diff --git a/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go b/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go
index 522485df9f1..605ee9e8019 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ func NewOperator(ctx context.Context, kubeconfigPath string, clock utilclock.Clo
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	canFilter, err := labeller.Validate(ctx, logger, metadataClient)
+	canFilter, err := labeller.Validate(ctx, logger, metadataClient, crClient)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -490,7 +490,18 @@ func NewOperator(ctx context.Context, kubeconfigPath string, clock utilclock.Clo
 
 	serviceaccountsgvk := corev1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("serviceaccounts")
 	if err := labelObjects(serviceaccountsgvk, serviceAccountInformer.Informer(), labeller.ObjectLabeler[*corev1.ServiceAccount, *corev1applyconfigurations.ServiceAccountApplyConfiguration](
-		ctx, op.logger, labeller.Filter(serviceaccountsgvk),
+		ctx, op.logger, labeller.ServiceAccountFilter(func(namespace, name string) bool {
+			operatorGroups, err := operatorGroupInformer.Lister().OperatorGroups(namespace).List(labels.Everything())
+			if err != nil {
+				return false
+			}
+			for _, operatorGroup := range operatorGroups {
+				if operatorGroup.Spec.ServiceAccountName == name {
+					return true
+				}
+			}
+			return false
+		}),
 		serviceAccountInformer.Lister().List,
 		corev1applyconfigurations.ServiceAccount,
 		func(namespace string, ctx context.Context, cfg *corev1applyconfigurations.ServiceAccountApplyConfiguration, opts metav1.ApplyOptions) (*corev1.ServiceAccount, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/controller/operators/labeller/filters.go b/pkg/controller/operators/labeller/filters.go
index c5f50106221..11e04a24d8d 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/operators/labeller/filters.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/operators/labeller/filters.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
+	operators "github.com/operator-framework/operator-lifecycle-manager/pkg/api/client/clientset/versioned"
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-lifecycle-manager/pkg/controller/registry/reconciler"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"golang.org/x/sync/errgroup"
@@ -16,6 +17,8 @@ import (
 	apiextensionsv1 "k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/metadata"
 
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-lifecycle-manager/pkg/controller/operators/internal/alongside"
@@ -49,15 +52,18 @@ func JobFilter(getConfigMap func(namespace, name string) (metav1.Object, error))
 	}
 }
 
+func ServiceAccountFilter(isServiceAccountReferenced func(namespace, name string) bool) func(object metav1.Object) bool {
+	return func(object metav1.Object) bool {
+		return HasOLMOwnerRef(object) || HasOLMLabel(object) || isServiceAccountReferenced(object.GetNamespace(), object.GetName())
+	}
+}
+
 var filters = map[schema.GroupVersionResource]func(metav1.Object) bool{
 	corev1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("services"): HasOLMOwnerRef,
 	corev1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("pods"): func(object metav1.Object) bool {
 		_, ok := object.GetLabels()[reconciler.CatalogSourceLabelKey]
 		return ok
 	},
-	corev1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("serviceaccounts"): func(object metav1.Object) bool {
-		return HasOLMOwnerRef(object) || HasOLMLabel(object)
-	},
 	appsv1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("deployments"):         HasOLMOwnerRef,
 	rbacv1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("roles"):               HasOLMOwnerRef,
 	rbacv1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("rolebindings"):        HasOLMOwnerRef,
@@ -73,7 +79,7 @@ var filters = map[schema.GroupVersionResource]func(metav1.Object) bool{
 	},
 }
 
-func Validate(ctx context.Context, logger *logrus.Logger, metadataClient metadata.Interface) (bool, error) {
+func Validate(ctx context.Context, logger *logrus.Logger, metadataClient metadata.Interface, operatorClient operators.Interface) (bool, error) {
 	okLock := sync.Mutex{}
 	ok := true
 	g, ctx := errgroup.WithContext(ctx)
@@ -96,6 +102,27 @@ func Validate(ctx context.Context, logger *logrus.Logger, metadataClient metadat
 			return previous != nil && previous(object) && ContentHashFilter(object)
 		}
 	}
+
+	operatorGroups, err := operatorClient.OperatorsV1().OperatorGroups(metav1.NamespaceAll).List(ctx, metav1.ListOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	userProvidedServiceAccounts := sets.New[types.NamespacedName]()
+	for _, operatorGroup := range operatorGroups.Items {
+		if operatorGroup.Spec.ServiceAccountName != "" {
+			userProvidedServiceAccounts.Insert(types.NamespacedName{
+				Namespace: operatorGroup.Namespace,
+				Name:      operatorGroup.Spec.ServiceAccountName,
+			})
+		}
+	}
+	allFilters[corev1.SchemeGroupVersion.WithResource("serviceaccounts")] = ServiceAccountFilter(func(namespace, name string) bool {
+		return userProvidedServiceAccounts.Has(types.NamespacedName{
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      name,
+		})
+	})
+
 	for gvr, filter := range allFilters {
 		gvr, filter := gvr, filter
 		g.Go(func() error {
diff --git a/pkg/controller/operators/olm/operator.go b/pkg/controller/operators/olm/operator.go
index 2ba02129a96..de028b69f73 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/operators/olm/operator.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/operators/olm/operator.go
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ func newOperatorWithConfig(ctx context.Context, config *operatorConfig) (*Operat
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	canFilter, err := labeller.Validate(ctx, config.logger, config.metadataClient)
+	canFilter, err := labeller.Validate(ctx, config.logger, config.metadataClient, config.externalClient)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/lib/scoped/syncer.go b/pkg/lib/scoped/syncer.go
index 6a8921b2ea3..f69505beff5 100644
--- a/pkg/lib/scoped/syncer.go
+++ b/pkg/lib/scoped/syncer.go
@@ -78,14 +78,6 @@ func (s *UserDefinedServiceAccountSyncer) SyncOperatorGroup(in *v1.OperatorGroup
 		return
 	}
 
-	// A service account has been specified, but likely does not have the labels we expect it to have so it will
-	// show up in our listers, so let's add that and queue again later
-	config := corev1applyconfigurations.ServiceAccount(serviceAccountName, namespace)
-	config.Labels = map[string]string{install.OLMManagedLabelKey: install.OLMManagedLabelValue}
-	if _, err := s.client.KubernetesInterface().CoreV1().ServiceAccounts(namespace).Apply(context.TODO(), config, metav1.ApplyOptions{FieldManager: "operator-lifecycle-manager"}); err != nil {
-		return out, fmt.Errorf("failed to apply labels[%s]=%s to serviceaccount %s/%s: %w", install.OLMManagedLabelKey, install.OLMManagedLabelValue, namespace, serviceAccountName, err)
-	}
-
 	// A service account has been specified, we need to update the status.
 	sa, err := s.client.KubernetesInterface().CoreV1().ServiceAccounts(namespace).Get(context.TODO(), serviceAccountName, metav1.GetOptions{})
 	if err != nil {
@@ -108,6 +100,14 @@ func (s *UserDefinedServiceAccountSyncer) SyncOperatorGroup(in *v1.OperatorGroup
 		return
 	}
 
+	// A service account has been specified, but likely does not have the labels we expect it to have so it will
+	// show up in our listers, so let's add that and queue again later
+	config := corev1applyconfigurations.ServiceAccount(serviceAccountName, namespace)
+	config.Labels = map[string]string{install.OLMManagedLabelKey: install.OLMManagedLabelValue}
+	if _, err := s.client.KubernetesInterface().CoreV1().ServiceAccounts(namespace).Apply(context.TODO(), config, metav1.ApplyOptions{FieldManager: "operator-lifecycle-manager"}); err != nil {
+		return out, fmt.Errorf("failed to apply labels[%s]=%s to serviceaccount %s/%s: %w", install.OLMManagedLabelKey, install.OLMManagedLabelValue, namespace, serviceAccountName, err)
+	}
+
 	ref, err := reference.GetReference(s.scheme, sa)
 	if err != nil {
 		return