diff --git a/cmd/skaffold/app/cmd/filter.go b/cmd/skaffold/app/cmd/filter.go
index e310fe12bf1..3dd18d9a4fa 100644
--- a/cmd/skaffold/app/cmd/filter.go
+++ b/cmd/skaffold/app/cmd/filter.go
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ func getTransformList(configs []util.VersionedConfig) (map[apim.GroupKind]latest
 	}
 	for _, rf := range manifest.TransformDenylist {
 		groupKind := apim.ParseGroupKind(rf.GroupKind)
-		allow[groupKind] = rUtil.ConvertJSONPathIndex(rf)
+		deny[groupKind] = rUtil.ConvertJSONPathIndex(rf)
 	}
 
 	for _, cfg := range configs {