diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/audit/configmap-context-lookup/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/audit/configmap-context-lookup/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 61b7555976..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/audit/configmap-context-lookup/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete -f 01-manifests.yaml,02-goodpod.yaml --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/api-initiated-pod-eviction/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/api-initiated-pod-eviction/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 0a7469d0cc..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/api-initiated-pod-eviction/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete pod nginx -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete cpol deny-evict-by-pod-label -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete ns test-validate --force --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/block-pod-exec-requests/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/block-pod-exec-requests/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index e9f231d278..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/block-pod-exec-requests/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete pod nginx -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete cpol deny-exec-by-pod-label -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete ns test-validate --force --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/bypass-with-policy-exception/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/bypass-with-policy-exception/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 17a829a94d..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/bypass-with-policy-exception/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete deploy nginx-test -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete polex allow-scaling-nginx-test -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete cpol nginx-test-scaling-policy -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete ns test-validate --force --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/02-resource.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/02-resource.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b2edcffef7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/02-resource.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
+kind: TestStep
+apply:
+- file: resource.yaml
+  shouldFail: true
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/02-script.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/02-script.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 7580344147..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/02-script.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-## Checks that the manifests.yaml file CANNOT be successfully created. If it can, fail the test as this is incorrect.
-
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-- script: |
-    if kubectl apply -f resource.yaml
-    then 
-      echo "Tested failed. Resource was allowed."
-      exit 1 
-    else 
-      echo "Test succeeded. Resource was blocked."
-      exit 0
-    fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 15c3c49051..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/resource-apply-block/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete -f 01-manifests.yaml --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/scaling-with-kubectl-scale/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/scaling-with-kubectl-scale/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index bb1e136044..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/clusterpolicy/standard/enforce/scaling-with-kubectl-scale/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete deploy nginx-test -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete cpol nginx-test-scaling-policy -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete ns test-validate --force --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/adding-key-to-config-map/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/adding-key-to-config-map/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index f115a929cc..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/adding-key-to-config-map/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete ConfigMap test-configmap -n test-validate-e2e-adding-key-to-config-map --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete pol configmap-policy -n test-validate-e2e-adding-key-to-config-map --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete ns test-validate-e2e-adding-key-to-config-map --force --ignore-not-found=true
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/02-resource.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/02-resource.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b2edcffef7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/02-resource.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
+kind: TestStep
+apply:
+- file: resource.yaml
+  shouldFail: true
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/02-script.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/02-script.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 2514a70dbc..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/02-script.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - script: |
-      if kubectl apply -f resource.yaml 2>&1 | grep -q 'validation error: The label app=foo is required'
-      then 
-        echo "Test succeeded. Resource creation was blocked."
-        exit 0
-      else 
-        echo "Tested failed. Resource was created."
-        exit 1 
-      fi
diff --git a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/99-cleanup.yaml b/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/99-cleanup.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 9c3fe1fd34..0000000000
--- a/test/conformance/kuttl/validate/e2e/lowercase-kind-crd/99-cleanup.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: kuttl.dev/v1beta1
-kind: TestStep
-commands:
-  - command: kubectl delete postgresql acid-minimal-cluster -n test-validate --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete cpol test --force --wait=true --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete ns test-validate --force --ignore-not-found=true
-  - command: kubectl delete crd postgresqls.acid.zalan.do --force --wait=true