diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/app/models/kubernetes/template_filler.rb b/plugins/kubernetes/app/models/kubernetes/template_filler.rb
index 595e70f96a..170437ee16 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/app/models/kubernetes/template_filler.rb
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/app/models/kubernetes/template_filler.rb
@@ -37,11 +37,7 @@ def to_hash(verification: false)
             set_history_limit
           end
 
-          if ['StatefulSet', 'Deployment'].include?(kind)
-            set_replica_target
-          else
-            validate_replica_target_is_supported
-          end
+          set_replica_target || validate_replica_target_is_supported
 
           make_stateful_set_match_service if kind == 'StatefulSet'
           set_pre_stop if kind == 'Deployment'
@@ -278,7 +274,17 @@ def set_rc_unique_label_key
     end
 
     def set_replica_target
-      template.dig_set [:spec, :replicas], @doc.replica_target
+      key = [:spec, :replicas]
+      target =
+        if ['StatefulSet', 'Deployment'].include?(template[:kind])
+          template
+        else
+          # custom resource that has replicas set on itself or it's template
+          containers = [template] + (template[:spec] || {}).values_at(*RoleConfigFile.template_keys(template))
+          containers.detect { |c| c.dig(*key) }
+        end
+
+      target&.dig_set key, @doc.replica_target
     end
 
     def validate_replica_target_is_supported
diff --git a/plugins/kubernetes/test/models/kubernetes/template_filler_test.rb b/plugins/kubernetes/test/models/kubernetes/template_filler_test.rb
index 2d8f978ca9..e3a1e7a0ff 100644
--- a/plugins/kubernetes/test/models/kubernetes/template_filler_test.rb
+++ b/plugins/kubernetes/test/models/kubernetes/template_filler_test.rb
@@ -144,6 +144,15 @@ def add_init_container(container)
       template.to_hash[:metadata][:name].must_equal "test-app-server"
     end
 
+    it "sets replicas for templates" do
+      raw_template[:kind] = "foobar"
+      raw_template[:spec].delete :replicas
+      raw_template[:spec][:template][:spec][:replicas] = 1
+      result = template.to_hash
+      result[:spec][:replicas].must_be_nil
+      result[:spec][:template][:spec][:replicas].must_equal 2
+    end
+
     ['CustomResourceDefinition', 'APIService'].each do |kind|
       it "does not set override name for #{kind} since it follows a fixed naming pattern" do
         raw_template[:kind] = kind