diff --git a/cli/internal/cmd/apply.go b/cli/internal/cmd/apply.go
index 44a394d76..d5ca8fe6e 100644
--- a/cli/internal/cmd/apply.go
+++ b/cli/internal/cmd/apply.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 // phases that can be skipped during apply.
-// New phases should also be added to [formatSkipPhases].
+// New phases should also be added to [allPhases].
 const (
 	// skipInfrastructurePhase skips the Terraform apply of the apply process.
 	skipInfrastructurePhase skipPhase = "infrastructure"
@@ -59,9 +60,9 @@ const (
 	skipK8sPhase skipPhase = "k8s"
 )
 
-// formatSkipPhases returns a formatted string of all phases that can be skipped.
-func formatSkipPhases() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("{ %s }", strings.Join([]string{
+// allPhases returns a list of all phases that can be skipped as strings.
+func allPhases() []string {
+	return []string{
 		string(skipInfrastructurePhase),
 		string(skipInitPhase),
 		string(skipAttestationConfigPhase),
@@ -69,7 +70,12 @@ func formatSkipPhases() string {
 		string(skipHelmPhase),
 		string(skipImagePhase),
 		string(skipK8sPhase),
-	}, " | "))
+	}
+}
+
+// formatSkipPhases returns a formatted string of all phases that can be skipped.
+func formatSkipPhases() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("{ %s }", strings.Join(allPhases(), " | "))
 }
 
 // skipPhase is a phase of the upgrade process that can be skipped.
@@ -142,10 +148,10 @@ func (f *applyFlags) parse(flags *pflag.FlagSet) error {
 	}
 	var skipPhases skipPhases
 	for _, phase := range rawSkipPhases {
-		switch skipPhase(strings.ToLower(phase)) {
-		case skipInfrastructurePhase, skipHelmPhase, skipImagePhase, skipK8sPhase:
+		phase = strings.ToLower(phase)
+		if slices.Contains(allPhases(), phase) {
 			skipPhases.add(skipPhase(phase))
-		default:
+		} else {
 			return fmt.Errorf("invalid phase %s", phase)
 		}
 	}
@@ -568,8 +574,8 @@ func (a *applyCmd) runK8sUpgrade(cmd *cobra.Command, conf *config.Config, kubeUp
 ) error {
 	err := kubeUpgrader.UpgradeNodeVersion(
 		cmd.Context(), conf, a.flags.force,
-		a.flags.skipPhases.contains(skipK8sPhase),
 		a.flags.skipPhases.contains(skipImagePhase),
+		a.flags.skipPhases.contains(skipK8sPhase),
 	)
 
 	var upgradeErr *compatibility.InvalidUpgradeError
diff --git a/cli/internal/cmd/apply_test.go b/cli/internal/cmd/apply_test.go
index 3942ad5a9..de346deaa 100644
--- a/cli/internal/cmd/apply_test.go
+++ b/cli/internal/cmd/apply_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ package cmd
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
@@ -149,3 +150,22 @@ func TestBackupHelmCharts(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSkipPhases(t *testing.T) {
+	require := require.New(t)
+	cmd := NewApplyCmd()
+	// register persistent flags manually
+	cmd.Flags().String("workspace", "", "")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("force", true, "")
+	cmd.Flags().String("tf-log", "NONE", "")
+	cmd.Flags().Bool("debug", false, "")
+
+	require.NoError(cmd.Flags().Set("skip-phases", strings.Join(allPhases(), ",")))
+	wantPhases := skipPhases{}
+	wantPhases.add(skipInfrastructurePhase, skipInitPhase, skipAttestationConfigPhase, skipCertSANsPhase, skipHelmPhase, skipK8sPhase, skipImagePhase)
+
+	var flags applyFlags
+	err := flags.parse(cmd.Flags())
+	require.NoError(err)
+	assert.Equal(t, wantPhases, flags.skipPhases)
+}
diff --git a/cli/internal/cmd/upgradeapply_test.go b/cli/internal/cmd/upgradeapply_test.go
index 227c14187..2eb72a593 100644
--- a/cli/internal/cmd/upgradeapply_test.go
+++ b/cli/internal/cmd/upgradeapply_test.go
@@ -283,26 +283,6 @@ func TestUpgradeApply(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestUpgradeApplyFlagsForSkipPhases(t *testing.T) {
-	require := require.New(t)
-	cmd := newUpgradeApplyCmd()
-	// register persistent flags manually
-	cmd.Flags().String("workspace", "", "")
-	cmd.Flags().Bool("force", true, "")
-	cmd.Flags().String("tf-log", "NONE", "")
-	cmd.Flags().Bool("debug", false, "")
-	cmd.Flags().Bool("merge-kubeconfig", false, "")
-
-	require.NoError(cmd.Flags().Set("skip-phases", "infrastructure,helm,k8s,image"))
-	wantPhases := skipPhases{}
-	wantPhases.add(skipInfrastructurePhase, skipHelmPhase, skipK8sPhase, skipImagePhase)
-
-	var flags applyFlags
-	err := flags.parse(cmd.Flags())
-	require.NoError(err)
-	assert.Equal(t, wantPhases, flags.skipPhases)
-}
-
 type stubKubernetesUpgrader struct {
 	nodeVersionErr                 error
 	currentConfig                  config.AttestationCfg