diff --git a/lib/config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration.spec.ts b/lib/config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..8c7d519520f0e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { MatchManagersMigration } from './match-managers-migration';
+
+describe('config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration', () => {
+  it('migrates old custom manager syntax to new one', () => {
+    expect(MatchManagersMigration).toMigrate(
+      {
+        matchManagers: ['npm', 'regex', 'custom.someMgr'],
+      },
+      {
+        matchManagers: ['npm', 'custom.regex', 'custom.someMgr'],
+      }
+    );
+  });
+
+  // coverage
+  it('only migrates when necessary', () => {
+    expect(MatchManagersMigration).not.toMigrate(
+      {
+        matchManagers: undefined,
+      },
+      {
+        matchManagers: undefined,
+      }
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/lib/config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration.ts b/lib/config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..81457fca2b891d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/config/migrations/custom/match-managers-migration.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+import is from '@sindresorhus/is';
+import { isCustomManager } from '../../../modules/manager/custom';
+import { AbstractMigration } from '../base/abstract-migration';
+
+export class MatchManagersMigration extends AbstractMigration {
+  override readonly propertyName = 'matchManagers';
+
+  override run(value: unknown): void {
+    if (!is.array<string>(value, is.string)) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const newValue = value.map((manager) =>
+      isCustomManager(manager) ? `custom.${manager}` : manager
+    );
+    this.rewrite(newValue);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.spec.ts b/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.spec.ts
index 653f65bf2bf357..943d1e57f0e9c4 100644
--- a/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.spec.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { check } from './managers';
 describe('config/validation-helpers/managers', () => {
   it('should have no errors', () => {
     const res = check({
-      resolvedRule: { matchManagers: ['npm', 'regex'] },
+      resolvedRule: { matchManagers: ['npm', 'regex', 'custom.regex'] },
       currentPath: '',
     });
     expect(res).toEqual([]);
diff --git a/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.ts b/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.ts
index aecad19df3c483..bf930ef2c8a979 100644
--- a/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.ts
+++ b/lib/config/validation-helpers/managers.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ export function check({
   if (Array.isArray(resolvedRule.matchManagers)) {
     if (
       resolvedRule.matchManagers.find(
-        (confManager) => !allManagersList.includes(confManager)
+        (confManager) =>
+          !allManagersList.includes(confManager.replace('custom.', ''))
       )
     ) {
       managersErrMessage = `${currentPath}:
diff --git a/lib/util/package-rules/managers.spec.ts b/lib/util/package-rules/managers.spec.ts
index c8e855c87e7fd2..c5a00ab509b336 100644
--- a/lib/util/package-rules/managers.spec.ts
+++ b/lib/util/package-rules/managers.spec.ts
@@ -47,5 +47,17 @@ describe('util/package-rules/managers', () => {
       );
       expect(result).toBeFalse();
     });
+
+    it('should match custom managers', () => {
+      const result = managersMatcher.matches(
+        {
+          manager: 'regex',
+        },
+        {
+          matchManagers: ['custom.regex'],
+        }
+      );
+      expect(result).toBeTrue();
+    });
   });
 });
diff --git a/lib/util/package-rules/managers.ts b/lib/util/package-rules/managers.ts
index cd5de99a2ad26e..6ceffdb9057987 100644
--- a/lib/util/package-rules/managers.ts
+++ b/lib/util/package-rules/managers.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import is from '@sindresorhus/is';
 import type { PackageRule, PackageRuleInputConfig } from '../../config/types';
+import { isCustomManager } from '../../modules/manager/custom';
 import { Matcher } from './base';
 
 export class ManagersMatcher extends Matcher {
@@ -13,6 +14,9 @@ export class ManagersMatcher extends Matcher {
     if (is.undefined(manager) || !manager) {
       return false;
     }
+    if (isCustomManager(manager)) {
+      return matchManagers.includes(`custom.${manager}`);
+    }
     return matchManagers.includes(manager);
   }
 }