@@ -667,7 +667,13 @@ spec:
 {{- $hasCpu := and $group.resources $group.resources.cpu }}
 {{- $hasMem := and $group.resources $group.resources.memory }}
 {{- if or (and $hasCpu (not $hasMem)) (and $hasMem (not $hasCpu)) }}
-{{-   fail (printf "nodeGroup %s: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither" $groupName) }}
+{{-   $orElse := "neither" }}
+{{- /* Without an instancetype "neither" alone leads straight into the
+       refusal below, so name the other sizing source too. */}}
+{{-   if not $group.instanceType }}
+{{-     $orElse = "neither and set instanceType" }}
+{{-   end }}
+{{-   fail (printf "nodeGroup %s: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or %s" $groupName $orElse) }}
 {{- end }}
 {{- /* With neither sizing source the VM has no memory at all, and KubeVirt
        refuses it at admission, long after helm has reported success. No pool
 
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ tests:
         memory: 4Gi
     asserts:
       - failedTemplate:
-          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither'
+          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither and set instanceType$'
 
   # A quoted zero is truthy, so it never took the unset path. It was refused
   # before this guard existed as well, by the kubelet CPU reservation check,
 
@@ -31,15 +31,15 @@ tests:
         cpu: "2"
     asserts:
       - failedTemplate:
-          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither'
+          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither and set instanceType$'
 
   - it: refuses memory without cpu on a pool with no instancetype
     set:
       resources:
         memory: 4Gi
     asserts:
       - failedTemplate:
-          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither'
+          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither and set instanceType$'
 
   # The case the check always caught. Pinned so the two halves cannot drift:
   # the partial check runs before the instancetype lookup, so no stub is needed.
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ tests:
         cpu: "2"
     asserts:
       - failedTemplate:
-          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither'
+          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither$'
 
   - it: refuses memory without cpu on a pool sized by an instancetype
     set:
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ tests:
         memory: 4Gi
     asserts:
       - failedTemplate:
-          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither'
+          errorPattern: 'nodeGroup md0: set both resources.cpu and resources.memory, or neither$'
 
   - it: refuses a pool with neither an instancetype nor explicit resources
     asserts: