diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/fleet/public/applications/fleet/sections/agent_policy/components/agent_policy_delete_provider.tsx b/x-pack/plugins/fleet/public/applications/fleet/sections/agent_policy/components/agent_policy_delete_provider.tsx
index 84f40ee4b692f..0f7f2cdf45e5f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/fleet/public/applications/fleet/sections/agent_policy/components/agent_policy_delete_provider.tsx
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/fleet/public/applications/fleet/sections/agent_policy/components/agent_policy_delete_provider.tsx
@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@ import { FormattedMessage } from '@kbn/i18n-react';
 
 import { useHistory } from 'react-router-dom';
 
-import { AGENTS_PREFIX } from '../../../constants';
+import { SO_SEARCH_LIMIT } from '../../../../../constants';
+
 import {
   useStartServices,
   useConfig,
-  sendRequest,
   useLink,
   useDeleteAgentPolicyMutation,
+  sendGetAgents,
 } from '../../../hooks';
-import { API_VERSIONS } from '../../../../../../common/constants';
 
 interface Props {
   children: (deleteAgentPolicy: DeleteAgentPolicy) => React.ReactElement;
@@ -111,15 +111,13 @@ export const AgentPolicyDeleteProvider: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({
       return;
     }
     setIsLoadingAgentsCount(true);
-    const { data } = await sendRequest<{ total: number }>({
-      path: `/api/fleet/agents`,
-      method: 'get',
-      query: {
-        kuery: `${AGENTS_PREFIX}.policy_id : ${agentPolicyToCheck}`,
-      },
-      version: API_VERSIONS.public.v1,
+    // filtering out the unenrolled agents assigned to this policy
+    const agents = await sendGetAgents({
+      showInactive: true,
+      kuery: `policy_id:"${agentPolicyToCheck}" and not status: unenrolled`,
+      perPage: SO_SEARCH_LIMIT,
     });
-    setAgentsCount(data?.total || 0);
+    setAgentsCount(agents.data?.total ?? 0);
     setIsLoadingAgentsCount(false);
   };
 
@@ -168,6 +166,7 @@ export const AgentPolicyDeleteProvider: React.FunctionComponent<Props> = ({
         ) : agentsCount ? (
           <EuiCallOut
             color="danger"
+            iconType="warning"
             title={i18n.translate(
               'xpack.fleet.deleteAgentPolicy.confirmModal.affectedAgentsTitle',
               {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.test.ts b/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.test.ts
index 277ca1f05b807..26c1a3dcee268 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.test.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.test.ts
@@ -387,6 +387,18 @@ describe('agent policy', () => {
         savedObjectType: AGENT_POLICY_SAVED_OBJECT_TYPE,
       });
     });
+
+    it('should throw error if active agents are assigned to the policy', async () => {
+      (getAgentsByKuery as jest.Mock).mockResolvedValue({
+        agents: [],
+        total: 2,
+        page: 1,
+        perPage: 10,
+      });
+      await expect(agentPolicyService.delete(soClient, esClient, 'mocked')).rejects.toThrowError(
+        'Cannot delete an agent policy that is assigned to any active or inactive agents'
+      );
+    });
   });
 
   describe('bumpRevision', () => {
diff --git a/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.ts b/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.ts
index 8c521d88819d6..cb64b0e543d2f 100644
--- a/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.ts
+++ b/x-pack/plugins/fleet/server/services/agent_policy.ts
@@ -853,16 +853,18 @@ class AgentPolicyService {
     if (agentPolicy.is_managed && !options?.force) {
       throw new HostedAgentPolicyRestrictionRelatedError(`Cannot delete hosted agent policy ${id}`);
     }
-
+    // Prevent deleting policy when assigned agents are inactive
     const { total } = await getAgentsByKuery(esClient, soClient, {
-      showInactive: false,
+      showInactive: true,
       perPage: 0,
       page: 1,
-      kuery: `${AGENTS_PREFIX}.policy_id:${id}`,
+      kuery: `${AGENTS_PREFIX}.policy_id:${id} and not status: unenrolled`,
     });
 
     if (total > 0) {
-      throw new FleetError('Cannot delete agent policy that is assigned to agent(s)');
+      throw new FleetError(
+        'Cannot delete an agent policy that is assigned to any active or inactive agents'
+      );
     }
 
     const packagePolicies = await packagePolicyService.findAllForAgentPolicy(soClient, id);
diff --git a/x-pack/test/fleet_api_integration/apis/agent_policy/agent_policy.ts b/x-pack/test/fleet_api_integration/apis/agent_policy/agent_policy.ts
index dc7ee034bfbce..e27dff4e9d081 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/fleet_api_integration/apis/agent_policy/agent_policy.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/fleet_api_integration/apis/agent_policy/agent_policy.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 import expect from '@kbn/expect';
 import { PACKAGE_POLICY_SAVED_OBJECT_TYPE } from '@kbn/fleet-plugin/common';
 import { FLEET_AGENT_POLICIES_SCHEMA_VERSION } from '@kbn/fleet-plugin/server/constants';
-import { skipIfNoDockerRegistry } from '../../helpers';
+import { skipIfNoDockerRegistry, generateAgent } from '../../helpers';
 import { setupFleetAndAgents } from '../agents/services';
 import { FtrProviderContext } from '../../../api_integration/ftr_provider_context';
 
@@ -1186,6 +1186,68 @@ export default function (providerContext: FtrProviderContext) {
           name: 'Regular policy',
         });
       });
+
+      describe('Errors when trying to delete', () => {
+        it('should prevent policies having agents from being deleted', async () => {
+          const {
+            body: { item: policyWithAgents },
+          } = await supertest
+            .post(`/api/fleet/agent_policies`)
+            .set('kbn-xsrf', 'xxxx')
+            .send({
+              name: 'Policy with agents',
+              namespace: 'default',
+            })
+            .expect(200);
+          await generateAgent(providerContext, 'healhty', 'agent-healthy-1', policyWithAgents.id);
+          const { body } = await supertest
+            .post('/api/fleet/agent_policies/delete')
+            .set('kbn-xsrf', 'xxx')
+            .send({ agentPolicyId: policyWithAgents.id })
+            .expect(400);
+
+          expect(body.message).to.contain(
+            'Cannot delete an agent policy that is assigned to any active or inactive agents'
+          );
+          await supertest
+            .delete(`/api/fleet/agents/agent-healthy-1`)
+            .set('kbn-xsrf', 'xx')
+            .expect(200);
+        });
+
+        it('should prevent policies having inactive agents from being deleted', async () => {
+          const {
+            body: { item: policyWithInactiveAgents },
+          } = await supertest
+            .post(`/api/fleet/agent_policies`)
+            .set('kbn-xsrf', 'xxxx')
+            .send({
+              name: 'Policy with inactive agents',
+              namespace: 'default',
+            })
+            .expect(200);
+          await generateAgent(
+            providerContext,
+            'inactive',
+            'agent-inactive-1',
+            policyWithInactiveAgents.id
+          );
+
+          const { body } = await supertest
+            .post('/api/fleet/agent_policies/delete')
+            .set('kbn-xsrf', 'xxx')
+            .send({ agentPolicyId: policyWithInactiveAgents.id })
+            .expect(400);
+
+          expect(body.message).to.contain(
+            'Cannot delete an agent policy that is assigned to any active or inactive agents'
+          );
+          await supertest
+            .delete(`/api/fleet/agents/agent-inactive-1`)
+            .set('kbn-xsrf', 'xx')
+            .expect(200);
+        });
+      });
     });
 
     describe('POST /api/fleet/agent_policies/_bulk_get', () => {