diff --git a/.github/workflows/canary-integration-test.yml b/.github/workflows/canary-integration-test.yml
index a122002a1a61e..33a23d5ddac8b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/canary-integration-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/canary-integration-test.yml
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ jobs:
         kubectl -n rook-ceph exec $toolbox -- mkdir -p /etc/ceph/test-data
         kubectl -n rook-ceph cp tests/ceph-status-out $toolbox:/etc/ceph/test-data/
         kubectl -n rook-ceph cp deploy/examples/create-external-cluster-resources.py $toolbox:/etc/ceph
-        timeout 10 sh -c "until kubectl -n rook-ceph exec $toolbox -- python3 /etc/ceph/create-external-cluster-resources.py --rbd-data-pool-name replicapool; do echo 'waiting for script to succeed' && sleep 1; done"
+        timeout 10 sh -c "until kubectl -n rook-ceph exec $toolbox -- python3 /etc/ceph/create-external-cluster-resources.py --dry-run=True; do echo 'waiting for script to succeed' && sleep 1; done"
 
     - name: run external script create-external-cluster-resources.py unit tests
       run: |
diff --git a/deploy/examples/create-external-cluster-resources.py b/deploy/examples/create-external-cluster-resources.py
index 3c8ef5223ecba..b4110064ed7b7 100644
--- a/deploy/examples/create-external-cluster-resources.py
+++ b/deploy/examples/create-external-cluster-resources.py
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ def validate_rgw_endpoint_tls_cert(self):
                 return contents.rstrip()
 
     def _check_conflicting_options(self):
-        if not self._arg_parser.upgrade and not self._arg_parser.rbd_data_pool_name:
+        if not self._arg_parser.upgrade and not self._arg_parser.rbd_data_pool_name and not self._arg_parser.dry_run:
             raise ExecutionFailureException(
                 "Either '--upgrade' or '--rbd-data-pool-name <pool_name>' should be specified")
         if self._arg_parser.upgrade and self._arg_parser.rbd_data_pool_name:
@@ -752,7 +752,7 @@ def _gen_output_map(self):
             pools_to_validate.extend(rgw_pool_to_validate)
 
         for pool in pools_to_validate:
-            if not self.cluster.pool_exists(pool):
+            if not self.cluster.pool_exists(pool) and not self._arg_parser.dry_run:
                 raise ExecutionFailureException(
                     "The provided pool, '{}', does not exist".format(pool))
         self._excluded_keys.add('CLUSTER_NAME')