diff --git a/backend/src/db/migrations/20250824173438_add-approval-secret-read-compat.ts b/backend/src/db/migrations/20250824173438_add-approval-secret-read-compat.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7398920af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/db/migrations/20250824173438_add-approval-secret-read-compat.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+import { Knex } from "knex";
+
+import { TableName } from "../schemas";
+
+export async function up(knex: Knex): Promise<void> {
+  if (!(await knex.schema.hasColumn(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy, "shouldCheckSecretPermission"))) {
+    await knex.schema.alterTable(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy, (t) => {
+      t.boolean("shouldCheckSecretPermission").nullable();
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+export async function down(knex: Knex): Promise<void> {
+  if (await knex.schema.hasColumn(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy, "shouldCheckSecretPermission")) {
+    await knex.schema.alterTable(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy, (t) => {
+      t.dropColumn("shouldCheckSecretPermission");
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/backend/src/db/migrations/20250824192801_backfill-secret-read-compat-flag.ts b/backend/src/db/migrations/20250824192801_backfill-secret-read-compat-flag.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7a629ca52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/src/db/migrations/20250824192801_backfill-secret-read-compat-flag.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import { Knex } from "knex";
+
+import { selectAllTableCols } from "@app/lib/knex";
+
+import { TableName } from "../schemas";
+
+const BATCH_SIZE = 100;
+
+export async function up(knex: Knex): Promise<void> {
+  if (await knex.schema.hasColumn(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy, "shouldCheckSecretPermission")) {
+    // find all existing SecretApprovalPolicy rows to backfill shouldCheckSecretPermission flag
+    const rows = await knex(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy).select(selectAllTableCols(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy));
+
+    if (rows.length > 0) {
+      for (let i = 0; i < rows.length; i += BATCH_SIZE) {
+        const batch = rows.slice(i, i + BATCH_SIZE);
+        // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
+        await knex(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy)
+          .whereIn(
+            "id",
+            batch.map((row) => row.id)
+          )
+          .update({ shouldCheckSecretPermission: true });
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export async function down(): Promise<void> {}
diff --git a/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts b/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts
index 0273e617c..dbb881db3 100644
--- a/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts
+++ b/backend/src/db/schemas/secret-approval-policies.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ export const SecretApprovalPoliciesSchema = z.object({
   updatedAt: z.date(),
   enforcementLevel: z.string().default("hard"),
   deletedAt: z.date().nullable().optional(),
-  allowedSelfApprovals: z.boolean().default(true)
+  allowedSelfApprovals: z.boolean().default(true),
+  shouldCheckSecretPermission: z.boolean().nullable().optional()
 });
 
 export type TSecretApprovalPolicies = z.infer<typeof SecretApprovalPoliciesSchema>;
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/secret-approval-request-router.ts b/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/secret-approval-request-router.ts
index 104738140..bdc9c2dcd 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/secret-approval-request-router.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/routes/v1/secret-approval-request-router.ts
@@ -305,7 +305,8 @@ export const registerSecretApprovalRequestRouter = async (server: FastifyZodProv
                 secretPath: z.string().optional().nullable(),
                 enforcementLevel: z.string(),
                 deletedAt: z.date().nullish(),
-                allowedSelfApprovals: z.boolean()
+                allowedSelfApprovals: z.boolean(),
+                shouldCheckSecretPermission: z.boolean().nullable().optional()
               }),
               environment: z.string(),
               statusChangedByUser: approvalRequestUser.optional(),
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-dal.ts b/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-dal.ts
index 49512768c..daa6ebc29 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-dal.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-dal.ts
@@ -180,7 +180,11 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestDALFactory = (db: TDbClient) => {
         tx.ref("enforcementLevel").withSchema(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy).as("policyEnforcementLevel"),
         tx.ref("allowedSelfApprovals").withSchema(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy).as("policyAllowedSelfApprovals"),
         tx.ref("approvals").withSchema(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy).as("policyApprovals"),
-        tx.ref("deletedAt").withSchema(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy).as("policyDeletedAt")
+        tx.ref("deletedAt").withSchema(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy).as("policyDeletedAt"),
+        tx
+          .ref("shouldCheckSecretPermission")
+          .withSchema(TableName.SecretApprovalPolicy)
+          .as("policySecretReadAccessCompat")
       );
 
   const findById = async (id: string, tx?: Knex) => {
@@ -220,7 +224,8 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestDALFactory = (db: TDbClient) => {
             enforcementLevel: el.policyEnforcementLevel,
             envId: el.policyEnvId,
             deletedAt: el.policyDeletedAt,
-            allowedSelfApprovals: el.policyAllowedSelfApprovals
+            allowedSelfApprovals: el.policyAllowedSelfApprovals,
+            shouldCheckSecretPermission: el.policySecretReadAccessCompat
           }
         }),
         childrenMapper: [
diff --git a/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-service.ts b/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-service.ts
index 9e32ad7de..d485f7ea0 100644
--- a/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-service.ts
+++ b/backend/src/ee/services/secret-approval-request/secret-approval-request-service.ts
@@ -281,13 +281,22 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestServiceFactory = ({
     ) {
       throw new ForbiddenRequestError({ message: "User has insufficient privileges" });
     }
-    const getHasSecretReadAccess = (environment: string, tags: { slug: string }[], secretPath?: string) => {
-      const canRead = hasSecretReadValueOrDescribePermission(permission, ProjectPermissionSecretActions.ReadValue, {
-        environment,
-        secretPath: secretPath || "/",
-        secretTags: tags.map((i) => i.slug)
-      });
-      return canRead;
+    const getHasSecretReadAccess = (
+      shouldCheckSecretPermission: boolean | null | undefined,
+      environment: string,
+      tags: { slug: string }[],
+      secretPath?: string
+    ) => {
+      if (shouldCheckSecretPermission) {
+        const canRead = hasSecretReadValueOrDescribePermission(permission, ProjectPermissionSecretActions.ReadValue, {
+          environment,
+          secretPath: secretPath || "/",
+          secretTags: tags.map((i) => i.slug)
+        });
+        return canRead;
+      }
+
+      return true;
     };
 
     let secrets;
@@ -309,8 +318,18 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestServiceFactory = ({
         version: el.version,
         secretMetadata: el.secretMetadata as ResourceMetadataDTO,
         isRotatedSecret: el.secret?.isRotatedSecret ?? false,
-        secretValueHidden: !getHasSecretReadAccess(secretApprovalRequest.environment, el.tags, secretPath?.[0]?.path),
-        secretValue: !getHasSecretReadAccess(secretApprovalRequest.environment, el.tags, secretPath?.[0]?.path)
+        secretValueHidden: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+          secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
+          secretApprovalRequest.environment,
+          el.tags,
+          secretPath?.[0]?.path
+        ),
+        secretValue: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+          secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
+          secretApprovalRequest.environment,
+          el.tags,
+          secretPath?.[0]?.path
+        )
           ? INFISICAL_SECRET_VALUE_HIDDEN_MASK
           : el.secret && el.secret.isRotatedSecret
             ? undefined
@@ -326,11 +345,17 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestServiceFactory = ({
               id: el.secret.id,
               version: el.secret.version,
               secretValueHidden: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+                secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
                 secretApprovalRequest.environment,
                 el.tags,
                 secretPath?.[0]?.path
               ),
-              secretValue: !getHasSecretReadAccess(secretApprovalRequest.environment, el.tags, secretPath?.[0]?.path)
+              secretValue: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+                secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
+                secretApprovalRequest.environment,
+                el.tags,
+                secretPath?.[0]?.path
+              )
                 ? INFISICAL_SECRET_VALUE_HIDDEN_MASK
                 : el.secret.encryptedValue
                   ? secretManagerDecryptor({ cipherTextBlob: el.secret.encryptedValue }).toString()
@@ -346,11 +371,17 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestServiceFactory = ({
               id: el.secretVersion.id,
               version: el.secretVersion.version,
               secretValueHidden: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+                secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
                 secretApprovalRequest.environment,
                 el.tags,
                 secretPath?.[0]?.path
               ),
-              secretValue: !getHasSecretReadAccess(secretApprovalRequest.environment, el.tags, secretPath?.[0]?.path)
+              secretValue: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+                secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
+                secretApprovalRequest.environment,
+                el.tags,
+                secretPath?.[0]?.path
+              )
                 ? INFISICAL_SECRET_VALUE_HIDDEN_MASK
                 : el.secretVersion.encryptedValue
                   ? secretManagerDecryptor({ cipherTextBlob: el.secretVersion.encryptedValue }).toString()
@@ -368,7 +399,12 @@ export const secretApprovalRequestServiceFactory = ({
       const encryptedSecrets = await secretApprovalRequestSecretDAL.findByRequestId(secretApprovalRequest.id);
       secrets = encryptedSecrets.map((el) => ({
         ...el,
-        secretValueHidden: !getHasSecretReadAccess(secretApprovalRequest.environment, el.tags, secretPath?.[0]?.path),
+        secretValueHidden: !getHasSecretReadAccess(
+          secretApprovalRequest.policy.shouldCheckSecretPermission,
+          secretApprovalRequest.environment,
+          el.tags,
+          secretPath?.[0]?.path
+        ),
         ...decryptSecretWithBot(el, botKey),
         secret: el.secret
           ? {