diff --git a/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater.go b/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater.go
index 229848ec..5d3200b3 100644
--- a/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater.go
+++ b/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func (c *createrController) Sync(ctx controllerlib.Context) error {
 			*c.credentialIssuerConfigLocationConfig,
 			c.clock,
 			c.pinnipedAPIClient,
-			constable.Error("Controller manager pod(s) could not be found"),
+			constable.Error("did not find kube-controller-manager pod(s)"),
 		)
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater_test.go b/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater_test.go
index 2953b1f4..58d6c4bd 100644
--- a/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/kubecertagent/creater_test.go
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ func TestCreaterControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 							Type:           configv1alpha1.KubeClusterSigningCertificateStrategyType,
 							Status:         configv1alpha1.ErrorStrategyStatus,
 							Reason:         configv1alpha1.CouldNotFetchKeyStrategyReason,
-							Message:        "Controller manager pod(s) could not be found",
+							Message:        "did not find kube-controller-manager pod(s)",
 							LastUpdateTime: metav1.NewTime(frozenNow),
 						},
 					}
@@ -509,7 +509,7 @@ func TestCreaterControllerSync(t *testing.T) {
 									Type:           configv1alpha1.KubeClusterSigningCertificateStrategyType,
 									Status:         configv1alpha1.ErrorStrategyStatus,
 									Reason:         configv1alpha1.CouldNotFetchKeyStrategyReason,
-									Message:        "Controller manager pod(s) could not be found",
+									Message:        "did not find kube-controller-manager pod(s)",
 									LastUpdateTime: metav1.NewTime(frozenNow),
 								},
 							},
diff --git a/test/integration/credentialissuerconfig_test.go b/test/integration/credentialissuerconfig_test.go
index f07dd81a..6a52d93b 100644
--- a/test/integration/credentialissuerconfig_test.go
+++ b/test/integration/credentialissuerconfig_test.go
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ func TestCredentialIssuerConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		} else {
 			require.Equal(t, configv1alpha1.ErrorStrategyStatus, actualStatusStrategy.Status)
 			require.Equal(t, configv1alpha1.CouldNotFetchKeyStrategyReason, actualStatusStrategy.Reason)
-			require.Contains(t, actualStatusStrategy.Message, "did not find kube-controller-manager pod")
+			require.Contains(t, actualStatusStrategy.Message, "did not find kube-controller-manager pod(s)")
 			// For now, don't verify the kube config info because its not available on GKE. We'll need to address
 			// this somehow once we starting supporting those cluster types.
 			// Require `nil` to remind us to address this later for other types of clusters where it is available.