diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-apiversion.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-apiversion.yaml
index 9f08271ed8..22771e0ae4 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-apiversion.yaml
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-apiversion.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-# this file contains an invalid config api version for testing
-kind: Config
-apiVersion: not-valid
+# this file contains an invalid config kind for testing
+kind: not-valid
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-kind.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-kind.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b5f797a633
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-kind.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# this file contains an invalid config api version for testing
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: not-valid
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-no-apiversion.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-no-apiversion.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a5ffac0cc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-no-apiversion.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# this file contains an invalid config without apiVersion for testing
+kind:  Node
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-no-kind.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-no-kind.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eafbaab066
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/invalid-no-kind.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# this file contains an invalid config without kind for testing
+apiVersion:  kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha1/invalid-minimal-two-nodes.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha1/invalid-minimal-two-nodes.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21ec42116b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha1/invalid-minimal-two-nodes.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# invalid v1alpha1 config file with two documents
+kind: Config
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha1
+---
+kind: Config
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/invalid-minimal-duplicated-names.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/invalid-minimal-duplicated-names.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee22fff54e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/invalid-minimal-duplicated-names.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# invalid config file with nodes with the same name
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+---
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-full-ha.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-full-ha.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7b04c7cad9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-full-ha.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# technically valid, config file with a full ha cluster
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+role: control-plane
+replicas: 3
+---
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+role: worker
+replicas: 2
+---
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+role: external-etcd
+---
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+role: external-load-balancer
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal-two-nodes.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal-two-nodes.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1404d6d8b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal-two-nodes.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# technically valid, minimal config file with two nodes
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+---
+kind: Node
+apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
+role: worker
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal.yaml
index bffca0fd7d..f960aa0653 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal.yaml
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-minimal.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 # technically valid, minimal config file
-kind: Config
+kind: Node
 apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-with-lifecyclehooks.yaml b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-with-lifecyclehooks.yaml
index 5b1521ddbf..29ad5ae50d 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-with-lifecyclehooks.yaml
+++ b/pkg/cluster/config/encoding/testdata/v1alpha2/valid-with-lifecyclehooks.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-kind: Config
+kind: Node
 apiVersion: kind.sigs.k8s.io/v1alpha2
 nodeLifecycle:
   preKubeadm: