diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector.go
index c2c74e005f1..2f8e1e2b0c4 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector.go
@@ -54,6 +54,11 @@ type Selector interface {
 
 	// Make a deep copy of the selector.
 	DeepCopySelector() Selector
+
+	// RequiresExactMatch allows a caller to introspect whether a given selector
+	// requires a single specific label to be set, and if so returns the value it
+	// requires.
+	RequiresExactMatch(label string) (value string, found bool)
 }
 
 // Everything returns a selector that matches all labels.
@@ -63,12 +68,13 @@ func Everything() Selector {
 
 type nothingSelector struct{}
 
-func (n nothingSelector) Matches(_ Labels) bool              { return false }
-func (n nothingSelector) Empty() bool                        { return false }
-func (n nothingSelector) String() string                     { return "" }
-func (n nothingSelector) Add(_ ...Requirement) Selector      { return n }
-func (n nothingSelector) Requirements() (Requirements, bool) { return nil, false }
-func (n nothingSelector) DeepCopySelector() Selector         { return n }
+func (n nothingSelector) Matches(_ Labels) bool                                      { return false }
+func (n nothingSelector) Empty() bool                                                { return false }
+func (n nothingSelector) String() string                                             { return "" }
+func (n nothingSelector) Add(_ ...Requirement) Selector                              { return n }
+func (n nothingSelector) Requirements() (Requirements, bool)                         { return nil, false }
+func (n nothingSelector) DeepCopySelector() Selector                                 { return n }
+func (n nothingSelector) RequiresExactMatch(label string) (value string, found bool) { return "", false }
 
 // Nothing returns a selector that matches no labels
 func Nothing() Selector {
@@ -358,6 +364,23 @@ func (lsel internalSelector) String() string {
 	return strings.Join(reqs, ",")
 }
 
+// RequiresExactMatch introspect whether a given selector requires a single specific field
+// to be set, and if so returns the value it requires.
+func (lsel internalSelector) RequiresExactMatch(label string) (value string, found bool) {
+	for ix := range lsel {
+		if lsel[ix].key == label {
+			switch lsel[ix].operator {
+			case selection.Equals, selection.DoubleEquals, selection.In:
+				if len(lsel[ix].strValues) == 1 {
+					return lsel[ix].strValues[0], true
+				}
+			}
+			return "", false
+		}
+	}
+	return "", false
+}
+
 // Token represents constant definition for lexer token
 type Token int
 
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector_test.go
index 64b121fa804..e93055094c6 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels/selector_test.go
@@ -630,3 +630,81 @@ func BenchmarkSelectorFromValidatedSet(b *testing.B) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRequiresExactMatch(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name          string
+		sel           Selector
+		label         string
+		expectedFound bool
+		expectedValue string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:          "keyInOperatorExactMatch",
+			sel:           internalSelector{Requirement{"key", selection.In, []string{"value"}}},
+			label:         "key",
+			expectedFound: true,
+			expectedValue: "value",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "keyInOperatorNotExactMatch",
+			sel:           internalSelector{Requirement{"key", selection.In, []string{"value", "value2"}}},
+			label:         "key",
+			expectedFound: false,
+			expectedValue: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "keyInOperatorNotExactMatch",
+			sel: internalSelector{
+				Requirement{"key", selection.In, []string{"value", "value1"}},
+				Requirement{"key2", selection.In, []string{"value2"}},
+			},
+			label:         "key2",
+			expectedFound: true,
+			expectedValue: "value2",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "keyEqualOperatorExactMatch",
+			sel:           internalSelector{Requirement{"key", selection.Equals, []string{"value"}}},
+			label:         "key",
+			expectedFound: true,
+			expectedValue: "value",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "keyDoubleEqualOperatorExactMatch",
+			sel:           internalSelector{Requirement{"key", selection.DoubleEquals, []string{"value"}}},
+			label:         "key",
+			expectedFound: true,
+			expectedValue: "value",
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "keyNotEqualOperatorExactMatch",
+			sel:           internalSelector{Requirement{"key", selection.NotEquals, []string{"value"}}},
+			label:         "key",
+			expectedFound: false,
+			expectedValue: "",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "keyEqualOperatorExactMatchFirst",
+			sel: internalSelector{
+				Requirement{"key", selection.In, []string{"value"}},
+				Requirement{"key2", selection.In, []string{"value2"}},
+			},
+			label:         "key",
+			expectedFound: true,
+			expectedValue: "value",
+		},
+	}
+	for _, ts := range testCases {
+		t.Run(ts.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			value, found := ts.sel.RequiresExactMatch(ts.label)
+			if found != ts.expectedFound {
+				t.Errorf("Expected match %v, found %v", ts.expectedFound, found)
+			}
+			if found && value != ts.expectedValue {
+				t.Errorf("Expected value %v, found %v", ts.expectedValue, value)
+			}
+
+		})
+	}
+}