diff --git a/cmd/deploy.go b/cmd/deploy.go
index 87d7caa..72a3567 100644
--- a/cmd/deploy.go
+++ b/cmd/deploy.go
@@ -347,14 +347,18 @@ func runDeploy(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 }
 
 func configureConfig(log *logger.Logger, components component.Component, deploySettings *deployer.Config) error {
-	clusterType := env.GetCurrentClusterType()
-	log.Dimf("Detected cluster type: %v", clusterType)
-	defaults, err := clusterdefaults.ApplyClusterDefaults(clusterType, deploySettings)
+	if deploySettings.Roxie.ClusterType == types.ClusterTypeUnknown {
+		clusterType := env.GetAutoDetectedClusterType()
+		log.Dimf("Detected cluster type: %v", clusterType)
+		deploySettings.Roxie.ClusterType = clusterType
+	}
+	clusterType := deploySettings.Roxie.ClusterType
+	defaults, err := clusterdefaults.ApplyClusterDefaults(deploySettings)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("applying defaults for cluster type %v: %w", clusterType, err)
+		return err
 	}
 	if verbose {
-		log.Dimf("Applying the following defaults based on detected cluster type %v:", clusterType)
+		log.Dimf("Applying the following defaults based on cluster type %v:", clusterType)
 		helpers.LogMultilineYaml(log, defaults)
 	}
 
@@ -409,6 +413,8 @@ func deployValidate(components component.Component, deploySettings *deployer.Con
 		return errors.New("running without a controlling terminal requires --envrc to be set")
 	}
 
+	clusterType := deploySettings.Roxie.ClusterType
+
 	if env.RunningInRoxieContainer {
 		// For running containerized we have specific requirements.
 		if deploySettings.Central.PortForwardingEnabled() {
@@ -419,7 +425,7 @@ func deployValidate(components component.Component, deploySettings *deployer.Con
 		}
 
 		// On infra OpenShift we already get image pull secrets for Quay automatically.
-		if clusterType := env.GetCurrentClusterType(); clusterType != types.ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4 {
+		if clusterType.NeedsPullSecrets() {
 			if os.Getenv("REGISTRY_USERNAME") == "" || os.Getenv("REGISTRY_PASSWORD") == "" {
 				return fmt.Errorf("containerized mode requires REGISTRY_USERNAME and REGISTRY_PASSWORD environment variables for clusters of type %s", clusterType)
 			}
@@ -437,9 +443,8 @@ func deployValidate(components component.Component, deploySettings *deployer.Con
 		if deploySettings.Operator.DeployViaOlm {
 			return errors.New("using Konflux images while deploying operator via OLM is not supported")
 		}
-		clusterType := env.GetCurrentClusterType()
 		if !clusterType.IsOpenShift() {
-			return fmt.Errorf("--konflux flag is only supported on OpenShift 4 clusters (current cluster type: %s)", clusterType.String())
+			return fmt.Errorf("--konflux flag is only supported on OpenShift 4 clusters (current cluster type: %s)", clusterType)
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/cmd/env.go b/cmd/env.go
index 6ad05bb..0e59264 100644
--- a/cmd/env.go
+++ b/cmd/env.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func runEnv(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	fmt.Printf("Kube config:                %s\n", os.Getenv("KUBECONFIG"))
 	fmt.Printf("Running in roxie container: %v\n", env.RunningInRoxieContainer)
 	fmt.Printf("Current Context:            %s\n", env.GetCurrentContext())
-	fmt.Printf("Cluster Type:               %s\n", env.GetCurrentClusterType().String())
+	fmt.Printf("Cluster Type:               %s\n", env.GetAutoDetectedClusterType().String())
 
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults.go b/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults.go
index 588c8e9..739a981 100644
--- a/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults.go
+++ b/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults.go
@@ -13,12 +13,12 @@ import (
 // provided deployer.Config.
 // Returns *just* the assembled defaults for the given cluster type for logging purposes.
 func ApplyClusterDefaults(
-	clusterType types.ClusterType,
 	config *deployer.Config,
 ) (*deployer.Config, error) {
 	if config == nil {
 		panic("applying cluster defaults to nil config")
 	}
+	clusterType := config.Roxie.ClusterType
 	defaults := getDefaultsForClusterType(clusterType)
 	if defaults == nil {
 		return nil, nil
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@ func ApplyClusterDefaults(
 	// Make a copy.
 	defaultsCopy, err := defaults.DeepCopy()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("deep-copying cluster defaults: %w", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("deep-copying cluster defaults for cluster type %s: %w", clusterType, err)
 	}
 
 	if err := mergo.Merge(config, defaultsCopy, mergo.WithoutDereference); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("merging-in cluster defaults: %w", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("merging-in cluster defaults for cluster type %s: %w", clusterType, err)
 	}
 
 	return defaultsCopy, nil
diff --git a/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults_test.go b/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults_test.go
index f0dab56..78b59e1 100644
--- a/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults_test.go
+++ b/internal/clusterdefaults/clusterdefaults_test.go
@@ -113,7 +113,8 @@ func TestClusterDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			config := tt.config
-			_, err := ApplyClusterDefaults(tt.clusterType, &config)
+			config.Roxie.ClusterType = tt.clusterType
+			_, err := ApplyClusterDefaults(&config)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 
 			if tt.wantConfig.Central.Exposure == nil {
diff --git a/internal/deployer/config.go b/internal/deployer/config.go
index 907fc4b..b4fbeab 100644
--- a/internal/deployer/config.go
+++ b/internal/deployer/config.go
@@ -44,9 +44,10 @@ func (c *Config) DeepCopy() (*Config, error) {
 
 // RoxieConfig holds roxie-level settings such as version and feature flags.
 type RoxieConfig struct {
-	Version       string          `yaml:"version,omitempty"`
-	KonfluxImages bool            `yaml:"konfluxImages,omitempty"`
-	FeatureFlags  map[string]bool `yaml:"featureFlags,omitempty"`
+	Version       string            `yaml:"version,omitempty"`
+	KonfluxImages bool              `yaml:"konfluxImages,omitempty"`
+	FeatureFlags  map[string]bool   `yaml:"featureFlags,omitempty"`
+	ClusterType   types.ClusterType `yaml:"clusterType,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // NewRoxieConfig returns a RoxieConfig with initialized defaults.
diff --git a/internal/deployer/deploy_via_operator.go b/internal/deployer/deploy_via_operator.go
index f97a923..44b0a47 100644
--- a/internal/deployer/deploy_via_operator.go
+++ b/internal/deployer/deploy_via_operator.go
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) ensureOperatorDeployed(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (d *Deployer) deployCentralOperator(ctx context.Context) error {
 	d.logger.Info("🚀 Deploying Central via Operator...")
 
-	needPullSecrets := env.GetCurrentClusterType() != types.ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4
+	needPullSecrets := d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.NeedsPullSecrets()
 	if err := d.prepareNamespace(ctx, d.config.Central.Namespace, needPullSecrets); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to prepare namespace: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) configureCentralEndpoint(ctx context.Context) error {
 func (d *Deployer) deploySecuredClusterOperator(ctx context.Context) error {
 	d.logger.Info("🚀 Deploying SecuredCluster via Operator...")
 
-	needPullSecrets := env.GetCurrentClusterType() != types.ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4
+	needPullSecrets := d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.NeedsPullSecrets()
 	if err := d.prepareNamespace(ctx, d.config.SecuredCluster.Namespace, needPullSecrets); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to prepare namespace: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/internal/deployer/deployer.go b/internal/deployer/deployer.go
index 9aec79d..44565b8 100644
--- a/internal/deployer/deployer.go
+++ b/internal/deployer/deployer.go
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) stopDetachedPortForward() {
 // Deploy deploys the specified components to the cluster.
 func (d *Deployer) Deploy(ctx context.Context, components component.Component) error {
 	// Prepare and verify credentials early to fail fast.
-	if env.GetCurrentClusterType() != types.ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4 {
+	if d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.NeedsPullSecrets() {
 		if err := d.prepareCredentials(); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to prepare credentials: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -778,7 +778,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) PrintCentralDeploymentSummary() {
 
 	// Deployment details
 	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Component", component))
-	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Cluster Type", env.GetCurrentClusterType().String()))
+	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Cluster Type", d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.String()))
 	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Main Tag", mainImageTag))
 	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Kubernetes Context", kubeContext))
 
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) PrintSecuredClusterDeploymentSummary() {
 
 	// Deployment details
 	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Component", component))
-	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Cluster Type", env.GetCurrentClusterType().String()))
+	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Cluster Type", d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.String()))
 	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Main Tag", mainImageTag))
 	log.Info(cyan.Sprint("│") + createRow("Kubernetes Context", kubeContext))
 
diff --git a/internal/deployer/operator.go b/internal/deployer/operator.go
index 8f451c4..c10b4c3 100644
--- a/internal/deployer/operator.go
+++ b/internal/deployer/operator.go
@@ -14,10 +14,8 @@ import (
 
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 
-	"github.com/stackrox/roxie/internal/env"
 	"github.com/stackrox/roxie/internal/k8s"
 	"github.com/stackrox/roxie/internal/ocihelper"
-	"github.com/stackrox/roxie/internal/types"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -202,7 +200,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) getOperatorBundleImage() string {
 
 // ensureKonfluxImageRewriting configures image rewriting for Konflux images
 func (d *Deployer) ensureKonfluxImageRewriting(ctx context.Context) error {
-	if !env.GetCurrentClusterType().IsOpenShift() {
+	if !d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.IsOpenShift() {
 		return errors.New("image rewriting for Konflux is only supported on OpenShift4 clusters")
 	}
 
@@ -290,7 +288,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) applyImageContentSourcePolicy(ctx context.Context) error {
 
 // removeKonfluxImageRewriting removes the ImageContentSourcePolicy for Konflux images if it exists
 func (d *Deployer) removeKonfluxImageRewriting(ctx context.Context) error {
-	if !env.GetCurrentClusterType().IsOpenShift() {
+	if !d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.IsOpenShift() {
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -320,7 +318,7 @@ func (d *Deployer) deployOperatorFromCSV(ctx context.Context, bundleDir string)
 	}
 
 	serviceAccountName := deploymentSpec["service_account"].(string)
-	d.useOperatorPullSecrets = d.config.Roxie.KonfluxImages && env.GetCurrentClusterType() != types.ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4
+	d.useOperatorPullSecrets = d.config.Roxie.KonfluxImages && d.config.Roxie.ClusterType.NeedsPullSecrets()
 
 	d.logger.Info("📋 Operator deployment plan:")
 	d.logger.Dim(fmt.Sprintf("  • Namespace: %s", operatorNamespace))
diff --git a/internal/env/env.go b/internal/env/env.go
index 9d85814..9b4c93c 100644
--- a/internal/env/env.go
+++ b/internal/env/env.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ var (
 
 var (
 	// currentClusterType holds the detected cluster type for the current kubectl context
-	// This is lazily populated on first access via GetCurrentClusterType()
+	// This is lazily populated on first access via GetAutoDetectedClusterType()
 	currentClusterType types.ClusterType
 
 	// currentContext holds the name of the current kubectl context
@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ func ensureInitialized(log *logger.Logger) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// GetCurrentClusterType returns the current cluster type, initializing if needed
-func GetCurrentClusterType() types.ClusterType {
+// GetAutoDetectedClusterType returns the current cluster type, initializing if needed
+func GetAutoDetectedClusterType() types.ClusterType {
 	return currentClusterType
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/env/env_integration_test.go b/internal/env/env_integration_test.go
index 6a5677b..8a7ed5d 100644
--- a/internal/env/env_integration_test.go
+++ b/internal/env/env_integration_test.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ func TestDetectClusterType_Integration(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// This test uses the current kubectl context
 	// The result will depend on the active cluster
-	clusterType := GetCurrentClusterType()
+	clusterType := GetAutoDetectedClusterType()
 
 	t.Logf("Detected cluster type: %s", clusterType)
 
diff --git a/internal/env/env_test.go b/internal/env/env_test.go
index 8e0fed7..b9ccdb7 100644
--- a/internal/env/env_test.go
+++ b/internal/env/env_test.go
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ func TestClusterTypeString(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			name:        "types.ClusterTypeInfraGKE",
 			clusterType: types.ClusterTypeInfraGKE,
-			want:        "GKE",
+			want:        "GKE (infra)",
 		},
 		{
 			name:        "InfraOpenShift4",
diff --git a/internal/types/cluster_type.go b/internal/types/cluster_type.go
index 47146a2..dfdaa0c 100644
--- a/internal/types/cluster_type.go
+++ b/internal/types/cluster_type.go
@@ -1,25 +1,27 @@
 package types
 
+import "fmt"
+
 // ClusterType represents different types of Kubernetes clusters
-type ClusterType int
+type ClusterType string
 
 const (
 	// ClusterTypeUnknown represents an unidentified cluster type
-	ClusterTypeUnknown ClusterType = iota
+	ClusterTypeUnknown ClusterType = ""
 	// ClusterTypeInfraGKE represents a GKE cluster created via Infra.
-	ClusterTypeInfraGKE
+	ClusterTypeInfraGKE ClusterType = "InfraGKE"
 	// ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4 represents an OpenShift 4 cluster
-	ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4
+	ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4 ClusterType = "InfraOpenShift4"
 	// Generic OpenShift4 cluster (e.g. for prow CI)
-	ClusterTypeOpenShift4
+	ClusterTypeOpenShift4 ClusterType = "OpenShift4"
 	// ClusterTypeKind represents a Kind (Kubernetes in Docker) cluster
-	ClusterTypeKind
+	ClusterTypeKind ClusterType = "Kind"
 	// ClusterTypeMinikube represents a Minikube cluster
-	ClusterTypeMinikube
+	ClusterTypeMinikube ClusterType = "Minikube"
 	// ClusterTypeK3s represents a K3s cluster
-	ClusterTypeK3s
+	ClusterTypeK3s ClusterType = "K3s"
 	// ClusterTypeCRC represents a CRC (CodeReady Containers) cluster
-	ClusterTypeCRC
+	ClusterTypeCRC ClusterType = "CRC"
 )
 
 func (ct ClusterType) IsOpenShift() bool {
@@ -30,21 +32,13 @@ func (ct ClusterType) IsOpenShift() bool {
 func (ct ClusterType) String() string {
 	switch ct {
 	case ClusterTypeInfraGKE:
-		return "GKE"
+		return "GKE (infra)"
 	case ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4:
 		return "OpenShift4 (infra)"
-	case ClusterTypeOpenShift4:
-		return "OpenShift4"
-	case ClusterTypeKind:
-		return "Kind"
-	case ClusterTypeMinikube:
-		return "minikube"
-	case ClusterTypeK3s:
-		return "k3s"
-	case ClusterTypeCRC:
-		return "crc"
-	default:
+	case ClusterTypeUnknown:
 		return "Unknown"
+	default:
+		return string(ct)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -59,3 +53,24 @@ func AllClusterTypes() []ClusterType {
 		ClusterTypeOpenShift4,
 	}
 }
+
+func (ct *ClusterType) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(any) error) error {
+	var s string
+	if err := unmarshal(&s); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	var sAsClusterType = ClusterType(s)
+
+	for _, valid := range AllClusterTypes() {
+		if sAsClusterType == valid {
+			*ct = valid
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("unknown cluster type identifier: %q", s)
+}
+
+func (ct ClusterType) NeedsPullSecrets() bool {
+	return ct != ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4
+}
diff --git a/internal/types/cluster_type_test.go b/internal/types/cluster_type_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b97ff6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/types/cluster_type_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+package types
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+)
+
+func TestClusterTypeMarshalYAML(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		clusterType ClusterType
+		expected    string
+	}{
+		{ClusterTypeInfraGKE, "InfraGKE"},
+		{ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4, "InfraOpenShift4"},
+		{ClusterTypeOpenShift4, "OpenShift4"},
+		{ClusterTypeKind, "Kind"},
+		{ClusterTypeMinikube, "Minikube"},
+		{ClusterTypeK3s, "K3s"},
+		{ClusterTypeCRC, "CRC"},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.expected, func(t *testing.T) {
+			out, err := yaml.Marshal(tt.clusterType)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected+"\n", string(out))
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClusterTypeUnmarshalYAML(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		input    string
+		expected ClusterType
+	}{
+		{"InfraGKE", ClusterTypeInfraGKE},
+		{"InfraOpenShift4", ClusterTypeInfraOpenShift4},
+		{"OpenShift4", ClusterTypeOpenShift4},
+		{"Kind", ClusterTypeKind},
+		{"Minikube", ClusterTypeMinikube},
+		{"K3s", ClusterTypeK3s},
+		{"CRC", ClusterTypeCRC},
+		{"", ClusterTypeUnknown},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.input, func(t *testing.T) {
+			var ct ClusterType
+			err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(tt.input), &ct)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, ct)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClusterTypeUnmarshalYAML_Invalid(t *testing.T) {
+	var ct ClusterType
+	err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte("bogus"), &ct)
+	assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "unknown cluster type identifier")
+}
+
+func TestClusterTypeRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, ct := range AllClusterTypes() {
+		t.Run(ct.String(), func(t *testing.T) {
+			out, err := yaml.Marshal(ct)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			var parsed ClusterType
+			require.NoError(t, yaml.Unmarshal(out, &parsed))
+			assert.Equal(t, ct, parsed)
+		})
+	}
+}