diff --git a/pkg/client/cache/index.go b/pkg/client/cache/index.go
index 19c5e0650d7..572f2c06b69 100644
--- a/pkg/client/cache/index.go
+++ b/pkg/client/cache/index.go
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ type Indexer interface {
 	ByIndex(indexName, indexKey string) ([]interface{}, error)
 	// GetIndexer return the indexers
 	GetIndexers() Indexers
+
+	// AddIndexers adds more indexers to this store.  If you call this after you already have data
+	// in the store, the results are undefined.
+	AddIndexers(newIndexers Indexers) error
 }
 
 // IndexFunc knows how to provide an indexed value for an object.
diff --git a/pkg/client/cache/store.go b/pkg/client/cache/store.go
index b7f6f54cebd..a3b7c92ddc5 100644
--- a/pkg/client/cache/store.go
+++ b/pkg/client/cache/store.go
@@ -180,6 +180,10 @@ func (c *cache) ByIndex(indexName, indexKey string) ([]interface{}, error) {
 	return c.cacheStorage.ByIndex(indexName, indexKey)
 }
 
+func (c *cache) AddIndexers(newIndexers Indexers) error {
+	return c.cacheStorage.AddIndexers(newIndexers)
+}
+
 // Get returns the requested item, or sets exists=false.
 // Get is completely threadsafe as long as you treat all items as immutable.
 func (c *cache) Get(obj interface{}) (item interface{}, exists bool, err error) {
diff --git a/pkg/client/cache/thread_safe_store.go b/pkg/client/cache/thread_safe_store.go
index b9c6e25b264..6cab6861a85 100644
--- a/pkg/client/cache/thread_safe_store.go
+++ b/pkg/client/cache/thread_safe_store.go
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ type ThreadSafeStore interface {
 	ListIndexFuncValues(name string) []string
 	ByIndex(indexName, indexKey string) ([]interface{}, error)
 	GetIndexers() Indexers
+
+	// AddIndexers adds more indexers to this store.  If you call this after you already have data
+	// in the store, the results are undefined.
+	AddIndexers(newIndexers Indexers) error
 }
 
 // threadSafeMap implements ThreadSafeStore
@@ -195,6 +199,27 @@ func (c *threadSafeMap) GetIndexers() Indexers {
 	return c.indexers
 }
 
+func (c *threadSafeMap) AddIndexers(newIndexers Indexers) error {
+	c.lock.Lock()
+	defer c.lock.Unlock()
+
+	if len(c.items) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot add indexers to running index")
+	}
+
+	oldKeys := sets.StringKeySet(c.indexers)
+	newKeys := sets.StringKeySet(newIndexers)
+
+	if oldKeys.HasAny(newKeys.List()...) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("indexer conflict: %v", oldKeys.Intersection(newKeys))
+	}
+
+	for k, v := range newIndexers {
+		c.indexers[k] = v
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 // updateIndices modifies the objects location in the managed indexes, if this is an update, you must provide an oldObj
 // updateIndices must be called from a function that already has a lock on the cache
 func (c *threadSafeMap) updateIndices(oldObj interface{}, newObj interface{}, key string) error {
diff --git a/pkg/controller/framework/shared_informer.go b/pkg/controller/framework/shared_informer.go
index 59f641b9814..ce9ddf2c714 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/framework/shared_informer.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/framework/shared_informer.go
@@ -57,14 +57,7 @@ type SharedIndexInformer interface {
 // TODO: create a cache/factory of these at a higher level for the list all, watch all of a given resource that can
 // be shared amongst all consumers.
 func NewSharedInformer(lw cache.ListerWatcher, objType runtime.Object, resyncPeriod time.Duration) SharedInformer {
-	sharedInformer := &sharedIndexInformer{
-		processor:        &sharedProcessor{},
-		indexer:          cache.NewIndexer(DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc, cache.Indexers{}),
-		listerWatcher:    lw,
-		objectType:       objType,
-		fullResyncPeriod: resyncPeriod,
-	}
-	return sharedInformer
+	return NewSharedIndexInformer(lw, objType, resyncPeriod, cache.Indexers{})
 }
 
 // NewSharedIndexInformer creates a new instance for the listwatcher.
@@ -184,17 +177,7 @@ func (s *sharedIndexInformer) AddIndexers(indexers cache.Indexers) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("informer has already started")
 	}
 
-	oldIndexers := s.indexer.GetIndexers()
-
-	for name, indexFunc := range oldIndexers {
-		if _, exist := indexers[name]; exist {
-			return fmt.Errorf("there is an index named %s already exist", name)
-		}
-		indexers[name] = indexFunc
-	}
-
-	s.indexer = cache.NewIndexer(DeletionHandlingMetaNamespaceKeyFunc, indexers)
-	return nil
+	return s.indexer.AddIndexers(indexers)
 }
 
 func (s *sharedIndexInformer) GetController() ControllerInterface {