diff --git a/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies.go b/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies.go
index c0a697f22..1eec8c8e2 100644
--- a/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies.go
+++ b/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies.go
@@ -261,11 +261,14 @@ func (p *Policies) Validate() error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if err := p.validateNamespacedFilterPolicies(); err != nil {
 	if err := p.validateClusterScopedFilterPolicy(); err != nil {
 		return errors.WithStack(err)
 	}
 
+	if err := p.validateNamespacedFilterPolicies(); err != nil {
+		return errors.WithStack(err)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -410,13 +413,19 @@ func (p *Policies) validateNamespacedFilterPolicies() error {
 			return fmt.Errorf(
 				"namespacedFilterPolicies: duplicate namespace pattern '%s' found in policies %v",
 				pattern, policyIndices)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (p *Policies) validateClusterScopedFilterPolicy() error {
 	if p.clusterScopedFilterPolicy == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
 
 	if len(p.clusterScopedFilterPolicy.ResourceFilters) == 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("clusterScopedFilterPolicy: at least one resourceFilter must be specified")
+		return fmt.Errorf("clusterScopedFilterPolicy: resourceFilters cannot be empty; remove the policy block entirely if it is not needed")
 	}
 
 	seenKinds := make(map[string]int)
diff --git a/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies_test.go b/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies_test.go
index 8cd8955a9..e5736a0e8 100644
--- a/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies_test.go
+++ b/internal/resourcepolicies/resource_policies_test.go
@@ -1244,7 +1244,6 @@ func TestPVCPhaseMatch(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestNamespacedFilterPolicies(t *testing.T) {
-func TestClusterScopedFilterPolicies(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := []struct {
 		name     string
 		yamlData string
@@ -1304,49 +1303,6 @@ namespacedFilterPolicies:
 			yamlData: `version: v1
 namespacedFilterPolicies:
 - namespaces: ["test"]
-			name: "valid - single kind with names",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
-    names: ["my-app-*"]`,
-			wantErr: false,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "valid - multi-kind with labelSelector",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole", "ClusterRoleBinding"]
-    labelSelector:
-      app: my-app`,
-			wantErr: false,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "valid - orLabelSelectors",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["CustomResourceDefinition"]
-    orLabelSelectors:
-    - app: my-app
-    - app: other-app`,
-			wantErr: false,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "valid - excludedNames",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
-    names: ["my-*"]
-    excludedNames: ["my-debug-*"]`,
-			wantErr: false,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "invalid - empty resourceFilters",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
   resourceFilters: []`,
 			wantErr: true,
 			errMsg:  "at least one resourceFilter must be specified",
@@ -1464,49 +1420,6 @@ namespacedFilterPolicies:
       app: web
     orLabelSelectors:
     - env: prod`,
-			name: "invalid - empty kinds in clusterScopedFilterPolicy",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: []
-    names: ["my-app-*"]`,
-			wantErr: true,
-			errMsg:  "kinds must be specified",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "invalid - asterisk kinds (explicit catch-all) in clusterScopedFilterPolicy",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["*"]
-    labelSelector:
-      app: my-app`,
-			wantErr: true,
-			errMsg:  "kinds must be specified",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "invalid - duplicate kinds across entries",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
-    names: ["my-app-*"]
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
-    labelSelector:
-      app: other`,
-			wantErr: true,
-			errMsg:  `kind "ClusterRole" appears in both`,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "invalid - labelSelector and orLabelSelectors co-exist",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
-    labelSelector:
-      app: my-app
-    orLabelSelectors:
-    - app: other`,
 			wantErr: true,
 			errMsg:  "labelSelector and orLabelSelectors cannot co-exist",
 		},
@@ -1517,11 +1430,6 @@ namespacedFilterPolicies:
 - namespaces: ["test"]
   resourceFilters:
   - kinds: ["Pod"]
-			name: "invalid - bad glob in names",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
     names: ["[invalid"]`,
 			wantErr: true,
 			errMsg:  "invalid glob pattern",
@@ -1538,14 +1446,6 @@ namespacedFilterPolicies:
   - kinds: ["ConfigMap"]`,
 			wantErr: true,
 			errMsg:  "duplicate namespace pattern",
-			name: "invalid - bad glob in excludedNames",
-			yamlData: `version: v1
-clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
-  resourceFilters:
-  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
-    excludedNames: ["[bad"]`,
-			wantErr: true,
-			errMsg:  "invalid glob pattern",
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -1557,11 +1457,6 @@ clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
 			policies := &Policies{}
 			err = policies.BuildPolicy(resPolicies)
 			require.NoError(t, err) // BuildPolicy should always succeed for our test cases
-			require.NoError(t, err)
-
-			policies := &Policies{}
-			err = policies.BuildPolicy(resPolicies)
-			require.NoError(t, err)
 
 			err = policies.Validate()
 			if tc.wantErr {
@@ -1575,9 +1470,6 @@ clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
 				// Verify that we can retrieve the policies
 				nfPolicies := policies.GetNamespacedFilterPolicies()
 				assert.GreaterOrEqual(t, len(nfPolicies), 1) // Valid test cases have at least 1 policy
-				assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), tc.errMsg)
-			} else {
-				require.NoError(t, err)
 			}
 		})
 	}
@@ -1644,3 +1536,147 @@ namespacedFilterPolicies:
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{"team-*", "another-pattern"}, policy2.Namespaces)
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{"Deployment", "Service"}, policy2.ResourceFilters[0].Kinds)
 }
+
+func TestClusterScopedFilterPolicies(t *testing.T) {
+	testCases := []struct {
+		name     string
+		yamlData string
+		wantErr  bool
+		errMsg   string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "valid - single kind with names",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    names: ["my-app-*"]`,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid - multi-kind with labelSelector",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole", "ClusterRoleBinding"]
+    labelSelector:
+      app: my-app`,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid - orLabelSelectors",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["CustomResourceDefinition"]
+    orLabelSelectors:
+    - app: my-app
+    - app: other-app`,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid - excludedNames",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    names: ["my-*"]
+    excludedNames: ["my-debug-*"]`,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - empty resourceFilters",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters: []`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  "resourceFilters cannot be empty; remove the policy block entirely if it is not needed",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - empty kinds in clusterScopedFilterPolicy",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: []
+    names: ["my-app-*"]`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  "kinds must be specified",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - asterisk kinds (explicit catch-all) in clusterScopedFilterPolicy",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["*"]
+    labelSelector:
+      app: my-app`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  "kinds must be specified",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - duplicate kinds across entries",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    names: ["my-app-*"]
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    labelSelector:
+      app: other`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  `kind "ClusterRole" appears in both`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - labelSelector and orLabelSelectors co-exist",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    labelSelector:
+      app: my-app
+    orLabelSelectors:
+    - app: other`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  "labelSelector and orLabelSelectors cannot co-exist",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - bad glob in names",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    names: ["[invalid"]`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  "invalid glob pattern",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid - bad glob in excludedNames",
+			yamlData: `version: v1
+clusterScopedFilterPolicy:
+  resourceFilters:
+  - kinds: ["ClusterRole"]
+    excludedNames: ["[bad"]`,
+			wantErr: true,
+			errMsg:  "invalid glob pattern",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range testCases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			resPolicies, err := unmarshalResourcePolicies(&tc.yamlData)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			policies := &Policies{}
+			err = policies.BuildPolicy(resPolicies)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			err = policies.Validate()
+			if tc.wantErr {
+				require.Error(t, err)
+				assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), tc.errMsg)
+			} else {
+				require.NoError(t, err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}