diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e73bc165a..1b06432be 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ allclean: clean clean-cache
 
 test: test-gopkgs
 
-verify: verify-godeps verify-fmt
+verify: verify-godeps verify-fmt verify-generate
 
 #
 # build targets
@@ -372,6 +372,17 @@ verify-fmt:
 	    exit 1; \
 	fi
 
+verify-generate: generate
+	$(Q) git diff --quiet; ec="$$?"; \
+	if [ "$$ec" != "0" ]; then \
+	    echo "ERROR: generated artifacts are not up-to-date."; \
+	    echo "ERROR:"; \
+	    git --no-pager diff | sed 's/^/ERROR: /g'; \
+	    echo "ERROR:"; \
+	    echo "ERROR: please run 'make generate' and commit these changes."; \
+	    exit "$$ec"; \
+	fi
+
 #
 # targets for installing dependencies
 #
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml b/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
index 178c7d280..61cb9f473 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
@@ -106,6 +106,12 @@ spec:
                       items:
                         type: string
                       type: array
+                    preferCloseToDevices:
+                      description: 'PreferCloseToDevices: prefer creating new balloons
+                        of this type close to listed devices.'
+                      items:
+                        type: string
+                      type: array
                     preferNewBalloons:
                       description: 'PreferNewBalloons: prefer creating new balloons
                         over adding containers to existing balloons. The default is
@@ -297,7 +303,6 @@ spec:
                 description: Reserved (CPU) resources for kube-system namespace.
                 type: object
             required:
-            - idleCPUClass
             - reservedResources
             type: object
           status:
diff --git a/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml b/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
index 07121dd55..61cb9f473 100644
--- a/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
+++ b/deployment/helm/balloons/crds/config.nri_balloonspolicies.yaml
@@ -107,7 +107,8 @@ spec:
                         type: string
                       type: array
                     preferCloseToDevices:
-                      description: prefer creating new balloons of this type close to listed devices.
+                      description: 'PreferCloseToDevices: prefer creating new balloons
+                        of this type close to listed devices.'
                       items:
                         type: string
                       type: array
@@ -302,7 +303,6 @@ spec:
                 description: Reserved (CPU) resources for kube-system namespace.
                 type: object
             required:
-            - idleCPUClass
             - reservedResources
             type: object
           status:
diff --git a/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go b/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go
index 3b1c4f7e7..42af407ca 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/config.go
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	PinMemory *bool `json:"pinMemory,omitempty"`
 	// IdleCpuClass controls how unusded CPUs outside any a
 	// balloons are (re)configured.
-	IdleCpuClass string `json:"idleCPUClass",omitempty"`
+	IdleCpuClass string `json:"idleCPUClass,omitempty"`
 	// ReservedPoolNamespaces is a list of namespace globs that
 	// will be allocated to reserved CPUs.
 	ReservedPoolNamespaces []string `json:"reservedPoolNamespaces,omitempty"`
@@ -185,10 +185,12 @@ type BalloonDef struct {
 	ShareIdleCpusInSame CPUTopologyLevel `json:"shareIdleCPUsInSame,omitempty"`
 	// PreferCloseToDevices: prefer creating new balloons of this
 	// type close to listed devices.
-	PreferCloseToDevices []string `json:"preferCloseToDevices",omitempty`
+	PreferCloseToDevices []string `json:"preferCloseToDevices,omitempty"`
 	// PreferFarFromDevices: prefer creating new balloons of this
 	// type far from listed devices.
-	PreferFarFromDevices []string `json:"preferFarFromDevices",omitempty`
+	// TODO: PreferFarFromDevices is considered too untested for usage. Hence,
+	// for the time being we prevent its usage through CRDs.
+	PreferFarFromDevices []string `json:"-"`
 }
 
 // String stringifies a BalloonDef
diff --git a/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index c443ed6e3..be332eaae 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/config/v1alpha1/resmgr/policy/balloons/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -41,6 +41,16 @@ func (in *BalloonDef) DeepCopyInto(out *BalloonDef) {
 		*out = new(bool)
 		**out = **in
 	}
+	if in.PreferCloseToDevices != nil {
+		in, out := &in.PreferCloseToDevices, &out.PreferCloseToDevices
+		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
+		copy(*out, *in)
+	}
+	if in.PreferFarFromDevices != nil {
+		in, out := &in.PreferFarFromDevices, &out.PreferFarFromDevices
+		*out = make([]string, len(*in))
+		copy(*out, *in)
+	}
 }
 
 // DeepCopy is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, creating a new BalloonDef.