diff --git a/ardac2prd/portal.ardac.org/values.yaml b/ardac2prd/portal.ardac.org/values.yaml
index 7791044..0b74fb3 100644
--- a/ardac2prd/portal.ardac.org/values.yaml
+++ b/ardac2prd/portal.ardac.org/values.yaml
@@ -166,6 +166,9 @@ hatchery:
   image:
     repository: quay.io/cdis/hatchery
     tag: "2026.03"
+  # This chart flag suppresses ExternalSecret generation; no Stata workspace is configured.
+  externalSecrets:
+    createK8sStataSecret: true
 
   hatchery:
     sidecarContainer: