diff --git a/.chloggen/3446.yaml b/.chloggen/3446.yaml
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..a8cb5de7ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.chloggen/3446.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# One of 'breaking', 'deprecation', 'new_component', 'enhancement', 'bug_fix'
+change_type: 'bug_fix'
+
+# The name of the component, or a single word describing the area of concern, (e.g. collector, target allocator, auto-instrumentation, opamp, github action)
+component: operator
+
+# A brief description of the change. Surround your text with quotes ("") if it needs to start with a backtick (`).
+note: Operator pod crashed if the Service Monitor for the operator metrics was created before by another operator pod.
+
+# One or more tracking issues related to the change
+issues: [3446]
+
+# (Optional) One or more lines of additional information to render under the primary note.
+# These lines will be padded with 2 spaces and then inserted directly into the document.
+# Use pipe (|) for multiline entries.
+subtext: |
+  Operator fails when the pod is restarted and the Service Monitor for operator metrics was already created by another operator pod.
+  To fix this, the operator now sets the owner reference on the Service Monitor to itself and checks if the Service Monitor already exists.
+
diff --git a/.github/workflows/continuous-integration.yaml b/.github/workflows/continuous-integration.yaml
index 829789c19a..dd0fc335f6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/continuous-integration.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/continuous-integration.yaml
@@ -62,8 +62,6 @@ jobs:
       with:
         path: |
           /home/runner/.cache/golangci-lint
-          /home/runner/go/pkg/mod
-          ./bin
         key: golangcilint-${{ hashFiles('**/go.sum') }}
         restore-keys: |
           golangcilint-
diff --git a/autoinstrumentation/java/version.txt b/autoinstrumentation/java/version.txt
index c8e38b6140..10c2c0c3d6 100644
--- a/autoinstrumentation/java/version.txt
+++ b/autoinstrumentation/java/version.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2.9.0
+2.10.0
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/allocator_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/allocator_test.go
index 55f2bb6dc6..e6c2b9693a 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/allocator_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/allocator_test.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ package allocation
 import (
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 
 	"github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator/cmd/otel-allocator/target"
@@ -176,11 +176,11 @@ func TestAllocationCollision(t *testing.T) {
 
 		cols := MakeNCollectors(3, 0)
 		allocator.SetCollectors(cols)
-		firstLabels := model.LabelSet{
-			"test": "test1",
+		firstLabels := labels.Labels{
+			{Name: "test", Value: "test1"},
 		}
-		secondLabels := model.LabelSet{
-			"test": "test2",
+		secondLabels := labels.Labels{
+			{Name: "test", Value: "test2"},
 		}
 		firstTarget := target.NewItem("sample-name", "0.0.0.0:8000", firstLabels, "")
 		secondTarget := target.NewItem("sample-name", "0.0.0.0:8000", secondLabels, "")
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/consistent_hashing.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/consistent_hashing.go
index 8ec07ba857..9659b73a0d 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/consistent_hashing.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/consistent_hashing.go
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ package allocation
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/buraksezer/consistent"
 	"github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2"
@@ -59,7 +58,7 @@ func (s *consistentHashingStrategy) GetName() string {
 }
 
 func (s *consistentHashingStrategy) GetCollectorForTarget(collectors map[string]*Collector, item *target.Item) (*Collector, error) {
-	hashKey := strings.Join(item.TargetURL, "")
+	hashKey := item.TargetURL
 	member := s.consistentHasher.LocateKey([]byte(hashKey))
 	collectorName := member.String()
 	collector, ok := collectors[collectorName]
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/per_node_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/per_node_test.go
index d853574a11..ebbe3f31e6 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/per_node_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/per_node_test.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ package allocation
 import (
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	logf "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
@@ -33,23 +33,23 @@ func TestAllocationPerNode(t *testing.T) {
 
 	cols := MakeNCollectors(4, 0)
 	s.SetCollectors(cols)
-	firstLabels := model.LabelSet{
-		"test":                            "test1",
-		"__meta_kubernetes_pod_node_name": "node-0",
+	firstLabels := labels.Labels{
+		{Name: "test", Value: "test1"},
+		{Name: "__meta_kubernetes_pod_node_name", Value: "node-0"},
 	}
-	secondLabels := model.LabelSet{
-		"test":                        "test2",
-		"__meta_kubernetes_node_name": "node-1",
+	secondLabels := labels.Labels{
+		{Name: "test", Value: "test2"},
+		{Name: "__meta_kubernetes_node_name", Value: "node-1"},
 	}
 	// no label, should be skipped
-	thirdLabels := model.LabelSet{
-		"test": "test3",
+	thirdLabels := labels.Labels{
+		{Name: "test", Value: "test3"},
 	}
 	// endpointslice target kind and name
-	fourthLabels := model.LabelSet{
-		"test": "test4",
-		"__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_kind": "Node",
-		"__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_name": "node-3",
+	fourthLabels := labels.Labels{
+		{Name: "test", Value: "test4"},
+		{Name: "__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_kind", Value: "Node"},
+		{Name: "__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_name", Value: "node-3"},
 	}
 
 	firstTarget := target.NewItem("sample-name", "0.0.0.0:8000", firstLabels, "")
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/testutils.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/testutils.go
index 054e9e0205..3189b576c1 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/testutils.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation/testutils.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"testing"
 
-	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	logf "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@ func MakeNNewTargets(n int, numCollectors int, startingIndex int) map[string]*ta
 	toReturn := map[string]*target.Item{}
 	for i := startingIndex; i < n+startingIndex; i++ {
 		collector := fmt.Sprintf("collector-%d", colIndex(i, numCollectors))
-		label := model.LabelSet{
-			"i":     model.LabelValue(strconv.Itoa(i)),
-			"total": model.LabelValue(strconv.Itoa(n + startingIndex)),
+		label := labels.Labels{
+			{Name: "i", Value: strconv.Itoa(i)},
+			{Name: "total", Value: strconv.Itoa(n + startingIndex)},
 		}
 		newTarget := target.NewItem(fmt.Sprintf("test-job-%d", i), fmt.Sprintf("test-url-%d", i), label, collector)
 		toReturn[newTarget.Hash()] = newTarget
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ func MakeNCollectors(n int, startingIndex int) map[string]*Collector {
 func MakeNNewTargetsWithEmptyCollectors(n int, startingIndex int) map[string]*target.Item {
 	toReturn := map[string]*target.Item{}
 	for i := startingIndex; i < n+startingIndex; i++ {
-		label := model.LabelSet{
-			"i":                               model.LabelValue(strconv.Itoa(i)),
-			"total":                           model.LabelValue(strconv.Itoa(n + startingIndex)),
-			"__meta_kubernetes_pod_node_name": model.LabelValue("node-0"),
+		label := labels.Labels{
+			{Name: "i", Value: strconv.Itoa(i)},
+			{Name: "total", Value: strconv.Itoa(n + startingIndex)},
+			{Name: "__meta_kubernetes_pod_node_name", Value: "node-0"},
 		}
 		newTarget := target.NewItem(fmt.Sprintf("test-job-%d", i), fmt.Sprintf("test-url-%d", i), label, "")
 		toReturn[newTarget.Hash()] = newTarget
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/benchmark_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/benchmark_test.go
index 736b92c208..7b6c644347 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/benchmark_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/benchmark_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	gokitlog "github.com/go-kit/log"
@@ -26,7 +28,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/discovery"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/discovery/targetgroup"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/relabel"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
@@ -45,13 +49,14 @@ func BenchmarkProcessTargets(b *testing.B) {
 	targetsPerGroup := 5
 	groupsPerJob := 20
 	tsets := prepareBenchmarkData(numTargets, targetsPerGroup, groupsPerJob)
+	labelsBuilder := labels.NewBuilder(labels.EmptyLabels())
 
 	b.ResetTimer()
 	for _, strategy := range allocation.GetRegisteredAllocatorNames() {
 		b.Run(strategy, func(b *testing.B) {
 			targetDiscoverer, allocator := createTestDiscoverer(strategy, map[string][]*relabel.Config{})
 			for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-				targetDiscoverer.ProcessTargets(tsets, allocator.SetTargets)
+				targetDiscoverer.ProcessTargets(labelsBuilder, tsets, allocator.SetTargets)
 			}
 		})
 	}
@@ -64,12 +69,24 @@ func BenchmarkProcessTargetsWithRelabelConfig(b *testing.B) {
 	targetsPerGroup := 5
 	groupsPerJob := 20
 	tsets := prepareBenchmarkData(numTargets, targetsPerGroup, groupsPerJob)
+	labelsBuilder := labels.NewBuilder(labels.EmptyLabels())
 	prehookConfig := make(map[string][]*relabel.Config, len(tsets))
 	for jobName := range tsets {
+		// keep all targets in half the jobs, drop the rest
+		jobNrStr := strings.Split(jobName, "-")[1]
+		jobNr, err := strconv.Atoi(jobNrStr)
+		require.NoError(b, err)
+		var action relabel.Action
+		if jobNr%2 == 0 {
+			action = "keep"
+		} else {
+			action = "drop"
+		}
 		prehookConfig[jobName] = []*relabel.Config{
 			{
-				Action: "keep",
-				Regex:  relabel.MustNewRegexp(".*"),
+				Action:       action,
+				Regex:        relabel.MustNewRegexp(".*"),
+				SourceLabels: model.LabelNames{"__address__"},
 			},
 		}
 	}
@@ -79,7 +96,7 @@ func BenchmarkProcessTargetsWithRelabelConfig(b *testing.B) {
 		b.Run(strategy, func(b *testing.B) {
 			targetDiscoverer, allocator := createTestDiscoverer(strategy, prehookConfig)
 			for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-				targetDiscoverer.ProcessTargets(tsets, allocator.SetTargets)
+				targetDiscoverer.ProcessTargets(labelsBuilder, tsets, allocator.SetTargets)
 			}
 		})
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel.go
index 3595cb888e..6c96affa39 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel.go
@@ -16,8 +16,6 @@ package prehook
 
 import (
 	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
-	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
-	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/relabel"
 
 	"github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator/cmd/otel-allocator/target"
@@ -35,18 +33,6 @@ func NewRelabelConfigTargetFilter(log logr.Logger) Hook {
 	}
 }
 
-// helper function converts from model.LabelSet to []labels.Label.
-func convertLabelToPromLabelSet(lbls model.LabelSet) []labels.Label {
-	newLabels := make([]labels.Label, len(lbls))
-	index := 0
-	for k, v := range lbls {
-		newLabels[index].Name = string(k)
-		newLabels[index].Value = string(v)
-		index++
-	}
-	return newLabels
-}
-
 func (tf *RelabelConfigTargetFilter) Apply(targets map[string]*target.Item) map[string]*target.Item {
 	numTargets := len(targets)
 
@@ -57,20 +43,15 @@ func (tf *RelabelConfigTargetFilter) Apply(targets map[string]*target.Item) map[
 
 	// Note: jobNameKey != tItem.JobName (jobNameKey is hashed)
 	for jobNameKey, tItem := range targets {
-		keepTarget := true
-		lset := convertLabelToPromLabelSet(tItem.Labels)
+		var keepTarget bool
+		lset := tItem.Labels
 		for _, cfg := range tf.relabelCfg[tItem.JobName] {
-			if newLset, keep := relabel.Process(lset, cfg); !keep {
-				keepTarget = false
+			lset, keepTarget = relabel.Process(lset, cfg)
+			if !keepTarget {
+				delete(targets, jobNameKey)
 				break // inner loop
-			} else {
-				lset = newLset
 			}
 		}
-
-		if !keepTarget {
-			delete(targets, jobNameKey)
-		}
 	}
 
 	tf.log.V(2).Info("Filtering complete", "seen", numTargets, "kept", len(targets))
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel_test.go
index d30f645eba..9aa27764ca 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/prehook/relabel_test.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/relabel"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	logf "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
@@ -184,10 +185,10 @@ func makeNNewTargets(rCfgs []relabelConfigObj, n int, numCollectors int, startin
 	relabelConfig := make(map[string][]*relabel.Config)
 	for i := startingIndex; i < n+startingIndex; i++ {
 		collector := fmt.Sprintf("collector-%d", colIndex(i, numCollectors))
-		label := model.LabelSet{
-			"collector": model.LabelValue(collector),
-			"i":         model.LabelValue(strconv.Itoa(i)),
-			"total":     model.LabelValue(strconv.Itoa(n + startingIndex)),
+		label := labels.Labels{
+			{Name: "collector", Value: collector},
+			{Name: "i", Value: strconv.Itoa(i)},
+			{Name: "total", Value: strconv.Itoa(n + startingIndex)},
 		}
 		jobName := fmt.Sprintf("test-job-%d", i)
 		newTarget := target.NewItem(jobName, "test-url", label, collector)
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/server/bench_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/server/bench_test.go
index b4f24f480d..d441fd8e2c 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/server/bench_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/server/bench_test.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 	promconfig "github.com/prometheus/prometheus/config"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 
 	"github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation"
@@ -249,12 +250,13 @@ func makeNCollectorJSON(random rand.Rand, numCollectors, numItems int) map[strin
 }
 
 func makeNTargetItems(random rand.Rand, numItems, numLabels int) []*target.Item {
+	builder := labels.NewBuilder(labels.EmptyLabels())
 	items := make([]*target.Item, 0, numItems)
 	for i := 0; i < numItems; i++ {
 		items = append(items, target.NewItem(
 			randSeq(random, 80),
 			randSeq(random, 150),
-			makeNNewLabels(random, numLabels),
+			makeNNewLabels(builder, random, numLabels),
 			randSeq(random, 30),
 		))
 	}
@@ -270,10 +272,10 @@ func makeNTargetJSON(random rand.Rand, numItems, numLabels int) []*targetJSON {
 	return targets
 }
 
-func makeNNewLabels(random rand.Rand, n int) model.LabelSet {
-	labels := make(map[model.LabelName]model.LabelValue, n)
+func makeNNewLabels(builder *labels.Builder, random rand.Rand, n int) labels.Labels {
+	builder.Reset(labels.EmptyLabels())
 	for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
-		labels[model.LabelName(randSeq(random, 20))] = model.LabelValue(randSeq(random, 20))
+		builder.Set(randSeq(random, 20), randSeq(random, 20))
 	}
-	return labels
+	return builder.Labels()
 }
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server.go
index cb5e1d1873..2e9df9a8b0 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server.go
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promhttp"
 	promcommconfig "github.com/prometheus/common/config"
-	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 	promconfig "github.com/prometheus/prometheus/config"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
 
 	"github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-operator/cmd/otel-allocator/allocation"
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ type linkJSON struct {
 }
 
 type targetJSON struct {
-	TargetURL []string       `json:"targets"`
-	Labels    model.LabelSet `json:"labels"`
+	TargetURL []string      `json:"targets"`
+	Labels    labels.Labels `json:"labels"`
 }
 
 type Server struct {
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ func registerPprof(g *gin.RouterGroup) {
 
 func targetJsonFromTargetItem(item *target.Item) *targetJSON {
 	return &targetJSON{
-		TargetURL: item.TargetURL,
+		TargetURL: []string{item.TargetURL},
 		Labels:    item.Labels,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server_test.go
index b7f9ad73b5..4bc403251c 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/server/server_test.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/config"
 	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
 	promconfig "github.com/prometheus/prometheus/config"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/relabel"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -41,11 +42,11 @@ import (
 
 var (
 	logger       = logf.Log.WithName("server-unit-tests")
-	baseLabelSet = model.LabelSet{
-		"test_label": "test-value",
+	baseLabelSet = labels.Labels{
+		{Name: "test_label", Value: "test-value"},
 	}
-	testJobLabelSetTwo = model.LabelSet{
-		"test_label": "test-value2",
+	testJobLabelSetTwo = labels.Labels{
+		{Name: "test_label", Value: "test-value2"},
 	}
 	baseTargetItem       = target.NewItem("test-job", "test-url", baseLabelSet, "test-collector")
 	secondTargetItem     = target.NewItem("test-job", "test-url", baseLabelSet, "test-collector")
@@ -108,8 +109,8 @@ func TestServer_TargetsHandler(t *testing.T) {
 				items: []*targetJSON{
 					{
 						TargetURL: []string{"test-url"},
-						Labels: map[model.LabelName]model.LabelValue{
-							"test_label": "test-value",
+						Labels: labels.Labels{
+							{Name: "test_label", Value: "test-value"},
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -130,8 +131,8 @@ func TestServer_TargetsHandler(t *testing.T) {
 				items: []*targetJSON{
 					{
 						TargetURL: []string{"test-url"},
-						Labels: map[model.LabelName]model.LabelValue{
-							"test_label": "test-value",
+						Labels: labels.Labels{
+							{Name: "test_label", Value: "test-value"},
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -152,14 +153,14 @@ func TestServer_TargetsHandler(t *testing.T) {
 				items: []*targetJSON{
 					{
 						TargetURL: []string{"test-url"},
-						Labels: map[model.LabelName]model.LabelValue{
-							"test_label": "test-value",
+						Labels: labels.Labels{
+							{Name: "test_label", Value: "test-value"},
 						},
 					},
 					{
 						TargetURL: []string{"test-url2"},
-						Labels: map[model.LabelName]model.LabelValue{
-							"test_label": "test-value2",
+						Labels: labels.Labels{
+							{Name: "test_label", Value: "test-value2"},
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -572,7 +573,7 @@ func TestServer_JobHandler(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			description: "one job",
 			targetItems: map[string]*target.Item{
-				"targetitem": target.NewItem("job1", "", model.LabelSet{}, ""),
+				"targetitem": target.NewItem("job1", "", labels.Labels{}, ""),
 			},
 			expectedCode: http.StatusOK,
 			expectedJobs: map[string]linkJSON{
@@ -582,11 +583,11 @@ func TestServer_JobHandler(t *testing.T) {
 		{
 			description: "multiple jobs",
 			targetItems: map[string]*target.Item{
-				"a": target.NewItem("job1", "", model.LabelSet{}, ""),
-				"b": target.NewItem("job2", "", model.LabelSet{}, ""),
-				"c": target.NewItem("job3", "", model.LabelSet{}, ""),
-				"d": target.NewItem("job3", "", model.LabelSet{}, ""),
-				"e": target.NewItem("job3", "", model.LabelSet{}, "")},
+				"a": target.NewItem("job1", "", labels.Labels{}, ""),
+				"b": target.NewItem("job2", "", labels.Labels{}, ""),
+				"c": target.NewItem("job3", "", labels.Labels{}, ""),
+				"d": target.NewItem("job3", "", labels.Labels{}, ""),
+				"e": target.NewItem("job3", "", labels.Labels{}, "")},
 			expectedCode: http.StatusOK,
 			expectedJobs: map[string]linkJSON{
 				"job1": newLink("job1"),
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery.go
index 6bf68b568a..eb7498e5ad 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	promconfig "github.com/prometheus/prometheus/config"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/discovery"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/discovery/targetgroup"
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/relabel"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 
@@ -105,26 +106,36 @@ func (m *Discoverer) ApplyConfig(source allocatorWatcher.EventSource, scrapeConf
 }
 
 func (m *Discoverer) Watch(fn func(targets map[string]*Item)) error {
+	labelsBuilder := labels.NewBuilder(labels.EmptyLabels())
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-m.close:
 			m.log.Info("Service Discovery watch event stopped: discovery manager closed")
 			return nil
 		case tsets := <-m.manager.SyncCh():
-			m.ProcessTargets(tsets, fn)
+			m.ProcessTargets(labelsBuilder, tsets, fn)
 		}
 	}
 }
 
-func (m *Discoverer) ProcessTargets(tsets map[string][]*targetgroup.Group, fn func(targets map[string]*Item)) {
+func (m *Discoverer) ProcessTargets(builder *labels.Builder, tsets map[string][]*targetgroup.Group, fn func(targets map[string]*Item)) {
 	targets := map[string]*Item{}
 
 	for jobName, tgs := range tsets {
 		var count float64 = 0
 		for _, tg := range tgs {
+			builder.Reset(labels.EmptyLabels())
+			for ln, lv := range tg.Labels {
+				builder.Set(string(ln), string(lv))
+			}
+			groupLabels := builder.Labels()
 			for _, t := range tg.Targets {
 				count++
-				item := NewItem(jobName, string(t[model.AddressLabel]), t.Merge(tg.Labels), "")
+				builder.Reset(groupLabels)
+				for ln, lv := range t {
+					builder.Set(string(ln), string(lv))
+				}
+				item := NewItem(jobName, string(t[model.AddressLabel]), builder.Labels(), "")
 				targets[item.Hash()] = item
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery_test.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery_test.go
index f773b295c0..7eb2883ee9 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery_test.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/target/discovery_test.go
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ func TestDiscovery(t *testing.T) {
 		err := manager.Watch(func(targets map[string]*Item) {
 			var result []string
 			for _, t := range targets {
-				result = append(result, t.TargetURL[0])
+				result = append(result, t.TargetURL)
 			}
 			results <- result
 		})
diff --git a/cmd/otel-allocator/target/target.go b/cmd/otel-allocator/target/target.go
index ce80450088..5a157bc11d 100644
--- a/cmd/otel-allocator/target/target.go
+++ b/cmd/otel-allocator/target/target.go
@@ -15,26 +15,29 @@
 package target
 
 import (
-	"github.com/prometheus/common/model"
+	"strconv"
+
+	"github.com/prometheus/prometheus/model/labels"
 )
 
 // nodeLabels are labels that are used to identify the node on which the given
 // target is residing. To learn more about these labels, please refer to:
 // https://prometheus.io/docs/prometheus/latest/configuration/configuration/#kubernetes_sd_config
 var (
-	nodeLabels = []model.LabelName{
+	nodeLabels = []string{
 		"__meta_kubernetes_pod_node_name",
 		"__meta_kubernetes_node_name",
 		"__meta_kubernetes_endpoint_node_name",
 	}
-	endpointSliceTargetKindLabel model.LabelName = "__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_kind"
-	endpointSliceTargetNameLabel model.LabelName = "__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_name"
+	endpointSliceTargetKindLabel = "__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_kind"
+	endpointSliceTargetNameLabel = "__meta_kubernetes_endpointslice_address_target_name"
+	relevantLabelNames           = append(nodeLabels, endpointSliceTargetKindLabel, endpointSliceTargetNameLabel)
 )
 
 type Item struct {
 	JobName       string
-	TargetURL     []string
-	Labels        model.LabelSet
+	TargetURL     string
+	Labels        labels.Labels
 	CollectorName string
 	hash          string
 }
@@ -44,29 +47,30 @@ func (t *Item) Hash() string {
 }
 
 func (t *Item) GetNodeName() string {
+	relevantLabels := t.Labels.MatchLabels(true, relevantLabelNames...)
 	for _, label := range nodeLabels {
-		if val, ok := t.Labels[label]; ok {
-			return string(val)
+		if val := relevantLabels.Get(label); val != "" {
+			return val
 		}
 	}
 
-	if val := t.Labels[endpointSliceTargetKindLabel]; val != "Node" {
+	if val := relevantLabels.Get(endpointSliceTargetKindLabel); val != "Node" {
 		return ""
 	}
 
-	return string(t.Labels[endpointSliceTargetNameLabel])
+	return relevantLabels.Get(endpointSliceTargetNameLabel)
 }
 
 // NewItem Creates a new target item.
 // INVARIANTS:
 // * Item fields must not be modified after creation.
 // * Item should only be made via its constructor, never directly.
-func NewItem(jobName string, targetURL string, label model.LabelSet, collectorName string) *Item {
+func NewItem(jobName string, targetURL string, labels labels.Labels, collectorName string) *Item {
 	return &Item{
 		JobName:       jobName,
-		hash:          jobName + targetURL + label.Fingerprint().String(),
-		TargetURL:     []string{targetURL},
-		Labels:        label,
+		hash:          jobName + targetURL + strconv.FormatUint(labels.Hash(), 10),
+		TargetURL:     targetURL,
+		Labels:        labels,
 		CollectorName: collectorName,
 	}
 }
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 11d5779daf..144ef45a4d 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -27,17 +27,17 @@ require (
 	github.com/prometheus-operator/prometheus-operator/pkg/client v0.76.2
 	github.com/prometheus/client_golang v1.20.5
 	github.com/prometheus/common v0.60.1
-	github.com/prometheus/prometheus v0.55.0
+	github.com/prometheus/prometheus v0.55.1
 	github.com/shirou/gopsutil v3.21.11+incompatible
 	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.9.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/collector/featuregate v1.18.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.31.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlpmetric/otlpmetrichttp v1.31.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.53.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.31.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.31.0
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.31.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/collector/featuregate v1.19.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.32.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlpmetric/otlpmetrichttp v1.32.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.54.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.32.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.32.0
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.32.0
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/gophercloud/gophercloud v1.14.0 // indirect
 	github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.1 // indirect
 	github.com/grafana/regexp v0.0.0-20240518133315-a468a5bfb3bc // indirect
-	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.22.0 // indirect
+	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.23.0 // indirect
 	github.com/hashicorp/consul/api v1.29.4 // indirect
 	github.com/hashicorp/cronexpr v1.1.2 // indirect
 	github.com/hashicorp/errwrap v1.1.0 // indirect
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ require (
 	go.mongodb.org/mongo-driver v1.14.0 // indirect
 	go.opencensus.io v0.24.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.54.0 // indirect
-	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.31.0 // indirect
+	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.32.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.3.1 // indirect
 	go.uber.org/atomic v1.11.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/arch v0.8.0 // indirect
@@ -209,16 +209,16 @@ require (
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.21.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/net v0.30.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.23.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sync v0.8.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/sys v0.26.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sync v0.9.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.27.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/term v0.25.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/text v0.19.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/text v0.20.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/time v0.6.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/tools v0.25.0 // indirect
 	gomodules.xyz/jsonpatch/v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/api v0.198.0 // indirect
-	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20241007155032-5fefd90f89a9 // indirect
-	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20241007155032-5fefd90f89a9 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20241104194629-dd2ea8efbc28 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20241104194629-dd2ea8efbc28 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.67.1 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.35.1 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/evanphx/json-patch.v4 v4.12.0 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 6ffb79156b..a62a629ef3 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -330,8 +330,8 @@ github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.1 h1:gmztn0JnHVt9JZquRuzLw3g4wouNVzKL15iLr/zn/
 github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.1/go.mod h1:x3kM2JMyaluk02fnUJpQuwD2dCS5NDG2ZHL0uE0tcaY=
 github.com/grafana/regexp v0.0.0-20240518133315-a468a5bfb3bc h1:GN2Lv3MGO7AS6PrRoT6yV5+wkrOpcszoIsO4+4ds248=
 github.com/grafana/regexp v0.0.0-20240518133315-a468a5bfb3bc/go.mod h1:+JKpmjMGhpgPL+rXZ5nsZieVzvarn86asRlBg4uNGnk=
-github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.22.0 h1:asbCHRVmodnJTuQ3qamDwqVOIjwqUPTYmYuemVOx+Ys=
-github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.22.0/go.mod h1:ggCgvZ2r7uOoQjOyu2Y1NhHmEPPzzuhWgcza5M1Ji1I=
+github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.23.0 h1:ad0vkEBuk23VJzZR9nkLVG0YAoN9coASF1GusYX6AlU=
+github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.23.0/go.mod h1:igFoXX2ELCW06bol23DWPB5BEWfZISOzSP5K2sbLea0=
 github.com/hashicorp/consul/api v1.29.4 h1:P6slzxDLBOxUSj3fWo2o65VuKtbtOXFi7TSSgtXutuE=
 github.com/hashicorp/consul/api v1.29.4/go.mod h1:HUlfw+l2Zy68ceJavv2zAyArl2fqhGWnMycyt56sBgg=
 github.com/hashicorp/consul/proto-public v0.6.2 h1:+DA/3g/IiKlJZb88NBn0ZgXrxJp2NlvCZdEyl+qxvL0=
@@ -575,8 +575,8 @@ github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.1.3/go.mod h1:lV6e/gmhEcM9IjHGsFOCxxuZ+z1YqCvr4O
 github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.6.0/go.mod h1:cz+aTbrPOrUb4q7XlbU9ygM+/jj0fzG6c1xBZuNvfVA=
 github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.15.1 h1:YagwOFzUgYfKKHX6Dr+sHT7km/hxC76UB0learggepc=
 github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.15.1/go.mod h1:fB45yRUv8NstnjriLhBQLuOUt+WW4BsoGhij/e3PBqk=
-github.com/prometheus/prometheus v0.55.0 h1:ITinOi1zr3HemoVWHf679PfRRmpxZOcR4nEvsze6eB0=
-github.com/prometheus/prometheus v0.55.0/go.mod h1:GGS7QlWKCqCbcEzWsVahYIfQwiGhcExkarHyLJTsv6I=
+github.com/prometheus/prometheus v0.55.1 h1:+NM9V/h4A+wRkOyQzGewzgPPgq/iX2LUQoISNvmjZmI=
+github.com/prometheus/prometheus v0.55.1/go.mod h1:GGS7QlWKCqCbcEzWsVahYIfQwiGhcExkarHyLJTsv6I=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.3.0/go.mod h1:M8bDsm7K2OlrFYOpmOWEs/qY81heoFRclV5y23lUDJ4=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.13.1 h1:KvO1DLK/DRN07sQ1LQKScxyZJuNnedQ5/wKSR38lUII=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.13.1/go.mod h1:uMEvuHeurkdAXX61udpOXGD/AzZDWNMNyH2VO9fmH0o=
@@ -646,28 +646,28 @@ go.opencensus.io v0.22.3/go.mod h1:yxeiOL68Rb0Xd1ddK5vPZ/oVn4vY4Ynel7k9FzqtOIw=
 go.opencensus.io v0.22.4/go.mod h1:yxeiOL68Rb0Xd1ddK5vPZ/oVn4vY4Ynel7k9FzqtOIw=
 go.opencensus.io v0.24.0 h1:y73uSU6J157QMP2kn2r30vwW1A2W2WFwSCGnAVxeaD0=
 go.opencensus.io v0.24.0/go.mod h1:vNK8G9p7aAivkbmorf4v+7Hgx+Zs0yY+0fOtgBfjQKo=
-go.opentelemetry.io/collector/featuregate v1.18.0 h1:1CvP1K3XmVs7WZCs/A1j8rsC7JQWu+y+vF8vxKjLaOU=
-go.opentelemetry.io/collector/featuregate v1.18.0/go.mod h1:47xrISO71vJ83LSMm8+yIDsUbKktUp48Ovt7RR6VbRs=
+go.opentelemetry.io/collector/featuregate v1.19.0 h1:ASea2sU+tdpKI3RxIJC/pufDAfwAmrvcQ4EmTHVu0B0=
+go.opentelemetry.io/collector/featuregate v1.19.0/go.mod h1:47xrISO71vJ83LSMm8+yIDsUbKktUp48Ovt7RR6VbRs=
 go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.54.0 h1:TT4fX+nBOA/+LUkobKGW1ydGcn+G3vRw9+g5HwCphpk=
 go.opentelemetry.io/contrib/instrumentation/net/http/otelhttp v0.54.0/go.mod h1:L7UH0GbB0p47T4Rri3uHjbpCFYrVrwc1I25QhNPiGK8=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.31.0 h1:NsJcKPIW0D0H3NgzPDHmo0WW6SptzPdqg/L1zsIm2hY=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.31.0/go.mod h1:O0C14Yl9FgkjqcCZAsE053C13OaddMYr/hz6clDkEJE=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlpmetric/otlpmetrichttp v1.31.0 h1:ZsXq73BERAiNuuFXYqP4MR5hBrjXfMGSO+Cx7qoOZiM=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlpmetric/otlpmetrichttp v1.31.0/go.mod h1:hg1zaDMpyZJuUzjFxFsRYBoccE86tM9Uf4IqNMUxvrY=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.32.0 h1:WnBN+Xjcteh0zdk01SVqV55d/m62NJLJdIyb4y/WO5U=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel v1.32.0/go.mod h1:00DCVSB0RQcnzlwyTfqtxSm+DRr9hpYrHjNGiBHVQIg=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlpmetric/otlpmetrichttp v1.32.0 h1:t/Qur3vKSkUCcDVaSumWF2PKHt85pc7fRvFuoVT8qFU=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlpmetric/otlpmetrichttp v1.32.0/go.mod h1:Rl61tySSdcOJWoEgYZVtmnKdA0GeKrSqkHC1t+91CH8=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.29.0 h1:dIIDULZJpgdiHz5tXrTgKIMLkus6jEFa7x5SOKcyR7E=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace v1.29.0/go.mod h1:jlRVBe7+Z1wyxFSUs48L6OBQZ5JwH2Hg/Vbl+t9rAgI=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp v1.29.0 h1:JAv0Jwtl01UFiyWZEMiJZBiTlv5A50zNs8lsthXqIio=
 go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/otlp/otlptrace/otlptracehttp v1.29.0/go.mod h1:QNKLmUEAq2QUbPQUfvw4fmv0bgbK7UlOSFCnXyfvSNc=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.53.0 h1:QXobPHrwiGLM4ufrY3EOmDPJpo2P90UuFau4CDPJA/I=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.53.0/go.mod h1:WOAXGr3D00CfzmFxtTV1eR0GpoHuPEu+HJT8UWW2SIU=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.31.0 h1:FSErL0ATQAmYHUIzSezZibnyVlft1ybhy4ozRPcF2fE=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.31.0/go.mod h1:C3dEloVbLuYoX41KpmAhOqNriGbA+qqH6PQ5E5mUfnY=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.31.0 h1:xLY3abVHYZ5HSfOg3l2E5LUj2Cwva5Y7yGxnSW9H5Gk=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.31.0/go.mod h1:TfRbMdhvxIIr/B2N2LQW2S5v9m3gOQ/08KsbbO5BPT0=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.31.0 h1:i9hxxLJF/9kkvfHppyLL55aW7iIJz4JjxTeYusH7zMc=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.31.0/go.mod h1:CRInTMVvNhUKgSAMbKyTMxqOBC0zgyxzW55lZzX43Y8=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.31.0 h1:ffjsj1aRouKewfr85U2aGagJ46+MvodynlQ1HYdmJys=
-go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.31.0/go.mod h1:TXZkRk7SM2ZQLtR6eoAWQFIHPvzQ06FJAsO1tJg480A=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.54.0 h1:rFwzp68QMgtzu9PgP3jm9XaMICI6TsofWWPcBDKwlsU=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/exporters/prometheus v0.54.0/go.mod h1:QyjcV9qDP6VeK5qPyKETvNjmaaEc7+gqjh4SS0ZYzDU=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.32.0 h1:xV2umtmNcThh2/a/aCP+h64Xx5wsj8qqnkYZktzNa0M=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric v1.32.0/go.mod h1:jH7CIbbK6SH2V2wE16W05BHCtIDzauciCRLoc/SyMv8=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.32.0 h1:RNxepc9vK59A8XsgZQouW8ue8Gkb4jpWtJm9ge5lEG4=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.32.0/go.mod h1:LqgegDBjKMmb2GC6/PrTnteJG39I8/vJCAP9LlJXEjU=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.32.0 h1:rZvFnvmvawYb0alrYkjraqJq0Z4ZUJAiyYCU9snn1CU=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.32.0/go.mod h1:PWeZlq0zt9YkYAp3gjKZ0eicRYvOh1Gd+X99x6GHpCQ=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.32.0 h1:WIC9mYrXf8TmY/EXuULKc8hR17vE+Hjv2cssQDe03fM=
+go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace v1.32.0/go.mod h1:+i4rkvCraA+tG6AzwloGaCtkx53Fa+L+V8e9a7YvhT8=
 go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.3.1 h1:TrMUixzpM0yuc/znrFTP9MMRh8trP93mkCiDVeXrui0=
 go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.3.1/go.mod h1:0X1WI4de4ZsLrrJNLAQbFeLCm3T7yBkR0XqQ7niQU+8=
 go.uber.org/atomic v1.11.0 h1:ZvwS0R+56ePWxUNi+Atn9dWONBPp/AUETXlHW0DxSjE=
@@ -793,8 +793,8 @@ golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20201207232520-09787c993a3a/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJ
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20210220032951-036812b2e83c/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20220722155255-886fb9371eb4/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.1.0/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.8.0 h1:3NFvSEYkUoMifnESzZl15y791HH1qU2xm6eCJU5ZPXQ=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.8.0/go.mod h1:Czt+wKu1gCyEFDUtn0jG5QVvpJ6rzVqr5aXyt9drQfk=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.9.0 h1:fEo0HyrW1GIgZdpbhCRO0PkJajUS5H9IFUztCgEo2jQ=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.9.0/go.mod h1:Czt+wKu1gCyEFDUtn0jG5QVvpJ6rzVqr5aXyt9drQfk=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180823144017-11551d06cbcc/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180830151530-49385e6e1522/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20180905080454-ebe1bf3edb33/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
@@ -855,8 +855,8 @@ golang.org/x/sys v0.6.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.8.0/go.mod h1:oPkhp1MJrh7nUepCBck5+mAzfO9JrbApNNgaTdGDITg=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.17.0/go.mod h1:/VUhepiaJMQUp4+oa/7Zr1D23ma6VTLIYjOOTFZPUcA=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.20.0/go.mod h1:/VUhepiaJMQUp4+oa/7Zr1D23ma6VTLIYjOOTFZPUcA=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.26.0 h1:KHjCJyddX0LoSTb3J+vWpupP9p0oznkqVk/IfjymZbo=
-golang.org/x/sys v0.26.0/go.mod h1:/VUhepiaJMQUp4+oa/7Zr1D23ma6VTLIYjOOTFZPUcA=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.27.0 h1:wBqf8DvsY9Y/2P8gAfPDEYNuS30J4lPHJxXSb/nJZ+s=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.27.0/go.mod h1:/VUhepiaJMQUp4+oa/7Zr1D23ma6VTLIYjOOTFZPUcA=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20201126162022-7de9c90e9dd1/go.mod h1:bj7SfCRtBDWHUb9snDiAeCFNEtKQo2Wmx5Cou7ajbmo=
 golang.org/x/term v0.0.0-20210927222741-03fcf44c2211/go.mod h1:jbD1KX2456YbFQfuXm/mYQcufACuNUgVhRMnK/tPxf8=
 golang.org/x/term v0.5.0/go.mod h1:jMB1sMXY+tzblOD4FWmEbocvup2/aLOaQEp7JmGp78k=
@@ -876,8 +876,8 @@ golang.org/x/text v0.7.0/go.mod h1:mrYo+phRRbMaCq/xk9113O4dZlRixOauAjOtrjsXDZ8=
 golang.org/x/text v0.9.0/go.mod h1:e1OnstbJyHTd6l/uOt8jFFHp6TRDWZR/bV3emEE/zU8=
 golang.org/x/text v0.14.0/go.mod h1:18ZOQIKpY8NJVqYksKHtTdi31H5itFRjB5/qKTNYzSU=
 golang.org/x/text v0.15.0/go.mod h1:18ZOQIKpY8NJVqYksKHtTdi31H5itFRjB5/qKTNYzSU=
-golang.org/x/text v0.19.0 h1:kTxAhCbGbxhK0IwgSKiMO5awPoDQ0RpfiVYBfK860YM=
-golang.org/x/text v0.19.0/go.mod h1:BuEKDfySbSR4drPmRPG/7iBdf8hvFMuRexcpahXilzY=
+golang.org/x/text v0.20.0 h1:gK/Kv2otX8gz+wn7Rmb3vT96ZwuoxnQlY+HlJVj7Qug=
+golang.org/x/text v0.20.0/go.mod h1:D4IsuqiFMhST5bX19pQ9ikHC2GsaKyk/oF+pn3ducp4=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20181108054448-85acf8d2951c/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20190308202827-9d24e82272b4/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
 golang.org/x/time v0.0.0-20191024005414-555d28b269f0/go.mod h1:tRJNPiyCQ0inRvYxbN9jk5I+vvW/OXSQhTDSoE431IQ=
@@ -990,10 +990,10 @@ google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20200618031413-b414f8b61790/go.mod h1:jDfRM7Fc
 google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20200729003335-053ba62fc06f/go.mod h1:FWY/as6DDZQgahTzZj3fqbO1CbirC29ZNUFHwi0/+no=
 google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20200804131852-c06518451d9c/go.mod h1:FWY/as6DDZQgahTzZj3fqbO1CbirC29ZNUFHwi0/+no=
 google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20200825200019-8632dd797987/go.mod h1:FWY/as6DDZQgahTzZj3fqbO1CbirC29ZNUFHwi0/+no=
-google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20241007155032-5fefd90f89a9 h1:T6rh4haD3GVYsgEfWExoCZA2o2FmbNyKpTuAxbEFPTg=
-google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20241007155032-5fefd90f89a9/go.mod h1:wp2WsuBYj6j8wUdo3ToZsdxxixbvQNAHqVJrTgi5E5M=
-google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20241007155032-5fefd90f89a9 h1:QCqS/PdaHTSWGvupk2F/ehwHtGc0/GYkT+3GAcR1CCc=
-google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20241007155032-5fefd90f89a9/go.mod h1:GX3210XPVPUjJbTUbvwI8f2IpZDMZuPJWDzDuebbviI=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20241104194629-dd2ea8efbc28 h1:M0KvPgPmDZHPlbRbaNU1APr28TvwvvdUPlSv7PUvy8g=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20241104194629-dd2ea8efbc28/go.mod h1:dguCy7UOdZhTvLzDyt15+rOrawrpM4q7DD9dQ1P11P4=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20241104194629-dd2ea8efbc28 h1:XVhgTWWV3kGQlwJHR3upFWZeTsei6Oks1apkZSeonIE=
+google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/rpc v0.0.0-20241104194629-dd2ea8efbc28/go.mod h1:GX3210XPVPUjJbTUbvwI8f2IpZDMZuPJWDzDuebbviI=
 google.golang.org/grpc v1.19.0/go.mod h1:mqu4LbDTu4XGKhr4mRzUsmM4RtVoemTSY81AxZiDr8c=
 google.golang.org/grpc v1.20.1/go.mod h1:10oTOabMzJvdu6/UiuZezV6QK5dSlG84ov/aaiqXj38=
 google.golang.org/grpc v1.21.1/go.mod h1:oYelfM1adQP15Ek0mdvEgi9Df8B9CZIaU1084ijfRaM=
diff --git a/internal/operator-metrics/metrics.go b/internal/operator-metrics/metrics.go
index 43b3a607e3..dd95e16e7e 100644
--- a/internal/operator-metrics/metrics.go
+++ b/internal/operator-metrics/metrics.go
@@ -19,8 +19,11 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 
+	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
 	monitoringv1 "github.com/prometheus-operator/prometheus-operator/pkg/apis/monitoring/v1"
+	appsv1 "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
@@ -51,9 +54,10 @@ var _ manager.Runnable = &OperatorMetrics{}
 
 type OperatorMetrics struct {
 	kubeClient client.Client
+	log        logr.Logger
 }
 
-func NewOperatorMetrics(config *rest.Config, scheme *runtime.Scheme) (OperatorMetrics, error) {
+func NewOperatorMetrics(config *rest.Config, scheme *runtime.Scheme, log logr.Logger) (OperatorMetrics, error) {
 	kubeClient, err := client.New(config, client.Options{Scheme: scheme})
 	if err != nil {
 		return OperatorMetrics{}, err
@@ -61,16 +65,74 @@ func NewOperatorMetrics(config *rest.Config, scheme *runtime.Scheme) (OperatorMe
 
 	return OperatorMetrics{
 		kubeClient: kubeClient,
+		log:        log,
 	}, nil
 }
 
 func (om OperatorMetrics) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
+	err := om.createOperatorMetricsServiceMonitor(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		om.log.Error(err, "error creating Service Monitor for operator metrics")
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (om OperatorMetrics) NeedLeaderElection() bool {
+	return true
+}
+
+func (om OperatorMetrics) caConfigMapExists() bool {
+	return om.kubeClient.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKey{
+		Name:      caBundleConfigMap,
+		Namespace: openshiftInClusterMonitoringNamespace,
+	}, &corev1.ConfigMap{},
+	) == nil
+}
+
+func (om OperatorMetrics) getOwnerReferences(ctx context.Context, namespace string) (metav1.OwnerReference, error) {
+	var deploymentList appsv1.DeploymentList
+
+	listOptions := []client.ListOption{
+		client.InNamespace(namespace),
+		client.MatchingLabels(map[string]string{
+			"app.kubernetes.io/name": "opentelemetry-operator",
+			"control-plane":          "controller-manager",
+		}),
+	}
+
+	err := om.kubeClient.List(ctx, &deploymentList, listOptions...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return metav1.OwnerReference{}, err
+	}
+
+	if len(deploymentList.Items) == 0 {
+		return metav1.OwnerReference{}, fmt.Errorf("no deployments found with the specified label")
+	}
+	deployment := &deploymentList.Items[0]
+
+	ownerRef := metav1.OwnerReference{
+		APIVersion: "apps/v1",
+		Kind:       "Deployment",
+		Name:       deployment.Name,
+		UID:        deployment.UID,
+	}
+
+	return ownerRef, nil
+}
+
+func (om OperatorMetrics) createOperatorMetricsServiceMonitor(ctx context.Context) error {
 	rawNamespace, err := os.ReadFile(namespaceFile)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("error reading namespace file: %w", err)
 	}
 	namespace := string(rawNamespace)
 
+	ownerRef, err := om.getOwnerReferences(ctx, namespace)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("error getting owner references: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	var tlsConfig *monitoringv1.TLSConfig
 
 	if om.caConfigMapExists() {
@@ -101,6 +163,7 @@ func (om OperatorMetrics) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 				"app.kubernetes.io/part-of": "opentelemetry-operator",
 				"control-plane":             "controller-manager",
 			},
+			OwnerReferences: []metav1.OwnerReference{ownerRef},
 		},
 		Spec: monitoringv1.ServiceMonitorSpec{
 			Selector: metav1.LabelSelector{
@@ -123,23 +186,12 @@ func (om OperatorMetrics) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 	}
 
 	err = om.kubeClient.Create(ctx, &sm)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("error creating service monitor: %w", err)
+	// The ServiceMonitor can be already there if this is a restart
+	if err != nil && !apierrors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
+		return err
 	}
 
 	<-ctx.Done()
 
 	return om.kubeClient.Delete(ctx, &sm)
 }
-
-func (om OperatorMetrics) NeedLeaderElection() bool {
-	return true
-}
-
-func (om OperatorMetrics) caConfigMapExists() bool {
-	return om.kubeClient.Get(context.Background(), client.ObjectKey{
-		Name:      caBundleConfigMap,
-		Namespace: openshiftInClusterMonitoringNamespace,
-	}, &corev1.ConfigMap{},
-	) == nil
-}
diff --git a/internal/operator-metrics/metrics_test.go b/internal/operator-metrics/metrics_test.go
index ae625bfff4..a0293fa2e5 100644
--- a/internal/operator-metrics/metrics_test.go
+++ b/internal/operator-metrics/metrics_test.go
@@ -17,12 +17,15 @@ package operatormetrics
 import (
 	"context"
 	"os"
+	"reflect"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
 	monitoringv1 "github.com/prometheus-operator/prometheus-operator/pkg/apis/monitoring/v1"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	appsv1 "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
@@ -30,13 +33,14 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/wait"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client/fake"
 )
 
 func TestNewOperatorMetrics(t *testing.T) {
 	config := &rest.Config{}
 	scheme := runtime.NewScheme()
-	metrics, err := NewOperatorMetrics(config, scheme)
+	metrics, err := NewOperatorMetrics(config, scheme, logr.Discard())
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.NotNil(t, metrics.kubeClient)
 }
@@ -53,12 +57,15 @@ func TestOperatorMetrics_Start(t *testing.T) {
 	namespaceFile = tmpFile.Name()
 
 	scheme := runtime.NewScheme()
-	err = corev1.AddToScheme(scheme)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	err = monitoringv1.AddToScheme(scheme)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NoError(t, corev1.AddToScheme(scheme))
+	require.NoError(t, appsv1.AddToScheme(scheme))
+	require.NoError(t, monitoringv1.AddToScheme(scheme))
 
-	client := fake.NewClientBuilder().WithScheme(scheme).Build()
+	client := fake.NewClientBuilder().WithScheme(scheme).WithRuntimeObjects(
+		&appsv1.Deployment{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "opentelemetry-operator", Namespace: "test-namespace", Labels: map[string]string{"app.kubernetes.io/name": "opentelemetry-operator", "control-plane": "controller-manager"}},
+		},
+	).Build()
 
 	metrics := OperatorMetrics{kubeClient: client}
 
@@ -125,3 +132,70 @@ func TestOperatorMetrics_caConfigMapExists(t *testing.T) {
 	metricsWithoutConfigMap := OperatorMetrics{kubeClient: clientWithoutConfigMap}
 	assert.False(t, metricsWithoutConfigMap.caConfigMapExists())
 }
+
+func TestOperatorMetrics_getOwnerReferences(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		namespace string
+		objects   []client.Object
+		want      metav1.OwnerReference
+		wantErr   bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "successful owner reference retrieval",
+			namespace: "test-namespace",
+			objects: []client.Object{
+				&appsv1.Deployment{
+					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+						Name:      "opentelemetry-operator",
+						Namespace: "test-namespace",
+						UID:       "test-uid",
+						Labels: map[string]string{
+							"app.kubernetes.io/name": "opentelemetry-operator",
+							"control-plane":          "controller-manager",
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			want: metav1.OwnerReference{
+				APIVersion: "apps/v1",
+				Kind:       "Deployment",
+				Name:       "opentelemetry-operator",
+				UID:        "test-uid",
+			},
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "no deployments found",
+			namespace: "test-namespace",
+			objects:   []client.Object{},
+			want:      metav1.OwnerReference{},
+			wantErr:   true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			scheme := runtime.NewScheme()
+			_ = appsv1.AddToScheme(scheme)
+			fakeClient := fake.NewClientBuilder().
+				WithScheme(scheme).
+				WithObjects(tt.objects...).
+				Build()
+
+			om := OperatorMetrics{
+				kubeClient: fakeClient,
+				log:        logr.Discard(),
+			}
+
+			got, err := om.getOwnerReferences(context.Background(), tt.namespace)
+			if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
+				t.Errorf("getOwnerReferences() error = %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
+				return
+			}
+			if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
+				t.Errorf("getOwnerReferences() got = %v, want %v", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index b6330b2ef1..62ad926d87 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	if cfg.PrometheusCRAvailability() == prometheus.Available {
-		operatorMetrics, opError := operatormetrics.NewOperatorMetrics(mgr.GetConfig(), scheme)
+		operatorMetrics, opError := operatormetrics.NewOperatorMetrics(mgr.GetConfig(), scheme, ctrl.Log.WithName("operator-metrics-sm"))
 		if opError != nil {
 			setupLog.Error(opError, "Failed to create the operator metrics SM")
 		}
diff --git a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-contnr-secctx/01-install-app.yaml b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-contnr-secctx/01-install-app.yaml
index eea887ae21..d1ae0e239f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-contnr-secctx/01-install-app.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-contnr-secctx/01-install-app.yaml
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ spec:
         securityContext:
           runAsUser: 1000
           runAsGroup: 3000
-          fsGroup: 3000
         ports:
         - containerPort: 8765
         env:
@@ -33,7 +32,6 @@ spec:
             mountPath: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
             subPath: nginx.conf
             readOnly: true
-        imagePullPolicy: Always
         resources:
           limits:
             cpu: "1"
diff --git a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/01-install-app.yaml b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/01-install-app.yaml
index 523a44efcf..3a50ecd54d 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/01-install-app.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/01-install-app.yaml
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ spec:
         securityContext:
           runAsUser: 1000
           runAsGroup: 3000
-          fsGroup: 3000
           runAsNonRoot: true
           allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
           seccompProfile:
@@ -57,7 +56,6 @@ spec:
         securityContext:
           runAsUser: 1000
           runAsGroup: 3000
-          fsGroup: 3000
           runAsNonRoot: true
           seccompProfile:
             type: RuntimeDefault
diff --git a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/02-install-app.yaml b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/02-install-app.yaml
index ab80a2db5a..0f2b3a828b 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/02-install-app.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nginx-multicontainer/02-install-app.yaml
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ spec:
         securityContext:
           runAsUser: 1000
           runAsGroup: 3000
-          fsGroup: 3000
           runAsNonRoot: true
           allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
           seccompProfile:
@@ -45,7 +44,6 @@ spec:
             mountPath: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
             subPath: nginx.conf
             readOnly: true
-        imagePullPolicy: Always
         resources:
           limits:
             cpu: 500m
@@ -58,7 +56,6 @@ spec:
         securityContext:
           runAsUser: 1000
           runAsGroup: 3000
-          fsGroup: 3000
           runAsNonRoot: true
           seccompProfile:
             type: RuntimeDefault
diff --git a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-assert.yaml b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-assert.yaml
index 227a175150..83e32efc3a 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-assert.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-assert.yaml
@@ -54,8 +54,6 @@ spec:
         - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
       name: myapp
       volumeMounts:
-        - mountPath: /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount
-          readOnly: true
         - mountPath: /otel-auto-instrumentation-nodejs
           name: opentelemetry-auto-instrumentation-nodejs
     - args:
@@ -64,8 +62,6 @@ spec:
   initContainers:
     - name: opentelemetry-auto-instrumentation-nodejs
   volumes:
-    - projected:
-        defaultMode: 420
     - name: opentelemetry-auto-instrumentation-nodejs
       ephemeral:
         volumeClaimTemplate:
diff --git a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-install-app.yaml b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-install-app.yaml
index f92dc1491b..b219006dfc 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-install-app.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-instrumentation/instrumentation-nodejs-volume/01-install-app.yaml
@@ -29,4 +29,4 @@ spec:
         env:
         - name: NODE_PATH
           value: /usr/local/lib/node_modules
-    automountServiceAccountToken: false
+      automountServiceAccountToken: false
diff --git a/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-assert.yaml b/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-assert.yaml
index 508687915c..813b944fac 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-assert.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-assert.yaml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ rules:
   - get
   - list
   - watch
+  - create
 ---
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 kind: ClusterRoleBinding
diff --git a/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-create-monitoring-roles.yaml b/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-create-monitoring-roles.yaml
index 23fd47841f..dd239ec224 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-create-monitoring-roles.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/03-create-monitoring-roles.yaml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ metadata:
 rules:
 - apiGroups: ["monitoring.coreos.com"]
   resources: ["prometheuses/api"]
-  verbs: ["get", "list", "watch"]
+  verbs: ["get", "list", "watch", "create"]
 
 ---
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
diff --git a/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/check_metrics.sh b/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/check_metrics.sh
index 8dd65fc4e0..ad8843ae38 100755
--- a/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/check_metrics.sh
+++ b/tests/e2e-openshift/monitoring/check_metrics.sh
@@ -3,23 +3,23 @@
 TOKEN=$(oc create token prometheus-user-workload -n openshift-user-workload-monitoring)
 THANOS_QUERIER_HOST=$(oc get route thanos-querier -n openshift-monitoring -o json | jq -r '.spec.host')
 
-#Check metrics for OpenTelemetry collector instance.
-metrics="otelcol_process_uptime otelcol_process_runtime_total_sys_memory_bytes otelcol_process_memory_rss otelcol_exporter_sent_spans otelcol_process_cpu_seconds otelcol_process_memory_rss otelcol_process_runtime_heap_alloc_bytes otelcol_process_runtime_total_alloc_bytes otelcol_process_runtime_total_sys_memory_bytes otelcol_process_uptime otelcol_receiver_accepted_spans otelcol_receiver_refused_spans opentelemetry_collector_info opentelemetry_collector_exporters opentelemetry_collector_receivers"
+# Check metrics for OpenTelemetry collector instance.
+metrics="otelcol_process_uptime otelcol_process_runtime_total_sys_memory_bytes otelcol_process_memory_rss otelcol_exporter_sent_spans otelcol_process_cpu_seconds otelcol_process_memory_rss otelcol_process_runtime_heap_alloc_bytes otelcol_process_runtime_total_alloc_bytes otelcol_process_runtime_total_sys_memory_bytes otelcol_process_uptime otelcol_receiver_accepted_spans otelcol_receiver_refused_spans controller_runtime_reconcile_time_seconds_count{controller=\"opentelemetrycollector\"} controller_runtime_reconcile_total{controller=\"opentelemetrycollector\",result=\"success\"} workqueue_work_duration_seconds_count{controller=\"opentelemetrycollector\",name=\"opentelemetrycollector\"}"
 
 for metric in $metrics; do
-query="$metric"
-count=0
+  query="$metric"
+  count=0
 
-# Keep fetching and checking the metrics until metrics with value is present.
-while [[ $count -eq 0 ]]; do
-    response=$(curl -k -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" -H "Content-type: application/json" "https://$THANOS_QUERIER_HOST/api/v1/query?query=$query")
-    count=$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.data.result | length')
+  # Keep fetching and checking the metrics until metrics with value is present.
+  while [[ $count -eq 0 ]]; do
+    response=$(curl -k -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" --data-urlencode "query=$query" "https://$THANOS_QUERIER_HOST/api/v1/query")
+    count=$(echo "$response" | jq -r '.data.result | length' | tr -d '\n' | tr -d ' ')
 
-    if [[ $count -eq 0 ]]; then
-    echo "No metric '$metric' with value present. Retrying..."
-    sleep 5  # Wait for 5 seconds before retrying
+    if [[ "$count" -eq 0 ]]; then
+      echo "No metric '$metric' with value present. Retrying..."
+      sleep 5  # Wait for 5 seconds before retrying
     else
-    echo "Metric '$metric' with value is present."
+      echo "Metric '$metric' with value is present."
     fi
   done
 done
diff --git a/tests/e2e-targetallocator/targetallocator-features/00-install.yaml b/tests/e2e-targetallocator/targetallocator-features/00-install.yaml
index 26eed14f12..9213d607a4 100644
--- a/tests/e2e-targetallocator/targetallocator-features/00-install.yaml
+++ b/tests/e2e-targetallocator/targetallocator-features/00-install.yaml
@@ -93,7 +93,6 @@ spec:
       runAsUser: 1000
     prometheusCR:
       enabled: true
-      filterStrategy: ""
     securityContext:
       capabilities:
         add: