diff --git a/api/builtins/NamespaceTransformer.go b/api/builtins/NamespaceTransformer.go
index 6b6ee67de..e8ac8c25c 100644
--- a/api/builtins/NamespaceTransformer.go
+++ b/api/builtins/NamespaceTransformer.go
@@ -46,19 +46,7 @@ func (p *NamespaceTransformerPlugin) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 
 		id := r.OrgId()
 
-		if !p.YAMLSupport {
-			// use the old style transform
-			applicableFs := p.applicableFieldSpecs(id)
-
-			for _, fs := range applicableFs {
-				err := transform.MutateField(
-					r.Map(), fs.PathSlice(), fs.CreateIfNotPresent,
-					p.changeNamespace(r))
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-			}
-		} else {
+		if p.YAMLSupport {
 			// use the new style transform
 			err := filtersutil.ApplyToJSON(namespace.Filter{
 				Namespace: p.Namespace,
@@ -67,18 +55,28 @@ func (p *NamespaceTransformerPlugin) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+		} else {
+			// use the old style transform
+			applicableFs := p.applicableFieldSpecs(id)
+			for _, fs := range applicableFs {
+				err := transform.MutateField(
+					r.Map(), fs.PathSlice(), fs.CreateIfNotPresent,
+					p.changeNamespace(r))
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
 		}
 
 		matches := m.GetMatchingResourcesByCurrentId(r.CurId().Equals)
 		if len(matches) != 1 {
-			return fmt.Errorf("namespace transformation produces ID conflict: %+v", matches)
+			return fmt.Errorf(
+				"namespace transformation produces ID conflict: %+v", matches)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-const metaNamespace = "metadata/namespace"
-
 // Special casing metadata.namespace since
 // all objects have it, even "ClusterKind" objects
 // that don't exist in a namespace (the Namespace
@@ -86,7 +84,9 @@ const metaNamespace = "metadata/namespace"
 func (p *NamespaceTransformerPlugin) applicableFieldSpecs(id resid.ResId) []types.FieldSpec {
 	var res []types.FieldSpec
 	for _, fs := range p.FieldSpecs {
-		if id.IsSelected(&fs.Gvk) && (fs.Path != metaNamespace || (fs.Path == metaNamespace && id.IsNamespaceableKind())) {
+		if id.IsSelected(&fs.Gvk) &&
+			(fs.Path != types.MetadataNamespacePath ||
+				(fs.Path == types.MetadataNamespacePath && id.IsNamespaceableKind())) {
 			res = append(res, fs)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/api/filters/namespace/namespace.go b/api/filters/namespace/namespace.go
index 677490c5f..e9c928ab5 100644
--- a/api/filters/namespace/namespace.go
+++ b/api/filters/namespace/namespace.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (ns Filter) metaNamespaceHack(obj *yaml.RNode, meta yaml.ResourceMeta) erro
 	}
 	f := fsslice.Filter{
 		FsSlice: []types.FieldSpec{
-			{Path: metaNamespaceField, CreateIfNotPresent: true},
+			{Path: types.MetadataNamespacePath, CreateIfNotPresent: true},
 		},
 		SetValue:   fsslice.SetScalar(ns.Namespace),
 		CreateKind: yaml.ScalarNode, // Namespace is a ScalarNode
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ func (ns Filter) removeFieldSpecsForHacks(fs types.FsSlice) types.FsSlice {
 	var val types.FsSlice
 	for i := range fs {
 		// implemented by metaNamespaceHack
-		if fs[i].Path == metaNamespaceField {
+		if fs[i].Path == types.MetadataNamespacePath {
 			continue
 		}
 		// implemented by roleBindingHack
@@ -160,7 +160,6 @@ func (ns Filter) removeFieldSpecsForHacks(fs types.FsSlice) types.FsSlice {
 }
 
 const (
-	metaNamespaceField     = "metadata/namespace"
 	subjectsField          = "subjects"
 	roleBindingKind        = "RoleBinding"
 	clusterRoleBindingKind = "ClusterRoleBinding"
diff --git a/api/types/kustomization.go b/api/types/kustomization.go
index 9c2c03d94..4be803f53 100644
--- a/api/types/kustomization.go
+++ b/api/types/kustomization.go
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 package types
 
 const (
-	KustomizationVersion = "kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1"
-	KustomizationKind    = "Kustomization"
+	KustomizationVersion  = "kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1"
+	KustomizationKind     = "Kustomization"
+	MetadataNamespacePath = "metadata/namespace"
 )
 
 // Kustomization holds the information needed to generate customized k8s api resources.
diff --git a/plugin/builtin/namespacetransformer/NamespaceTransformer.go b/plugin/builtin/namespacetransformer/NamespaceTransformer.go
index 9487e3350..5eb333def 100644
--- a/plugin/builtin/namespacetransformer/NamespaceTransformer.go
+++ b/plugin/builtin/namespacetransformer/NamespaceTransformer.go
@@ -50,19 +50,7 @@ func (p *plugin) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 
 		id := r.OrgId()
 
-		if !p.YAMLSupport {
-			// use the old style transform
-			applicableFs := p.applicableFieldSpecs(id)
-
-			for _, fs := range applicableFs {
-				err := transform.MutateField(
-					r.Map(), fs.PathSlice(), fs.CreateIfNotPresent,
-					p.changeNamespace(r))
-				if err != nil {
-					return err
-				}
-			}
-		} else {
+		if p.YAMLSupport {
 			// use the new style transform
 			err := filtersutil.ApplyToJSON(namespace.Filter{
 				Namespace: p.Namespace,
@@ -71,18 +59,28 @@ func (p *plugin) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+		} else {
+			// use the old style transform
+			applicableFs := p.applicableFieldSpecs(id)
+			for _, fs := range applicableFs {
+				err := transform.MutateField(
+					r.Map(), fs.PathSlice(), fs.CreateIfNotPresent,
+					p.changeNamespace(r))
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
+			}
 		}
 
 		matches := m.GetMatchingResourcesByCurrentId(r.CurId().Equals)
 		if len(matches) != 1 {
-			return fmt.Errorf("namespace transformation produces ID conflict: %+v", matches)
+			return fmt.Errorf(
+				"namespace transformation produces ID conflict: %+v", matches)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-const metaNamespace = "metadata/namespace"
-
 // Special casing metadata.namespace since
 // all objects have it, even "ClusterKind" objects
 // that don't exist in a namespace (the Namespace
@@ -90,7 +88,9 @@ const metaNamespace = "metadata/namespace"
 func (p *plugin) applicableFieldSpecs(id resid.ResId) []types.FieldSpec {
 	var res []types.FieldSpec
 	for _, fs := range p.FieldSpecs {
-		if id.IsSelected(&fs.Gvk) && (fs.Path != metaNamespace || (fs.Path == metaNamespace && id.IsNamespaceableKind())) {
+		if id.IsSelected(&fs.Gvk) &&
+			(fs.Path != types.MetadataNamespacePath ||
+				(fs.Path == types.MetadataNamespacePath && id.IsNamespaceableKind())) {
 			res = append(res, fs)
 		}
 	}