diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index b173e117..e5096119 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -151,6 +151,8 @@ jobs:
         with:
           go-version: ${{ env.GO_VERSION }}
 
+      - uses: azure/setup-helm@v4
+
       - name: Run tests
         run: make test
 
diff --git a/charts/openclaw-operator/templates/_helpers.tpl b/charts/openclaw-operator/templates/_helpers.tpl
index dc92a770..941a0d8a 100644
--- a/charts/openclaw-operator/templates/_helpers.tpl
+++ b/charts/openclaw-operator/templates/_helpers.tpl
@@ -88,10 +88,6 @@ kubebuilder-generated config/rbac/role.yaml.
 - apiGroups: [""]
   resources: ["pods"]
   verbs: ["get", "list", "watch"]
-# Read the instance namespace's Pod Security labels (storage.fixOwnership default)
-- apiGroups: [""]
-  resources: ["namespaces"]
-  verbs: ["get"]
 # Apps API
 - apiGroups: ["apps"]
   resources: ["statefulsets"]
@@ -163,6 +159,13 @@ hack/check-helm-rbac-sync.sh parses this define alongside managerRules so the
 union is asserted to be a superset of config/rbac/role.yaml.
 */}}
 {{- define "openclaw-operator.clusterScopedRules" -}}
+# Read the instance namespace's Pod Security labels (storage.fixOwnership default)
+- apiGroups: [""]
+  resources: ["namespaces"]
+  verbs: ["get"]
+{{- if .Values.watchNamespaces }}
+  resourceNames: {{ .Values.watchNamespaces | toJson }}
+{{- end }}
 # OpenClawClusterDefaults singleton (#457)
 - apiGroups: ["openclaw.rocks"]
   resources: ["openclawclusterdefaults"]
diff --git a/hack/check-helm-rbac-sync.sh b/hack/check-helm-rbac-sync.sh
index 92e84b2d..8b691e42 100755
--- a/hack/check-helm-rbac-sync.sh
+++ b/hack/check-helm-rbac-sync.sh
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ parse_generated() {
 parse_helm() {
   awk '
     /\{\{-? *define .openclaw-operator\.(managerRules|clusterScopedRules). *-?\}\}/ { in_rules = 1; next }
-    in_rules && /\{\{-? *end *-?\}\}/ { in_rules = 0; next }
+    in_rules && /\{\{-? *end *-?\}\}/ { if (depth > 0) { depth--; next }; in_rules = 0; next }
+    in_rules && /\{\{-? *if / { depth++; next }
     !in_rules { next }
     /^\s*#/ { next }
 
diff --git a/test/helm/namespace_rbac_test.go b/test/helm/namespace_rbac_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5039522c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/helm/namespace_rbac_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2026 Paperclip Inc.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package helm
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+	"os/exec"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	authorizationv1 "k8s.io/api/authorization/v1"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/yaml"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/envtest"
+)
+
+// Exercise actual authorization with the rendered chart's bindings. Merely
+// finding a namespaces rule in a Role misses that Namespace is cluster-scoped.
+func TestNamespaceReadAuthorization(t *testing.T) {
+	if _, err := exec.LookPath("helm"); err != nil {
+		t.Skip("helm is required (installed in CI)")
+	}
+	env := &envtest.Environment{}
+	env.ControlPlane.GetAPIServer().Configure().Set("authorization-mode", "RBAC")
+	cfg, err := env.Start()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		if stopErr := env.Stop(); stopErr != nil {
+			t.Error(stopErr)
+		}
+	})
+	admin, err := client.New(cfg, client.Options{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 90*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	for _, name := range []string{"operator-system", "tenant-a", "tenant-b", "unwatched"} {
+		if err := admin.Create(ctx, &corev1.Namespace{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: name}}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, scoped := range []bool{true, false} {
+		name := "cluster"
+		if scoped {
+			name = "scoped"
+		}
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			args := []string{"template", name, "../../charts/openclaw-operator", "--namespace", "operator-system"}
+			if scoped {
+				args = append(args, "--set", "watchNamespaces={tenant-a,tenant-b}")
+			}
+			rendered, err := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "helm", args...).Output()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			decoder := yaml.NewYAMLOrJSONDecoder(bytes.NewReader(rendered), 4096)
+			for {
+				obj := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
+				decodeErr := decoder.Decode(obj)
+				if errors.Is(decodeErr, io.EOF) {
+					break
+				}
+				if decodeErr != nil {
+					t.Fatal(decodeErr)
+				}
+				switch obj.GetKind() {
+				case "Role", "RoleBinding", "ServiceAccount":
+					if obj.GetNamespace() == "" {
+						obj.SetNamespace("operator-system")
+					}
+				case "ClusterRole", "ClusterRoleBinding":
+				default:
+					continue
+				}
+				if createErr := admin.Create(ctx, obj); createErr != nil {
+					t.Fatal(createErr)
+				}
+			}
+			user, err := env.AddUser(envtest.User{Name: "system:serviceaccount:operator-system:" + name + "-openclaw-operator", Groups: []string{"system:authenticated"}}, cfg)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			api, err := kubernetes.NewForConfig(user.Config())
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			for _, check := range []struct {
+				verb, name string
+				allowed    bool
+			}{
+				{"get", "tenant-a", true}, {"get", "tenant-b", true},
+				{"get", "unwatched", !scoped}, {"get", "operator-system", !scoped},
+				{"list", "", false}, {"watch", "", false}, {"patch", "tenant-a", false},
+			} {
+				review := &authorizationv1.SelfSubjectAccessReview{Spec: authorizationv1.SelfSubjectAccessReviewSpec{ResourceAttributes: &authorizationv1.ResourceAttributes{Verb: check.verb, Resource: "namespaces", Name: check.name}}}
+				// RBAC authorizer informers observe newly-created bindings asynchronously.
+				deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+				for {
+					result, err := api.AuthorizationV1().SelfSubjectAccessReviews().Create(ctx, review, metav1.CreateOptions{})
+					if err != nil {
+						t.Fatal(err)
+					}
+					if result.Status.Allowed == check.allowed {
+						break
+					}
+					if time.Now().After(deadline) {
+						t.Fatalf("%s namespace %q: allowed=%t, want %t (%s)", check.verb, check.name, result.Status.Allowed, check.allowed, result.Status.Reason)
+					}
+					time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}