diff --git a/kustomize/manifest.go b/kustomize/manifest.go
index 10c8d3b..444179b 100644
--- a/kustomize/manifest.go
+++ b/kustomize/manifest.go
@@ -121,6 +121,19 @@ func (km *kManifest) namespace() string {
 	return km.id().namespace
 }
 
+func (km *kManifest) isNamespaced() (bool, error) {
+	m, err := km.mapping()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, km.fmtErr(fmt.Errorf("api error: %s", err))
+	}
+
+	if m.Scope.Name() == k8smeta.RESTScopeNameNamespace {
+		return true, nil
+	}
+
+	return false, nil
+}
+
 func (km *kManifest) name() string {
 	return km.id().name
 }
@@ -137,10 +150,21 @@ func (km *kManifest) id() (id kManifestId) {
 func (km *kManifest) api() (api k8sdynamic.ResourceInterface, err error) {
 	gvr, err := km.gvr()
 	if err != nil {
-		return api, nil
+		return api, km.fmtErr(fmt.Errorf("api error: %s", err))
+	}
+
+	api = km.client.Resource(gvr)
+
+	isNamespaced, err := km.isNamespaced()
+	if err != nil {
+		return api, km.fmtErr(fmt.Errorf("api error: %s", err))
+	}
+
+	if isNamespaced {
+		api = km.client.Resource(gvr).Namespace(km.namespace())
 	}
 
-	return km.client.Resource(gvr).Namespace(km.namespace()), nil
+	return api, nil
 }
 
 func (km *kManifest) apiGet(opts k8smetav1.GetOptions) (resp *k8sunstructured.Unstructured, err error) {
diff --git a/kustomize/resource_kustomization.go b/kustomize/resource_kustomization.go
index 214190f..875f048 100644
--- a/kustomize/resource_kustomization.go
+++ b/kustomize/resource_kustomization.go
@@ -179,15 +179,28 @@ func kustomizationResourceDiff(ctx context.Context, d *schema.ResourceDiff, m in
 	}
 	setLastAppliedConfig(kmm, gzipLastAppliedConfig)
 
+	_, err = kmm.mappings()
+	if err != nil {
+		// if there are no mappings we can't dry-run
+		// this is for CRDs that do not exist yet
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	isNamespaced, err := kmm.isNamespaced()
+	if err != nil {
+		return logError(err)
+	}
+	if isNamespaced && kmm.namespace() == "" {
+		err = kmm.fmtErr(fmt.Errorf("is namespace scoped and must set metadata.namespace"))
+		return logError(err)
+	}
+	if !isNamespaced && kmm.namespace() != "" {
+		err = kmm.fmtErr(fmt.Errorf("is not namespace scoped but has metadata.namespace set"))
+		return logError(err)
+	}
+
 	if do.(string) == "" {
 		// diffing for create
-		_, err := kmm.mappings()
-		if err != nil {
-			// if there are no mappings we can't dry-run
-			// this is for CRDs that do not exist yet
-			return nil
-		}
-
 		_, err = kmm.apiCreate(k8smetav1.CreateOptions{DryRun: []string{k8smetav1.DryRunAll}})
 		if err != nil {
 			if k8serrors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
@@ -334,7 +347,7 @@ func kustomizationResourceDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, m interface{}) error {
 			// the resource can't exist either
 			return nil
 		}
-		return logError(err)
+		return logError(km.fmtErr(err))
 	}
 
 	err = km.apiDelete(k8smetav1.DeleteOptions{})
diff --git a/kustomize/resource_kustomization_test.go b/kustomize/resource_kustomization_test.go
index a24f84b..dfef327 100644
--- a/kustomize/resource_kustomization_test.go
+++ b/kustomize/resource_kustomization_test.go
@@ -604,6 +604,60 @@ resource "kustomization_resource" "ns" {
 `
 }
 
+//
+//
+// Fail namespace not allowed
+func TestAccResourceKustomization_failPlanInvalidNamespaceNotAllowed(t *testing.T) {
+
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers: testAccProviders,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			//
+			//
+			// Expect plan to fail due to namespace not allowed
+			{
+				Config:      testAccResourceKustomizationConfig_failNamespaceNotAllowed("test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed"),
+				ExpectError: regexp.MustCompile("Error: github.com/kbst/terraform-provider-kustomize/kustomize.kustomizationResourceDiff: \"rbac.authorization.k8s.io/ClusterRoleBinding/default/invalid\": is not namespace scoped but has metadata.namespace set"),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
+func testAccResourceKustomizationConfig_failNamespaceNotAllowed(path string) string {
+	return testAccDataSourceKustomizationConfig_basic(path) + `
+resource "kustomization_resource" "crb" {
+	manifest = data.kustomization_build.test.manifests["rbac.authorization.k8s.io/ClusterRoleBinding/default/invalid"]
+}
+`
+}
+
+//
+//
+// Fail namespace required
+func TestAccResourceKustomization_failNamespaceRequired(t *testing.T) {
+
+	resource.Test(t, resource.TestCase{
+		Providers: testAccProviders,
+		Steps: []resource.TestStep{
+			//
+			//
+			// Expect plan to fail due to missing namespace
+			{
+				Config:      testAccResourceKustomizationConfig_failNamespaceRequired("test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required"),
+				ExpectError: regexp.MustCompile("Error: github.com/kbst/terraform-provider-kustomize/kustomize.kustomizationResourceDiff: \"rbac.authorization.k8s.io/RoleBinding/_/invalid\": is namespace scoped and must set metadata.namespace"),
+			},
+		},
+	})
+}
+
+func testAccResourceKustomizationConfig_failNamespaceRequired(path string) string {
+	return testAccDataSourceKustomizationConfig_basic(path) + `
+resource "kustomization_resource" "crb" {
+	manifest = data.kustomization_build.test.manifests["rbac.authorization.k8s.io/RoleBinding/_/invalid"]
+}
+`
+}
+
 //
 //
 // Fail plan invalid manifest
diff --git a/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed/invalid_cluster_role_binding.yaml b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed/invalid_cluster_role_binding.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1315424
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed/invalid_cluster_role_binding.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
+kind: ClusterRoleBinding
+metadata:
+  name: invalid
+  # invalid not namespace scoped
+  namespace: default
+subjects:
+- kind: Group
+  name: admins
+  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
+roleRef:
+  kind: ClusterRole
+  name: admin
+  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
diff --git a/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed/kustomization.yaml b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed/kustomization.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8514226
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_not_allowed/kustomization.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
+kind: Kustomization
+
+resources:
+- invalid_cluster_role_binding.yaml
diff --git a/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required/invalid_role_binding.yaml b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required/invalid_role_binding.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1cb786
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required/invalid_role_binding.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
+kind: RoleBinding
+metadata:
+  name: invalid
+  # invalid namespace scoped but no namespace
+subjects:
+- kind: Group
+  name: admins
+  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
+roleRef:
+  kind: ClusterRole
+  name: admin
+  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
diff --git a/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required/kustomization.yaml b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required/kustomization.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..39e122c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kustomize/test_kustomizations/fail_namespace_required/kustomization.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
+kind: Kustomization
+
+resources:
+- invalid_role_binding.yaml