diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 653d90dfc..37f2ce298 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -30,8 +30,8 @@ require (
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.8.4
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.18.0
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0
-	k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20240418013359-a819b1d9bd16
-	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20240418093209-8c36da9e60f7
+	k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20240418093414-76b6c7ce02a4
+	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20240418133208-ea31e5150286
 	k8s.io/cli-runtime v0.0.0-20240404041703-9ad5569b61bc
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20240418093651-9990b0b122c9
 	k8s.io/component-base v0.0.0-20240418094434-57ba0489bfa6
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 993ab00f9..381f9e5ef 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -276,10 +276,10 @@ gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 h1:fxVm/GzAzEWqLHuvctI91KS9hhNmmWOoWu0XTYJS7CA=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
 honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.0-20190102054323-c2f93a96b099/go.mod h1:rf3lG4BRIbNafJWhAfAdb/ePZxsR/4RtNHQocxwk9r4=
 honnef.co/go/tools v0.0.0-20190523083050-ea95bdfd59fc/go.mod h1:rf3lG4BRIbNafJWhAfAdb/ePZxsR/4RtNHQocxwk9r4=
-k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20240418013359-a819b1d9bd16 h1:DXJla1ulezom5N0QIRlZetozcxtRPdS7U+muHDJuiO4=
-k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20240418013359-a819b1d9bd16/go.mod h1:a1YU16kjsAapUzg1LYaOqTnbMlo87NXy9bSeWjRmfoo=
-k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20240418093209-8c36da9e60f7 h1:SydhMcp6AJkjqqVcd0o0uz7ntTcs/QyIgIHAFYfIm7E=
-k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20240418093209-8c36da9e60f7/go.mod h1:iexa2somDaxdnj7bha06bhb43Zpa6eWH8N8dbqVjTUc=
+k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20240418093414-76b6c7ce02a4 h1:Aoz6y1eO+GKFC27cTyO+VJkbaEyQsGec2IhAYYaN7IU=
+k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20240418093414-76b6c7ce02a4/go.mod h1:sbi+6EMV/95qn9kNfIj4HSNs4jcBqkcBxEAD+AKHUHY=
+k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20240418133208-ea31e5150286 h1:pGpFsAFMSxtFe98HpTcgDgblsARQhckNfASAgCmlXS4=
+k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20240418133208-ea31e5150286/go.mod h1:iexa2somDaxdnj7bha06bhb43Zpa6eWH8N8dbqVjTUc=
 k8s.io/cli-runtime v0.0.0-20240404041703-9ad5569b61bc h1:a12ozjrLRSgKfGuGr0tFr7Aw+jheNPDo6jh/Y1AOkhU=
 k8s.io/cli-runtime v0.0.0-20240404041703-9ad5569b61bc/go.mod h1:XYjtKcGQuoX/UlaQtuRlfn9WIdSSrwDwKAkUx4OdbTk=
 k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20240418093651-9990b0b122c9 h1:eC8SD8kFISw8xhx2kTsXpIuB4qOGtCUdnK+ciXaJeEA=
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/cmd.go b/pkg/cmd/cmd.go
index 7907ffe6c..53359d580 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/cmd.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/cmd.go
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func NewDefaultKubectlCommandWithArgs(o KubectlOptions) *cobra.Command {
 			case "help", cobra.ShellCompRequestCmd, cobra.ShellCompNoDescRequestCmd:
 				// Don't search for a plugin
 			default:
-				if err := HandlePluginCommand(o.PluginHandler, cmdPathPieces, false); err != nil {
+				if err := HandlePluginCommand(o.PluginHandler, cmdPathPieces, 1); err != nil {
 					fmt.Fprintf(o.IOStreams.ErrOut, "Error: %v\n", err)
 					os.Exit(1)
 				}
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ func NewDefaultKubectlCommandWithArgs(o KubectlOptions) *cobra.Command {
 					}
 
 					if !builtinSubcmdExist {
-						if err := HandlePluginCommand(o.PluginHandler, cmdPathPieces, true); err != nil {
+						if err := HandlePluginCommand(o.PluginHandler, cmdPathPieces, len(cmdPathPieces)-len(foundArgs)+1); err != nil {
 							fmt.Fprintf(o.IOStreams.ErrOut, "Error: %v\n", err)
 							os.Exit(1)
 						}
@@ -259,7 +259,7 @@ func (h *DefaultPluginHandler) Execute(executablePath string, cmdArgs, environme
 
 // HandlePluginCommand receives a pluginHandler and command-line arguments and attempts to find
 // a plugin executable on the PATH that satisfies the given arguments.
-func HandlePluginCommand(pluginHandler PluginHandler, cmdArgs []string, exactMatch bool) error {
+func HandlePluginCommand(pluginHandler PluginHandler, cmdArgs []string, minArgs int) error {
 	var remainingArgs []string // all "non-flag" arguments
 	for _, arg := range cmdArgs {
 		if strings.HasPrefix(arg, "-") {
@@ -279,13 +279,14 @@ func HandlePluginCommand(pluginHandler PluginHandler, cmdArgs []string, exactMat
 	for len(remainingArgs) > 0 {
 		path, found := pluginHandler.Lookup(strings.Join(remainingArgs, "-"))
 		if !found {
-			if exactMatch {
-				// if exactMatch is true, we shouldn't continue searching with shorter names.
+			remainingArgs = remainingArgs[:len(remainingArgs)-1]
+			if len(remainingArgs) < minArgs {
+				// we shouldn't continue searching with shorter names.
 				// this is especially for not searching kubectl-create plugin
 				// when kubectl-create-foo plugin is not found.
 				break
 			}
-			remainingArgs = remainingArgs[:len(remainingArgs)-1]
+
 			continue
 		}
 
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go b/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go
index 84653461c..633bc242e 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/cmd_test.go
@@ -196,6 +196,18 @@ func TestKubectlCommandHandlesPlugins(t *testing.T) {
 			expectPlugin:     "plugin/testdata/kubectl-foo",
 			expectPluginArgs: []string{"--bar"},
 		},
+		{
+			name:             "test that a plugin executable is found based on command args with positional argument",
+			args:             []string{"kubectl", "foo", "positional", "--bar"},
+			expectPlugin:     "plugin/testdata/kubectl-foo",
+			expectPluginArgs: []string{"positional", "--bar"},
+		},
+		{
+			name:             "test that an allowed subcommand plugin executable is found based on command args with positional argument",
+			args:             []string{"kubectl", "create", "foo", "positional", "--bar"},
+			expectPlugin:     "plugin/testdata/kubectl-create-foo",
+			expectPluginArgs: []string{"positional", "--bar"},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "test that a plugin does not execute over an existing command by the same name",
 			args: []string{"kubectl", "version", "--client=true"},
@@ -330,6 +342,7 @@ func (h *testPluginHandler) Lookup(filename string) (string, bool) {
 		for _, p := range plugins {
 			filenameWithSuportedPrefix = fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", prefix, filename)
 			if p.Name() == filenameWithSuportedPrefix {
+				h.lookupErr = nil
 				return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", h.pluginsDirectory, p.Name()), true
 			}
 		}