diff --git a/internal/audit/crd_config_refs.go b/internal/audit/crd_config_refs.go
index 04de472d25..4a16cdd391 100644
--- a/internal/audit/crd_config_refs.go
+++ b/internal/audit/crd_config_refs.go
@@ -387,7 +387,7 @@ func kedaTriggerAuthConfigRefs(u *unstructured.Unstructured) []bp.ConfigObjectRe
 	for _, ref := range mapsAt(u.Object, "spec", "configMapTargetRef") {
 		addConfigMap(&refs, ns, stringValue(ref["name"]))
 	}
-	addSecret(&refs, ns, stringAt(u.Object, "spec", "gcpSecretManager", "credentials", "clientSecret", "name"))
+	addSecret(&refs, ns, stringAt(u.Object, "spec", "gcpSecretManager", "credentials", "clientSecret", "valueFrom", "secretKeyRef", "name"))
 	return refs
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/audit/crd_config_refs_test.go b/internal/audit/crd_config_refs_test.go
index c98aa4a22a..8a8c1acf55 100644
--- a/internal/audit/crd_config_refs_test.go
+++ b/internal/audit/crd_config_refs_test.go
@@ -186,10 +186,17 @@ func TestDynamicConfigObjectRefs(t *testing.T) {
 			obj: map[string]any{"spec": map[string]any{
 				"secretTargetRef":    []any{map[string]any{"name": "queue-secret"}},
 				"configMapTargetRef": []any{map[string]any{"name": "queue-config"}},
-				"gcpSecretManager":   map[string]any{"credentials": map[string]any{"clientSecret": map[string]any{"name": "gcp-secret"}}},
+				"gcpSecretManager":   map[string]any{"credentials": map[string]any{"clientSecret": map[string]any{"valueFrom": map[string]any{"secretKeyRef": map[string]any{"name": "gcp-secret", "key": "credentials.json"}}}}},
 			}},
 			want: refs(secret("app", "queue-secret"), configMap("app", "queue-config"), secret("app", "gcp-secret")),
 		},
+		{
+			name: "keda shallow GCP credentials are not a reference",
+			gvr:  gvr("keda.sh", "v1alpha1", "triggerauthentications"),
+			ns:   "app",
+			obj:  map[string]any{"spec": map[string]any{"gcpSecretManager": map[string]any{"credentials": map[string]any{"clientSecret": map[string]any{"name": "fictional"}}}}},
+			want: refs(),
+		},
 		{
 			name: "prometheus servicemonitor refs",
 			gvr:  gvr("monitoring.coreos.com", "v1", "servicemonitors"),
diff --git a/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaCredentials.test.tsx b/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaCredentials.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4bff8b9e81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaCredentials.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+import { act } from 'react'
+import { createRoot } from 'react-dom/client'
+import { renderToStaticMarkup } from 'react-dom/server'
+import { expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { KedaTriggerAuthRenderer } from './KedaTriggerAuthRenderer'
+Object.assign(globalThis, { IS_REACT_ACT_ENVIRONMENT: true })
+const spec = {
+  secretTargetRef: [{ parameter: 'token', name: 'direct', key: 'token' }],
+  gcpSecretManager: {
+    credentials: {
+      clientSecret: {
+        valueFrom: { secretKeyRef: { name: 'iam', key: 'credentials.json' } },
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+
+it('links the actual nested GCP credential Secret in the authentication namespace', async () => {
+  const element = document.createElement('div')
+  const root = createRoot(element)
+  const onNavigate = vi.fn()
+  try {
+    await act(async () =>
+      root.render(
+        <KedaTriggerAuthRenderer
+          data={{
+            kind: 'TriggerAuthentication',
+            metadata: { namespace: 'app' },
+            spec,
+          }}
+          onNavigate={onNavigate}
+        />,
+      ),
+    )
+    const button = [...element.querySelectorAll('button')].find(b => b.textContent === 'iam')
+    expect(button).toBeDefined()
+    await act(async () => button!.click())
+    expect(onNavigate).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      kind: 'secrets',
+      group: '',
+      namespace: 'app',
+      name: 'iam',
+    })
+    expect(element.textContent).toContain('credentials.json')
+  } finally {
+    await act(async () => root.unmount())
+  }
+})
+
+it('retains cluster-auth names without inventing an operator credential namespace', () => {
+  const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+    <KedaTriggerAuthRenderer
+      data={{
+        kind: 'ClusterTriggerAuthentication',
+        metadata: { name: 'cluster' },
+        spec,
+      }}
+      onNavigate={() => {}}
+    />,
+  )
+  const doc = new DOMParser().parseFromString(html, 'text/html')
+  expect(doc.body.textContent).toContain('iam')
+  expect(doc.body.textContent).toContain('direct')
+  expect([...doc.querySelectorAll('button')].some(b => b.textContent === 'iam' || b.textContent === 'direct')).toBe(
+    false,
+  )
+})
+
+it('does not accept the previously invented shallow GCP reference shape', () => {
+  const html = renderToStaticMarkup(
+    <KedaTriggerAuthRenderer
+      data={{
+        kind: 'TriggerAuthentication',
+        metadata: { namespace: 'app' },
+        spec: {
+          gcpSecretManager: {
+            credentials: { clientSecret: { name: 'fictional' } },
+          },
+        },
+      }}
+    />,
+  )
+  expect(html).not.toContain('fictional')
+})
diff --git a/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaTriggerAuthRenderer.tsx b/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaTriggerAuthRenderer.tsx
index 881ee51234..002144304d 100644
--- a/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaTriggerAuthRenderer.tsx
+++ b/packages/k8s-ui/src/components/resources/renderers/KedaTriggerAuthRenderer.tsx
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ export function KedaTriggerAuthRenderer({ data, onNavigate }: KedaTriggerAuthRen
   const awsSecretManager = spec.awsSecretManager
   const gcpSecretManager = spec.gcpSecretManager
   const podIdentity = spec.podIdentity
+  const credentialRef = gcpSecretManager?.credentials?.clientSecret?.valueFrom?.secretKeyRef
+  const namespace = data.metadata?.namespace
 
   return (
     <>
@@ -48,7 +50,7 @@ export function KedaTriggerAuthRenderer({ data, onNavigate }: KedaTriggerAuthRen
                 <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-x-4 gap-y-1 text-sm">
                   <span className="text-theme-text-primary font-medium">{ref.parameter}</span>
                   <span className="text-theme-text-secondary">
-                    Secret: <ResourceLink name={ref.name} kind="secrets" namespace={data.metadata?.namespace || ''} onNavigate={onNavigate} /> / {ref.key}
+                    Secret: {namespace ? <ResourceLink name={ref.name} kind="secrets" group="" namespace={namespace} onNavigate={onNavigate} /> : ref.name} / {ref.key}
                   </span>
                 </div>
               </div>
@@ -150,9 +152,10 @@ export function KedaTriggerAuthRenderer({ data, onNavigate }: KedaTriggerAuthRen
       {gcpSecretManager && (
         <Section title="GCP Secret Manager" icon={Cloud}>
           <PropertyList>
-            {gcpSecretManager.credentials?.clientSecret?.name && (
-              <Property label="Credentials Secret" value={gcpSecretManager.credentials.clientSecret.name} />
+            {credentialRef?.name && (
+              <Property label="Credentials Secret" value={namespace ? <ResourceLink name={credentialRef.name} kind="secrets" group="" namespace={namespace} onNavigate={onNavigate} /> : credentialRef.name} />
             )}
+            {credentialRef?.key && <Property label="Credentials Key" value={credentialRef.key} />}
           </PropertyList>
           {gcpSecretManager.secrets && gcpSecretManager.secrets.length > 0 && (
             <div className="mt-2 space-y-1">