diff --git a/.changelog/3475.txt b/.changelog/3475.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ae29ceba578
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/3475.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+```release-note:bug
+plugin/k8s: Properly parse kubernetes task launcher config on plugin invoke.
+```
+
+```release-note:improvement
+serverinstall/k8s: By default, do not set a mem or cpu limit or request for
+the default runner profile installed.
+```
diff --git a/builtin/k8s/platform.go b/builtin/k8s/platform.go
index da1c19ef2b0..446d7e68e03 100644
--- a/builtin/k8s/platform.go
+++ b/builtin/k8s/platform.go
@@ -421,11 +421,11 @@ func configureContainer(
 	resourceRequests := make(map[corev1.ResourceName]k8sresource.Quantity)
 
 	if c.CPU != nil {
-		if c.CPU.Requested != "" {
-			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(c.CPU.Requested)
+		if c.CPU.Request != "" {
+			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(c.CPU.Request)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil,
-					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse cpu request %s to k8s quantity: %s", c.CPU.Requested, err)
+					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse cpu request %s to k8s quantity: %s", c.CPU.Request, err)
 			}
 			resourceRequests[corev1.ResourceCPU] = q
 		}
@@ -441,11 +441,11 @@ func configureContainer(
 	}
 
 	if c.Memory != nil {
-		if c.Memory.Requested != "" {
-			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(c.Memory.Requested)
+		if c.Memory.Request != "" {
+			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(c.Memory.Request)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil,
-					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse memory requested %s to k8s quantity: %s", c.Memory.Requested, err)
+					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse memory requested %s to k8s quantity: %s", c.Memory.Request, err)
 			}
 			resourceRequests[corev1.ResourceMemory] = q
 		}
@@ -1475,8 +1475,8 @@ type Config struct {
 // ResourceConfig describes the request and limit of a resource. Used for
 // cpu and memory resource configuration.
 type ResourceConfig struct {
-	Requested string `hcl:"request,optional"`
-	Limit     string `hcl:"limit,optional"`
+	Request string `hcl:"request,optional" json:"request"`
+	Limit   string `hcl:"limit,optional" json:"limit"`
 }
 
 // AutoscaleConfig describes the possible configuration for creating a
diff --git a/builtin/k8s/task.go b/builtin/k8s/task.go
index eee8d7ca553..3400ec8f675 100644
--- a/builtin/k8s/task.go
+++ b/builtin/k8s/task.go
@@ -312,11 +312,11 @@ func (p *TaskLauncher) StartTask(
 	resourceRequests := make(map[corev1.ResourceName]k8sresource.Quantity)
 
 	if p.config.CPU != nil {
-		if p.config.CPU.Requested != "" {
-			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(p.config.CPU.Requested)
+		if p.config.CPU.Request != "" {
+			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(p.config.CPU.Request)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil,
-					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse cpu request %q to k8s quantity: %s", p.config.CPU.Requested, err)
+					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse cpu request %q to k8s quantity: %s", p.config.CPU.Request, err)
 			}
 			resourceRequests[corev1.ResourceCPU] = q
 		}
@@ -332,11 +332,11 @@ func (p *TaskLauncher) StartTask(
 	}
 
 	if p.config.Memory != nil {
-		if p.config.Memory.Requested != "" {
-			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(p.config.Memory.Requested)
+		if p.config.Memory.Request != "" {
+			q, err := k8sresource.ParseQuantity(p.config.Memory.Request)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil,
-					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse memory requested %q to k8s quantity: %s", p.config.Memory.Requested, err)
+					status.Errorf(codes.InvalidArgument, "failed to parse memory requested %q to k8s quantity: %s", p.config.Memory.Request, err)
 			}
 			resourceRequests[corev1.ResourceMemory] = q
 		}
diff --git a/internal/plugin/invoke.go b/internal/plugin/invoke.go
index f4f7d846b11..e073a8cf1e6 100644
--- a/internal/plugin/invoke.go
+++ b/internal/plugin/invoke.go
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ func Open(
 		return nil, nil, diags
 	}
 
+	// Only configure plugin config if it exists
 	if file.Body != nil {
 		diag := component.Configure(pi.Component, file.Body, hclCtx.NewChild())
 		if diag.HasErrors() {
diff --git a/internal/serverinstall/k8s.go b/internal/serverinstall/k8s.go
index 28ffe229d86..e9f8a01a4af 100644
--- a/internal/serverinstall/k8s.go
+++ b/internal/serverinstall/k8s.go
@@ -1140,10 +1140,10 @@ func (i *K8sInstaller) OnDemandRunnerConfig() *pb.OnDemandRunnerConfig {
 	var cpuConfig k8s.ResourceConfig
 	var memConfig k8s.ResourceConfig
 	if v := i.config.cpuRequest; v != "" {
-		cpuConfig.Requested = v
+		cpuConfig.Request = v
 	}
 	if v := i.config.memRequest; v != "" {
-		memConfig.Requested = v
+		memConfig.Request = v
 	}
 	if v := i.config.cpuLimit; v != "" {
 		cpuConfig.Limit = v
@@ -1578,32 +1578,37 @@ func (i *K8sInstaller) InstallFlags(set *flag.Set) {
 		Default: "",
 	})
 
+	// NOTE(briancain): We set the default for these values to 0. In the k8s API,
+	// setting the limits and requests values to 0 is the same as not setting it all.
+	// This is the expected behavior we'll want. If someone _does_ set a value using
+	// these flags, they will be parsed and used instead.
+
 	set.StringVar(&flag.StringVar{
 		Name:    "k8s-cpu-request",
 		Target:  &i.config.cpuRequest,
 		Usage:   "Configures the requested CPU amount for the Waypoint server in Kubernetes.",
-		Default: "100m",
+		Default: "0",
 	})
 
 	set.StringVar(&flag.StringVar{
 		Name:    "k8s-mem-request",
 		Target:  &i.config.memRequest,
 		Usage:   "Configures the requested memory amount for the Waypoint server in Kubernetes.",
-		Default: "256Mi",
+		Default: "0",
 	})
 
 	set.StringVar(&flag.StringVar{
 		Name:    "k8s-cpu-limit",
 		Target:  &i.config.cpuLimit,
 		Usage:   "Configures the CPU limit for the Waypoint server in Kubernetes.",
-		Default: "100m",
+		Default: "0",
 	})
 
 	set.StringVar(&flag.StringVar{
 		Name:    "k8s-mem-limit",
 		Target:  &i.config.memLimit,
 		Usage:   "Configures the memory limit for the Waypoint server in Kubernetes.",
-		Default: "256Mi",
+		Default: "0",
 	})
 
 	set.StringVar(&flag.StringVar{