diff --git a/pkg/action/install.go b/pkg/action/install.go
index 6fc919366..48b0d8bf8 100644
--- a/pkg/action/install.go
+++ b/pkg/action/install.go
@@ -221,10 +221,21 @@ func (i *Install) installCRDs(crds []chart.CRD) error {
 	if len(totalItems) > 0 {
 		var waiter kube.Waiter
 		var err error
+		// CRD establishment must always be awaited, regardless of the wait
+		// strategy configured for the release. HookOnlyStrategy's Wait is a
+		// no-op by design so that it can skip waiting for general chart
+		// resources, but skipping it here too lets Helm start creating
+		// custom resources before their CRDs are recognized by the API
+		// server. Use StatusWatcherStrategy for this check instead so CRDs
+		// are still waited for, matching Helm 3's unconditional behavior.
+		crdWaitStrategy := i.WaitStrategy
+		if crdWaitStrategy == kube.HookOnlyStrategy {
+			crdWaitStrategy = kube.StatusWatcherStrategy
+		}
 		if c, supportsOptions := i.cfg.KubeClient.(kube.InterfaceWaitOptions); supportsOptions {
-			waiter, err = c.GetWaiterWithOptions(i.WaitStrategy, i.WaitOptions...)
+			waiter, err = c.GetWaiterWithOptions(crdWaitStrategy, i.WaitOptions...)
 		} else {
-			waiter, err = i.cfg.KubeClient.GetWaiter(i.WaitStrategy)
+			waiter, err = i.cfg.KubeClient.GetWaiter(crdWaitStrategy)
 		}
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to get waiter: %w", err)
diff --git a/pkg/action/install_test.go b/pkg/action/install_test.go
index 2d83abe27..257cb8e61 100644
--- a/pkg/action/install_test.go
+++ b/pkg/action/install_test.go
@@ -1182,6 +1182,72 @@ func TestInstallCRDs_WaiterError(t *testing.T) {
 	require.Error(t, instAction.installCRDs(crdsToInstall), "wait error")
 }
 
+// strategyAwareWaitKubeClient is a fake kube.Interface that records which
+// WaitStrategy installCRDs() requests a waiter for, and returns a waiter
+// that mimics the real hookOnlyWaiter: its Wait() is a no-op under
+// HookOnlyStrategy and reports the CRD as not yet established otherwise.
+type strategyAwareWaitKubeClient struct {
+	kubefake.PrintingKubeClient
+	requestedStrategy kube.WaitStrategy
+}
+
+func (k *strategyAwareWaitKubeClient) Build(_ io.Reader, _ bool) (kube.ResourceList, error) {
+	var resInfo resource.Info
+	resInfo.Name = "dummyName"
+	resInfo.Namespace = "dummyNamespace"
+	var resourceList kube.ResourceList
+	resourceList.Append(&resInfo)
+	return resourceList, nil
+}
+
+func (k *strategyAwareWaitKubeClient) GetWaiter(ws kube.WaitStrategy) (kube.Waiter, error) {
+	return k.GetWaiterWithOptions(ws)
+}
+
+func (k *strategyAwareWaitKubeClient) GetWaiterWithOptions(ws kube.WaitStrategy, _ ...kube.WaitOption) (kube.Waiter, error) {
+	k.requestedStrategy = ws
+	return &strategyAwareWaiter{strategy: ws}, nil
+}
+
+type strategyAwareWaiter struct {
+	kubefake.PrintingKubeWaiter
+	strategy kube.WaitStrategy
+}
+
+func (w *strategyAwareWaiter) Wait(_ kube.ResourceList, _ time.Duration) error {
+	if w.strategy == kube.HookOnlyStrategy {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return errors.New("CRD not yet established")
+}
+
+// TestInstallCRDs_HookOnlyStrategyStillWaitsForEstablishment guards against
+// the regression reported in https://github.com/helm/helm/issues/32671: with
+// WaitStrategy set to HookOnlyStrategy, installCRDs() must still wait for
+// CRD establishment instead of relying on HookOnlyStrategy's waiter, whose
+// Wait() no-ops for general chart resources by design. Before the fix, this
+// test failed because installCRDs() requested a HookOnlyStrategy waiter
+// (whose no-op Wait() returned nil), swallowing the wait entirely.
+func TestInstallCRDs_HookOnlyStrategyStillWaitsForEstablishment(t *testing.T) {
+	config := actionConfigFixture(t)
+	fakeClient := &strategyAwareWaitKubeClient{PrintingKubeClient: kubefake.PrintingKubeClient{Out: io.Discard}}
+	config.KubeClient = fakeClient
+	instAction := NewInstall(config)
+	instAction.WaitStrategy = kube.HookOnlyStrategy
+
+	mockFile := common.File{
+		Name: "crds/foo.yaml",
+		Data: []byte("hello"),
+	}
+	mockChart := buildChart(withFile(mockFile))
+	crdsToInstall := mockChart.CRDObjects()
+
+	err := instAction.installCRDs(crdsToInstall)
+	require.Error(t, err, "installCRDs should still wait for CRD establishment under HookOnlyStrategy")
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "CRD not yet established")
+	assert.Equal(t, kube.StatusWatcherStrategy, fakeClient.requestedStrategy, "CRD establishment wait must not use HookOnlyStrategy's no-op waiter")
+}
+
 func TestCheckDependencies(t *testing.T) {
 	dependency := chart.Dependency{Name: "hello"}
 	mockChart := buildChart(withDependency())