diff --git a/src/controller/robot/controller.go b/src/controller/robot/controller.go
index c44b84109..c3a80a613 100644
--- a/src/controller/robot/controller.go
+++ b/src/controller/robot/controller.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package robot
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"regexp"
 	"strconv"
 	"time"
 
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/lib/errors"
 	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/lib/log"
 	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/lib/q"
+	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/lib/retry"
 	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/pkg"
 	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/pkg/permission/types"
 	"github.com/goharbor/harbor/src/pkg/project"
@@ -99,9 +101,10 @@ func (d *controller) Create(ctx context.Context, r *Robot) (int64, string, error
 		expiresAt = time.Now().AddDate(0, 0, duration).Unix()
 	}
 
-	pwd := utils.GenerateRandomString()
-	salt := utils.GenerateRandomString()
-	secret := utils.Encrypt(pwd, salt, utils.SHA256)
+	secret, pwd, salt, err := CreateSec()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, "", err
+	}
 
 	name := r.Name
 	// for the project level robot, set the name pattern as projectname+robotname, and + is a illegal character.
@@ -360,3 +363,44 @@ func (d *controller) toScope(ctx context.Context, p *Permission) (string, error)
 	}
 	return "", errors.New(nil).WithMessage("unknown robot kind").WithCode(errors.BadRequestCode)
 }
+
+func CreateSec(salt ...string) (string, string, string, error) {
+	var secret, pwd string
+	options := []retry.Option{
+		retry.InitialInterval(time.Millisecond * 500),
+		retry.MaxInterval(time.Second * 10),
+		retry.Timeout(time.Minute),
+		retry.Callback(func(err error, sleep time.Duration) {
+			log.Debugf("failed to generate secret for robot, retry after %s : %v", sleep, err)
+		}),
+	}
+
+	if err := retry.Retry(func() error {
+		pwd = utils.GenerateRandomString()
+		if !IsValidSec(pwd) {
+			return errors.New(nil).WithMessage("invalid secret format")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}, options...); err != nil {
+		return "", "", "", errors.Wrap(err, "failed to generate an valid random secret for robot in one minute, please try again")
+	}
+
+	var saltTmp string
+	if len(salt) != 0 {
+		saltTmp = salt[0]
+	} else {
+		saltTmp = utils.GenerateRandomString()
+	}
+	secret = utils.Encrypt(pwd, saltTmp, utils.SHA256)
+	return secret, pwd, saltTmp, nil
+}
+
+func IsValidSec(secret string) bool {
+	hasLower := regexp.MustCompile(`[a-z]`)
+	hasUpper := regexp.MustCompile(`[A-Z]`)
+	hasNumber := regexp.MustCompile(`\d`)
+	if len(secret) >= 8 && hasLower.MatchString(secret) && hasUpper.MatchString(secret) && hasNumber.MatchString(secret) {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
diff --git a/src/controller/robot/controller_test.go b/src/controller/robot/controller_test.go
index b1ca63bc6..15bf82a4b 100644
--- a/src/controller/robot/controller_test.go
+++ b/src/controller/robot/controller_test.go
@@ -292,6 +292,20 @@ func (suite *ControllerTestSuite) TestToScope() {
 
 }
 
+func (suite *ControllerTestSuite) TestIsValidSec() {
+	sec := "1234abcdABCD"
+	suite.True(IsValidSec(sec))
+	sec = "1234abcd"
+	suite.False(IsValidSec(sec))
+	sec = "123abc"
+	suite.False(IsValidSec(sec))
+}
+
+func (suite *ControllerTestSuite) TestCreateSec() {
+	_, pwd, _, err := CreateSec()
+	suite.Nil(err)
+	suite.True(IsValidSec(pwd))
+}
 func TestControllerTestSuite(t *testing.T) {
 	suite.Run(t, &ControllerTestSuite{})
 }
diff --git a/src/server/v2.0/handler/robot.go b/src/server/v2.0/handler/robot.go
index b68106c7d..e595cf5c2 100644
--- a/src/server/v2.0/handler/robot.go
+++ b/src/server/v2.0/handler/robot.go
@@ -239,14 +239,17 @@ func (rAPI *robotAPI) RefreshSec(ctx context.Context, params operation.RefreshSe
 	var secret string
 	robotSec := &models.RobotSec{}
 	if params.RobotSec.Secret != "" {
-		if !isValidSec(params.RobotSec.Secret) {
+		if !robot.IsValidSec(params.RobotSec.Secret) {
 			return rAPI.SendError(ctx, errors.New("the secret must longer than 8 chars with at least 1 uppercase letter, 1 lowercase letter and 1 number").WithCode(errors.BadRequestCode))
 		}
 		secret = utils.Encrypt(params.RobotSec.Secret, r.Salt, utils.SHA256)
 		robotSec.Secret = ""
 	} else {
-		pwd := utils.GenerateRandomString()
-		secret = utils.Encrypt(pwd, r.Salt, utils.SHA256)
+		sec, pwd, _, err := robot.CreateSec(r.Salt)
+		if err != nil {
+			return rAPI.SendError(ctx, err)
+		}
+		secret = sec
 		robotSec.Secret = pwd
 	}
 
@@ -348,16 +351,6 @@ func isValidDuration(d int64) bool {
 	return d >= int64(-1) && d < math.MaxInt32
 }
 
-func isValidSec(sec string) bool {
-	hasLower := regexp.MustCompile(`[a-z]`)
-	hasUpper := regexp.MustCompile(`[A-Z]`)
-	hasNumber := regexp.MustCompile(`\d`)
-	if len(sec) >= 8 && hasLower.MatchString(sec) && hasUpper.MatchString(sec) && hasNumber.MatchString(sec) {
-		return true
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 // validateName validates the robot name, especially '+' cannot be a valid character
 func validateName(name string) error {
 	robotNameReg := `^[a-z0-9]+(?:[._-][a-z0-9]+)*$`