diff --git a/changelog/62791.fixed b/changelog/62791.fixed
index ea80180f1c74..4b7bada96fd6 100644
--- a/changelog/62791.fixed
+++ b/changelog/62791.fixed
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@ Improvements to `salt.state.ldap` and `salt.modules.ldap3`:
   * The order of an attribute's values is now ignored when checking value
     equality, as required by RFC 4511.
   * Fixed attribute value encoding/decoding corner cases.
+  * Worked around a flaw in the way `python-ldap` adds new attribute values (the
+    flaw only affects entries where attribute value changes can trigger server
+    behavior changes, such as some of OpenLDAP's `cn=config` entries).
   * Fixed support for `bytes` attribute values that are not in a list.
   * Documentation improvements.
   * Miscellaneous code cleanups.
diff --git a/salt/modules/ldap3.py b/salt/modules/ldap3.py
index 460fbc51f634..368fefcbe8ae 100644
--- a/salt/modules/ldap3.py
+++ b/salt/modules/ldap3.py
@@ -517,12 +517,24 @@ def change(connect_spec, dn, before, after):
     an entry, determines the differences between the two, computes directives
     based on the differences, and executes the directives.
 
-    Any attribute value present in ``before`` but missing in ``after`` is
-    deleted. Any attribute value present in ``after`` but missing in ``before``
-    is added. Any attribute value in the database that is not mentioned in
-    either ``before`` or ``after`` is not altered. Any attribute value that is
-    present in both ``before`` and ``after`` is ignored, regardless of whether
-    that attribute value exists in the database.
+    The directives are computed as follows:
+
+    * If an attribute name is present in ``before`` but missing or mapped to a
+      zero-length iterable of values in ``after``, the attribute is deleted
+      (regardless of whether the values in the database match the values in
+      ``before``).
+
+    * Otherwise, if some values are present in ``before`` but missing from
+      ``after`` and some values are present in ``after`` but missing from
+      ``before``, all of the attribute's values are replaced with the values in
+      ``after`` (regardless of whether the values in the database match the
+      values in ``before``).
+
+    * Otherwise, if some values are present in ``before`` but missing from
+      ``after``, those specific values are deleted.
+
+    * Otherwise, if some values are present in ``after`` but missing from
+      ``before``, those specific values are added.
 
     :param connect_spec:
         See the documentation for the ``connect_spec`` parameter for
@@ -558,19 +570,39 @@ def change(connect_spec, dn, before, after):
             "before={'example_value': ['before_val']}" \
             "after={'example_value': ['after_val']}"
     """
-    l = connect(connect_spec)
-    before = {
-        attr: AttributeValueSet(attr, vals).encode()
-        for attr, vals in before.items()
-    }
-    after = {
-        attr: AttributeValueSet(attr, vals).encode()
-        for attr, vals in after.items()
-    }
-    modlist = ldap.modlist.modifyModlist(before, after)
-
-    try:
-        l.c.modify_s(dn, modlist)
-    except ldap.LDAPError as e:
-        _convert_exception(e)
-    return True
+    # This function could instead use `ldap.modlist.modifyModlist()` to build a
+    # modlist from `before` and `after`, but the behavior of that function is
+    # unfortunate: When adding attribute values, the modlist that function
+    # returns first deletes the attribute then adds it back with the
+    # original+new values. This is problematic for certain OpenLDAP `cn=config`
+    # entries where adding and removing values triggers behavioral changes
+    # (e.g., `olcModuleLoad` in `cn=module{0},cn=config`).
+
+    # Don't encode the values here -- modify() will encode them for us.
+    before = {attr: AttributeValueSet(attr, vals) for attr, vals in before.items()}
+    after = {attr: AttributeValueSet(attr, vals) for attr, vals in after.items()}
+    directives = []
+    for attr, before_vals in before.items():
+        after_vals = after.get(attr, AttributeValueSet(attr))
+        if not after_vals:
+            directives.append(("delete", attr, ()))
+            continue
+        only_in_before = before_vals - after_vals
+        only_in_after = after_vals - before_vals
+        if only_in_before:
+            if only_in_after:
+                directives.append(("replace", attr, after_vals))
+            else:
+                directives.append(("delete", attr, only_in_before))
+        else:
+            if only_in_after:
+                directives.append(("add", attr, only_in_after))
+            else:
+                # Nothing to do for this attribute because they already match.
+                assert before_vals == after_vals
+    for attr, after_vals in after.items():
+        if attr in before or not after_vals:
+            # Either already handled above or nothing to add.
+            continue
+        directives.append(("add", attr, after_vals))
+    return modify(connect_spec, dn, directives)
diff --git a/tests/pytests/unit/modules/test_ldap3.py b/tests/pytests/unit/modules/test_ldap3.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6f94b5323efb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/pytests/unit/modules/test_ldap3.py
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+import salt.modules.ldap3 as ldap3
+from tests.support.mock import patch
+
+
+def test_change_add_value():
+    with patch.object(ldap3, "modify", autospec=True):
+        ldap3.change(
+            "connect_spec",
+            "dn",
+            {"attr": ["val before"]},
+            {"attr": ["val before", "val after"]},
+        )
+        ldap3.modify.assert_called_once_with(
+            "connect_spec",
+            "dn",
+            [("add", "attr", ["val after"])],
+        )