diff --git a/pkg/target/complexcomposition_test.go b/pkg/target/complexcomposition_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a5d3a5eb06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/target/complexcomposition_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,339 @@
+// Copyright 2019 The Kubernetes Authors.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+package target_test
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/v3/pkg/kusttest"
+)
+
+// Base
+// ----
+const baseKustomization = `
+resources:
+- statefulset.yaml
+`
+
+const baseStatefulSet = `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: my-sts
+spec:
+  serviceName: my-svc
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: my-app
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: my-app
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - name: app
+        image: my-image
+  volumeClaimTemplates:
+  - spec:
+      storageClassName: default
+`
+
+// Storage overlay
+// ---------------
+const storageKustomization = `
+resources:
+- ../base
+patchesJson6902:
+- target:
+    group: apps
+    version: v1
+    kind: StatefulSet
+    name: my-sts
+  path: sts-patch.json
+`
+
+const patchJsonPVCTemplate = `
+[{"op": "replace", "path": "/spec/volumeClaimTemplates/0/spec/storageClassName", "value": "my-sc"}]
+`
+
+// Config overlay
+// --------------
+const configKustomization = `
+resources:
+- ../base
+configMapGenerator:
+- name: my-config
+  literals:
+  - MY_ENV=foo
+generatorOptions:
+  disableNameSuffixHash: true
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- sts-patch.yaml
+`
+
+const patchEnvFromConfig = `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: my-sts
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - name: app
+        envFrom:
+        - configMapRef:
+            name: my-config
+`
+
+// Tolerations overlay
+// -------------------
+const tolerationsKustomization = `
+resources:
+- ../base
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- sts-patch.yaml
+`
+
+const patchTolerations = `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: my-sts
+spec:
+  template:
+    spec:
+      tolerations:
+      - effect: NoExecute
+        key: node.kubernetes.io/not-ready
+        tolerationSeconds: 30
+`
+
+// HTTPS overlay
+// -------------
+const httpsKustomization = `
+resources:
+- ../base
+- https-svc.yaml
+patchesStrategicMerge:
+- sts-patch.yaml
+`
+
+const patchService = `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: my-sts
+spec:
+  serviceName: my-https-svc
+`
+
+const httpsService = `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Service
+metadata:
+  name: my-https-svc
+spec:
+  ports:
+  - port: 443
+    protocol: TCP
+    name: https
+  selector:
+    app: my-app
+`
+
+func writeStatefulSetBase(th *kusttest_test.KustTestHarness) {
+	th.WriteK("/app/base", baseKustomization)
+	th.WriteF("/app/base/statefulset.yaml", baseStatefulSet)
+}
+
+func writeHTTPSOverlay(th *kusttest_test.KustTestHarness) {
+	th.WriteK("/app/https", httpsKustomization)
+	th.WriteF("/app/https/https-svc.yaml", httpsService)
+	th.WriteF("/app/https/sts-patch.yaml", patchService)
+}
+
+func writeConfigOverlay(th *kusttest_test.KustTestHarness) {
+	th.WriteK("/app/config", configKustomization)
+	th.WriteF("/app/config/sts-patch.yaml", patchEnvFromConfig)
+}
+
+func writeTolerationsOverlay(th *kusttest_test.KustTestHarness) {
+	th.WriteK("/app/tolerations", tolerationsKustomization)
+	th.WriteF("/app/tolerations/sts-patch.yaml", patchTolerations)
+}
+
+func writeStorageOverlay(th *kusttest_test.KustTestHarness) {
+	th.WriteK("/app/storage", storageKustomization)
+	th.WriteF("/app/storage/sts-patch.json", patchJsonPVCTemplate)
+}
+
+// Here's a complex kustomization scenario that combines multiple overlays
+// on a common base:
+//
+//                 dev                       prod
+//                  |                         |
+//                  |                         |
+//        + ------- +          + ------------ + ------------- +
+//        |         |          |              |               |
+//        |         |          |              |               |
+//        v         |          v              v               v
+//     storage      + -----> config       tolerations       https
+//        |                    |              |               |
+//        |                    |              |               |
+//        |                    + --- +  + --- +               |
+//        |                          |  |                     |
+//        |                          v  v                     |
+//        + -----------------------> base <------------------ +
+//
+// The base resource is a statefulset. Each intermediate overlay manages or
+// generates new resources and patches different aspects of the same base
+// resource, without using any of the `namePrefix`, `nameSuffix` or `namespace`
+// kustomization keywords.
+//
+// Intermediate overlays:
+//   - storage: Changes the storage class of the stateful set with a JSON patch.
+//   - config: Generates a config map and adds a field as an environment
+//             variable.
+//   - tolerations: Adds a new tolerations field in the spec.
+//   - https: Adds a new service resource and changes the service name in the
+//            stateful set.
+//
+// Top overlays:
+//   - dev: Combines the storage and config intermediate overlays.
+//   - prod: Combines the config, tolerations and https intermediate overlays.
+
+func TestComplexComposition_Dev_Failure(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.NewKustTestHarness(t, "/app/dev")
+	writeStatefulSetBase(th)
+	writeStorageOverlay(th)
+	writeConfigOverlay(th)
+	writeTolerationsOverlay(th)
+	writeHTTPSOverlay(th)
+
+	th.WriteK("/app/dev", `
+resources:
+- ../storage
+- ../config
+`)
+
+	_, err := th.MakeKustTarget().MakeCustomizedResMap()
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected resource accumulation error")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(
+		err.Error(), "already registered id: apps_v1_StatefulSet|~X|my-sts") {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected err: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Expected Output
+	const devMergeResult = `
+apiVersion: v1
+data:
+  MY_ENV: foo
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: my-config
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: my-sts
+spec:
+  serviceName: my-svc
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+    app: my-app
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: my-app
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - name: app
+        image: my-image
+        envFrom:
+        - configMapRef:
+            name: my-config
+  volumeClaimTemplates:
+  - spec:
+      storageClassName: my-sc
+  `
+}
+
+func TestComplexComposition_Prod_Failure(t *testing.T) {
+	th := kusttest_test.NewKustTestHarness(t, "/app/prod")
+	writeStatefulSetBase(th)
+	writeStorageOverlay(th)
+	writeConfigOverlay(th)
+	writeTolerationsOverlay(th)
+	writeHTTPSOverlay(th)
+
+	th.WriteK("/app/prod", `
+resources:
+- ../config
+- ../tolerations
+- ../https
+`)
+
+	_, err := th.MakeKustTarget().MakeCustomizedResMap()
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expected resource accumulation error")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(
+		err.Error(), "already registered id: apps_v1_StatefulSet|~X|my-sts") {
+		t.Fatalf("Unexpected err: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Expected Output
+	const prodMergeResult = `
+apiVersion: v1
+data:
+  MY_ENV: foo
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: my-config
+---
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Service
+metadata:
+  name: my-https-svc
+spec:
+  ports:
+  - name: https
+    port: 443
+    protocol: TCP
+  selector:
+    app: my-app
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: StatefulSet
+metadata:
+  name: my-sts
+spec:
+  serviceName: my-https-svc
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+    app: my-app
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app: my-app
+    spec:
+      containers:
+      - image: my-image
+        envFrom:
+        - configMapRef:
+            name: my-config
+        name: app
+      tolerations:
+      - effect: NoExecute
+        key: node.kubernetes.io/not-ready
+        tolerationSeconds: 30
+  volumeClaimTemplates:
+  - spec:
+      storageClassName: default
+  `
+}