diff --git a/pkg/utils/apply/apply.go b/pkg/utils/apply/apply.go
index 4dee4a8c6..0bc111912 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/apply/apply.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/apply/apply.go
@@ -299,7 +299,10 @@ func MustBeControlledByApp(app *v1beta1.Application) ApplyOption {
 			return nil
 		}
 		appKey, controlledBy := GetAppKey(app), GetControlledBy(existing)
-		if controlledBy == "" && !utilfeature.DefaultMutableFeatureGate.Enabled(features.LegacyResourceOwnerValidation) {
+		// if the existing object has no resource version, it means this resource is an API response not directly from
+		// an etcd object but from some external services, such as vela-prism. Then the response does not necessarily
+		// contain the owner
+		if controlledBy == "" && !utilfeature.DefaultMutableFeatureGate.Enabled(features.LegacyResourceOwnerValidation) && existing.GetResourceVersion() != "" {
 			return fmt.Errorf("%s %s/%s exists but not managed by any application now", existing.GetObjectKind().GroupVersionKind().Kind, existing.GetNamespace(), existing.GetName())
 		}
 		if controlledBy != "" && controlledBy != appKey {
diff --git a/pkg/utils/apply/apply_test.go b/pkg/utils/apply/apply_test.go
index a8176dcd9..91359fc57 100644
--- a/pkg/utils/apply/apply_test.go
+++ b/pkg/utils/apply/apply_test.go
@@ -380,18 +380,20 @@ func TestMustBeControlledByApp(t *testing.T) {
 			hasError: false,
 		},
 		"old app has no label": {
-			existing: &appsv1.Deployment{},
+			existing: &appsv1.Deployment{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{ResourceVersion: "-"}},
 			hasError: true,
 		},
 		"old app has no app label": {
 			existing: &appsv1.Deployment{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-				Labels: map[string]string{},
+				Labels:          map[string]string{},
+				ResourceVersion: "-",
 			}},
 			hasError: true,
 		},
 		"old app has no app ns label": {
 			existing: &appsv1.Deployment{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-				Labels: map[string]string{oam.LabelAppName: "app"},
+				Labels:          map[string]string{oam.LabelAppName: "app"},
+				ResourceVersion: "-",
 			}},
 			hasError: true,
 		},
@@ -413,6 +415,18 @@ func TestMustBeControlledByApp(t *testing.T) {
 			}},
 			hasError: true,
 		},
+		"old app has no resource version but with bad app key": {
+			existing: &appsv1.Deployment{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Labels: map[string]string{oam.LabelAppName: "app", oam.LabelAppNamespace: "ns"},
+			}},
+			hasError: true,
+		},
+		"old app has no resource version": {
+			existing: &appsv1.Deployment{ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Labels: map[string]string{},
+			}},
+			hasError: false,
+		},
 	}
 	for name, tc := range testCases {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {