diff --git a/internal/api/annotations/annotations.go b/internal/api/annotations/annotations.go
index a6bd6f6dd9..db59c3e013 100644
--- a/internal/api/annotations/annotations.go
+++ b/internal/api/annotations/annotations.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ const (
 	// remove in: 4.24 (tentative) or when 4.18 becomes the last supported version
 	SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation = "config.node.openshift-kni.io/selinux-policy"
 	SELinuxPolicyCustom           = "custom"
+	SELinuxPolicyIgnore           = "ignore"
 
 	// introduced in: 4.18
 	// remove in: 5.2 (when branching 5.1 plan to address this https://redhat.atlassian.net/browse/CNF-23341 in main)
@@ -53,6 +54,13 @@ func IsCustomPolicyEnabled(annot map[string]string) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
+func MustIgnoreCustomPolicy(annot map[string]string) bool {
+	if v, ok := annot[SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation]; ok && v == SELinuxPolicyIgnore {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func IsMultiplePoolsPerTreeEnabled(annot map[string]string) bool {
 	if v, ok := annot[MultiplePoolsPerTreeAnnotation]; ok && v == MultiplePoolsPerTreeEnabled {
 		return true
diff --git a/internal/api/annotations/annotations_test.go b/internal/api/annotations/annotations_test.go
index 37135df337..a7305b0ae8 100644
--- a/internal/api/annotations/annotations_test.go
+++ b/internal/api/annotations/annotations_test.go
@@ -36,6 +36,13 @@ func TestIsCustomPolicyEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expected: false,
 		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to ignore does not enable custom policy",
+			annotations: map[string]string{
+				SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "ignore",
+			},
+			expected: false,
+		},
 		{
 			description: "enabled custom policy",
 			annotations: map[string]string{
@@ -53,6 +60,48 @@ func TestIsCustomPolicyEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestMustIgnoreCustomPolicy(t *testing.T) {
+	testcases := []struct {
+		description string
+		annotations map[string]string
+		expected    bool
+	}{
+		{
+			description: "empty map",
+			annotations: map[string]string{},
+			expected:    false,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to custom does not trigger ignore",
+			annotations: map[string]string{
+				SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "custom",
+			},
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to arbitrary value does not trigger ignore",
+			annotations: map[string]string{
+				SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "true",
+			},
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to ignore",
+			annotations: map[string]string{
+				SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "ignore",
+			},
+			expected: true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range testcases {
+		t.Run(tc.description, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := MustIgnoreCustomPolicy(tc.annotations); got != tc.expected {
+				t.Errorf("expected %v got %v", tc.expected, got)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestIsMultiplePoolsPerTreeEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 	testcases := []struct {
 		description string
diff --git a/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper.go b/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper.go
index e4339e3893..fa6cd4171f 100644
--- a/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper.go
+++ b/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper.go
@@ -29,3 +29,12 @@ func IsCustomPolicyEnabled(instance *nropv1.NUMAResourcesOperator) bool {
 	}
 	return false
 }
+
+func MustIgnoreCustomPolicy(instance *nropv1.NUMAResourcesOperator) bool {
+	for _, ng := range instance.Spec.NodeGroups {
+		if anns.MustIgnoreCustomPolicy(ng.Annotations) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper_test.go b/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper_test.go
index 22adbdfc0e..f2a8f7d80c 100644
--- a/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper_test.go
+++ b/internal/api/annotations/helper/helper_test.go
@@ -139,3 +139,103 @@ func TestIsCustomPolicyEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestMustIgnoreCustomPolicy(t *testing.T) {
+	testcases := []struct {
+		description string
+		nodeGroups  []nropv1.NodeGroup
+		expected    bool
+	}{
+		{
+			description: "empty maps - single",
+			nodeGroups: []nropv1.NodeGroup{
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+			},
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "empty maps - multi",
+			nodeGroups: []nropv1.NodeGroup{
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+			},
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to custom does not trigger ignore - single",
+			nodeGroups: []nropv1.NodeGroup{
+				{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						anns.SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "custom",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expected: false,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to ignore - single",
+			nodeGroups: []nropv1.NodeGroup{
+				{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						anns.SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "ignore",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to ignore - multi",
+			nodeGroups: []nropv1.NodeGroup{
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+				{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						anns.SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "ignore",
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+			},
+			expected: true,
+		},
+		{
+			description: "annotation set to ignore - multi + mixed",
+			nodeGroups: []nropv1.NodeGroup{
+				{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						anns.SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "custom",
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					Annotations: map[string]string{
+						anns.SELinuxPolicyConfigAnnotation: "ignore",
+					},
+				},
+				{
+					Annotations: make(map[string]string),
+				},
+			},
+			expected: true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range testcases {
+		t.Run(tc.description, func(t *testing.T) {
+			nropObj := nropv1.NUMAResourcesOperator{}
+			nropObj.Spec.NodeGroups = tc.nodeGroups
+			if got := MustIgnoreCustomPolicy(&nropObj); got != tc.expected {
+				t.Errorf("expected %v got %v", tc.expected, got)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/objectstate/rte/machineconfigpool.go b/pkg/objectstate/rte/machineconfigpool.go
index c5ef3a6969..1566753b9d 100644
--- a/pkg/objectstate/rte/machineconfigpool.go
+++ b/pkg/objectstate/rte/machineconfigpool.go
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ func (em *ExistingManifests) MachineConfigsState(mf Manifests) ([]MachineConfigO
 	}
 	for _, tree := range em.trees {
 		isCustomPolicy := annotations.IsCustomPolicyEnabled(tree.NodeGroup.Annotations)
+		mustIgnore := annotations.MustIgnoreCustomPolicy(tree.NodeGroup.Annotations)
 		for _, mcp := range tree.MachineConfigPools {
 			// do not update state when MachineConfigPool is paused
 			if mcp.Spec.Paused {
@@ -164,6 +165,11 @@ func (em *ExistingManifests) MachineConfigsState(mf Manifests) ([]MachineConfigO
 				continue
 			}
 
+			if mustIgnore {
+				klog.V(4).Infof("ignoring MachineConfig for pool %q", mcp.Name)
+				continue
+			}
+
 			if !isCustomPolicy {
 				// caution here: we want a *nil interface value*, not an *interface which points to nil*.
 				// the latter would lead to apparently correct code leading to runtime panics. See: