Migrate an Argo CD Application to Kuvryn Sync

This moves one Argo CD Application to a Kuvryn Sync Application without deleting or restarting the workloads it manages. Argo CD applies as argocd-controller, client-side or server-side; either way Kuvryn Sync must adopt those fields explicitly.

The examples migrate the Argo CD Application payments in the argocd namespace, which deploys apps/payments into the payments namespace.

1. Stop Argo CD from syncing, and from deleting on removal

Turn off automated sync and remove the resources finalizer. The finalizer must be gone before step 5, or deleting the Argo CD Application deletes everything it deployed.

kubectl -n argocd patch applications.argoproj.io payments --type json \
  -p '[{"op":"remove","path":"/spec/syncPolicy/automated"}]'
kubectl -n argocd patch applications.argoproj.io payments --type json \
  -p '[{"op":"remove","path":"/metadata/finalizers"}]'

If the Argo CD Application has no automated sync policy, skip the first command.

2. Give Kuvryn Sync a service account in the destination namespace

kubectl -n payments create serviceaccount payments-deployer
kubectl -n payments create rolebinding payments-deployer \
  --clusterrole admin --serviceaccount payments:payments-deployer

3. Create the Repository and an adopting Application

apiVersion: sync.kuvryn.io/v1alpha1
kind: Repository
metadata:
  name: platform
  namespace: payments
spec:
  git:
    url: https://github.com/example/platform.git
    revision: main
---
apiVersion: sync.kuvryn.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: payments
  namespace: payments
spec:
  serviceAccountName: payments-deployer
  source:
    repositoryRef:
      name: platform
    path: apps/payments
    render:
      type: yaml # or kustomize / helm, matching the Argo CD source
  destination:
    namespace: payments
  sync:
    automatic: false
    prune: false
    conflictPolicy: adopt

4. Review and approve the takeover

ksync plan payments -n payments
ksync approve payments -n payments --revision <revision-name>
kubectl -n payments get applications.sync.kuvryn.io payments

5. Remove the Argo CD Application

With the finalizer gone (step 1), deleting it leaves the workloads in place:

kubectl -n argocd delete applications.argoproj.io payments

6. Drop Argo CD’s leftover field ownership

Where Kuvryn Sync applied the same values Argo CD had, both remain recorded as owners. Clear the ownership records on the migrated objects so the next change does not conflict with argocd-controller:

kubectl get all,configmap,secret,ingress,serviceaccount,role,rolebinding,pvc \
  -n payments -l sync.kuvryn.io/application=payments -o name |
  xargs -I% kubectl -n payments patch % --type merge \
    -p '{"metadata":{"managedFields":[{}]}}'

This covers the workload kinds all expands to (such as Deployments, StatefulSets, DaemonSets, Services and Jobs), ConfigMaps, Secrets, Ingresses, ServiceAccounts, Roles, RoleBindings and PersistentVolumeClaims. If the Kuvryn Sync Application manages other kinds, such as custom resources, list them and add them to the command:

kubectl -n payments get applications.sync.kuvryn.io payments \
  -o jsonpath='{range .status.managedKinds[*]}{.apiVersion}{" "}{.kind}{"\n"}{end}'

Kuvryn Sync labels every object it applies with sync.kuvryn.io/application, so this selects exactly the migrated objects whichever way Argo CD tracked them.

7. Settle the Application

kubectl -n payments patch applications.sync.kuvryn.io payments --type merge \
  -p '{"spec":{"sync":{"conflictPolicy":"fail","prune":true,"automatic":true}}}'

Argo CD’s tracking label or annotation (app.kubernetes.io/instance or argocd.argoproj.io/tracking-id) remains on the objects and is harmless once Argo CD no longer manages them.