diff --git a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/ConfigurationServiceRecorder.java b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/ConfigurationServiceRecorder.java
index 59cc9e5e7..4f8be8f14 100644
--- a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/ConfigurationServiceRecorder.java
+++ b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/ConfigurationServiceRecorder.java
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ public class ConfigurationServiceRecorder {
 
     static final Logger log = Logger.getLogger(ConfigurationServiceRecorder.class.getName());
 
-    @SuppressWarnings({ "rawtypes", "unchecked" })
+    @SuppressWarnings({ "rawtypes" })
     public Supplier<QuarkusConfigurationService> configurationServiceSupplier(Version version,
             Map<String, QuarkusControllerConfiguration> configurations,
             CRDGenerationInfo crdInfo, RunTimeOperatorConfiguration runTimeConfiguration,
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ public Supplier<QuarkusConfigurationService> configurationServiceSupplier(Versio
         final var maxThreads = runTimeConfiguration.concurrentReconciliationThreads
                 .orElse(ConfigurationService.DEFAULT_RECONCILIATION_THREADS_NUMBER);
         final var timeout = runTimeConfiguration.terminationTimeoutSeconds
-                .orElse(ConfigurationService.DEFAULT_TERMINATION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS);
+                .orElse(QuarkusConfigurationService.UNSET_TERMINATION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS);
         final var workflowThreads = runTimeConfiguration.concurrentWorkflowThreads
                 .orElse(ConfigurationService.DEFAULT_WORKFLOW_EXECUTOR_THREAD_NUMBER);
         final var cacheSyncTimeout = runTimeConfiguration.cacheSyncTimeout;
diff --git a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/OperatorProducer.java b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/OperatorProducer.java
index 0c3e832be..513733d7e 100644
--- a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/OperatorProducer.java
+++ b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/OperatorProducer.java
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 import static io.quarkiverse.operatorsdk.runtime.CRDUtils.applyCRD;
 
+import java.time.Duration;
+
 import jakarta.enterprise.context.ApplicationScoped;
 import jakarta.enterprise.inject.Instance;
 import jakarta.enterprise.inject.Produces;
@@ -34,8 +36,7 @@ public class OperatorProducer {
     @DefaultBean
     @ApplicationScoped
     Operator operator(QuarkusConfigurationService configuration, Instance<Reconciler<? extends HasMetadata>> reconcilers) {
-        if (configuration.getVersion() instanceof Version) {
-            final var version = ((Version) configuration.getVersion());
+        if (configuration.getVersion() instanceof Version version) {
             log.info("Quarkus Java Operator SDK extension {}", version.getExtensionCompleteVersion());
         }
 
@@ -52,6 +53,12 @@ Operator operator(QuarkusConfigurationService configuration, Instance<Reconciler
             operator.register(reconciler);
         }
 
+        // if we set a termination timeout, install a shutdown hook
+        final var terminationTimeoutSeconds = configuration.getTerminationTimeoutSeconds();
+        if (QuarkusConfigurationService.UNSET_TERMINATION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS != terminationTimeoutSeconds) {
+            operator.installShutdownHook(Duration.ofSeconds(terminationTimeoutSeconds));
+        }
+
         return operator;
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/QuarkusConfigurationService.java b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/QuarkusConfigurationService.java
index 34a34ab46..64ff816b4 100644
--- a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/QuarkusConfigurationService.java
+++ b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/QuarkusConfigurationService.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ public class QuarkusConfigurationService extends AbstractConfigurationService im
         DependentResourceFactory<QuarkusControllerConfiguration<?>>,
         ManagedWorkflowFactory<QuarkusControllerConfiguration<?>> {
     private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(QuarkusConfigurationService.class);
+    public static final int UNSET_TERMINATION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = -1;
     private final CRDGenerationInfo crdInfo;
     private final int concurrentReconciliationThreads;
     private final int terminationTimeout;
@@ -129,7 +130,6 @@ public int concurrentReconciliationThreads() {
         return this.concurrentReconciliationThreads;
     }
 
-    @Override
     public int getTerminationTimeoutSeconds() {
         return terminationTimeout;
     }
diff --git a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/RunTimeOperatorConfiguration.java b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/RunTimeOperatorConfiguration.java
index 41c9d8167..3ed2f8c2b 100644
--- a/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/RunTimeOperatorConfiguration.java
+++ b/core/runtime/src/main/java/io/quarkiverse/operatorsdk/runtime/RunTimeOperatorConfiguration.java
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ public class RunTimeOperatorConfiguration {
     public Optional<Integer> concurrentReconciliationThreads;
 
     /**
-     * Amount of seconds the SDK waits for reconciliation threads to terminate before shutting down.
+     * Amount of seconds the SDK waits for reconciliation threads to terminate before shutting down. Setting this value will
+     * install a shutdown hook to wait for termination (causing
+     * {@link io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.Operator#installShutdownHook(Duration)} to be called with
+     * `Duration.ofSeconds(terminationTimeoutSeconds)`).
      */
     @ConfigItem
     public Optional<Integer> terminationTimeoutSeconds;
diff --git a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/includes/quarkus-operator-sdk.adoc b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/includes/quarkus-operator-sdk.adoc
index 78c8b17b3..ca812ab24 100644
--- a/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/includes/quarkus-operator-sdk.adoc
+++ b/docs/modules/ROOT/pages/includes/quarkus-operator-sdk.adoc
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ a| [[quarkus-operator-sdk_quarkus-operator-sdk-termination-timeout-seconds]]`lin
 
 [.description]
 --
-Amount of seconds the SDK waits for reconciliation threads to terminate before shutting down.
+Amount of seconds the SDK waits for reconciliation threads to terminate before shutting down. Setting this value will install a shutdown hook to wait for termination (causing `io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.Operator++#++installShutdownHook(Duration)` to be called with `Duration.ofSeconds(terminationTimeoutSeconds)`).
 
 ifdef::add-copy-button-to-env-var[]
 Environment variable: env_var_with_copy_button:+++QUARKUS_OPERATOR_SDK_TERMINATION_TIMEOUT_SECONDS+++[]