diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 98597901a2..9fb5b6f3c6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,10 +15,11 @@ controllers, and tooling that support the packaging, distribution, and lifecycli
 - provide secure, high-quality, and predictable user experiences centered around declarative GitOps concepts
 - give cluster admins the minimal necessary controls to build their desired cluster architectures and to have ultimate control
 
-OLM v1 consists of two different components:
+OLM v1 consists of the following components:
 
 * operator-controller
 * catalogd
+* object-controller (experimental): manages `ClusterObjectSet` resources independently of `ClusterExtension`
 
 For a more complete overview of OLM v1 and how it differs from OLM v0, see our [overview](docs/project/olmv1_design_decisions.md).
 
diff --git a/Tiltfile b/Tiltfile
index d736b8f94d..6a2154cff7 100644
--- a/Tiltfile
+++ b/Tiltfile
@@ -20,4 +20,19 @@ olmv1 = {
     'yaml': 'helm/tilt.yaml',
 }
 
+values = read_yaml(olmv1['yaml'])
+options = values.get('options', {})
+features = options.get('operatorController', {}).get('features', {})
+object_controller_enabled = options.get('objectController', {}).get('enabled')
+if object_controller_enabled == None:
+    object_controller_enabled = options.get('operatorController', {}).get('enabled', True) and 'BoxcutterRuntime' in features.get('enabled', []) and 'BoxcutterRuntime' not in features.get('disabled', ['BoxcutterRuntime'])
+if object_controller_enabled:
+    olmv1['repos']['object-controller'] = {
+        'image': 'quay.io/operator-framework/object-controller',
+        'binary': './cmd/object-controller',
+        'deployment': 'object-controller-controller-manager',
+        'deps': ['api', 'cmd/object-controller', 'internal/object-controller', 'internal/shared', 'go.mod', 'go.sum'],
+        'starting_debug_port': 40000,
+    }
+
 deploy_repo(olmv1, '-tags containers_image_openpgp')
diff --git a/docs/draft/concepts/clusterobjectsets.md b/docs/draft/concepts/clusterobjectsets.md
index 87992d6a96..21c7531a69 100644
--- a/docs/draft/concepts/clusterobjectsets.md
+++ b/docs/draft/concepts/clusterobjectsets.md
@@ -18,6 +18,49 @@ Each ClusterObjectSet has:
 
 ClusterObjectSets can be used by any controller or system that needs to manage the rollout of a set of Kubernetes resources in a controlled, phased manner. Within OLM, the operator-controller uses ClusterObjectSets as the mechanism to deploy and upgrade ClusterExtensions.
 
+### Controller deployment
+
+The experimental `object-controller` runs in its own Deployment with its own service
+account and leader-election lease. It watches ClusterObjectSets and the objects they
+manage; it does not require ClusterExtension or ClusterCatalog resources or controllers.
+The operator-controller continues to resolve and unpack bundles, create ClusterObjectSets,
+and observe their status when `BoxcutterRuntime` is enabled.
+
+The Helm chart automatically enables object-controller alongside operator-controller
+when `BoxcutterRuntime` is enabled. To deploy it independently, first build an image
+and make it available to your cluster (push it to a registry, or load it into your
+local cluster). Set the image reference below, then render and apply the manifests:
+
+```sh
+helm template object-controller helm/olmv1 \
+  --set options.featureSet=experimental \
+  --set options.objectController.enabled=true \
+  --set options.operatorController.enabled=false \
+  --set options.catalogd.enabled=false \
+  --set-string options.objectController.deployment.image='<your-built-image>' \
+  > object-controller.yaml
+kubectl apply -f object-controller.yaml
+kubectl -n olmv1-system rollout status deployment/object-controller-controller-manager --timeout=180s
+```
+
+Set `options.objectController.deployment.image` to the built image when using a local
+or downstream image. `make go-build-local` builds `bin/object-controller`;
+`make docker-build` builds its image alongside the existing controller images.
+`OBJECT_CONTROLLER_IMAGE_REPO` controls its build and release repository.
+
+Object-controller reads immutable referenced Secrets directly from the API server in
+the namespace specified by each reference. Metrics require a TLS certificate and key;
+the chart configures these through cert-manager or the OpenShift service CA when enabled.
+The minimal standalone example above enables neither certificate provider, so metrics
+are disabled. Health and readiness probes remain enabled.
+The default service account has cluster-admin privileges because ClusterObjectSets can
+manage arbitrary Kubernetes resources, matching the existing experimental runtime.
+
+For downstream builds enabling `BoxcutterRuntime`, package the new binary and configure
+its image in addition to the operator-controller image. It is possible to package both
+binaries in one image while running them in separate Deployments. Standard installations
+and default Helm installations without `BoxcutterRuntime` do not enable object-controller.
+
 ## Why ClusterObjectSets?
 
 ClusterObjectSets solve several problems that arise when managing sets of related Kubernetes resources:
@@ -382,6 +425,9 @@ kubectl get clusterobjectsets -l olm.operatorframework.io/owner-name=my-extensio
 
 # View full details for a specific revision
 kubectl get clusterobjectset <name> -o yaml
+
+# Inspect reconciliation in the independent controller
+kubectl -n olmv1-system logs deployment/object-controller-controller-manager
 ```
 
 Example output:
diff --git a/hack/test/e2e-coverage.sh b/hack/test/e2e-coverage.sh
index e4b4610d45..e0afb1d8f9 100755
--- a/hack/test/e2e-coverage.sh
+++ b/hack/test/e2e-coverage.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="operator-controller-controller-mana
 CATALOGD_NAMESPACE="olmv1-system"
 CATALOGD_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="catalogd-controller-manager"
 
+OBJECT_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME="object-controller-controller-manager"
+
 COPY_POD_NAME="e2e-coverage-copy-pod"
 
 # Create a temporary directory for coverage
@@ -26,6 +28,17 @@ kubectl -n "$CATALOGD_NAMESPACE" scale deployment/"$CATALOGD_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_
 kubectl -n "$OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_NAMESPACE" wait --for=delete pods -l control-plane="$OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME" --timeout=60s
 kubectl -n "$CATALOGD_NAMESPACE" wait --for=delete pods -l control-plane="$CATALOGD_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME" --timeout=60s
 
+if object_controller_lookup=$(kubectl -n "$OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_NAMESPACE" get deployment/"$OBJECT_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME" -o name 2>&1); then
+    kubectl -n "$OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_NAMESPACE" scale deployment/"$OBJECT_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME" --replicas=0
+    kubectl -n "$OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_NAMESPACE" wait --for=delete pods -l control-plane="$OBJECT_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME" --timeout=60s
+else
+    object_controller_lookup_status=$?
+    if [[ "$object_controller_lookup" != *"Error from server (NotFound): deployments.apps \"$OBJECT_CONTROLLER_MANAGER_DEPLOYMENT_NAME\" not found"* ]]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "$object_controller_lookup" >&2
+        exit "$object_controller_lookup_status"
+    fi
+fi
+
 # Copy the coverage data from the temporary pod
 kubectl -n "$OPERATOR_CONTROLLER_NAMESPACE" cp "$COPY_POD_NAME":/e2e-coverage/ "$COVERAGE_DIR"
 
diff --git a/scripts/install.tpl.sh b/scripts/install.tpl.sh
index 4be62168bf..2438f020f4 100644
--- a/scripts/install.tpl.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.tpl.sh
@@ -127,6 +127,16 @@ curl -L -s "${olmv1_manifest}" | sed "s/olmv1-system/${olmv1_namespace}/g" | kub
 kubectl_wait_rollout "${olmv1_namespace}" "deployment/catalogd-controller-manager" "60s"
 kubectl_wait "${olmv1_namespace}" "deployment/catalogd-controller-manager" "60s"
 kubectl_wait "${olmv1_namespace}" "deployment/operator-controller-controller-manager" "60s"
+if object_controller_lookup=$(kubectl get deployment/object-controller-controller-manager --namespace="${olmv1_namespace}" -o name 2>&1); then
+    kubectl_wait_rollout "${olmv1_namespace}" "deployment/object-controller-controller-manager" "60s"
+    kubectl_wait "${olmv1_namespace}" "deployment/object-controller-controller-manager" "60s"
+else
+    object_controller_lookup_status=$?
+    if [[ "${object_controller_lookup}" != *'Error from server (NotFound): deployments.apps "object-controller-controller-manager" not found'* ]]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "${object_controller_lookup}" >&2
+        exit "${object_controller_lookup_status}"
+    fi
+fi
 
 if [[ "${install_default_catalogs}" != "false" ]]; then
     kubectl apply -f "${default_catalogs_manifest}"