diff --git a/virtsecrets/templates/create_secret_block.html b/virtsecrets/templates/create_secret_block.html
index 9f8ed5bf..34b7003d 100644
--- a/virtsecrets/templates/create_secret_block.html
+++ b/virtsecrets/templates/create_secret_block.html
@@ -46,8 +46,7 @@
                     <div class="row">
                         <label class="col-sm-3 col-form-label">{% trans "Data" %}</label>
                         <div class="col-sm-6">
-                            <input type="text" name="data" class="form-control" value="" required
-                                pattern="[a-z0-9\. ]+" />
+                            <input type="text" name="data" class="form-control" value="" maxlength="100" required />
                         </div>
                     </div>
             </div>
diff --git a/virtsecrets/tests/__init__.py b/virtsecrets/tests/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/virtsecrets/tests/test_create_secret.py b/virtsecrets/tests/test_create_secret.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7ed716db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/virtsecrets/tests/test_create_secret.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+"""A secret's usage value goes into its XML as text, whatever it holds: a
+volume path, an iSCSI IQN or a Ceph name, and characters XML gives a meaning."""
+
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+from django.test import SimpleTestCase
+from lxml import etree
+from vrtManager.virtsecrets import wvmSecrets
+
+
+class CreateSecretTests(SimpleTestCase):
+    def defined_xml(self, usage_type, data):
+        with patch("vrtManager.connection.connection_manager.get_connection") as get:
+            wvmSecrets("host", "login", "pw", 1).create_secret("no", "yes", usage_type, data)
+        return etree.fromstring(get.return_value.secretDefineXML.call_args.args[0])
+
+    def test_the_usage_value_is_text_of_its_element(self):
+        for usage_type, element, data in (
+            ("volume", "volume", "/var/lib/libvirt/images/vm-1.qcow2"),
+            ("iscsi", "target", "iqn.2026-10.test.wvc:lun"),
+            ("ceph", "name", "client.libvirt secret"),
+            ("volume", "volume", "/a'b<c>&d\""),
+        ):
+            with self.subTest(usage_type=usage_type, data=data):
+                secret = self.defined_xml(usage_type, data)
+                self.assertEqual((secret.get("ephemeral"), secret.get("private")), ("no", "yes"))
+                self.assertEqual(secret.find("usage").get("type"), usage_type)
+                self.assertEqual(secret.findtext(f"usage/{element}"), data)
diff --git a/virtsecrets/tests/test_live_secrets.py b/virtsecrets/tests/test_live_secrets.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f55bc7f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/virtsecrets/tests/test_live_secrets.py
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+"""Live check that the secrets page creates a secret for each usage type
+with a real usage value: a volume path, an iSCSI IQN and a Ceph name. Runs
+only with TEST_LIBVIRT_HOST set."""
+
+import os
+import unittest
+
+import libvirt
+from computes.models import Compute
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
+from django.test import TestCase
+from django.urls import reverse
+from instances.tests import livetest
+from vrtManager.connection import connection_manager
+
+P = livetest.PREFIX
+USAGES = {
+    libvirt.VIR_SECRET_USAGE_TYPE_VOLUME: ("volume", f"/var/lib/libvirt/{P}secrets/vm-1.qcow2"),
+    libvirt.VIR_SECRET_USAGE_TYPE_ISCSI: ("iscsi", f"iqn.2026-10.test.wvc:{P}secret"),
+    libvirt.VIR_SECRET_USAGE_TYPE_CEPH: ("ceph", f"client.{P}secret secret"),
+}
+
+
+@unittest.skipUnless(livetest.enabled(), "Set TEST_LIBVIRT_HOST to run the live libvirt tests")
+class LiveSecretsTestCase(TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        args = dict(
+            hostname=os.environ["TEST_LIBVIRT_HOST"],
+            login=os.environ.get("TEST_LIBVIRT_LOGIN", ""),
+            password=os.environ.get("TEST_LIBVIRT_PASSWORD", ""),
+            type=int(os.environ.get("TEST_LIBVIRT_TYPE", 4)),
+        )
+        self.conn = connection_manager.get_connection(*args.values())
+        self.remove_secrets()
+        self.addCleanup(self.remove_secrets)
+        self.compute = Compute.objects.create(name="live-secrets", **args)
+        self.client.force_login(get_user_model().objects.create_superuser("live-secrets", "ls@example.com", "x"))
+
+    def remove_secrets(self):
+        for secret in self.conn.listAllSecrets():
+            if (secret.usageType(), secret.usageID()) in {(t, v) for t, (_, v) in USAGES.items()}:
+                secret.undefine()
+
+    def test_each_usage_type_takes_a_real_value(self):
+        for usage_type, (name, value) in USAGES.items():
+            with self.subTest(name):
+                response = self.client.post(
+                    reverse("virtsecrets", args=[self.compute.id]),
+                    {"create": "", "ephemeral": "no", "private": "no", "usage_type": name, "data": value},
+                )
+                self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 302)
+                self.assertEqual(self.conn.secretLookupByUsage(usage_type, value).usageID(), value)
diff --git a/vrtManager/virtsecrets.py b/vrtManager/virtsecrets.py
index c8772823..1117e7e5 100644
--- a/vrtManager/virtsecrets.py
+++ b/vrtManager/virtsecrets.py
@@ -1,21 +1,19 @@
 import base64
 
+from lxml import etree
 from vrtManager.connection import wvmConnect
 
+# the element of <usage> that holds the value, per usage type
+USAGE_ELEMENTS = {"ceph": "name", "volume": "volume", "iscsi": "target"}
+
 
 class wvmSecrets(wvmConnect):
     def create_secret(self, ephemeral, private, secret_type, data):
-        xml = f"""<secret ephemeral='{ephemeral}' private='{private}'>
-                    <usage type='{secret_type}'>"""
-        if secret_type == "ceph":
-            xml += f"""<name>{data}</name>"""
-        if secret_type == "volume":
-            xml += f"""<volume>{data}</volume>"""
-        if secret_type == "iscsi":
-            xml += f"""<target>{data}</target>"""
-        xml += """</usage>
-                 </secret>"""
-        self.wvm.secretDefineXML(xml)
+        # built with lxml: data is text, whatever characters it holds
+        secret = etree.Element("secret", ephemeral=ephemeral, private=private)
+        usage = etree.SubElement(secret, "usage", type=secret_type)
+        etree.SubElement(usage, USAGE_ELEMENTS[secret_type]).text = data
+        self.wvm.secretDefineXML(etree.tostring(secret, encoding="unicode"))
 
     def get_secret_value(self, uuid):
         secrt = self.get_secret(uuid)