diff --git a/internal/reconcile/reconcile.go b/internal/reconcile/reconcile.go
index aa5c70f56..e136c4146 100644
--- a/internal/reconcile/reconcile.go
+++ b/internal/reconcile/reconcile.go
@@ -64,6 +64,11 @@ var kindDependencies = map[string][]string{
 // Write `spec: []` to mean that on purpose.
 func parseDocuments(registry map[string]Reconciler, data []byte) ([]parsedDocument, error) {
 	dec := yaml.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(data))
+	// Reject unknown top-level keys (a stray "metadata:", a typo'd "apiVarsion")
+	// instead of ignoring them, the same way entry decoding does. The document's
+	// own spec content is decoded separately, so this only guards the outer
+	// apiVersion/kind/spec envelope.
+	dec.KnownFields(true)
 	var docs []parsedDocument
 	for {
 		var doc document
diff --git a/internal/reconcile/reconcile_test.go b/internal/reconcile/reconcile_test.go
index 85865007c..7b3833efd 100644
--- a/internal/reconcile/reconcile_test.go
+++ b/internal/reconcile/reconcile_test.go
@@ -112,6 +112,29 @@ func TestRun_SpecHandling(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
 		assert.Equal(t, 1, rec.called)
 	})
+
+	t.Run("a document with an unknown top-level field is rejected", func(t *testing.T) {
+		rec := &fakeReconciler{}
+		reg := map[string]Reconciler{KindPlatformUser: rec}
+
+		// A stray top-level key (here a typo of "spec") must fail the file rather
+		// than being ignored, the same way entry decoding rejects unknown fields.
+		_, err := Run(context.Background(), reg, []byte("kind: PlatformUser\nspec: []\nspce: oops\n"), false)
+		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "field spce not found")
+		assert.Zero(t, rec.called)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("an unknown field in a later document is rejected", func(t *testing.T) {
+		rec := &fakeReconciler{}
+		reg := map[string]Reconciler{KindPlatformUser: rec}
+
+		// The stray key sits in the second document. The check must fire on every
+		// document, not only the first, which is the whole point of checking the file.
+		file := []byte("kind: PlatformUser\nspec: []\n---\nkind: PlatformUser\nspec: []\nspce: oops\n")
+		_, err := Run(context.Background(), reg, file, false)
+		assert.ErrorContains(t, err, "field spce not found")
+		assert.Zero(t, rec.called)
+	})
 }
 
 func TestExport_Errors(t *testing.T) {