diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6992d23..2e23aca 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ vaul-helm-dev-creds.json
 ./test/unit/vaul-helm-dev-creds.json
 ./test/acceptance/values.yaml
 ./test/acceptance/values.yml
+.idea
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1b3020c..d72b0e8 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ CLOUDSDK_CORE_PROJECT?=vault-helm-dev-246514
 # set to run a single test - e.g acceptance/server-ha-enterprise-dr.bats
 ACCEPTANCE_TESTS?=acceptance
 
+# filter bats unit tests to run.
+UNIT_TESTS_FILTER?='.*'
+
 # Generate json schema for chart values. See test/README.md for more details.
 values-schema:
 	helm schema-gen values.yaml > values.schema.json
@@ -12,7 +15,7 @@ test-image:
 	@docker build --rm -t $(TEST_IMAGE) -f $(CURDIR)/test/docker/Test.dockerfile $(CURDIR)
 
 test-unit:
-	@docker run -it -v ${PWD}:/helm-test $(TEST_IMAGE) bats /helm-test/test/unit
+	@docker run --rm -it -v ${PWD}:/helm-test $(TEST_IMAGE) bats -f $(UNIT_TESTS_FILTER) /helm-test/test/unit
 
 test-bats: test-unit test-acceptance
 
diff --git a/templates/_helpers.tpl b/templates/_helpers.tpl
index 63011d3..72b0e68 100644
--- a/templates/_helpers.tpl
+++ b/templates/_helpers.tpl
@@ -224,7 +224,12 @@ Set's the affinity for pod placement when running in standalone and HA modes.
 {{- define "vault.affinity" -}}
   {{- if and (ne .mode "dev") .Values.server.affinity }}
       affinity:
-        {{ tpl .Values.server.affinity . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+        {{ $tp := typeOf .Values.server.affinity }}
+        {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
+          {{- tpl .Values.server.affinity . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+        {{- else }}
+          {{- toYaml .Values.server.affinity | nindent 8 }}
+        {{- end }}
   {{ end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
@@ -234,17 +239,27 @@ Sets the injector affinity for pod placement
 {{- define "injector.affinity" -}}
   {{- if .Values.injector.affinity }}
       affinity:
-        {{ tpl .Values.injector.affinity . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+        {{ $tp := typeOf .Values.injector.affinity }}
+        {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
+          {{- tpl .Values.injector.affinity . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+        {{- else }}
+          {{- toYaml .Values.injector.affinity | nindent 8 }}
+        {{- end }}
   {{ end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
 {{/*
-Set's the toleration for pod placement when running in standalone and HA modes.
+Sets the toleration for pod placement when running in standalone and HA modes.
 */}}
 {{- define "vault.tolerations" -}}
   {{- if and (ne .mode "dev") .Values.server.tolerations }}
       tolerations:
+      {{- $tp := typeOf .Values.server.tolerations }}
+      {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
         {{ tpl .Values.server.tolerations . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- else }}
+        {{- toYaml .Values.server.tolerations | nindent 8 }}
+      {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
@@ -254,7 +269,12 @@ Sets the injector toleration for pod placement
 {{- define "injector.tolerations" -}}
   {{- if .Values.injector.tolerations }}
       tolerations:
+      {{- $tp := typeOf .Values.injector.tolerations }}
+      {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
         {{ tpl .Values.injector.tolerations . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- else }}
+        {{- toYaml .Values.injector.tolerations | nindent 8 }}
+      {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
@@ -264,7 +284,12 @@ Set's the node selector for pod placement when running in standalone and HA mode
 {{- define "vault.nodeselector" -}}
   {{- if and (ne .mode "dev") .Values.server.nodeSelector }}
       nodeSelector:
-        {{ tpl .Values.server.nodeSelector . | indent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- $tp := typeOf .Values.server.nodeSelector }}
+      {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
+        {{ tpl .Values.server.nodeSelector . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- else }}
+        {{- toYaml .Values.server.nodeSelector | nindent 8 }}
+      {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
@@ -274,7 +299,12 @@ Sets the injector node selector for pod placement
 {{- define "injector.nodeselector" -}}
   {{- if .Values.injector.nodeSelector }}
       nodeSelector:
-        {{ tpl .Values.injector.nodeSelector . | indent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- $tp := typeOf .Values.injector.nodeSelector }}
+      {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
+        {{ tpl .Values.injector.nodeSelector . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- else }}
+        {{- toYaml .Values.injector.nodeSelector | nindent 8 }}
+      {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
@@ -519,7 +549,12 @@ Sets the injector toleration for pod placement
 {{- define "csi.pod.tolerations" -}}
   {{- if .Values.csi.pod.tolerations }}
       tolerations:
+      {{- $tp := typeOf .Values.csi.pod.tolerations }}
+      {{- if eq $tp "string" }}
         {{ tpl .Values.csi.pod.tolerations . | nindent 8 | trim }}
+      {{- else }}
+        {{- toYaml .Values.csi.pod.tolerations | nindent 8 }}
+      {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
 {{- end -}}
 
diff --git a/test/unit/csi-daemonset.bats b/test/unit/csi-daemonset.bats
index f0a62c2..d7152c6 100644
--- a/test/unit/csi-daemonset.bats
+++ b/test/unit/csi-daemonset.bats
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
-@test "csi/daemonset: tolerations can be set" {
+@test "csi/daemonset: tolerations can be set as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/csi-daemonset.yaml  \
@@ -257,6 +257,17 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
+@test "csi/daemonset: tolerations can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/csi-daemonset.yaml  \
+      --set 'csi.enabled=true' \
+      --set "csi.pod.tolerations[0].foo=bar,csi.pod.tolerations[1].baz=qux" \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.tolerations == [{"foo": "bar"}, {"baz": "qux"}]' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------
 # volumes
 
diff --git a/test/unit/injector-deployment.bats b/test/unit/injector-deployment.bats
index edd5a00..0f475df 100755
--- a/test/unit/injector-deployment.bats
+++ b/test/unit/injector-deployment.bats
@@ -432,7 +432,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "false" ]
 }
 
-@test "injector/deployment: affinity can be set" {
+@test "injector/deployment: affinity can be set as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/injector-deployment.yaml  \
@@ -442,6 +442,16 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
+@test "injector/deployment: affinity can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/injector-deployment.yaml  \
+      --set 'injector.affinity.podAntiAffinity=foobar' \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.affinity.podAntiAffinity == "foobar"' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------
 # tolerations
 
@@ -454,7 +464,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
-@test "injector/deployment: tolerations can be set" {
+@test "injector/deployment: tolerations can be set as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/injector-deployment.yaml  \
@@ -464,6 +474,16 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
+@test "injector/deployment: tolerations can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/injector-deployment.yaml  \
+      --set "injector.tolerations[0].foo=bar,injector.tolerations[1].baz=qux" \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.tolerations == [{"foo": "bar"}, {"baz": "qux"}]' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------
 # nodeSelector
 
@@ -476,7 +496,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "null" ]
 }
 
-@test "injector/deployment: nodeSelector can be set" {
+@test "injector/deployment: nodeSelector can be set as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/injector-deployment.yaml \
@@ -486,6 +506,17 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "testing" ]
 }
 
+@test "injector/deployment: nodeSelector can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/injector-deployment.yaml \
+      --set "injector.nodeSelector.beta\.kubernetes\.io/arch=amd64" \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.nodeSelector == {"beta.kubernetes.io/arch": "amd64"}' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
+
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------
 # priorityClassName
 
diff --git a/test/unit/server-ha-statefulset.bats b/test/unit/server-ha-statefulset.bats
index 43e1ace..cc77e7e 100755
--- a/test/unit/server-ha-statefulset.bats
+++ b/test/unit/server-ha-statefulset.bats
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "null" ]
 }
 
-@test "server/ha-StatefulSet: specified nodeSelector" {
+@test "server/ha-StatefulSet: specified nodeSelector as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml \
@@ -582,6 +582,17 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "testing" ]
 }
 
+@test "server/ha-StatefulSet: nodeSelector can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml  \
+      --set 'server.ha.enabled=true' \
+      --set "server.nodeSelector.beta\.kubernetes\.io/arch=amd64" \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.nodeSelector == {"beta.kubernetes.io/arch": "amd64"}' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Security Contexts
 @test "server/ha-StatefulSet: uid default" {
diff --git a/test/unit/server-statefulset.bats b/test/unit/server-statefulset.bats
index d7edb96..62f2529 100755
--- a/test/unit/server-statefulset.bats
+++ b/test/unit/server-statefulset.bats
@@ -738,7 +738,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
-@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: affinity can be set" {
+@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: affinity can be set as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml  \
@@ -748,6 +748,17 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
+@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: affinity can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml  \
+      --set 'server.affinity.podAntiAffinity=foobar' \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.affinity.podAntiAffinity == "foobar"' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
+
 @test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: tolerations not set by default" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
@@ -757,7 +768,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
-@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: tolerations can be set" {
+@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: tolerations can be set as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml  \
@@ -767,6 +778,16 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
 }
 
+@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: tolerations can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml  \
+      --set "server.tolerations[0].foo=bar,server.tolerations[1].baz=qux" \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.tolerations == [{"foo": "bar"}, {"baz": "qux"}]' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
 @test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: nodeSelector is not set by default" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
@@ -776,7 +797,7 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "null" ]
 }
 
-@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: specified nodeSelector" {
+@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: specified nodeSelector as string" {
   cd `chart_dir`
   local actual=$(helm template \
       --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml \
@@ -786,6 +807,16 @@ load _helpers
   [ "${actual}" = "testing" ]
 }
 
+@test "server/standalone-StatefulSet: nodeSelector can be set as YAML" {
+  cd `chart_dir`
+  local actual=$(helm template \
+      --show-only templates/server-statefulset.yaml  \
+      --set "server.nodeSelector.beta\.kubernetes\.io/arch=amd64" \
+      . | tee /dev/stderr |
+      yq '.spec.template.spec.nodeSelector == {"beta.kubernetes.io/arch": "amd64"}' | tee /dev/stderr)
+  [ "${actual}" = "true" ]
+}
+
 #--------------------------------------------------------------------
 # extraInitContainers
 
diff --git a/values.schema.json b/values.schema.json
index e8b3d2c..d9cbf92 100644
--- a/values.schema.json
+++ b/values.schema.json
@@ -80,7 +80,11 @@
                             ]
                         },
                         "tolerations": {
-                            "type": ["null", "string"]
+                            "type": [
+                                "null",
+                                "array",
+                                "string"
+                            ]
                         }
                     }
                 },
@@ -167,7 +171,10 @@
             "type": "object",
             "properties": {
                 "affinity": {
-                    "type": "string"
+                    "type": [
+                        "object",
+                        "string"
+                    ]
                 },
                 "agentDefaults": {
                     "type": "object",
@@ -309,7 +316,11 @@
                     "type": "object"
                 },
                 "nodeSelector": {
-                    "type": ["null", "string"]
+                    "type": [
+                        "null",
+                        "object",
+                        "string"
+                    ]
                 },
                 "objectSelector": {
                     "type": "object"
@@ -343,6 +354,7 @@
                 "tolerations": {
                     "type": [
                         "null",
+                        "array",
                         "string"
                     ]
                 }
@@ -352,7 +364,10 @@
             "type": "object",
             "properties": {
                 "affinity": {
-                    "type": "string"
+                    "type": [
+                        "object",
+                        "string"
+                    ]
                 },
                 "annotations": {
                     "type": [
@@ -629,6 +644,7 @@
                 "nodeSelector": {
                     "type": [
                         "null",
+                        "object",
                         "string"
                     ]
                 },
@@ -755,6 +771,7 @@
                 "tolerations": {
                     "type": [
                         "null",
+                        "array",
                         "string"
                     ]
                 },
diff --git a/values.yaml b/values.yaml
index 2271f30..4598c8d 100644
--- a/values.yaml
+++ b/values.yaml
@@ -151,8 +151,7 @@ injector:
     # KUBERNETES_SERVICE_HOST: kubernetes.default.svc
 
   # Affinity Settings for injector pods
-  # This should be a multi-line string matching the affinity section of a
-  # PodSpec.
+  # This can either be multi-line string or YAML matching the PodSpec's affinity field.
   # Commenting out or setting as empty the affinity variable, will allow
   # deployment of multiple replicas to single node services such as Minikube.
   affinity: |
@@ -166,16 +165,16 @@ injector:
           topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname
 
   # Toleration Settings for injector pods
-  # This should be a multi-line string matching the Toleration array
+  # This should be either a multi-line string or YAML matching the Toleration array
   # in a PodSpec.
-  tolerations: null
+  tolerations: []
 
-  # nodeSelector labels for injector pod assignment, formatted as a muli-line string.
+  # nodeSelector labels for server pod assignment, formatted as a multi-line string or YAML map.
   # ref: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/assign-pod-node/#nodeselector
   # Example:
-  # nodeSelector: |
+  # nodeSelector:
   #   beta.kubernetes.io/arch: amd64
-  nodeSelector: null
+  nodeSelector: {}
 
   # Priority class for injector pods
   priorityClassName: ""
@@ -397,10 +396,10 @@ server:
   #     name: plugins
   #     readOnly: true
 
-
   # Affinity Settings
   # Commenting out or setting as empty the affinity variable, will allow
   # deployment to single node services such as Minikube
+  # This should be either a multi-line string or YAML matching the PodSpec's affinity field.
   affinity: |
     podAntiAffinity:
       requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
@@ -412,16 +411,16 @@ server:
           topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname
 
   # Toleration Settings for server pods
-  # This should be a multi-line string matching the Toleration array
+  # This should be either a multi-line string or YAML matching the Toleration array
   # in a PodSpec.
-  tolerations: null
+  tolerations: []
 
-  # nodeSelector labels for server pod assignment, formatted as a muli-line string.
+  # nodeSelector labels for server pod assignment, formatted as a multi-line string or YAML map.
   # ref: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/assign-pod-node/#nodeselector
   # Example:
-  # nodeSelector: |
+  # nodeSelector:
   #   beta.kubernetes.io/arch: amd64
-  nodeSelector: null
+  nodeSelector: {}
 
   # Enables network policy for server pods
   networkPolicy:
@@ -753,9 +752,9 @@ csi:
     annotations: {}
 
     # Toleration Settings for provider pods
-    # This should be a multi-line string matching the Toleration array
+    # This should be either a multi-line string or YAML matching the Toleration array
     # in a PodSpec.
-    tolerations: null
+    tolerations: []
 
   serviceAccount:
     # Extra annotations for the serviceAccount definition. This can either be