diff --git a/pkg/domain/infra/abi/secrets.go b/pkg/domain/infra/abi/secrets.go
index 32dae29e53..25952927dd 100644
--- a/pkg/domain/infra/abi/secrets.go
+++ b/pkg/domain/infra/abi/secrets.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func (ic *ContainerEngine) SecretCreate(_ context.Context, name string, reader i
 	if options.Driver == "" {
 		options.Driver = cfg.Secrets.Driver
 	}
-	if len(options.DriverOpts) == 0 {
+	if len(options.DriverOpts) == 0 && options.Driver == cfg.Secrets.Driver {
 		options.DriverOpts = cfg.Secrets.Opts
 	}
 	if options.DriverOpts == nil {
diff --git a/test/e2e/secret_test.go b/test/e2e/secret_test.go
index aa9a880a7d..a51f62fd07 100644
--- a/test/e2e/secret_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/secret_test.go
@@ -504,6 +504,25 @@ var _ = Describe("Podman secret", func() {
 		Expect(exists).Should(ExitWithError(1, ""))
 	})
 
+	It("podman secret create with non-default driver does not inherit default driver opts", func() {
+		secretFilePath := filepath.Join(podmanTest.TempDir, "secret")
+		err := os.WriteFile(secretFilePath, []byte("mysecret"), 0o755)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+		// Create a secret with driver=shell but no --driver-opts.
+		// Before the fix, the file driver's default "path" opt bled
+		// into the shell driver, causing "invalid shell driver option".
+		// After the fix, the shell driver correctly receives no
+		// foreign opts and fails only because its required commands
+		// (store, lookup, list, delete) are not configured.
+		session := podmanTest.Podman([]string{
+			"secret", "create", "-d", "shell",
+			"shell-secret", secretFilePath,
+		})
+		session.WaitWithDefaultTimeout()
+		Expect(session).Should(ExitWithError(125, "missing config value"))
+	})
+
 	It("podman secret create from stdin", func() {
 		secretData := "mysecretdata"
 		secretName := "stdin-secret-" + stringid.GenerateRandomID()