diff --git a/pkg/cluster/spec/validate.go b/pkg/cluster/spec/validate.go
index 5e6df41f78..0679eb70f4 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/spec/validate.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/spec/validate.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func CheckClusterDirOverlap(entries []DirEntry) error {
 				if d1.instance.IsImported() && d2.instance.IsImported() {
 					continue
 				}
-				// overlap is alloed in the case one side is imported and the other is monitor,
+				// overlap is allowed in the case one side is imported and the other is monitor,
 				// we assume that the monitor is deployed with the first instance in that host,
 				// it implies that the monitor is imported too.
 				if (strings.HasPrefix(d1.dirKind, "monitor") && d2.instance.IsImported()) ||
@@ -235,6 +235,14 @@ func CheckClusterDirOverlap(entries []DirEntry) error {
 					continue
 				}
 
+				// overlap is allowed in the case one side is data dir of a monitor instance,
+				// as the *_exporter don't need data dir, the field is only kept for compatiability
+				// with legacy tidb-ansible deployments.
+				if (strings.HasPrefix(d1.dirKind, "monitor data directory")) ||
+					(strings.HasPrefix(d2.dirKind, "monitor data directory")) {
+					continue
+				}
+
 				properties := map[string]string{
 					"ThisDirKind":   d1.dirKind,
 					"ThisDir":       d1.dir,
diff --git a/pkg/cluster/spec/validate_test.go b/pkg/cluster/spec/validate_test.go
index 15846fee70..ebd6f4e2c2 100644
--- a/pkg/cluster/spec/validate_test.go
+++ b/pkg/cluster/spec/validate_test.go
@@ -1045,6 +1045,32 @@ tikv_servers:
     status_port: 32180
     log_dir: "/home/tidb6wu/tidb1-data/tikv-32160-log"
     data_dir: "/home/tidb6wu/tidb1-data/tikv-32160"
+`,
+		`
+monitored:
+  node_exporter_port: 9100
+  blackbox_exporter_port: 9115
+  deploy_dir: /data/deploy/monitor-9100
+  data_dir: /data/deploy/monitor-9100
+  log_dir: /data/deploy/monitor-9100/log
+pd_servers:
+  - host: n0
+    name: pd0
+    imported: true
+    deploy_dir: /data/deploy
+    data_dir: /data/deploy/data.pd
+    log_dir: /data/deploy/log
+  - host: n1
+    name: pd1
+    log_dir: "/data/deploy/pd-2379/log"
+    data_dir: "/data/pd-2379"
+    deploy_dir: "/data/deploy/pd-2379"
+cdc_servers:
+  - host: n1
+    port: 8300
+    deploy_dir: /data/deploy/ticdc-8300
+    data_dir: /data1/ticdc-8300
+    log_dir: /data/deploy/ticdc-8300/log
 `,
 	}
 	for _, s := range goodTopos {