diff --git a/cmd/k8s-operator/manifests/operator.yaml b/cmd/k8s-operator/manifests/operator.yaml
index ca9bd4785..6f1bd18a3 100644
--- a/cmd/k8s-operator/manifests/operator.yaml
+++ b/cmd/k8s-operator/manifests/operator.yaml
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ spec:
           secretName: operator-oauth
       containers:
         - name: operator
-          image: tailscale/k8s-operator:latest
+          image: tailscale/k8s-operator:unstable
           resources:
             requests:
               cpu: 500m