diff --git a/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py b/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
index 281a8e8b28..5973f1198f 100644
--- a/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
+++ b/dvc/repo/plots/__init__.py
@@ -472,15 +472,12 @@ def _collect_pipeline_files(repo, targets: List[str], props, onerror=None):
     for dvcfile, plots_def in top_plots.items():
         dvcfile_path = _relpath(repo.dvcfs, dvcfile)
         dvcfile_defs_dict: Dict[str, Union[Dict, None]] = {}
-        if isinstance(plots_def, list):
-            for elem in plots_def:
-                if isinstance(elem, str):
-                    dvcfile_defs_dict[elem] = None
-                else:
-                    k, v = list(elem.items())[0]
-                    dvcfile_defs_dict[k] = v
-        else:
-            dvcfile_defs_dict = plots_def
+        for elem in plots_def:
+            if isinstance(elem, str):
+                dvcfile_defs_dict[elem] = None
+            else:
+                k, v = list(elem.items())[0]
+                dvcfile_defs_dict[k] = v
 
         resolved = _resolve_definitions(
             repo.dvcfs,
diff --git a/dvc/schema.py b/dvc/schema.py
index 5ea24a26cd..42127e51e7 100644
--- a/dvc/schema.py
+++ b/dvc/schema.py
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def validator(data):
     str: either_or(STAGE_DEFINITION, FOREACH_IN, [FOREACH_KWD, DO_KWD])
 }
 MULTI_STAGE_SCHEMA = {
-    PLOTS: Any(SINGLE_PLOT_SCHEMA, [Any(str, SINGLE_PLOT_SCHEMA)]),
+    PLOTS: [Any(str, SINGLE_PLOT_SCHEMA)],
     STAGES: SINGLE_PIPELINE_STAGE_SCHEMA,
     VARS_KWD: VARS_SCHEMA,
     StageParams.PARAM_PARAMS: [str],
diff --git a/tests/func/plots/test_show.py b/tests/func/plots/test_show.py
index 0a31c7fcf7..39b71fdd41 100644
--- a/tests/func/plots/test_show.py
+++ b/tests/func/plots/test_show.py
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ def test_top_level_plots(
 
     config_file = "dvc.yaml"
     with modify_yaml(config_file) as dvcfile_content:
-        dvcfile_content["plots"] = plot_config
+        dvcfile_content["plots"] = [plot_config]
 
     result = dvc.plots.show()
 
diff --git a/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py b/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py
index fb8bd9d37e..2ceccd44a1 100644
--- a/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py
+++ b/tests/func/test_dvcfile.py
@@ -407,17 +407,8 @@ def test_dvcfile_load_dump_stage_with_desc_meta(tmp_dir, dvc):
     assert (tmp_dir / "dvc.yaml").parse() == data
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    "data",
-    (
-        {
-            "plots": {
-                "path/to/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"},
-                "path/to/another/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"},
-                "path/to/empty/plot": None,
-            },
-            "stages": STAGE_EXAMPLE,
-        },
+def test_dvcfile_load_with_plots(tmp_dir, dvc):
+    (tmp_dir / "dvc.yaml").dump(
         {
             "plots": [
                 {"path/to/plot": {"x": "value", "y": "value"}},
@@ -427,10 +418,7 @@ def test_dvcfile_load_dump_stage_with_desc_meta(tmp_dir, dvc):
             ],
             "stages": STAGE_EXAMPLE,
         },
-    ),
-)
-def test_dvcfile_load_with_plots(tmp_dir, dvc, data):
-    (tmp_dir / "dvc.yaml").dump(data)
+    )
     plots = list(dvc.plots.collect())
     top_level_plots = plots[0]["workspace"]["definitions"]["data"]["dvc.yaml"]["data"]
     assert all(
diff --git a/tests/integration/plots/conftest.py b/tests/integration/plots/conftest.py
index 252107eaa1..1e6f36ea78 100644
--- a/tests/integration/plots/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/integration/plots/conftest.py
@@ -153,21 +153,25 @@ def make():
             outs=["confusion_test.json"],
             commit="confusion_test",
         )
-        plots_config = {
-            "linear_train_vs_test": {
-                "x": "x",
-                "y": {"linear_train.json": "y", "linear_test.json": "y"},
-                "title": "linear plot",
+        plots_config = [
+            {
+                "linear_train_vs_test": {
+                    "x": "x",
+                    "y": {"linear_train.json": "y", "linear_test.json": "y"},
+                    "title": "linear plot",
+                }
             },
-            "confusion_train_vs_test": {
-                "x": "actual",
-                "y": {
-                    "confusion_train.json": "predicted",
-                    "confusion_test.json": "predicted",
-                },
-                "template": "confusion",
+            {
+                "confusion_train_vs_test": {
+                    "x": "actual",
+                    "y": {
+                        "confusion_train.json": "predicted",
+                        "confusion_test.json": "predicted",
+                    },
+                    "template": "confusion",
+                }
             },
-        }
+        ]
 
         from dvc.utils.serialize import modify_yaml
 
diff --git a/tests/integration/plots/test_repo_plots_api.py b/tests/integration/plots/test_repo_plots_api.py
index 252b4909fc..c3eab5f81e 100644
--- a/tests/integration/plots/test_repo_plots_api.py
+++ b/tests/integration/plots/test_repo_plots_api.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import pytest
+from funcy import merge
 
 from tests.utils.plots import get_plot
 
@@ -108,10 +109,9 @@ def test_api_with_config_plots(tmp_dir, dvc, capsys, repo_with_config_plots):
 
     plots_data = next(dvc.plots.collect())
 
-    assert (
-        get_plot(plots_data, "workspace", typ="definitions", file="dvc.yaml")
-        == plots_state["configs"]["dvc.yaml"]
-    )
+    assert get_plot(
+        plots_data, "workspace", typ="definitions", file="dvc.yaml"
+    ) == merge(*plots_state["configs"]["dvc.yaml"])
 
     for file in plots_state["data"]:
         data_source = get_plot(plots_data, "workspace", file=file, endkey="data_source")