diff --git a/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/manifest/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperation.java b/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/manifest/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperation.java
index e23c43bd797..1009d7ebb1a 100644
--- a/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/manifest/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperation.java
+++ b/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/main/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/manifest/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperation.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.data.task.TaskRepository;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.description.KubernetesCoordinates;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.description.manifest.KubernetesDeleteManifestDescription;
+import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.description.manifest.KubernetesKind;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.OperationResult;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesHandler;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.security.KubernetesCredentials;
@@ -86,7 +87,15 @@ public OperationResult operate(List<OperationResult> priorOutputs) {
               .updateStatus(OP_NAME, "Looking up resource properties for " + c.getKind() + "...");
           KubernetesHandler deployer =
               credentials.getResourcePropertyRegistry().get(c.getKind()).getHandler();
-          getTask().updateStatus(OP_NAME, "Calling delete operation...");
+          if (deployer.kind().equals(KubernetesKind.NONE)) {
+            // No point in invoking kubectl with a resource type of none, as it fails with
+            //
+            // error: the server doesn't have a resource type "none"
+            //
+            // Throw an exception to fail the stage, similar to what happens when kubectl fails.
+            throw new IllegalStateException("Unable to delete unknown kind '" + c.getKind() + "'");
+          }
+          getTask().updateStatus(OP_NAME, "Calling delete operation for resource" + c + "...");
           result.merge(
               deployer.delete(
                   credentials,
@@ -94,10 +103,12 @@ public OperationResult operate(List<OperationResult> priorOutputs) {
                   c.getName(),
                   description.getLabelSelectors(),
                   deleteOptions));
-          getTask()
-              .updateStatus(OP_NAME, " delete operation completed successfully for " + c.getName());
+          getTask().updateStatus(OP_NAME, "Delete operation completed successfully for " + c);
         });
 
+    getTask()
+        .updateStatus(
+            OP_NAME, "Delete operation completed successfully for all applicable resources");
     return result;
   }
 }
diff --git a/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/test/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperationTest.java b/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/test/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperationTest.java
index a0d9ff286e7..9be019eaead 100644
--- a/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/test/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperationTest.java
+++ b/clouddriver-kubernetes/src/test/java/com/netflix/spinnaker/clouddriver/kubernetes/op/KubernetesDeleteManifestOperationTest.java
@@ -17,13 +17,16 @@
 
 package com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op;
 
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
 import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
@@ -40,6 +43,7 @@
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.description.manifest.KubernetesKind;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesCustomResourceDefinitionHandler;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesCustomResourceHandler;
+import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesDeploymentHandler;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesHandler;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesReplicaSetHandler;
 import com.netflix.spinnaker.clouddriver.kubernetes.op.handler.KubernetesServiceHandler;
@@ -75,6 +79,7 @@ public class KubernetesDeleteManifestOperationTest {
   private static final GlobalResourcePropertyRegistry resourcePropertyRegistry =
       new GlobalResourcePropertyRegistry(
           ImmutableList.of(
+              new KubernetesDeploymentHandler(),
               new KubernetesReplicaSetHandler(),
               new KubernetesServiceHandler(),
               new KubernetesCustomResourceDefinitionHandler()),
@@ -227,6 +232,53 @@ public void deleteUnregisteredCustomResourceViaLabelSelector() throws IOExceptio
         labelSelectorsCaptor.getValue());
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void deleteReallyUnregisteredCustomResourceViaManifestName() throws IOException {
+    // Beyond not configuring a spinnaker account with a particular kind (which
+    // is one definition of unregistered), this test exercises what happens when
+    // spinnaker has no idea about a particular kind, via configuration or
+    // discovery at runtime.  In other words, nothing has called
+    // resourcePropertyRegistry.updateCrdProperties with information about the
+    // custom resource this test attempts to delete.
+    String unknownKind = "unknown.bar.com";
+    String pipelineJSON =
+        "{ "
+            + " \"account\": \"kubernetes-account\","
+            + " \"manifestName\": \""
+            + unknownKind
+            + " my-unknown-custom-resource\""
+            + " }";
+
+    Map<String, Object> pipeline = mapper.readValue(pipelineJSON, mapType);
+
+    KubernetesDeleteManifestDescription description = buildDeleteManifestDescription(pipeline);
+
+    KubernetesCredentials mockKubernetesCreds = description.getCredentials().getCredentials();
+
+    IllegalStateException thrown =
+        assertThrows(
+            IllegalStateException.class,
+            () -> new KubernetesDeleteManifestOperation(description).operate(ImmutableList.of()));
+
+    assertThat(thrown.getMessage()).contains("Unable to delete unknown kind '" + unknownKind);
+
+    // With no handler for the given kind, GlobalResourcePropertyRegistry
+    // returns KubernetesUnregisteredCustomResourceHandler which has a kind of
+    // KubernetesKind.NONE.  kubectl always fails with an invocation like:
+    //
+    // $ kubectl delete none
+    // error: the server doesn't have a resource type "none"
+    //
+    // so better to not invoke it and give a more helpful error message.
+    verify(mockKubernetesCreds, never())
+        .delete(
+            any(KubernetesKind.class),
+            anyString(),
+            anyString(),
+            any(KubernetesSelectorList.class),
+            any(V1DeleteOptions.class));
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void orphanDependentsTrueTest() throws IOException {
     String pipelineJSON =