diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-e2e-federated.yml b/.github/workflows/test-e2e-federated.yml
index fd6913e7..6bd52219 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-e2e-federated.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-e2e-federated.yml
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           # kustomize v5.5.0 probes helm with `helm version -c`; the -c shorthand
           # was removed in helm 3.13, so pin to the last release that accepts it.
-          version: v3.12.3
+          version: v4.3.1
 
       - name: Install pinned tools (kind, karmadactl, kustomize, cmctl, chainsaw)
         run: task test-infra:tools
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml
index 4c2b7724..a00b95f6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           # kustomize v5.5.0 probes helm with `helm version -c`; the -c shorthand
           # was removed in helm 3.13, so pin to the last release that accepts it.
-          version: v3.12.3
+          version: v4.3.1
 
       # The same installer the federated workflow uses. An explicit `make` list
       # here meant the two workflows disagreed about which binaries exist, and
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f2c9405f..ff3f9936 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ CMCTL ?= $(LOCALBIN)/cmctl
 GO_LICENSES ?= $(LOCALBIN)/go-licenses
 
 ## Tool Versions
-KUSTOMIZE_VERSION ?= v5.5.0
+KUSTOMIZE_VERSION ?= v5.8.3
 CONTROLLER_TOOLS_VERSION ?= v0.17.3
 DEFAULTER_GEN_VERSION ?= v0.32.3
 ENVTEST_VERSION ?= release-0.19
diff --git a/Taskfile.test-infra.yml b/Taskfile.test-infra.yml
index 6e41d6c4..78a0558e 100644
--- a/Taskfile.test-infra.yml
+++ b/Taskfile.test-infra.yml
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ tasks:
     vars:
       KIND_TOOL_VERSION: v0.32.0
       KARMADACTL_VERSION: v1.15.2
-      KUSTOMIZE_VERSION: v5.5.0
+      KUSTOMIZE_VERSION: v5.8.3
       CMCTL_VERSION: v2.1.1
       CHAINSAW_VERSION: v0.2.15
     cmds: