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+# KEP-5708: Standard Namespace Role Label
+
+<!-- toc -->
+- [Summary](#summary)
+- [Motivation](#motivation)
+  - [Goals](#goals)
+  - [Non-Goals](#non-goals)
+- [Proposal](#proposal)
+  - [User Stories](#user-stories)
+    - [Story 1: ClusterNetworkPolicy for User Namespaces](#story-1-clusternetworkpolicy-for-user-namespaces)
+  - [Risks and Mitigations](#risks-and-mitigations)
+- [Design Details](#design-details)
+  - [Label Specification](#label-specification)
+  - [System Namespaces](#system-namespaces)
+  - [Test Plan](#test-plan)
+      - [Unit tests](#unit-tests)
+  - [Graduation Criteria](#graduation-criteria)
+    - [Alpha](#alpha)
+    - [Beta](#beta)
+    - [GA](#ga)
+  - [Upgrade / Downgrade Strategy](#upgrade--downgrade-strategy)
+  - [Version Skew Strategy](#version-skew-strategy)
+- [Production Readiness Review Questionnaire](#production-readiness-review-questionnaire)
+  - [Feature Enablement and Rollback](#feature-enablement-and-rollback)
+  - [Rollout, Upgrade and Rollback Planning](#rollout-upgrade-and-rollback-planning)
+  - [Monitoring Requirements](#monitoring-requirements)
+  - [Dependencies](#dependencies)
+  - [Scalability](#scalability)
+  - [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
+- [Implementation History](#implementation-history)
+- [Alternatives](#alternatives)
+<!-- /toc -->
+
+## Summary
+
+Introduce a standard label `kubernetes.io/namespace-role` to distinguish "system" namespaces (e.g., `kube-system`, `kube-public`, `default`) from "user" namespaces. This enables distribution-independent policy targeting, particularly for ClusterNetworkPolicy.
+
+## Motivation
+
+Real-world use of ClusterNetworkPolicy requires distinguishing "system" namespaces from "user" namespaces. Administrators need to write policies that apply to user workloads without accidentally breaking cluster infrastructure.
+
+For example, [Securing a Cluster](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/securing-a-cluster/) documentation suggests restricting access to cloud metadata APIs (169.254.169.254). However, system components like cloud providers, ingress controllers, and CoreDNS may require access. Without a standard label, there is no distribution-independent way to write such policies.
+
+### Goals
+
+- Define a standard label key `kubernetes.io/namespace-role` for namespace classification
+- Automatically label system namespaces (`kube-system`, `kube-public`, `default`) with `kubernetes.io/namespace-role=system`
+- Enable ClusterNetworkPolicy to target namespaces by role
+
+### Non-Goals
+
+- Define additional role values beyond `system` (future KEP)
+- Automatically label user-created namespaces
+- Change existing namespace admission or validation
+
+## Proposal
+
+Add the label `kubernetes.io/namespace-role=system` to system namespaces when they are created by the system namespaces controller.
+
+### User Stories
+
+#### Story 1: ClusterNetworkPolicy for User Namespaces
+
+As a cluster administrator, I want to block user namespace pods from accessing cloud metadata APIs while allowing system components to access them.
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: policy.networking.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+kind: ClusterNetworkPolicy
+metadata:
+  name: block-user-namespaces-from-metadata-api
+spec:
+  tier: Admin
+  priority: 100
+  subject:
+    namespaces:
+      matchExpressions:
+      - key: kubernetes.io/namespace-role
+        operator: NotIn
+        values:
+        - system
+  egress:
+  - action: "Deny"
+    to:
+    - networks:
+      - 169.254.169.254/32
+```
+
+### Risks and Mitigations
+
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|------|------------|
+| Existing namespaces won't have the label | Document that label only applies to newly created system namespaces; provide migration guidance |
+| Users may expect automatic labeling of their namespaces | Clearly document that only system namespaces are auto-labeled |
+
+## Design Details
+
+### Label Specification
+
+- **Key**: `kubernetes.io/namespace-role`
+- **Value**: `system`
+
+The label uses the `kubernetes.io` prefix as it is a core Kubernetes concept.
+
+### System Namespaces
+
+The following namespaces receive the `system` role label when created:
+- `kube-system`
+- `kube-public`
+- `default`
+
+### Test Plan
+
+##### Unit tests
+
+- `pkg/controlplane/controller/systemnamespaces`: Tests verify system namespaces are created with correct labels
+
+### Graduation Criteria
+
+#### Alpha
+
+- Label applied to system namespaces on creation
+- Unit tests passing
+- Feature gate `NamespaceRoleLabel` available
+
+#### Beta
+
+- Feedback from ClusterNetworkPolicy users incorporated
+- E2E tests added
+
+#### GA
+
+- Two releases of beta stability
+- Documentation complete
+
+### Upgrade / Downgrade Strategy
+
+- **Upgrade**: New system namespaces created after upgrade will have the label. Existing namespaces are unchanged.
+- **Downgrade**: The label remains on namespaces but has no effect.
+
+### Version Skew Strategy
+
+The label is passive metadata. No coordination required between components.
+
+## Production Readiness Review Questionnaire
+
+### Feature Enablement and Rollback
+
+###### How can this feature be enabled / disabled in a live cluster?
+
+- [x] Feature gate
+  - Feature gate name: `NamespaceRoleLabel`
+  - Components depending on the feature gate: `kube-apiserver`
+
+###### Does enabling the feature change any default behavior?
+
+Yes. System namespaces created after enablement will have the `kubernetes.io/namespace-role=system` label.
+
+###### Can the feature be disabled once it has been enabled (i.e. can we roll back the enablement)?
+
+Yes. Disabling the feature gate stops new namespaces from receiving the label. Existing labels remain.
+
+###### What happens if we reenable the feature if it was previously rolled back?
+
+New system namespaces will receive the label. Existing namespaces are unchanged.
+
+###### Are there any tests for feature enablement/disablement?
+
+Unit tests cover label application behavior.
+
+### Rollout, Upgrade and Rollback Planning
+
+###### How can a rollout or rollback fail? Can it impact already running workloads?
+
+No impact on running workloads. The label is passive metadata.
+
+###### What specific metrics should inform a rollback?
+
+None. The label has no runtime behavior.
+
+###### Were upgrade and rollback tested? Was the upgrade->downgrade->upgrade path tested?
+
+To be tested manually before beta.
+
+###### Is the rollout accompanied by any deprecations and/or removals of features, APIs, fields of API types, flags, etc.?
+
+No.
+
+### Monitoring Requirements
+
+###### How can an operator determine if the feature is in use by workloads?
+
+Check for namespaces with label `kubernetes.io/namespace-role=system`:
+```
+kubectl get ns -l kubernetes.io/namespace-role=system
+```
+
+###### How can someone using this feature know that it is working for their instance?
+
+Verify system namespaces have the expected label after cluster creation.
+
+###### What are the SLIs (Service Level Indicators) an operator can use to determine the health of the service?
+
+N/A - passive metadata.
+
+###### What are the reasonable SLOs (Service Level Objectives) for the above SLIs?
+
+N/A.
+
+###### Are there any missing metrics that would be useful to have to improve observability of this feature?
+
+No.
+
+### Dependencies
+
+###### Does this feature depend on any specific services running in the cluster?
+
+No.
+
+### Scalability
+
+###### Will enabling / using this feature result in any new API calls?
+
+No additional API calls. Label is added during existing namespace creation.
+
+###### Will enabling / using this feature result in introducing new API types?
+
+No.
+
+###### Will enabling / using this feature result in any new calls to the cloud provider?
+
+No.
+
+###### Will enabling / using this feature result in increasing size or count of the existing API objects?
+
+Minimal increase: ~40 bytes per system namespace for the label.
+
+###### Will enabling / using this feature result in increasing time taken by any operations covered by existing SLIs/SLOs?
+
+No.
+
+###### Will enabling / using this feature result in non-negligible increase of resource usage (CPU, RAM, disk, IO, ...) in any components?
+
+No.
+
+###### Can enabling / using this feature result in resource exhaustion of some node resources (PIDs, sockets, inodes, etc.)?
+
+No.
+
+### Troubleshooting
+
+###### How does this feature react if the API server and/or etcd is unavailable?
+
+No different from baseline behavior.
+
+###### What are other known failure modes?
+
+None.
+
+###### What steps should be taken if SLOs are not being met to determine the problem?
+
+N/A.
+
+## Implementation History
+
+- 2026-03-07: Initial KEP created
+
+## Alternatives
+
+1. **Annotation instead of label**: Labels are preferred as they support `matchExpressions` in selectors.
+2. **Namespace-scoped field**: Would require API changes; labels are more flexible and backward-compatible.
+3. **Admission webhook**: Adds operational complexity; built-in labeling is simpler.
diff --git a/keps/sig-network/5708-namespace-role-label/kep.yaml b/keps/sig-network/5708-namespace-role-label/kep.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..502ccd30ab0b
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+++ b/keps/sig-network/5708-namespace-role-label/kep.yaml
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+title: Standard Namespace Role Label
+kep-number: 5708
+authors:
+  - "@maifeeulasad"
+owning-sig: sig-network
+participating-sigs:
+  - sig-architecture
+status: provisional
+creation-date: 2026-03-07
+reviewers:
+  - TBD
+approvers:
+  - TBD
+
+see-also:
+  - "/keps/sig-network/2091-admin-network-policy"
+
+stage: alpha
+
+latest-milestone: "v1.37"
+
+milestone:
+  alpha: TBD
+  beta: TBD
+  stable: TBD
+
+feature-gates:
+  - name: NamespaceRoleLabel
+    components:
+      - kube-apiserver
+disable-supported: true