diff --git a/internal/nvmeof/controller/controllerserver.go b/internal/nvmeof/controller/controllerserver.go
index 7888d13ae45..81aeeace355 100644
--- a/internal/nvmeof/controller/controllerserver.go
+++ b/internal/nvmeof/controller/controllerserver.go
@@ -785,10 +785,13 @@ func (cs *Server) createNVMeoFResources(
 	}
 
 	// setup listeners (if provided, otherwise it will be set by gateway based on network mask)
-	err = setupDefaultListenersValues(params["listeners"], nvmeofData)
+	listeners, err := parseListeners(params["listeners"])
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse listeners: %w", err)
 	}
+	nvmeofData.ListenerInfo = listeners
+	// If listener port or address is empty, it will be set to default.
+	nvmeofData.SetListenersWithDefaults()
 
 	// If dhchapMode was explicitly provided and is not "none", and authenticationKMSID is empty,
 	// use a default KMS ID - RBD metadata KMS.
@@ -1330,29 +1333,3 @@ func connectGateway(ctx context.Context, config *nvmeof.GatewayConfig) (*nvmeof.
 
 	return gateway, nil
 }
-
-// setupDefaultListeners validates and sets up default values for NVMe-oF listeners.
-// if listeners are provided, it ensures they are fully populated with
-// default values if needed (port and address).
-func setupDefaultListenersValues(listenersJSON string, info *nvmeof.NVMeoFVolumeData) error {
-	// Parse listeners from JSON
-	listeners, err := parseListeners(listenersJSON)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse listeners: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// ensure listeners are fully populated with default values if needed (port and address)
-	// before storing in metadata and creating subsystem/listeners
-	for i := range listeners {
-		if listeners[i].Port == 0 {
-			listeners[i].Port = 4420
-		}
-		// if address is empty, set it to default 0.0.0.0
-		if listeners[i].Address == "" {
-			listeners[i].Address = "0.0.0.0"
-		}
-	}
-	info.ListenerInfo = listeners
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/internal/nvmeof/volume.go b/internal/nvmeof/volume.go
index c948563d9a4..c0c1a4dda12 100644
--- a/internal/nvmeof/volume.go
+++ b/internal/nvmeof/volume.go
@@ -30,3 +30,17 @@ type NVMeoFSecurityConfig struct {
 	DhchapMode          string
 	AuthenticationKMSID string
 }
+
+// SetListenersWithDefaults applies default values to the existing ListenerInfo.
+// If port is 0, it defaults to 4420.
+// If address is empty, it defaults to 0.0.0.0.
+func (v *NVMeoFVolumeData) SetListenersWithDefaults() {
+	for i := range v.ListenerInfo {
+		if v.ListenerInfo[i].Port == 0 {
+			v.ListenerInfo[i].Port = 4420
+		}
+		if v.ListenerInfo[i].Address == "" {
+			v.ListenerInfo[i].Address = "0.0.0.0"
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/nvmeof/volume_test.go b/internal/nvmeof/volume_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ca9027eb4f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/nvmeof/volume_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2026 The Ceph-CSI Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package nvmeof
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestSetListenersWithDefaults(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	tests := []struct {
+		in  []ListenerDetails
+		out []ListenerDetails
+	}{
+		{
+			in: []ListenerDetails{
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-a", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 0, Address: ""}},
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-b", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 1234, Address: ""}},
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-c", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 0, Address: "10.92.3.12"}},
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-d", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 1234, Address: "10.92.3.13"}},
+			},
+			out: []ListenerDetails{
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-a", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 4420, Address: "0.0.0.0"}},
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-b", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 1234, Address: "0.0.0.0"}},
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-c", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 4420, Address: "10.92.3.12"}},
+				{Hostname: "nvmeof-gw-d", GatewayAddress: GatewayAddress{Port: 1234, Address: "10.92.3.13"}},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		vol := &NVMeoFVolumeData{ListenerInfo: test.in}
+		vol.SetListenersWithDefaults()
+		require.Equal(t, test.out, vol.ListenerInfo)
+	}
+}