diff --git a/cmd/helm-operator/main.go b/cmd/helm-operator/main.go
index f2f80729be..af2e22628a 100644
--- a/cmd/helm-operator/main.go
+++ b/cmd/helm-operator/main.go
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-kit/kit/log"
 	"github.com/spf13/pflag"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/kubernetes"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/cache"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/clientcmd"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/util/workqueue"
 	"k8s.io/klog"
@@ -166,19 +167,31 @@ func main() {
 		TLSHostname: *tillerTLSHostname,
 	})
 
-	// The status updater, to keep track the release status for each
-	// HelmRelease. It runs as a separate loop for now.
-	statusUpdater := status.New(ifClient, kubeClient, helmClient, *namespace)
-	go statusUpdater.Loop(shutdown, log.With(logger, "component", "annotator"))
+	checkpoint.CheckForUpdates(product, version, nil, log.With(logger, "component", "checkpoint"))
 
+	// setup shared informer for HelmReleases
 	nsOpt := ifinformers.WithNamespace(*namespace)
 	ifInformerFactory := ifinformers.NewSharedInformerFactoryWithOptions(ifClient, *chartsSyncInterval, nsOpt)
 	fhrInformer := ifInformerFactory.Flux().V1beta1().HelmReleases()
 	go ifInformerFactory.Start(shutdown)
 
+	// wait for the caches to be synced before starting workers
+	mainLogger.Log("info", "waiting for informer caches to sync")
+	if ok := cache.WaitForCacheSync(shutdown, fhrInformer.Informer().HasSynced); !ok {
+		mainLogger.Log("error", "failed to wait for caches to sync")
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+	mainLogger.Log("info", "informer caches synced")
+
+	// the status updater, to keep track of the release status for
+	// every HelmRelease
+	statusUpdater := status.New(ifClient, kubeClient, helmClient, *namespace)
+	go statusUpdater.Loop(shutdown, log.With(logger, "component", "status"))
+
 	queue := workqueue.NewNamedRateLimitingQueue(workqueue.DefaultControllerRateLimiter(), "ChartRelease")
 
-	// release instance is needed during the sync of git chart changes and during the sync of HelmRelease changes
+	// release instance is needed during the sync of git chart changes
+	// and during the sync of HelmRelease changes
 	rel := release.New(log.With(logger, "component", "release"), helmClient)
 	chartSync := chartsync.New(
 		log.With(logger, "component", "chartsync"),
@@ -192,17 +205,12 @@ func main() {
 
 	// start FluxRelease informer
 	opr := operator.New(log.With(logger, "component", "operator"), *logReleaseDiffs, kubeClient, fhrInformer, queue, chartSync)
-	checkpoint.CheckForUpdates(product, version, nil, log.With(logger, "component", "checkpoint"))
 
 	// start HTTP server
 	go daemonhttp.ListenAndServe(*listenAddr, chartSync, log.With(logger, "component", "daemonhttp"), shutdown)
 
 	// start operator
-	go func() {
-		if err = opr.Run(1, shutdown, shutdownWg); err != nil {
-			errc <- fmt.Errorf(ErrOperatorFailure, err)
-		}
-	}()
+	go opr.Run(1, shutdown, shutdownWg)
 
 	shutdownErr := <-errc
 	logger.Log("exiting...", shutdownErr)
diff --git a/integrations/helm/chartsync/chartsync.go b/integrations/helm/chartsync/chartsync.go
index df1348eecb..6879a159ce 100644
--- a/integrations/helm/chartsync/chartsync.go
+++ b/integrations/helm/chartsync/chartsync.go
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ type ChartChangeSync struct {
 	kubeClient   kubernetes.Clientset
 	ifClient     ifclientset.Clientset
 	fhrLister    iflister.HelmReleaseLister
+	fhrSynced    cache.InformerSynced
 	release      *release.Release
 	releaseQueue ReleaseQueue
 	config       Config
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ func New(logger log.Logger, clients Clients, release *release.Release, releaseQu
 // Helm releases in the cluster, what HelmRelease declare, and
 // changes in the git repos mentioned by any HelmRelease.
 func (chs *ChartChangeSync) Run(stopCh <-chan struct{}, errc chan error, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
-	chs.logger.Log("info", "starting git chart sync loop")
+	chs.logger.Log("info", "starting git chart sync")
 
 	wg.Add(1)
 	go func() {
diff --git a/integrations/helm/operator/operator.go b/integrations/helm/operator/operator.go
index 9c3c300c3d..8070279c16 100644
--- a/integrations/helm/operator/operator.go
+++ b/integrations/helm/operator/operator.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package operator
 
 import (
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -50,7 +49,6 @@ type Controller struct {
 	logDiffs bool
 
 	fhrLister iflister.HelmReleaseLister
-	fhrSynced cache.InformerSynced
 
 	sync *chartsync.ChartChangeSync
 
@@ -86,7 +84,6 @@ func New(
 		logger:           logger,
 		logDiffs:         logReleaseDiffs,
 		fhrLister:        fhrInformer.Lister(),
-		fhrSynced:        fhrInformer.Informer().HasSynced,
 		releaseWorkqueue: releaseWorkqueue,
 		recorder:         recorder,
 		sync:             sync,
@@ -121,18 +118,11 @@ func New(
 // as syncing informer caches and starting workers. It will block until stopCh
 // is closed, at which point it will shutdown the workqueue and wait for
 // workers to finish processing their current work items.
-func (c *Controller) Run(threadiness int, stopCh <-chan struct{}, wg *sync.WaitGroup) error {
+func (c *Controller) Run(threadiness int, stopCh <-chan struct{}, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
 	defer runtime.HandleCrash()
 	defer c.releaseWorkqueue.ShutDown()
 
 	c.logger.Log("info", "starting operator")
-	// Wait for the caches to be synced before starting workers
-	c.logger.Log("info", "waiting for informer caches to sync")
-
-	if ok := cache.WaitForCacheSync(stopCh, c.fhrSynced); !ok {
-		return errors.New("failed to wait for caches to sync")
-	}
-	c.logger.Log("info", "unformer caches synced")
 
 	c.logger.Log("info", "starting workers")
 	for i := 0; i < threadiness; i++ {
@@ -145,8 +135,6 @@ func (c *Controller) Run(threadiness int, stopCh <-chan struct{}, wg *sync.WaitG
 		wg.Done()
 	}
 	c.logger.Log("info", "stopping workers")
-
-	return nil
 }
 
 // runWorker is a long-running function calling the