Remove Workarounds

[dhawton]

When Gateway API releases 1.4.1 or fixes the install, we need to remove the workarounds placed in here: #16936

The issue is described here: kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api#4156

The fix was to flip to experimental-install.yaml and do server side application. We'll need to revert those workarounds when the fixes are implemented.

[Aditya7880900936]

Hi @dhawton,

I’ve gone through the upstream Gateway API issue kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api#4156 and the Istio workaround introduced in #16936.

The workaround was added due to CRD size limits and the need for server-side apply when using experimental-install.yaml. Since this is now addressed upstream and newer Gateway API versions reduce CRD size, I’m reviewing which install-time and server-side conditionals in Istio can be safely reverted.

I’ll outline the specific changes I believe can be removed before opening a PR.

[ishaanxgupta]

Hi @dhawton @kfaseela,
would love to work on this issue, please assign

[ishaanxgupta]

Hi @kfaseela @dhawton,

Thanks for assigning this! I checked the upstream issue (kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api#4156) and it's still not fixed. Both v1.4.1 and the monthly-2026.01 release from yesterday still require the --server-side workaround.

Since removing these workarounds now would break Gateway API installation, should I wait until upstream fixes it, or would you like me to prepare a draft PR in the meantime?

Let me know how you'd like me to proceed!