diff --git a/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go b/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go
index 10d3187096..d15e67c582 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/operators/catalog/operator.go
@@ -2242,6 +2242,26 @@ func validateExistingCRs(dynamicClient dynamic.Interface, gr schema.GroupResourc
 			return fmt.Errorf("error creating validator for schema version %s: %s", version, err)
 		}
 		gvr := schema.GroupVersionResource{Group: gr.Group, Version: version, Resource: gr.Resource}
+
+		results := make(map[string]*unstructured.Unstructured)
+
+		crList, err := dynamicClient.Resource(gvr).List(context.TODO(), metav1.ListOptions{})
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error listing resources in GroupVersionResource %#v: %s", gvr, err)
+		}
+		for _, cr := range crList.Items {
+			var namespacedName string
+			if cr.GetNamespace() == "" {
+				namespacedName = cr.GetName()
+			} else {
+				namespacedName = fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", cr.GetNamespace(), cr.GetName())
+			}
+			if err := validation.ValidateCustomResource(field.NewPath(""), &cr, validator).ToAggregate(); err != nil {
+				return validationError{fmt.Errorf("error validating %s %q: updated validation is too restrictive: %v", cr.GroupVersionKind(), namespacedName, err)}
+			}
+			results[namespacedName] = &cr
+		}
+
 		pager := pager.New(pager.SimplePageFunc(func(opts metav1.ListOptions) (runtime.Object, error) {
 			return dynamicClient.Resource(gvr).List(context.TODO(), opts)
 		}))
@@ -2257,7 +2277,9 @@ func validateExistingCRs(dynamicClient dynamic.Interface, gr schema.GroupResourc
 				} else {
 					namespacedName = fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", cr.GetNamespace(), cr.GetName())
 				}
-				return validationError{fmt.Errorf("error validating %s %q: updated validation is too restrictive: %v", cr.GroupVersionKind(), namespacedName, err)}
+				return validationError{fmt.Errorf("error validating %s %q: simple list succeeded where paginated failed:\nsimple:\n%#v\npaginated:\n%#v\n %v",
+					gvr, namespacedName, results[namespacedName], obj, err)}
+				// return validationError{fmt.Errorf("error validating %s %q: updated validation is too restrictive: %v", cr.GroupVersionKind(), namespacedName, err)}
 			}
 			return nil
 		}