diff --git a/docs/customresourcestate-metrics.md b/docs/customresourcestate-metrics.md
index b0e1edd775..035ba457b1 100644
--- a/docs/customresourcestate-metrics.md
+++ b/docs/customresourcestate-metrics.md
@@ -482,5 +482,5 @@ Examples:
 [status, conditions, "[value=66]", name]  # status.conditions[1].name = "b"
 
 # For generally matching against a field in an object schema, use the following syntax:
-[metadata, annotations, "bar:baz"] # metadata.annotations["bar:baz"] = "baz" (if present, ignored otherwise)
+[metadata, annotations, "bar=baz"] # metadata.annotations["bar=baz"] = "baz" (if present, ignored otherwise)
 ```
diff --git a/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory.go b/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory.go
index a9c6a0a23f..ac5a0c68c1 100644
--- a/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory.go
+++ b/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory.go
@@ -613,8 +613,8 @@ func compilePath(path []string) (out valuePath, _ error) {
 				part: part,
 				op: func(m interface{}) interface{} {
 					if mp, ok := m.(map[string]interface{}); ok {
-						kv := strings.Split(part, ":")
-						if len(kv) == 2 /* k:v */ {
+						kv := strings.Split(part, "=")
+						if len(kv) == 2 /* k=v */ {
 							key := kv[0]
 							val := kv[1]
 							if v, ok := mp[key]; ok {
diff --git a/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory_test.go b/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory_test.go
index 0f919df817..87f7eb391a 100644
--- a/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory_test.go
+++ b/pkg/customresourcestate/registry_factory_test.go
@@ -332,10 +332,10 @@ func Test_values(t *testing.T) {
 			newEachValue(t, 0, "type", "Provisioned"),
 			newEachValue(t, 1, "type", "Ready"),
 		}},
-		{name: ": expression matching", each: &compiledInfo{
+		{name: "= expression matching", each: &compiledInfo{
 			compiledCommon: compiledCommon{
 				labelFromPath: map[string]valuePath{
-					"bar": mustCompilePath(t, "metadata", "annotations", "bar:baz"),
+					"bar": mustCompilePath(t, "metadata", "annotations", "bar=baz"),
 				},
 			},
 		}, wantResult: []eachValue{