys []string, rotating map[string]bool, mayBeEmpty []string) (PropertyPlan, string, error) {
 	lookup := property
 	lookup.Keys = keys
 	declaredKey, generator, err := declaredGenerator(lookup, generators)
@@ -596,7 +600,7 @@ func planConfigured(state *remoteState, property gitops.RenderedSecretProperty,
 			return PropertyPlan{Property: property.Property, Keys: property.Keys, Action: ActionKeep, Source: "stored"}, "", nil
 		}
 	}
-	fallback, value, err := fallbackSource(lookup, generators, generated, configuredValue, hasConfigured)
+	fallback, value, err := fallbackSource(lookup, generators, generated, configuredValue, hasConfigured, mayBeEmpty)
 	if err != nil {
 		return PropertyPlan{}, "", err
 	}
@@ -636,7 +640,7 @@ func planConfigured(state *remoteState, property gitops.RenderedSecretProperty,
 // A property read as two keys covered by two different generators has no answer:
 // whichever won would be an accident of ordering, so it is refused.
 func fallbackSource(property gitops.RenderedSecretProperty, generators map[string]environments.EnvironmentSecretGenerator,
-	generated map[string]string, configured ConfiguredValue, hasConfigured bool) (PropertyPlan, string, error) {
+	generated map[string]string, configured ConfiguredValue, hasConfigured bool, mayBeEmpty []string) (PropertyPlan, string, error) {
 	if hasConfigured {
 		return PropertyPlan{Property: property.Property, Keys: property.Keys, Action: ActionConfigured,
 			Source: "configured in " + configured.File}, configured.value, nil
@@ -645,6 +649,14 @@ func fallbackSource(property gitops.RenderedSecretProperty, generators map[strin
 	if err != nil {
 		return PropertyPlan{}, "", err
 	}
+	if declaredKey == "" && declaredEmpty(property, mayBeEmpty) {
+		// The declaration is the value: an environment that says a key is
+		// legitimately empty here has said what to store. Requiring it instead
+		// leaves the property absent, and the ExternalSecret reading it never
+		// materializes its Secret.
+		return PropertyPlan{Property: property.Property, Keys: property.Keys, Action: ActionEmpty,
+			Source: "service-secrets.may-be-empty declares " + strings.Join(property.Keys, ", ") + " empty here"}, "", nil
+	}
 	if declaredKey == "" {
 		return PropertyPlan{Property: property.Property, Keys: property.Keys, Action: ActionRequire,
 			Source: "no key holds it, no configuration file supplies it, and service-secrets.generate declares no generator for " +
diff --git a/pkg/deploysecrets/plan_test.go b/pkg/deploysecrets/plan_test.go
index 78abee51..0a8635f7 100644
--- a/pkg/deploysecrets/plan_test.go
+++ b/pkg/deploysecrets/plan_test.go
@@ -583,6 +583,61 @@ func TestBuildAcceptsAnEmptyPropertyTheEnvironmentDeclares(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// A key the environment declares empty and nothing holds is written empty, not
+// required: the declaration says what the value is, and leaving the property
+// absent keeps the ExternalSecret reading it from ever materializing.
+func TestBuildWritesADeclaredEmptyPropertyNothingHolds(t *testing.T) {
+	rendered := fixture()
+	documents := seeded()
+	delete(documents["host-accounts"], clientSecret)
+	store := newFakeStore(documents)
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	plan, err := Build(ctx, &Inputs{Rendered: rendered,
+		Generators: generators(), Services: []string{"tasks/store", "tasks/worker"},
+		Store: store, ReadPayloads: true, MayBeEmpty: []string{clientSecret}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for _, required := range plan.Required() {
+		if strings.Contains(required, clientSecret) {
+			t.Fatalf("Required() names %s, want it planned empty: the environment declares it", clientSecret)
+		}
+	}
+	if _, err = plan.Apply(ctx, store, true); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	value, present := store.documents["host-accounts"][clientSecret]
+	if !present || value != "" {
+		t.Errorf("apply stored (%q, present=%v), want the property present and empty", value, present)
+	}
+	// A second plan keeps it: the stored empty is the declared one.
+	again, err := Build(ctx, &Inputs{Rendered: rendered,
+		Generators: generators(), Services: []string{"tasks/store", "tasks/worker"},
+		Store: store, ReadPayloads: true, MayBeEmpty: []string{clientSecret}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if slices.Contains(again.Changes(), "host-accounts") {
+		t.Errorf("a re-plan rewrites host-accounts, want the stored empty kept")
+	}
+}
+
+// Without the declaration the same absent property is still the operator's.
+func TestBuildRequiresAnAbsentPropertyNotDeclaredEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	rendered := fixture()
+	documents := seeded()
+	delete(documents["host-accounts"], clientSecret)
+	plan, err := Build(context.Background(), &Inputs{Rendered: rendered,
+		Generators: generators(), Services: []string{"tasks/store", "tasks/worker"},
+		Store: newFakeStore(documents), ReadPayloads: true})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if !slices.ContainsFunc(plan.Required(), func(required string) bool { return strings.Contains(required, clientSecret) }) {
+		t.Errorf("Required() = %v, want the undeclared %s required", plan.Required(), clientSecret)
+	}
+}
+
 // Declaring one of a property's keys is not declaring the property: a property
 // two services read under two keys is only safely empty when neither needs one.
 func TestBuildStillRefusesWhenOnlySomeOfAPropertysKeysAreDeclared(t *testing.T) {