diff --git a/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/ca.go b/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/ca.go
index 93f81c94f..fab1775db 100644
--- a/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/ca.go
+++ b/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/ca.go
@@ -53,8 +53,9 @@ func NewCertificateAuthoritiesFromConfig(configCAs []*conf.CA, logger *log.Helpe
 		var authority CertificateAuthority
 		if configCA.GetFileCa() != nil {
 			fileCa := configCA.GetFileCa()
-			logger.Log(log.LevelInfo, "msg", "Keyless: File CA configured")
-			authority, err = fileca.New(fileCa.GetCertPath(), fileCa.GetKeyPath(), fileCa.GetKeyPass(), false)
+			logger.Log(log.LevelInfo, "msg", fmt.Sprintf("Keyless: File CA configured (issuer = %v)", configCA.Issuer))
+			// load the CA and verify it if it's configured as an issuer CA
+			authority, err = fileca.New(fileCa.GetCertPath(), fileCa.GetKeyPath(), fileCa.GetKeyPass(), configCA.Issuer)
 		}
 
 		if configCA.GetEjbcaCa() != nil {
diff --git a/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/fileca/fileca.go b/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/fileca/fileca.go
index a79cf6483..3a996627b 100644
--- a/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/fileca/fileca.go
+++ b/app/controlplane/pkg/ca/fileca/fileca.go
@@ -16,13 +16,20 @@
 package fileca
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
+	"crypto"
 	"crypto/x509"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 
 	fulcioca "github.com/sigstore/fulcio/pkg/ca"
-	fulciofileca "github.com/sigstore/fulcio/pkg/ca/fileca"
+	"github.com/sigstore/fulcio/pkg/ca/baseca"
 	"github.com/sigstore/fulcio/pkg/identity"
+	"github.com/sigstore/sigstore/pkg/cryptoutils"
+	"go.step.sm/crypto/pemutil"
 )
 
 const CAName = "fileCA"
@@ -31,16 +38,57 @@ type FileCA struct {
 	ca fulcioca.CertificateAuthority
 }
 
-func New(certPath, keyPath, keyPass string, watch bool) (*FileCA, error) {
-	wrappedCa, err := fulciofileca.NewFileCA(certPath, keyPath, keyPass, watch)
+func New(certPath, keyPath, keyPass string, verify bool) (*FileCA, error) {
+	var err error
+	baseCA := &baseca.BaseCA{}
+	baseCA.SignerWithChain, err = loadKeyPair(certPath, keyPath, keyPass)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create file CA: %w", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	if verify {
+		// if the CA is a signer, verify the chain
+		chain, signer := baseCA.GetSignerWithChain()
+		if err := fulcioca.VerifyCertChain(chain, signer); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
 	return &FileCA{
-		ca: wrappedCa,
+		ca: baseCA,
 	}, nil
 }
 
+func loadKeyPair(certPath, keyPath, keyPass string) (*fulcioca.SignerCerts, error) {
+	var (
+		certs []*x509.Certificate
+		err   error
+		key   crypto.Signer
+	)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Clean(certPath))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	certs, err = cryptoutils.LoadCertificatesFromPEM(bytes.NewReader(data))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	opaqueKey, err := pemutil.Read(keyPath, pemutil.WithPassword([]byte(keyPass)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	var ok bool
+	key, ok = opaqueKey.(crypto.Signer)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, errors.New(`fileca: loaded private key can't be used to sign`)
+	}
+
+	return &fulcioca.SignerCerts{Certs: certs, Signer: key}, nil
+}
+
 func (f FileCA) CreateCertificateFromCSR(ctx context.Context, principal identity.Principal, csr *x509.CertificateRequest) (*fulcioca.CodeSigningCertificate, error) {
 	return f.ca.CreateCertificate(ctx, principal, csr.PublicKey)
 }
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 78b164a28..fa7b8c58f 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/youmark/pkcs8 v0.0.0-20240726163527-a2c0da244d78
 	github.com/zricethezav/gitleaks/v8 v8.30.0
 	gitlab.com/gitlab-org/security-products/analyzers/report/v5 v5.3.0
+	go.step.sm/crypto v0.75.0
 	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/api v0.0.0-20251222181119-0a764e51fe1b
 	google.golang.org/genproto/googleapis/bytestream v0.0.0-20251222181119-0a764e51fe1b
 )
@@ -302,7 +303,6 @@ require (
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk v1.39.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric v1.39.0 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/proto/otlp v1.7.1 // indirect
-	go.step.sm/crypto v0.75.0 // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v2 v2.4.3 // indirect
 	go.yaml.in/yaml/v3 v3.0.4 // indirect
 	go4.org v0.0.0-20230225012048-214862532bf5 // indirect