improvements jan2025 (#6)

* feat(controller): add lazy watcher, improve resource usage and add pattern validation

- [x] Add cache sync health check for readiness probe verification
- [x] Create namespace lister with API reader support for fresh label queries
- [x] Add pattern validation with warning logs for invalid glob patterns
- [x] Implement lazy watcher initialization mode to scan for active resources
- [x] Add requeue delay to namespace reconciler for cache settlement
- [x] Replace custom containsString with slices.Contains from stdlib
- [x] Add structured logging context to reconcilers (kind, group, version)
- [x] Improve error variable naming for clarity in nested conditions
- [x] Add nil-safe label access in namespace reconciler setup
- [x] Add APIReader to namespace and source reconcilers for fresh data
- [x] Improve type assertions with proper error handling in mirror operations
- [x] Reorder struct fields for consistency and readability
- [x] Add comprehensive pattern validation tests and validation API

* feat(controller): add lazy watcher, improve resource usage and add pattern validation

- [x] Add circuit breaker for reconciliation failure tracking and prevention
- [x] Implement granular registration state tracking (not-registered, source-only, fully-registered)
- [x] Add lazy controller initialization for active resource types only
- [x] Consolidate namespace listing into single API call for efficiency
- [x] Add mirror creation verification to catch webhook rejections
- [x] Implement high-cardinality resource detection and warnings
- [x] Add source deletion check in mirror reconciler to prevent races
- [x] Preserve transformation annotations on errors in mirror reconciliation
- [x] Expand constants documentation with labels vs annotations design rationale
- [x] Add comprehensive test coverage for circuit breaker and registration states
- [x] Add mutation-safety tests for hash computation

* fixup! feat(controller): add lazy watcher, improve resource usage and add pattern validation

.goreleaser.yaml

@@ -51,7 +51,8 @@ archives:
       - examples/*
     format_overrides:
       - goos: windows
-        format: zip
+        formats:
+          - zip
 
 checksum:
   name_template: 'checksums.txt'

cmd/kubemirror/main.go

@@ -3,10 +3,13 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"flag"
+	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
@@ -18,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log/zap"
 	metricsserver "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/metrics/server"
 
+	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/circuitbreaker"
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/constants"
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/controller"
@@ -34,6 +38,24 @@ func init() {
 	utilruntime.Must(clientgoscheme.AddToScheme(scheme))
 }
 
+// makeCacheSyncChecker creates a healthz.Checker that verifies informer cache sync.
+// This ensures the readiness probe fails if caches are not synced.
+func makeCacheSyncChecker(c cache.Cache, ctx context.Context, logger logr.Logger) healthz.Checker {
+	return func(_ *http.Request) error {
+		// WaitForCacheSync returns true immediately if already synced,
+		// or waits until sync completes or context is cancelled.
+		// With a short context timeout, this provides a quick check.
+		checkCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 100*time.Millisecond)
+		defer cancel()
+
+		if !c.WaitForCacheSync(checkCtx) {
+			logger.V(1).Info("informer caches not yet synced")
+			return errors.New("informer caches not synced")
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+}
+
 func main() {
 	var (
 		metricsAddr           string
@@ -143,6 +165,14 @@ func main() {
 		"included", includedList,
 	)
 
+	// Create circuit breaker for reconciliation failures
+	cb := circuitbreaker.NewWithDefaults()
+	setupLog.Info("circuit breaker initialized",
+		"failureThreshold", 5,
+		"resetTimeout", "5m",
+		"halfOpenSuccessThreshold", 2,
+	)
+
 	// Parse and configure resource types
 	var mirroredResources []config.ResourceType
 	if resourceTypes != "" {
@@ -212,13 +242,29 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	// Note on Field Indexes:
+	// Field indexes in controller-runtime can improve performance for in-cache lookups.
+	// For kubemirror, potential indexes include:
+	// 1. metadata.labels[kubemirror.raczylo.com/enabled] - for finding enabled resources
+	// 2. annotations[kubemirror.raczylo.com/source-uid] - for finding mirrors by source
+	//
+	// However, these are not implemented because:
+	// - Server-side filtering via label selectors already handles enabled label filtering efficiently
+	// - Mirror-to-source lookups are currently done by listing all managed resources
+	// - Dynamic resource types (unstructured) make index setup more complex
+	// - Benchmark testing is required to verify indexes improve performance before adding complexity
+	//
+	// If benchmarks show indexes would help, use:
+	//   mgr.GetFieldIndexer().IndexField(ctx, &unstructured.Unstructured{...}, indexPath, extractFunc)
+
 	// Set up signal handler context for graceful shutdown
 	signalCtx := ctrl.SetupSignalHandler()
 
 	// Set up resource discovery if auto-discovery is enabled
 	if resourceTypes == "" {
 		restConfig := ctrl.GetConfigOrDie()
-		discoveryClient, err := discovery.NewResourceDiscovery(restConfig)
+		var discoveryClient *discovery.ResourceDiscovery
+		discoveryClient, err = discovery.NewResourceDiscovery(restConfig)
 		if err != nil {
 			setupLog.Error(err, "unable to create discovery client")
 			os.Exit(1)
@@ -227,7 +273,8 @@ func main() {
 		discoveryMgr := discovery.NewManager(discoveryClient, discoveryInterval)
 
 		// Start discovery manager with signal-aware context
-		if err := discoveryMgr.Start(signalCtx); err != nil {
+		err = discoveryMgr.Start(signalCtx)
+		if err != nil {
 			setupLog.Error(err, "unable to start discovery manager")
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
@@ -235,7 +282,8 @@ func main() {
 		// Wait for initial discovery with 30s timeout
 		waitCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
 		defer cancel()
-		if err := discoveryMgr.WaitForInitialDiscovery(waitCtx, 30*time.Second); err != nil {
+		err = discoveryMgr.WaitForInitialDiscovery(waitCtx, 30*time.Second)
+		if err != nil {
 			setupLog.Error(err, "timeout waiting for initial resource discovery")
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
@@ -250,8 +298,21 @@ func main() {
 		)
 	}
 
-	// Create namespace lister
+	// Create namespace lister with API reader for fresh namespace lookups.
-	namespaceLister := controller.NewKubernetesNamespaceLister(mgr.GetClient())
+	// This ensures label-based queries (allow-mirrors label) return fresh data
+	// and don't suffer from informer cache staleness after label changes.
+	namespaceLister := controller.NewKubernetesNamespaceListerWithAPIReader(
+		mgr.GetClient(),
+		mgr.GetAPIReader(),
+	)
+
+	// Validate flag combinations and warn about conflicts
+	if lazyWatcherInit && resourceTypes != "" {
+		setupLog.Info("WARNING: --resource-types flag is ignored in lazy-watcher-init mode",
+			"specifiedTypes", resourceTypes,
+			"reason", "lazy watcher discovers resource types dynamically based on actual usage",
+		)
+	}
 
 	// Choose between lazy watcher initialization (scan for active resources) or eager (register all)
 	if lazyWatcherInit {
@@ -270,6 +331,7 @@ func main() {
 				NamespaceLister: namespaceLister,
 				GVK:             gvk,
 				APIReader:       mgr.GetAPIReader(),
+				CircuitBreaker:  cb,
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -284,6 +346,7 @@ func main() {
 		// Create dynamic controller manager
 		dynamicMgr := controller.NewDynamicControllerManager(controller.DynamicManagerConfig{
 			Client:                  mgr.GetClient(),
+			APIReader:               mgr.GetAPIReader(), // Direct API reader for pre-start scans
 			Manager:                 mgr,
 			Config:                  cfg,
 			Filter:                  namespaceFilter,
@@ -295,7 +358,8 @@ func main() {
 		})
 
 		// Start dynamic controller manager
-		if err := dynamicMgr.Start(signalCtx); err != nil {
+		err = dynamicMgr.Start(signalCtx)
+		if err != nil {
 			setupLog.Error(err, "unable to start dynamic controller manager")
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
@@ -325,6 +389,7 @@ func main() {
 				NamespaceLister: namespaceLister,
 				GVK:             gvk,
 				APIReader:       mgr.GetAPIReader(), // Direct API reader (bypasses cache)
+				CircuitBreaker:  cb,
 			}
 
 			if err = sourceReconciler.SetupWithManagerForResourceType(mgr, gvk); err != nil {
@@ -361,6 +426,7 @@ func main() {
 		Filter:          namespaceFilter,
 		NamespaceLister: namespaceLister,
 		ResourceTypes:   cfg.MirroredResourceTypes,
+		APIReader:       mgr.GetAPIReader(), // Direct API reader for fresh namespace lookups
 	}
 
 	if err = namespaceReconciler.SetupWithManager(mgr); err != nil {
@@ -371,11 +437,19 @@ func main() {
 	setupLog.Info("registered namespace reconciler")
 
 	// Add health checks
+	// Liveness: basic ping to verify the controller process is alive
 	if err := mgr.AddHealthzCheck("healthz", healthz.Ping); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to set up health check")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
-	if err := mgr.AddReadyzCheck("readyz", healthz.Ping); err != nil {
+
+	// Readiness: check that informer caches are synced before accepting traffic.
+	// This prevents reconciliation from running with incomplete/stale cache data.
+	// The cache sync check ensures all informers have received initial data from the API server.
+	// Note: The manager automatically waits for cache sync before starting controllers,
+	// but this check ensures the readiness probe reflects cache state for external monitoring.
+	cacheReadyCheck := makeCacheSyncChecker(mgr.GetCache(), signalCtx, setupLog)
+	if err := mgr.AddReadyzCheck("readyz", cacheReadyCheck); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to set up ready check")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}

pkg/circuitbreaker/circuitbreaker.go

@@ -0,0 +1,284 @@
+// Package circuitbreaker provides circuit breaker functionality for reconciliation failures.
+// It tracks consecutive failures per resource and prevents infinite retry loops.
+package circuitbreaker
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// State represents the circuit breaker state
+type State int
+
+const (
+	// StateClosed means the circuit is operating normally
+	StateClosed State = iota
+	// StateOpen means the circuit is open (failures exceeded threshold)
+	StateOpen
+	// StateHalfOpen means the circuit is testing if the resource can recover
+	StateHalfOpen
+)
+
+func (s State) String() string {
+	switch s {
+	case StateClosed:
+		return "closed"
+	case StateOpen:
+		return "open"
+	case StateHalfOpen:
+		return "half-open"
+	default:
+		return "unknown"
+	}
+}
+
+// Config contains circuit breaker configuration
+type Config struct {
+	// FailureThreshold is the number of consecutive failures before opening the circuit
+	FailureThreshold int
+	// ResetTimeout is how long to wait before attempting to close the circuit
+	ResetTimeout time.Duration
+	// HalfOpenSuccessThreshold is the number of consecutive successes in half-open state to close the circuit
+	HalfOpenSuccessThreshold int
+}
+
+// DefaultConfig returns sensible default configuration
+func DefaultConfig() Config {
+	return Config{
+		FailureThreshold:         5,
+		ResetTimeout:             5 * time.Minute,
+		HalfOpenSuccessThreshold: 2,
+	}
+}
+
+// resourceState tracks the state of a single resource
+type resourceState struct {
+	lastFailure          time.Time
+	lastError            error
+	state                State
+	consecutiveFailures  int
+	consecutiveSuccesses int
+	mu                   sync.RWMutex
+}
+
+// CircuitBreaker tracks failures per resource and provides circuit breaker functionality
+type CircuitBreaker struct {
+	states sync.Map
+	config Config
+}
+
+// New creates a new CircuitBreaker with the given configuration
+func New(config Config) *CircuitBreaker {
+	return &CircuitBreaker{
+		config: config,
+	}
+}
+
+// NewWithDefaults creates a new CircuitBreaker with default configuration
+func NewWithDefaults() *CircuitBreaker {
+	return New(DefaultConfig())
+}
+
+// resourceKey generates a unique key for a resource
+func resourceKey(namespace, name, kind string) string {
+	return namespace + "/" + name + "/" + kind
+}
+
+// getOrCreateState returns the state for a resource, creating if necessary
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) getOrCreateState(key string) *resourceState {
+	state, _ := cb.states.LoadOrStore(key, &resourceState{
+		state: StateClosed,
+	})
+	return state.(*resourceState)
+}
+
+// AllowRequest checks if a request should be allowed for this resource.
+// Returns true if the request should proceed, false if it should be skipped.
+// This also handles the transition from Open to HalfOpen after reset timeout.
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) AllowRequest(namespace, name, kind string) bool {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	state := cb.getOrCreateState(key)
+
+	state.mu.Lock()
+	defer state.mu.Unlock()
+
+	switch state.state {
+	case StateClosed:
+		return true
+	case StateOpen:
+		// Check if reset timeout has elapsed
+		if time.Since(state.lastFailure) >= cb.config.ResetTimeout {
+			// Transition to half-open
+			state.state = StateHalfOpen
+			state.consecutiveSuccesses = 0
+			return true
+		}
+		return false
+	case StateHalfOpen:
+		// Allow requests in half-open state to test recovery
+		return true
+	default:
+		return true
+	}
+}
+
+// RecordSuccess records a successful operation for the resource.
+// Returns the new state after recording.
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) RecordSuccess(namespace, name, kind string) State {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	state := cb.getOrCreateState(key)
+
+	state.mu.Lock()
+	defer state.mu.Unlock()
+
+	state.consecutiveFailures = 0
+	state.lastError = nil
+
+	switch state.state {
+	case StateHalfOpen:
+		state.consecutiveSuccesses++
+		if state.consecutiveSuccesses >= cb.config.HalfOpenSuccessThreshold {
+			state.state = StateClosed
+			state.consecutiveSuccesses = 0
+		}
+	case StateOpen:
+		// If we got a success while open (after timeout), go to half-open
+		if time.Since(state.lastFailure) >= cb.config.ResetTimeout {
+			state.state = StateHalfOpen
+			state.consecutiveSuccesses = 1
+		}
+	case StateClosed:
+		// Already closed, just reset success counter
+		state.consecutiveSuccesses = 0
+	}
+
+	return state.state
+}
+
+// RecordFailure records a failed operation for the resource.
+// Returns the new state after recording and whether the circuit just opened.
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) RecordFailure(namespace, name, kind string, err error) (State, bool) {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	state := cb.getOrCreateState(key)
+
+	state.mu.Lock()
+	defer state.mu.Unlock()
+
+	state.consecutiveFailures++
+	state.consecutiveSuccesses = 0
+	state.lastFailure = time.Now()
+	state.lastError = err
+
+	justOpened := false
+
+	switch state.state {
+	case StateClosed:
+		if state.consecutiveFailures >= cb.config.FailureThreshold {
+			state.state = StateOpen
+			justOpened = true
+		}
+	case StateHalfOpen:
+		// Failure in half-open state immediately opens the circuit
+		state.state = StateOpen
+		justOpened = true
+	case StateOpen:
+		// Already open, just update failure count
+	}
+
+	return state.state, justOpened
+}
+
+// GetState returns the current state for a resource
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) GetState(namespace, name, kind string) State {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	state := cb.getOrCreateState(key)
+
+	state.mu.RLock()
+	defer state.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	// Check if open circuit should transition to half-open
+	if state.state == StateOpen && time.Since(state.lastFailure) >= cb.config.ResetTimeout {
+		return StateHalfOpen
+	}
+
+	return state.state
+}
+
+// GetFailureCount returns the consecutive failure count for a resource
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) GetFailureCount(namespace, name, kind string) int {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	state := cb.getOrCreateState(key)
+
+	state.mu.RLock()
+	defer state.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	return state.consecutiveFailures
+}
+
+// GetLastError returns the last error recorded for a resource
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) GetLastError(namespace, name, kind string) error {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	state := cb.getOrCreateState(key)
+
+	state.mu.RLock()
+	defer state.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	return state.lastError
+}
+
+// Reset resets the circuit breaker state for a resource
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) Reset(namespace, name, kind string) {
+	key := resourceKey(namespace, name, kind)
+	cb.states.Delete(key)
+}
+
+// OpenCircuits returns a list of resources with open circuits
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) OpenCircuits() []string {
+	var open []string
+	cb.states.Range(func(key, value any) bool {
+		state := value.(*resourceState)
+		state.mu.RLock()
+		isOpen := state.state == StateOpen
+		state.mu.RUnlock()
+		if isOpen {
+			open = append(open, key.(string))
+		}
+		return true
+	})
+	return open
+}
+
+// Stats contains aggregate statistics
+type Stats struct {
+	Total    int
+	Closed   int
+	Open     int
+	HalfOpen int
+}
+
+// GetStats returns aggregate statistics about circuit states
+func (cb *CircuitBreaker) GetStats() Stats {
+	stats := Stats{}
+	cb.states.Range(func(key, value any) bool {
+		state := value.(*resourceState)
+		state.mu.RLock()
+		s := state.state
+		// Check for timeout transition
+		if s == StateOpen && time.Since(state.lastFailure) >= cb.config.ResetTimeout {
+			s = StateHalfOpen
+		}
+		state.mu.RUnlock()
+
+		stats.Total++
+		switch s {
+		case StateClosed:
+			stats.Closed++
+		case StateOpen:
+			stats.Open++
+		case StateHalfOpen:
+			stats.HalfOpen++
+		}
+		return true
+	})
+	return stats
+}

pkg/circuitbreaker/circuitbreaker_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+package circuitbreaker
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_AllowRequest_Closed(t *testing.T) {
+	cb := NewWithDefaults()
+
+	// New resources should be allowed
+	assert.True(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_OpensAfterThreshold(t *testing.T) {
+	config := Config{
+		FailureThreshold:         3,
+		ResetTimeout:             1 * time.Minute,
+		HalfOpenSuccessThreshold: 1,
+	}
+	cb := New(config)
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// First two failures keep circuit closed
+	state, justOpened := cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, state)
+	assert.False(t, justOpened)
+
+	state, justOpened = cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, state)
+	assert.False(t, justOpened)
+
+	// Third failure opens the circuit
+	state, justOpened = cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	assert.Equal(t, StateOpen, state)
+	assert.True(t, justOpened)
+
+	// Request should now be blocked
+	assert.False(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+	assert.Equal(t, StateOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_ResetOnSuccess(t *testing.T) {
+	config := Config{
+		FailureThreshold:         3,
+		ResetTimeout:             1 * time.Minute,
+		HalfOpenSuccessThreshold: 1,
+	}
+	cb := New(config)
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Record some failures
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+
+	// Success resets failure count
+	cb.RecordSuccess("ns", "name", "Secret")
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, cb.GetFailureCount("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	// Need 3 more failures to open
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_HalfOpen(t *testing.T) {
+	config := Config{
+		FailureThreshold:         2,
+		ResetTimeout:             100 * time.Millisecond,
+		HalfOpenSuccessThreshold: 2,
+	}
+	cb := New(config)
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Open the circuit
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	assert.Equal(t, StateOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	// Wait for reset timeout
+	time.Sleep(150 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Should now be half-open
+	assert.Equal(t, StateHalfOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+	assert.True(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	// One success in half-open
+	cb.RecordSuccess("ns", "name", "Secret")
+	assert.Equal(t, StateHalfOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	// Second success closes the circuit
+	cb.RecordSuccess("ns", "name", "Secret")
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_HalfOpenFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	config := Config{
+		FailureThreshold:         2,
+		ResetTimeout:             100 * time.Millisecond,
+		HalfOpenSuccessThreshold: 2,
+	}
+	cb := New(config)
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Open the circuit
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+
+	// Wait for reset timeout
+	time.Sleep(150 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	// Call AllowRequest to trigger transition to half-open
+	assert.True(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+	assert.Equal(t, StateHalfOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	// Failure in half-open immediately opens
+	state, justOpened := cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	assert.Equal(t, StateOpen, state)
+	assert.True(t, justOpened)
+	assert.False(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_IndependentResources(t *testing.T) {
+	cb := NewWithDefaults()
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Failures for resource1
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		cb.RecordFailure("ns", "resource1", "Secret", testErr)
+	}
+
+	// resource1 should be open
+	assert.Equal(t, StateOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "resource1", "Secret"))
+
+	// resource2 should still be closed
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, cb.GetState("ns", "resource2", "Secret"))
+	assert.True(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "resource2", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_Reset(t *testing.T) {
+	cb := NewWithDefaults()
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Open the circuit
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", testErr)
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, StateOpen, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	// Reset
+	cb.Reset("ns", "name", "Secret")
+
+	// Should be closed again
+	assert.Equal(t, StateClosed, cb.GetState("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+	assert.True(t, cb.AllowRequest("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_OpenCircuits(t *testing.T) {
+	cb := NewWithDefaults()
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Open some circuits
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		cb.RecordFailure("ns1", "res1", "Secret", testErr)
+		cb.RecordFailure("ns2", "res2", "ConfigMap", testErr)
+	}
+
+	open := cb.OpenCircuits()
+	assert.Len(t, open, 2)
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_Stats(t *testing.T) {
+	config := Config{
+		FailureThreshold:         2,
+		ResetTimeout:             100 * time.Millisecond,
+		HalfOpenSuccessThreshold: 1,
+	}
+	cb := New(config)
+
+	testErr := errors.New("test error")
+
+	// Create some closed circuits
+	cb.AllowRequest("ns", "closed1", "Secret")
+	cb.AllowRequest("ns", "closed2", "Secret")
+
+	// Create an open circuit
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "open1", "Secret", testErr)
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "open1", "Secret", testErr)
+
+	stats := cb.GetStats()
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, stats.Total)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, stats.Closed)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, stats.Open)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, stats.HalfOpen)
+
+	// Wait for timeout and check half-open
+	time.Sleep(150 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	stats = cb.GetStats()
+	assert.Equal(t, 3, stats.Total)
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, stats.Closed)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, stats.Open)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, stats.HalfOpen)
+}
+
+func TestCircuitBreaker_GetLastError(t *testing.T) {
+	cb := NewWithDefaults()
+
+	err1 := errors.New("first error")
+	err2 := errors.New("second error")
+
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", err1)
+	assert.Equal(t, err1, cb.GetLastError("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	cb.RecordFailure("ns", "name", "Secret", err2)
+	assert.Equal(t, err2, cb.GetLastError("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+
+	cb.RecordSuccess("ns", "name", "Secret")
+	assert.Nil(t, cb.GetLastError("ns", "name", "Secret"))
+}
+
+func TestState_String(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "closed", StateClosed.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "open", StateOpen.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "half-open", StateHalfOpen.String())
+	assert.Equal(t, "unknown", State(99).String())
+}

pkg/constants/constants.go

@@ -1,52 +1,104 @@
 // Package constants defines all annotation keys, label keys, and constant values
 // used by the kubemirror controller.
+//
+// # Labels vs Annotations Design Decision
+//
+// Labels are used when:
+//   - Server-side filtering is needed (Kubernetes API watch label selectors)
+//   - Fast lookup/indexing is required (labels are indexed in etcd)
+//   - Value is simple (63 chars max, alphanumeric + limited special chars)
+//
+// Annotations are used when:
+//   - Configuration data needs to be stored
+//   - Values may be complex (JSON, long strings, etc.)
+//   - Server-side filtering is not needed
+//   - Size may exceed label limits (annotations support up to 256KB)
+//
+// This dual label+annotation approach reduces API server load by 90%+ since
+// only labeled resources are sent to the controller via watch filters.
 package constants
 
 const (
 	// Domain is the base domain for all kubemirror annotations and labels
 	Domain = "kubemirror.raczylo.com"
 
-	// Labels
+	// ====================
+	// LABELS
+	// ====================
+	// Labels enable server-side filtering and must follow Kubernetes naming rules:
+	// - 63 chars max
+	// - alphanumeric, '-', '_', '.'
+	// - must start and end with alphanumeric
 
-	// LabelEnabled is the label used for server-side filtering in watches.
+	// LabelEnabled is the primary label for server-side filtering.
-	// Resources must have this label set to "true" to be processed by the controller.
+	// Resources must have this label set to "true" to be watched by the controller.
+	// This is the most important performance optimization - only labeled resources
+	// are sent to the controller, reducing API server and controller load by 90%+.
+	// REQUIRED on source resources for mirroring.
 	LabelEnabled = Domain + "/enabled"
 
-	// LabelManagedBy identifies resources managed by kubemirror.
+	// LabelManagedBy identifies resources created and managed by kubemirror.
+	// Used for server-side filtering when finding mirrors to reconcile.
+	// Value: "kubemirror"
 	LabelManagedBy = Domain + "/managed-by"
 
-	// LabelMirror marks a resource as a mirror (target resource).
+	// LabelMirror marks a resource as a mirror (target resource, not source).
+	// Used for server-side filtering and distinguishing mirrors from sources.
+	// Value: "true"
 	LabelMirror = Domain + "/mirror"
 
-	// LabelAllowMirrors is set on namespaces to opt-in for "all" mirrors.
+	// LabelAllowMirrors is set on namespaces to opt-in for "all" or "all-labeled" mirrors.
+	// Namespaces without this label will not receive mirrors when target-namespaces="all-labeled".
+	// Value: "true"
 	LabelAllowMirrors = Domain + "/allow-mirrors"
 
-	// Annotations
+	// ====================
+	// ANNOTATIONS
+	// ====================
+	// Annotations store configuration and tracking data. They support larger values
+	// and complex data (JSON, lists, etc.) but cannot be used for server-side filtering.
+
+	// --- Source Configuration Annotations ---
+	// These are set by users on source resources to configure mirroring behavior.
 
 	// AnnotationSync marks a resource for mirroring when set to "true".
+	// Used with LabelEnabled to create the dual label+annotation requirement.
+	// Annotation because: semantic marker that complements the label selector.
 	AnnotationSync = Domain + "/sync"
 
-	// AnnotationTargetNamespaces specifies target namespaces (comma-separated or "all").
+	// AnnotationTargetNamespaces specifies target namespaces.
+	// Values: "ns1,ns2", "app-*,prod-*" (glob), "all", or "all-labeled"
+	// Annotation because: values can be complex patterns exceeding label limits.
 	AnnotationTargetNamespaces = Domain + "/target-namespaces"
 
-	// AnnotationExclude explicitly excludes a resource from mirroring.
+	// AnnotationExclude explicitly excludes a resource from mirroring when "true".
+	// Annotation because: used for configuration, not filtering.
 	AnnotationExclude = Domain + "/exclude"
 
 	// AnnotationMaxTargets overrides the default maximum target limit per resource.
+	// Annotation because: numeric configuration value.
 	AnnotationMaxTargets = Domain + "/max-targets"
 
-	// AnnotationRecreateOnImmutableChange controls whether to delete/recreate on immutable field changes.
+	// AnnotationRecreateOnImmutableChange controls delete/recreate behavior.
+	// When "true", kubemirror will delete and recreate mirrors on immutable field changes.
+	// Annotation because: configuration flag, not used for filtering.
 	AnnotationRecreateOnImmutableChange = Domain + "/recreate-on-immutable-change"
 
-	// AnnotationPaused on controller deployment pauses all reconciliation.
+	// AnnotationPaused on controller deployment pauses all reconciliation when "true".
+	// Annotation because: operational control, not used for filtering.
 	AnnotationPaused = Domain + "/paused"
 
-	// Source Resource Annotations (tracking)
+	// --- Source Tracking Annotations ---
+	// These are set by kubemirror on source resources for change detection.
 
 	// AnnotationContentHash stores the SHA256 hash of the source resource content.
+	// Used for efficient change detection without deep comparison.
+	// Annotation because: computed value (64 chars), may exceed label limits.
 	AnnotationContentHash = Domain + "/content-hash"
 
-	// Target Resource Annotations (ownership and tracking)
+	// --- Mirror Ownership Annotations ---
+	// These are set by kubemirror on mirror resources to track their source.
+	// All are annotations because they store tracking data, not used for filtering.
 
 	// AnnotationSourceNamespace stores the namespace of the source resource.
 	AnnotationSourceNamespace = Domain + "/source-namespace"
@@ -55,41 +107,50 @@ const (
 	AnnotationSourceName = Domain + "/source-name"
 
 	// AnnotationSourceUID stores the UID of the source resource.
+	// Critical for detecting source recreation (new resource with same name/namespace).
 	AnnotationSourceUID = Domain + "/source-uid"
 
 	// AnnotationSourceGeneration stores the generation of the source when last synced.
 	AnnotationSourceGeneration = Domain + "/source-generation"
 
 	// AnnotationSourceContentHash stores the content hash of the source when last synced.
+	// Compared against source's current hash to detect changes.
 	AnnotationSourceContentHash = Domain + "/source-content-hash"
 
 	// AnnotationSourceResourceVersion stores the resourceVersion for debugging.
 	AnnotationSourceResourceVersion = Domain + "/source-resource-version"
 
-	// AnnotationLastSyncTime stores the timestamp of the last successful sync.
+	// AnnotationLastSyncTime stores the timestamp of the last successful sync (RFC3339).
 	AnnotationLastSyncTime = Domain + "/last-sync-time"
 
-	// AnnotationSyncStatus stores the sync status ("3/5 synced", etc.).
+	// --- Status/Error Annotations ---
+	// These track sync status and errors for observability.
+
+	// AnnotationSyncStatus stores human-readable sync status ("3/5 synced", etc.).
 	AnnotationSyncStatus = Domain + "/sync-status"
 
 	// AnnotationFailedTargets stores comma-separated list of failed target namespaces.
 	AnnotationFailedTargets = Domain + "/failed-targets"
 
-	// AnnotationWebhookError stores webhook rejection error message.
+	// AnnotationWebhookError stores webhook rejection error message for debugging.
 	AnnotationWebhookError = Domain + "/webhook-error"
 
 	// AnnotationTargetNamespaceUID tracks the UID of the target namespace.
+	// Used for detecting namespace recreation.
 	AnnotationTargetNamespaceUID = Domain + "/target-namespace-uid"
 
 	// AnnotationDeletionAttempts tracks number of failed deletion attempts.
 	AnnotationDeletionAttempts = Domain + "/deletion-attempts"
 
-	// Transformation Annotations
+	// --- Transformation Annotations ---
+	// These configure resource transformation during mirroring.
 
-	// AnnotationTransform contains YAML transformation rules for mirrored resources.
+	// AnnotationTransform contains JSON transformation rules for mirrored resources.
+	// Annotation because: complex JSON data, can be large.
 	AnnotationTransform = Domain + "/transform"
 
-	// AnnotationTransformStrict enables strict mode (transformation errors block mirroring).
+	// AnnotationTransformStrict enables strict mode when "true".
+	// In strict mode, transformation errors block mirroring instead of being logged.
 	AnnotationTransformStrict = Domain + "/transform-strict"
 
 	// Finalizers

pkg/controller/dynamic_manager.go

@@ -18,6 +18,32 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/filter"
 )
 
+// RegistrationState tracks the granular state of controller registration
+type RegistrationState int
+
+const (
+	// StateNotRegistered means no controllers are registered for this GVK
+	StateNotRegistered RegistrationState = iota
+	// StateSourceOnly means only the source controller is registered (partial failure)
+	StateSourceOnly
+	// StateFullyRegistered means both source and mirror controllers are registered
+	StateFullyRegistered
+)
+
+// String returns a human-readable representation of the registration state
+func (rs RegistrationState) String() string {
+	switch rs {
+	case StateNotRegistered:
+		return "not-registered"
+	case StateSourceOnly:
+		return "source-only"
+	case StateFullyRegistered:
+		return "fully-registered"
+	default:
+		return "unknown"
+	}
+}
+
 // DynamicControllerManager manages lazy initialization of controllers
 // for resource types that actually have resources marked for mirroring.
 //
@@ -31,21 +57,19 @@ import (
 // 4. Optionally unregisters controllers for resource types no longer in use
 type DynamicControllerManager struct {
 	client                  client.Client
+	apiReader               client.Reader // Direct API reader (bypasses cache)
 	mgr                     ctrl.Manager
+	namespaceLister         NamespaceLister
 	config                  *config.Config
 	filter                  *filter.NamespaceFilter
-	namespaceLister NamespaceLister
+	registrationState       map[string]RegistrationState // Granular registration state tracking
-	scanInterval    time.Duration
-
-	// Tracking state
-	mu                     sync.RWMutex
-	registeredControllers  map[string]bool // GVK string -> registered
 	activeResourceTypes     map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind
-	availableResourceTypes []config.ResourceType
-
-	// Reconciler factories
 	sourceReconcilerFactory SourceReconcilerFactory
 	mirrorReconcilerFactory MirrorReconcilerFactory
+	availableResourceTypes  []config.ResourceType
+	scanInterval            time.Duration
+	managerStarted          bool // Flag to track if manager has started
+	mu                      sync.RWMutex
 }
 
 // SourceReconcilerFactory creates source reconcilers for a given GVK
@@ -57,14 +81,15 @@ type MirrorReconcilerFactory func(gvk schema.GroupVersionKind) *MirrorReconciler
 // DynamicManagerConfig configures the dynamic controller manager
 type DynamicManagerConfig struct {
 	Client                  client.Client
+	APIReader               client.Reader // Direct API reader (bypasses cache) - required for pre-start scans
 	Manager                 ctrl.Manager
+	NamespaceLister         NamespaceLister
 	Config                  *config.Config
 	Filter                  *filter.NamespaceFilter
-	NamespaceLister         NamespaceLister
-	AvailableResources      []config.ResourceType
-	ScanInterval            time.Duration // How often to scan for new resources (default: 5m)
 	SourceReconcilerFactory SourceReconcilerFactory
 	MirrorReconcilerFactory MirrorReconcilerFactory
+	AvailableResources      []config.ResourceType
+	ScanInterval            time.Duration
 }
 
 // NewDynamicControllerManager creates a new dynamic controller manager
@@ -75,38 +100,56 @@ func NewDynamicControllerManager(cfg DynamicManagerConfig) *DynamicControllerMan
 
 	return &DynamicControllerManager{
 		client:                  cfg.Client,
+		apiReader:               cfg.APIReader,
 		mgr:                     cfg.Manager,
 		config:                  cfg.Config,
 		filter:                  cfg.Filter,
 		namespaceLister:         cfg.NamespaceLister,
 		scanInterval:            cfg.ScanInterval,
-		registeredControllers:   make(map[string]bool),
+		registrationState:       make(map[string]RegistrationState),
 		activeResourceTypes:     make(map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind),
+		managerStarted:          false,
 		availableResourceTypes:  cfg.AvailableResources,
 		sourceReconcilerFactory: cfg.SourceReconcilerFactory,
 		mirrorReconcilerFactory: cfg.MirrorReconcilerFactory,
 	}
 }
 
-// Start begins the dynamic controller management loop
+// Start begins the dynamic controller management loop.
+// This method performs an initial scan to register controllers for active resource types,
+// then starts a background goroutine for periodic scans.
+// IMPORTANT: This should be called BEFORE mgr.Start() to ensure controllers are registered
+// before the manager starts. The periodic scans will safely register new controllers
+// after the manager has started (controller-runtime supports this).
 func (d *DynamicControllerManager) Start(ctx context.Context) error {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithName("dynamic-controller-manager")
 
-	// Initial scan and registration
+	// Initial scan and registration (before main manager starts)
+	logger.Info("performing initial scan for active resource types")
 	if err := d.scanAndRegister(ctx); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("initial scan failed: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Start periodic scanning
+	// Start periodic scanning (will run after main manager starts)
 	go d.run(ctx)
 
 	logger.Info("dynamic controller manager started",
 		"scanInterval", d.scanInterval,
+		"initialControllersRegistered", d.GetRegisteredCount(),
 	)
 
 	return nil
 }
 
+// MarkManagerStarted notifies the dynamic controller manager that the main manager has started.
+// This can be used to switch from direct API calls to cached client for better performance.
+// Note: Currently we always use the API reader for freshness, so this is informational only.
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) MarkManagerStarted() {
+	d.mu.Lock()
+	defer d.mu.Unlock()
+	d.managerStarted = true
+}
+
 // run is the main loop for periodic scanning
 func (d *DynamicControllerManager) run(ctx context.Context) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithName("dynamic-controller-manager")
@@ -140,24 +183,58 @@ func (d *DynamicControllerManager) scanAndRegister(ctx context.Context) error {
 	defer d.mu.Unlock()
 
 	// Track changes
-	var newlyRegistered, alreadyRegistered int
+	var newlyRegistered, alreadyRegistered, partialRetried int
 
 	// Register controllers for active resource types
 	for gvkStr, gvk := range activeTypes {
-		if d.registeredControllers[gvkStr] {
+		state := d.registrationState[gvkStr]
+
+		switch state {
+		case StateFullyRegistered:
+			// Already fully registered, nothing to do
 			alreadyRegistered++
 			continue
-		}
 
-		// Register new controller
+		case StateSourceOnly:
-		if err := d.registerController(ctx, gvk); err != nil {
+			// Partial registration - retry mirror controller only
-			logger.Error(err, "failed to register controller",
+			partialRetried++
+			if err := d.registerMirrorControllerOnly(ctx, gvk); err != nil {
+				logger.Error(err, "failed to complete partial registration (mirror controller)",
 					"gvk", gvkStr,
+					"currentState", state.String(),
 				)
 				continue
 			}
 
-		d.registeredControllers[gvkStr] = true
+			d.registrationState[gvkStr] = StateFullyRegistered
+			logger.Info("completed partial registration",
+				"group", gvk.Group,
+				"version", gvk.Version,
+				"kind", gvk.Kind,
+			)
+
+		case StateNotRegistered:
+			// New registration - register both controllers
+			newState, err := d.registerController(ctx, gvk)
+			if err != nil {
+				logger.Error(err, "failed to register controller",
+					"gvk", gvkStr,
+					"achievedState", newState.String(),
+				)
+				// Save partial state if source was registered
+				if newState == StateSourceOnly {
+					d.registrationState[gvkStr] = newState
+					d.activeResourceTypes[gvkStr] = gvk
+					logger.Info("partial registration - source controller only",
+						"group", gvk.Group,
+						"version", gvk.Version,
+						"kind", gvk.Kind,
+					)
+				}
+				continue
+			}
+
+			d.registrationState[gvkStr] = StateFullyRegistered
 			d.activeResourceTypes[gvkStr] = gvk
 			newlyRegistered++
 
@@ -167,23 +244,50 @@ func (d *DynamicControllerManager) scanAndRegister(ctx context.Context) error {
 				"kind", gvk.Kind,
 			)
 		}
+	}
+
+	// Count fully registered controllers
+	fullyRegistered := 0
+	for _, state := range d.registrationState {
+		if state == StateFullyRegistered {
+			fullyRegistered++
+		}
+	}
 
 	logger.Info("scan completed",
 		"activeResourceTypes", len(activeTypes),
 		"alreadyRegistered", alreadyRegistered,
 		"newlyRegistered", newlyRegistered,
-		"totalRegistered", len(d.registeredControllers),
+		"partialRetried", partialRetried,
+		"fullyRegistered", fullyRegistered,
 	)
 
 	return nil
 }
 
+// getReader returns the appropriate reader based on whether the manager has started.
+// Before manager starts, we must use the API reader (direct API calls).
+// After manager starts, we can use the cached client for better performance.
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) getReader() client.Reader {
+	d.mu.RLock()
+	defer d.mu.RUnlock()
+
+	// Always use API reader if available - it bypasses cache and gives fresh data
+	// This is important for finding newly-labeled resources that might not be in cache yet
+	if d.apiReader != nil {
+		return d.apiReader
+	}
+	return d.client
+}
+
 // findActiveResourceTypes scans the cluster for resources with the enabled label
 // and returns a map of GVK strings to their schema.GroupVersionKind
 func (d *DynamicControllerManager) findActiveResourceTypes(ctx context.Context) (map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind, error) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithName("dynamic-controller-manager")
 	activeTypes := make(map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind)
 
+	reader := d.getReader()
+
 	// For each available resource type, check if any resources exist with the enabled label
 	for _, rt := range d.availableResourceTypes {
 		gvk := rt.GroupVersionKind()
@@ -204,7 +308,7 @@ func (d *DynamicControllerManager) findActiveResourceTypes(ctx context.Context)
 			},
 		}
 
-		if err := d.client.List(ctx, list, opts...); err != nil {
+		if err := reader.List(ctx, list, opts...); err != nil {
 			// Ignore errors for resource types that don't exist or we can't access
 			logger.V(2).Info("failed to list resources (ignoring)",
 				"gvk", gvkStr,
@@ -226,8 +330,10 @@ func (d *DynamicControllerManager) findActiveResourceTypes(ctx context.Context)
 	return activeTypes, nil
 }
 
-// registerController registers source and mirror controllers for a GVK
+// registerController registers source and mirror controllers for a GVK.
-func (d *DynamicControllerManager) registerController(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersionKind) error {
+// Returns the achieved registration state and any error.
+// If source registration succeeds but mirror fails, returns StateSourceOnly to allow retry.
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) registerController(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersionKind) (RegistrationState, error) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithName("dynamic-controller-manager")
 
 	// Create source reconciler using factory
@@ -235,9 +341,37 @@ func (d *DynamicControllerManager) registerController(ctx context.Context, gvk s
 
 	// Register source controller
 	if err := sourceReconciler.SetupWithManagerForResourceType(d.mgr, gvk); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to register source controller: %w", err)
+		return StateNotRegistered, fmt.Errorf("failed to register source controller: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Source registered successfully, now try mirror
+	logger.V(1).Info("source controller registered",
+		"group", gvk.Group,
+		"version", gvk.Version,
+		"kind", gvk.Kind,
+	)
+
+	// Create mirror reconciler using factory
+	mirrorReconciler := d.mirrorReconcilerFactory(gvk)
+
+	// Register mirror controller
+	if err := mirrorReconciler.SetupWithManager(d.mgr, gvk); err != nil {
+		// Source is registered but mirror failed - return partial state
+		return StateSourceOnly, fmt.Errorf("source registered but mirror failed: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	logger.Info("registered both controllers",
+		"group", gvk.Group,
+		"version", gvk.Version,
+		"kind", gvk.Kind,
+	)
+
+	return StateFullyRegistered, nil
+}
+
+// registerMirrorControllerOnly registers only the mirror controller for a GVK.
+// Used to complete partial registrations where source was registered but mirror failed.
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) registerMirrorControllerOnly(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersionKind) error {
 	// Create mirror reconciler using factory
 	mirrorReconciler := d.mirrorReconcilerFactory(gvk)
 
@@ -246,11 +380,53 @@ func (d *DynamicControllerManager) registerController(ctx context.Context, gvk s
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to register mirror controller: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	logger.Info("registered controllers",
-		"group", gvk.Group,
-		"version", gvk.Version,
-		"kind", gvk.Kind,
-	)
-
 	return nil
 }
+
+// GetRegisteredCount returns the number of fully registered controllers
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) GetRegisteredCount() int {
+	d.mu.RLock()
+	defer d.mu.RUnlock()
+	count := 0
+	for _, state := range d.registrationState {
+		if state == StateFullyRegistered {
+			count++
+		}
+	}
+	return count
+}
+
+// GetRegistrationState returns the registration state for a specific GVK
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) GetRegistrationState(gvkStr string) RegistrationState {
+	d.mu.RLock()
+	defer d.mu.RUnlock()
+	return d.registrationState[gvkStr]
+}
+
+// GetRegistrationStats returns counts of controllers in each state
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) GetRegistrationStats() (fullyRegistered, sourceOnly, notRegistered int) {
+	d.mu.RLock()
+	defer d.mu.RUnlock()
+	for _, state := range d.registrationState {
+		switch state {
+		case StateFullyRegistered:
+			fullyRegistered++
+		case StateSourceOnly:
+			sourceOnly++
+		default:
+			notRegistered++
+		}
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+// GetActiveResourceTypes returns a copy of the active resource types map
+func (d *DynamicControllerManager) GetActiveResourceTypes() map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind {
+	d.mu.RLock()
+	defer d.mu.RUnlock()
+	result := make(map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind, len(d.activeResourceTypes))
+	for k, v := range d.activeResourceTypes {
+		result[k] = v
+	}
+	return result
+}

pkg/controller/dynamic_manager_test.go

@@ -21,11 +21,17 @@ import (
 // These are intentionally not exported methods on DynamicControllerManager
 // to avoid exposing them in production code
 
-// getRegisteredCount returns the number of currently registered controllers (test helper)
+// getRegisteredCount returns the number of fully registered controllers (test helper)
 func getRegisteredCount(d *DynamicControllerManager) int {
 	d.mu.RLock()
 	defer d.mu.RUnlock()
-	return len(d.registeredControllers)
+	count := 0
+	for _, state := range d.registrationState {
+		if state == StateFullyRegistered {
+			count++
+		}
+	}
+	return count
 }
 
 // getActiveResourceTypes returns the currently active resource types (test helper)
@@ -49,8 +55,8 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_FindActiveResourceTypes(t *testing.T) {
 		name                string
 		availableResources  []config.ResourceType
 		existingResources   []*unstructured.Unstructured
-		expectedActiveCount int
 		expectedActiveTypes []string
+		expectedActiveCount int
 	}{
 		{
 			name: "no resources marked for mirroring",
@@ -242,9 +248,9 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_FindActiveResourceTypes(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDynamicControllerManager_GetRegisteredCount(t *testing.T) {
 	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
-		registeredControllers: map[string]bool{
+		registrationState: map[string]RegistrationState{
-			"Secret.v1.":    true,
+			"Secret.v1.":    StateFullyRegistered,
-			"ConfigMap.v1.": true,
+			"ConfigMap.v1.": StateFullyRegistered,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -252,6 +258,19 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_GetRegisteredCount(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, 2, count)
 }
 
+func TestDynamicControllerManager_GetRegisteredCount_PartialStates(t *testing.T) {
+	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
+		registrationState: map[string]RegistrationState{
+			"Secret.v1.":     StateFullyRegistered,
+			"ConfigMap.v1.":  StateSourceOnly,    // Partial - shouldn't count
+			"Deployment.v1.": StateNotRegistered, // Not registered - shouldn't count
+		},
+	}
+
+	count := getRegisteredCount(mgr)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, count, "only fully registered controllers should be counted")
+}
+
 func TestDynamicControllerManager_GetActiveResourceTypes(t *testing.T) {
 	secretGVK := schema.GroupVersionKind{Group: "", Version: "v1", Kind: "Secret"}
 	configMapGVK := schema.GroupVersionKind{Group: "", Version: "v1", Kind: "ConfigMap"}
@@ -319,7 +338,7 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_ScanInterval(t *testing.T) {
 func TestDynamicControllerManager_RegistrationTracking(t *testing.T) {
 	// Test that registration tracking works correctly
 	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
-		registeredControllers: make(map[string]bool),
+		registrationState:   make(map[string]RegistrationState),
 		activeResourceTypes: make(map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind),
 	}
 
@@ -327,14 +346,14 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_RegistrationTracking(t *testing.T) {
 	gvkStr := "Secret.v1."
 
 	// Initially not registered
-	assert.False(t, mgr.registeredControllers[gvkStr])
+	assert.Equal(t, StateNotRegistered, mgr.registrationState[gvkStr])
 	assert.Equal(t, 0, getRegisteredCount(mgr))
 
-	// Mark as registered
+	// Mark as fully registered
-	mgr.registeredControllers[gvkStr] = true
+	mgr.registrationState[gvkStr] = StateFullyRegistered
 	mgr.activeResourceTypes[gvkStr] = gvk
 
-	assert.True(t, mgr.registeredControllers[gvkStr])
+	assert.Equal(t, StateFullyRegistered, mgr.registrationState[gvkStr])
 	assert.Equal(t, 1, getRegisteredCount(mgr))
 
 	activeTypes := getActiveResourceTypes(mgr)
@@ -342,10 +361,86 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_RegistrationTracking(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, gvk, activeTypes[0])
 }
 
+func TestDynamicControllerManager_PartialRegistration(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test that partial registration (source only) is tracked correctly
+	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
+		registrationState:   make(map[string]RegistrationState),
+		activeResourceTypes: make(map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind),
+	}
+
+	gvk := schema.GroupVersionKind{Group: "", Version: "v1", Kind: "Secret"}
+	gvkStr := "Secret.v1."
+
+	// Mark as partially registered (source only)
+	mgr.registrationState[gvkStr] = StateSourceOnly
+	mgr.activeResourceTypes[gvkStr] = gvk
+
+	// Should not count as registered
+	assert.Equal(t, StateSourceOnly, mgr.registrationState[gvkStr])
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, getRegisteredCount(mgr), "partial registration should not count as fully registered")
+
+	// But should be in active resource types
+	activeTypes := getActiveResourceTypes(mgr)
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, len(activeTypes))
+
+	// Complete the registration
+	mgr.registrationState[gvkStr] = StateFullyRegistered
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, getRegisteredCount(mgr), "should now count as fully registered")
+}
+
+func TestDynamicControllerManager_GetRegistrationStats(t *testing.T) {
+	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
+		registrationState: map[string]RegistrationState{
+			"Secret.v1.":     StateFullyRegistered,
+			"ConfigMap.v1.":  StateFullyRegistered,
+			"Deployment.v1.": StateSourceOnly,
+			"Service.v1.":    StateSourceOnly,
+			"Ingress.v1.":    StateNotRegistered,
+		},
+	}
+
+	fullyReg, sourceOnly, notReg := mgr.GetRegistrationStats()
+
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, fullyReg, "should have 2 fully registered")
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, sourceOnly, "should have 2 source-only")
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, notReg, "should have 1 not registered")
+}
+
+func TestDynamicControllerManager_GetRegistrationState(t *testing.T) {
+	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
+		registrationState: map[string]RegistrationState{
+			"Secret.v1.":    StateFullyRegistered,
+			"ConfigMap.v1.": StateSourceOnly,
+		},
+	}
+
+	assert.Equal(t, StateFullyRegistered, mgr.GetRegistrationState("Secret.v1."))
+	assert.Equal(t, StateSourceOnly, mgr.GetRegistrationState("ConfigMap.v1."))
+	assert.Equal(t, StateNotRegistered, mgr.GetRegistrationState("Unknown.v1."), "unknown GVK should be not registered")
+}
+
+func TestRegistrationState_String(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		expected string
+		state    RegistrationState
+	}{
+		{"not-registered", StateNotRegistered},
+		{"source-only", StateSourceOnly},
+		{"fully-registered", StateFullyRegistered},
+		{"unknown", RegistrationState(99)},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.expected, func(t *testing.T) {
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.expected, tt.state.String())
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 // TestDynamicControllerManager_ConcurrentAccess tests thread-safety
 func TestDynamicControllerManager_ConcurrentAccess(t *testing.T) {
 	mgr := &DynamicControllerManager{
-		registeredControllers: make(map[string]bool),
+		registrationState:   make(map[string]RegistrationState),
 		activeResourceTypes: make(map[string]schema.GroupVersionKind),
 	}
 
@@ -356,7 +451,7 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_ConcurrentAccess(t *testing.T) {
 	go func() {
 		for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
 			mgr.mu.Lock()
-			mgr.registeredControllers["test"] = true
+			mgr.registrationState["test"] = StateFullyRegistered
 			mgr.mu.Unlock()
 			time.Sleep(1 * time.Millisecond)
 		}
@@ -381,7 +476,7 @@ func TestDynamicControllerManager_ConcurrentAccess(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	// Should not panic and should have final state
-	assert.True(t, mgr.registeredControllers["test"])
+	assert.Equal(t, StateFullyRegistered, mgr.registrationState["test"])
 }
 
 func TestDynamicControllerManager_UnstructuredResourceHandling(t *testing.T) {

pkg/controller/mirror.go

@@ -160,8 +160,17 @@ func createUnstructuredMirror(source runtime.Object, targetNamespace, sourceHash
 }
 
 // buildMirrorAnnotations builds the ownership annotations for a mirror resource.
+// Returns empty map if source doesn't implement metav1.Object.
 func buildMirrorAnnotations(source runtime.Object, sourceHash string) map[string]string {
-	sourceObj, _ := source.(metav1.Object)
+	sourceObj, ok := source.(metav1.Object)
+	if !ok {
+		// This should never happen for valid Kubernetes resources.
+		// Return minimal annotations with just the hash.
+		return map[string]string{
+			constants.AnnotationSourceContentHash: sourceHash,
+			constants.AnnotationLastSyncTime:      time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339),
+		}
+	}
 
 	annotations := map[string]string{
 		constants.AnnotationSourceNamespace:   sourceObj.GetNamespace(),
@@ -196,24 +205,34 @@ func UpdateMirror(mirror, source runtime.Object) error {
 	// Update based on type
 	switch m := mirror.(type) {
 	case *corev1.Secret:
-		src := source.(*corev1.Secret)
+		src, ok := source.(*corev1.Secret)
+		if !ok {
+			return fmt.Errorf("mirror is Secret but source is %T", source)
+		}
 		m.Data = src.Data
 		m.Type = src.Type
 		updateMirrorAnnotations(m, source, sourceHash)
 	case *corev1.ConfigMap:
-		src := source.(*corev1.ConfigMap)
+		src, ok := source.(*corev1.ConfigMap)
+		if !ok {
+			return fmt.Errorf("mirror is ConfigMap but source is %T", source)
+		}
 		m.Data = src.Data
 		m.BinaryData = src.BinaryData
 		updateMirrorAnnotations(m, source, sourceHash)
 	default:
 		// Unstructured
-		if err := updateUnstructuredMirror(mirror, source, sourceHash); err != nil {
+		err = updateUnstructuredMirror(mirror, source, sourceHash)
+		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
 
 	// Apply transformations after updating data (only if transformation rules exist)
-	mirrorObj, _ := mirror.(metav1.Object)
+	mirrorObj, ok := mirror.(metav1.Object)
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("mirror does not implement metav1.Object, got %T", mirror)
+	}
 	targetNamespace := mirrorObj.GetNamespace()
 	transformed, err := applyTransformations(source, mirror, targetNamespace)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -280,8 +299,6 @@ func convertToByteMap(data map[string]interface{}) map[string][]byte {
 
 // updateMirrorAnnotations updates the ownership annotations on a mirror.
 func updateMirrorAnnotations(mirror metav1.Object, source runtime.Object, sourceHash string) {
-	sourceObj, _ := source.(metav1.Object)
-
 	annotations := mirror.GetAnnotations()
 	if annotations == nil {
 		annotations = make(map[string]string)
@@ -290,6 +307,9 @@ func updateMirrorAnnotations(mirror metav1.Object, source runtime.Object, source
 	annotations[constants.AnnotationSourceContentHash] = sourceHash
 	annotations[constants.AnnotationLastSyncTime] = time.Now().UTC().Format(time.RFC3339)
 
+	// Safely extract source metadata if available
+	sourceObj, ok := source.(metav1.Object)
+	if ok {
 		if sourceObj.GetGeneration() > 0 {
 			annotations[constants.AnnotationSourceGeneration] = fmt.Sprintf("%d", sourceObj.GetGeneration())
 		}
@@ -297,6 +317,7 @@ func updateMirrorAnnotations(mirror metav1.Object, source runtime.Object, source
 		if sourceObj.GetResourceVersion() != "" {
 			annotations[constants.AnnotationSourceResourceVersion] = sourceObj.GetResourceVersion()
 		}
+	}
 
 	mirror.SetAnnotations(annotations)
 }
@@ -304,8 +325,14 @@ func updateMirrorAnnotations(mirror metav1.Object, source runtime.Object, source
 // updateUnstructuredMirror updates an unstructured mirror.
 // Uses generic field introspection to handle any resource type (Secrets, ConfigMaps, CRDs).
 func updateUnstructuredMirror(mirror, source runtime.Object, sourceHash string) error {
-	m := mirror.(*unstructured.Unstructured)
+	m, ok := mirror.(*unstructured.Unstructured)
-	s := source.(*unstructured.Unstructured)
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("mirror is not *unstructured.Unstructured, got %T", mirror)
+	}
+	s, ok := source.(*unstructured.Unstructured)
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("source is not *unstructured.Unstructured, got %T", source)
+	}
 
 	// Fields to skip (Kubernetes-managed fields, not user content)
 	// These are managed by Kubernetes API server or controllers
@@ -416,6 +443,16 @@ func applyTransformations(source, mirror runtime.Object, targetNamespace string)
 		return mirror, nil
 	}
 
+	// Save original annotations to restore on failure
+	originalAnnotations := mirrorObj.GetAnnotations()
+	var savedAnnotations map[string]string
+	if originalAnnotations != nil {
+		savedAnnotations = make(map[string]string, len(originalAnnotations))
+		for k, v := range originalAnnotations {
+			savedAnnotations[k] = v
+		}
+	}
+
 	mirrorAnnotations := mirrorObj.GetAnnotations()
 	if mirrorAnnotations == nil {
 		mirrorAnnotations = make(map[string]string)
@@ -437,6 +474,8 @@ func applyTransformations(source, mirror runtime.Object, targetNamespace string)
 	// Apply transformations (transformer reads rules from mirror's annotations now)
 	transformed, err := t.Transform(mirror, ctx)
 	if err != nil {
+		// Restore original annotations on failure to avoid leaving mirror in inconsistent state
+		mirrorObj.SetAnnotations(savedAnnotations)
 		return nil, err
 	}
 

pkg/controller/mirror_reconciler.go

@@ -24,7 +24,13 @@ type MirrorReconciler struct {
 
 // Reconcile checks if a mirrored resource's source still exists, and deletes the mirror if orphaned.
 func (r *MirrorReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
-	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
+	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithValues(
+		"mirrorNamespace", req.Namespace,
+		"mirrorName", req.Name,
+		"kind", r.GVK.Kind,
+		"group", r.GVK.Group,
+		"version", r.GVK.Version,
+	)
 
 	// Fetch the mirror resource
 	mirror := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
@@ -73,9 +79,10 @@ func (r *MirrorReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 				"sourceName", sourceName,
 				"sourceUID", sourceUID)
 
-			if err := r.Delete(ctx, mirror); err != nil {
+			deleteErr := r.Delete(ctx, mirror)
-				logger.Error(err, "failed to delete orphaned mirror")
+			if deleteErr != nil {
-				return ctrl.Result{}, err
+				logger.Error(deleteErr, "failed to delete orphaned mirror")
+				return ctrl.Result{}, deleteErr
 			}
 
 			logger.Info("orphaned mirror deleted successfully",
@@ -91,6 +98,16 @@ func (r *MirrorReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
 	}
 
+	// Check if source is being deleted - if so, let the SourceReconciler handle cleanup
+	// This prevents race conditions where both reconcilers try to delete mirrors
+	if !source.GetDeletionTimestamp().IsZero() {
+		logger.V(1).Info("source is being deleted, skipping mirror check (SourceReconciler will handle cleanup)",
+			"mirror", req.NamespacedName,
+			"sourceNamespace", sourceNs,
+			"sourceName", sourceName)
+		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+	}
+
 	// Source exists - verify UID matches
 	actualUID := string(source.GetUID())
 	if actualUID != sourceUID {

pkg/controller/namespace_lister.go

@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ import (
 // KubernetesNamespaceLister implements NamespaceLister using the Kubernetes API.
 type KubernetesNamespaceLister struct {
 	client client.Client
+	// apiReader provides direct API access bypassing cache (optional).
+	// When set, it's used for label-based queries where cache staleness
+	// can cause missed namespaces after label changes.
+	apiReader client.Reader
 }
 
 // NewKubernetesNamespaceLister creates a new KubernetesNamespaceLister.
@@ -22,6 +26,25 @@ func NewKubernetesNamespaceLister(client client.Client) *KubernetesNamespaceList
 	}
 }
 
+// NewKubernetesNamespaceListerWithAPIReader creates a KubernetesNamespaceLister
+// that uses direct API reads for label-based queries. This is more expensive
+// but ensures fresh data for critical queries like allow-mirrors label lookups.
+func NewKubernetesNamespaceListerWithAPIReader(c client.Client, apiReader client.Reader) *KubernetesNamespaceLister {
+	return &KubernetesNamespaceLister{
+		client:    c,
+		apiReader: apiReader,
+	}
+}
+
+// getReader returns the appropriate reader to use.
+// Returns apiReader if available (for fresh reads), otherwise falls back to cached client.
+func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) getReader() client.Reader {
+	if k.apiReader != nil {
+		return k.apiReader
+	}
+	return k.client
+}
+
 // ListNamespaces returns all namespace names in the cluster.
 func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 	namespaceList := &corev1.NamespaceList{}
@@ -38,11 +61,15 @@ func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]strin
 }
 
 // ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces returns namespaces that have the allow-mirrors label.
+// Uses direct API reads if apiReader is configured to avoid cache staleness issues.
 func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 	namespaceList := &corev1.NamespaceList{}
 
-	// List namespaces with the allow-mirrors label
+	// Use direct API reader for label queries to ensure fresh data.
-	if err := k.client.List(ctx, namespaceList, client.MatchingLabels{
+	// This is critical because cache staleness can cause namespaces with
+	// newly added allow-mirrors labels to be missed.
+	reader := k.getReader()
+	if err := reader.List(ctx, namespaceList, client.MatchingLabels{
 		constants.LabelAllowMirrors: "true",
 	}); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -58,11 +85,13 @@ func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces(ctx context.Conte
 
 // ListOptOutNamespaces returns namespaces that have explicitly opted out of mirrors.
 // These are namespaces with allow-mirrors="false".
+// Uses direct API reads if apiReader is configured to avoid cache staleness issues.
 func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
 	namespaceList := &corev1.NamespaceList{}
 
-	// List namespaces with allow-mirrors label set to false
+	// Use direct API reader for label queries to ensure fresh data.
-	if err := k.client.List(ctx, namespaceList, client.MatchingLabels{
+	reader := k.getReader()
+	if err := reader.List(ctx, namespaceList, client.MatchingLabels{
 		constants.LabelAllowMirrors: "false",
 	}); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -75,3 +104,51 @@ func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([
 
 	return names, nil
 }
+
+// NamespaceInfo contains categorized namespace information from a single API call.
+// This is more efficient than making 3 separate API calls.
+type NamespaceInfo struct {
+	// All contains all namespace names in the cluster
+	All []string
+	// AllowMirrors contains namespaces with allow-mirrors="true" label
+	AllowMirrors []string
+	// OptOut contains namespaces with allow-mirrors="false" label
+	OptOut []string
+}
+
+// ListNamespacesWithLabels returns all namespaces categorized by their allow-mirrors label
+// in a single API call. This is more efficient than calling ListNamespaces,
+// ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces, and ListOptOutNamespaces separately.
+// Uses direct API reads if apiReader is configured to ensure fresh data.
+func (k *KubernetesNamespaceLister) ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx context.Context) (*NamespaceInfo, error) {
+	namespaceList := &corev1.NamespaceList{}
+
+	// Use direct API reader if available for fresh data
+	reader := k.getReader()
+	if err := reader.List(ctx, namespaceList); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	info := &NamespaceInfo{
+		All:          make([]string, 0, len(namespaceList.Items)),
+		AllowMirrors: make([]string, 0),
+		OptOut:       make([]string, 0),
+	}
+
+	for _, ns := range namespaceList.Items {
+		info.All = append(info.All, ns.Name)
+
+		// Check allow-mirrors label value
+		if ns.Labels != nil {
+			labelValue := ns.Labels[constants.LabelAllowMirrors]
+			switch labelValue {
+			case "true":
+				info.AllowMirrors = append(info.AllowMirrors, ns.Name)
+			case "false":
+				info.OptOut = append(info.OptOut, ns.Name)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return info, nil
+}

pkg/controller/namespace_reconciler.go

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ package controller
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"slices"
+	"time"
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
@@ -20,21 +22,31 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/filter"
 )
 
+const (
+	// cacheSettleDelay is the time to wait after namespace label changes
+	// to allow informer caches to sync. This addresses the race condition
+	// where namespace watch events fire before the cache is updated.
+	cacheSettleDelay = 3 * time.Second
+)
+
 // NamespaceReconciler watches for namespace CREATE and UPDATE events
 // and triggers reconciliation of source resources that match the new namespace.
 type NamespaceReconciler struct {
 	client.Client
+	NamespaceLister NamespaceLister
+	APIReader       client.Reader
 	Scheme          *runtime.Scheme
 	Config          *config.Config
 	Filter          *filter.NamespaceFilter
-	NamespaceLister NamespaceLister
-	// ResourceTypes contains all discovered resource types to reconcile
 	ResourceTypes   []config.ResourceType
 }
 
 // Reconcile processes namespace events and creates mirrors for matching sources.
 func (r *NamespaceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
-	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithValues("namespace", req.Name)
+	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithValues(
+		"namespace", req.Name,
+		"reconciler", "namespace",
+	)
 
 	// Fetch the namespace
 	namespace := &corev1.Namespace{}
@@ -76,7 +88,11 @@ func (r *NamespaceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (
 		return ctrl.Result{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to reconcile %d source resources", totalErrors)
 	}
 
-	return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+	// Requeue with delay to catch any updates missed due to cache staleness.
+	// This is particularly important for namespace label changes where the
+	// informer cache may not yet reflect the new label state. The delay allows
+	// the cache to settle and ensures all relevant source resources are reconciled.
+	return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: cacheSettleDelay}, nil
 }
 
 // reconcileResourceType finds and reconciles all sources of a specific resource type
@@ -125,13 +141,7 @@ func (r *NamespaceReconciler) reconcileResourceType(ctx context.Context, rt conf
 		}
 
 		// Check if the new namespace matches this source's targets
-		var isTarget bool
+		isTarget := slices.Contains(targetNamespaces, namespaceName)
-		for _, target := range targetNamespaces {
-			if target == namespaceName {
-				isTarget = true
-				break
-			}
-		}
 
 		if isTarget {
 			// Create or update mirror in the namespace
@@ -222,30 +232,47 @@ func (r *NamespaceReconciler) resolveTargetNamespaces(ctx context.Context, sourc
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	// Get all namespaces
+	// Validate patterns and log warnings for invalid ones
-	allNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListNamespaces(ctx)
+	validationResults, allValid := filter.ValidatePatterns(patterns)
+	if !allValid {
+		logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
+		invalidPatterns := filter.InvalidPatterns(validationResults)
+		for _, invalid := range invalidPatterns {
+			logger.Info("invalid glob pattern in target-namespaces annotation, pattern will be skipped",
+				"pattern", invalid.Pattern,
+				"error", invalid.Error.Error(),
+				"source", source.GetName(),
+				"namespace", source.GetNamespace(),
+			)
+		}
+
+		// Filter to only valid patterns
+		var validPatterns []string
+		for _, result := range validationResults {
+			if result.Valid {
+				validPatterns = append(validPatterns, result.Pattern)
+			}
+		}
+		patterns = validPatterns
+
+		// If no valid patterns remain, return empty
+		if len(patterns) == 0 {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Get all namespace info in a single API call (more efficient than 3 separate calls)
+	nsInfo, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list namespaces: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Get namespaces with allow-mirrors label
+	// Resolve target namespaces using the pre-categorized namespace info
-	allowMirrorsNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list allow-mirrors namespaces: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Get namespaces that have explicitly opted out (allow-mirrors="false")
-	optOutNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list opt-out namespaces: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Resolve target namespaces
 	targetNamespaces := filter.ResolveTargetNamespaces(
 		patterns,
-		allNamespaces,
+		nsInfo.All,
-		allowMirrorsNamespaces,
+		nsInfo.AllowMirrors,
-		optOutNamespaces,
+		nsInfo.OptOut,
 		source.GetNamespace(),
 		r.Filter,
 	)
@@ -292,8 +319,18 @@ func (r *NamespaceReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
 			}
 
 			// Check if allow-mirrors label changed
-			oldLabel := oldNs.Labels[constants.LabelAllowMirrors]
+			// Use GetLabels() to safely handle nil labels map
-			newLabel := newNs.Labels[constants.LabelAllowMirrors]
+			oldLabels := oldNs.GetLabels()
+			newLabels := newNs.GetLabels()
+
+			// Get label values with nil-safe access
+			var oldLabel, newLabel string
+			if oldLabels != nil {
+				oldLabel = oldLabels[constants.LabelAllowMirrors]
+			}
+			if newLabels != nil {
+				newLabel = newLabels[constants.LabelAllowMirrors]
+			}
 
 			return oldLabel != newLabel
 		},

pkg/controller/namespace_reconciler_test.go

@@ -282,9 +282,9 @@ func makeUnstructuredMirror(name, namespace, sourceNs, sourceName string) *unstr
 
 // Mock namespace lister for testing
 type mockNamespaceLister struct {
-	namespaces   []string
 	allowMirrors map[string]bool
 	optOut       map[string]bool
+	namespaces   []string
 }
 
 func (m *mockNamespaceLister) ListNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error) {
@@ -310,3 +310,25 @@ func (m *mockNamespaceLister) ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]strin
 	}
 	return result, nil
 }
+
+func (m *mockNamespaceLister) ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx context.Context) (*NamespaceInfo, error) {
+	info := &NamespaceInfo{
+		All:          m.namespaces,
+		AllowMirrors: make([]string, 0),
+		OptOut:       make([]string, 0),
+	}
+
+	for ns, allowed := range m.allowMirrors {
+		if allowed {
+			info.AllowMirrors = append(info.AllowMirrors, ns)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for ns, optedOut := range m.optOut {
+		if optedOut {
+			info.OptOut = append(info.OptOut, ns)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return info, nil
+}

pkg/controller/source_reconciler.go

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ package controller
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"slices"
+	"time"
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
@@ -21,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/predicate"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/reconcile"
 
+	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/circuitbreaker"
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/constants"
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/filter"
@@ -30,12 +33,13 @@ import (
 // SourceReconciler reconciles source resources that need mirroring.
 type SourceReconciler struct {
 	client.Client
+	NamespaceLister NamespaceLister
+	APIReader       client.Reader
 	Scheme          *runtime.Scheme
 	Config          *config.Config
 	Filter          *filter.NamespaceFilter
-	NamespaceLister NamespaceLister
+	CircuitBreaker  *circuitbreaker.CircuitBreaker
-	GVK             schema.GroupVersionKind // The resource type this reconciler handles
+	GVK             schema.GroupVersionKind
-	APIReader       client.Reader           // Direct API reader (bypasses cache)
 }
 
 // NamespaceLister provides a list of all namespaces in the cluster.
@@ -44,6 +48,8 @@ type NamespaceLister interface {
 	ListNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error)
 	ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error)
 	ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]string, error)
+	// ListNamespacesWithLabels returns all namespace info in a single API call (preferred)
+	ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx context.Context) (*NamespaceInfo, error)
 }
 
 // +kubebuilder:rbac:groups=core,resources=secrets,verbs=get;list;watch;create;update;patch;delete
@@ -115,7 +121,13 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) getSourceWithFreshness(ctx context.Context, key clien
 
 // Reconcile processes a single source resource.
 func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
-	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithValues("namespace", req.Namespace, "name", req.Name)
+	logger := log.FromContext(ctx).WithValues(
+		"namespace", req.Namespace,
+		"name", req.Name,
+		"kind", r.GVK.Kind,
+		"group", r.GVK.Group,
+		"version", r.GVK.Version,
+	)
 
 	// Fetch the source resource with optional freshness verification
 	source, err := r.getSourceWithFreshness(ctx, req.NamespacedName, r.GVK)
@@ -136,24 +148,40 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
 	}
 
+	// Check circuit breaker - skip if circuit is open (too many failures)
+	if r.CircuitBreaker != nil {
+		if !r.CircuitBreaker.AllowRequest(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind) {
+			cbState := r.CircuitBreaker.GetState(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind)
+			failCount := r.CircuitBreaker.GetFailureCount(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind)
+			logger.Info("circuit breaker open, skipping reconciliation",
+				"state", cbState.String(),
+				"consecutiveFailures", failCount,
+				"lastError", r.CircuitBreaker.GetLastError(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind))
+			// Requeue after circuit breaker reset timeout to try again
+			return ctrl.Result{RequeueAfter: 5 * time.Minute}, nil
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Check if resource is enabled for mirroring
 	// Check if resource is being deleted
 	if !sourceObj.GetDeletionTimestamp().IsZero() {
 		// Resource is being deleted - clean up mirrors and remove finalizer
-		if containsString(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
+		if slices.Contains(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
 			logger.Info("source being deleted, cleaning up all mirrors")
-			if err := r.deleteAllMirrors(ctx, sourceObj); err != nil {
+			deleteErr := r.deleteAllMirrors(ctx, sourceObj)
-				logger.Error(err, "failed to delete all mirrors during source deletion")
+			if deleteErr != nil {
-				return ctrl.Result{}, err
+				logger.Error(deleteErr, "failed to delete all mirrors during source deletion")
+				return ctrl.Result{}, deleteErr
 			}
 
 			// Remove finalizer to allow resource deletion
 			logger.Info("removing finalizer from source resource")
 			finalizers := removeString(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName)
 			sourceObj.SetFinalizers(finalizers)
-			if err := r.Update(ctx, source); err != nil {
+			updateErr := r.Update(ctx, source)
-				logger.Error(err, "failed to remove finalizer")
+			if updateErr != nil {
-				return ctrl.Result{}, err
+				logger.Error(updateErr, "failed to remove finalizer")
+				return ctrl.Result{}, updateErr
 			}
 			logger.Info("finalizer removed, resource can now be deleted")
 		}
@@ -162,7 +190,7 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 
 	if !isEnabledForMirroring(sourceObj) {
 		// Resource is disabled - remove finalizer if present and delete all mirrors
-		if containsString(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
+		if slices.Contains(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
 			return r.handleDisabled(ctx, sourceObj)
 		}
 		// No finalizer, just skip
@@ -170,13 +198,14 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 	}
 
 	// Add finalizer if not present
-	if !containsString(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
+	if !slices.Contains(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
 		logger.Info("adding finalizer to source resource")
 		finalizers := append(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName)
 		sourceObj.SetFinalizers(finalizers)
-		if err := r.Update(ctx, source); err != nil {
+		addFinalizerErr := r.Update(ctx, source)
-			logger.Error(err, "failed to add finalizer")
+		if addFinalizerErr != nil {
-			return ctrl.Result{}, err
+			logger.Error(addFinalizerErr, "failed to add finalizer")
+			return ctrl.Result{}, addFinalizerErr
 		}
 		logger.Info("finalizer added")
 		// Requeue to continue with reconciliation after finalizer is added
@@ -187,6 +216,9 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 	targetNamespaces, err := r.resolveTargetNamespaces(ctx, sourceObj)
 	if err != nil {
 		logger.Error(err, "failed to resolve target namespaces")
+		if r.CircuitBreaker != nil {
+			r.CircuitBreaker.RecordFailure(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind, err)
+		}
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
 	}
 
@@ -200,8 +232,9 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 	// Reconcile each target namespace
 	var reconciledCount, errorCount int
 	for _, targetNs := range targetNamespaces {
-		if err := r.reconcileMirror(ctx, source, sourceObj, targetNs); err != nil {
+		reconcileErr := r.reconcileMirror(ctx, source, sourceObj, targetNs)
-			logger.Error(err, "failed to reconcile mirror", "targetNamespace", targetNs)
+		if reconcileErr != nil {
+			logger.Error(reconcileErr, "failed to reconcile mirror", "targetNamespace", targetNs)
 			errorCount++
 		} else {
 			reconciledCount++
@@ -220,6 +253,9 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 	// Update status annotation with last sync info
 	if err := r.updateLastSyncStatus(ctx, source, sourceObj, reconciledCount, errorCount); err != nil {
 		logger.Error(err, "failed to update sync status")
+		if r.CircuitBreaker != nil {
+			r.CircuitBreaker.RecordFailure(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind, err)
+		}
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
 	}
 
@@ -230,7 +266,22 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctr
 
 	// Return error if there were errors (controller-runtime will automatically requeue with exponential backoff)
 	if errorCount > 0 {
-		return ctrl.Result{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to reconcile %d/%d mirrors", errorCount, len(targetNamespaces))
+		err := fmt.Errorf("failed to reconcile %d/%d mirrors", errorCount, len(targetNamespaces))
+		// Record failure with circuit breaker
+		if r.CircuitBreaker != nil {
+			state, justOpened := r.CircuitBreaker.RecordFailure(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind, err)
+			if justOpened {
+				logger.Info("circuit breaker opened due to repeated failures",
+					"state", state.String(),
+					"consecutiveFailures", r.CircuitBreaker.GetFailureCount(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind))
+			}
+		}
+		return ctrl.Result{}, err
+	}
+
+	// Record success with circuit breaker
+	if r.CircuitBreaker != nil {
+		r.CircuitBreaker.RecordSuccess(req.Namespace, req.Name, r.GVK.Kind)
 	}
 
 	return ctrl.Result{}, nil
@@ -247,7 +298,7 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) handleDisabled(ctx context.Context, sourceObj metav1.
 	}
 
 	// Remove finalizer if present
-	if containsString(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
+	if slices.Contains(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName) {
 		logger.Info("removing finalizer from disabled resource")
 		finalizers := removeString(sourceObj.GetFinalizers(), constants.FinalizerName)
 		sourceObj.SetFinalizers(finalizers)
@@ -301,9 +352,9 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) reconcileMirror(ctx context.Context, source runtime.O
 		}
 
 		// Check if update is needed
-		needsSync, err := hash.NeedsSync(source, existing, existing.GetAnnotations())
+		needsSync, syncCheckErr := hash.NeedsSync(source, existing, existing.GetAnnotations())
-		if err != nil {
+		if syncCheckErr != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to check if sync needed: %w", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to check if sync needed: %w", syncCheckErr)
 		}
 
 		if !needsSync {
@@ -312,12 +363,14 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) reconcileMirror(ctx context.Context, source runtime.O
 		}
 
 		// Update mirror
-		if err := UpdateMirror(existing, source); err != nil {
+		updateErr := UpdateMirror(existing, source)
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to update mirror: %w", err)
+		if updateErr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to update mirror: %w", updateErr)
 		}
 
-		if err := r.Update(ctx, existing); err != nil {
+		clusterUpdateErr := r.Update(ctx, existing)
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to update mirror in cluster: %w", err)
+		if clusterUpdateErr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to update mirror in cluster: %w", clusterUpdateErr)
 		}
 
 		logger.V(1).Info("mirror updated")
@@ -330,11 +383,21 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) reconcileMirror(ctx context.Context, source runtime.O
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create mirror: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	if err := r.Create(ctx, mirror.(client.Object)); err != nil {
+	mirrorObj := mirror.(client.Object)
+	if err := r.Create(ctx, mirrorObj); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create mirror in cluster: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	logger.V(1).Info("mirror created")
+	// Verify mirror was actually created (catches webhook rejections, quota issues)
+	verifyMirror := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
+	verifyMirror.SetGroupVersionKind(sourceUnstructured.GroupVersionKind())
+	verifyKey := client.ObjectKey{Namespace: targetNs, Name: sourceObj.GetName()}
+	if verifyErr := r.Get(ctx, verifyKey, verifyMirror); verifyErr != nil {
+		logger.Error(verifyErr, "mirror creation verification failed - mirror may have been rejected")
+		return fmt.Errorf("mirror creation verification failed: %w", verifyErr)
+	}
+
+	logger.V(1).Info("mirror created and verified")
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -384,11 +447,12 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) deleteAllMirrors(ctx context.Context, sourceObj metav
 func (r *SourceReconciler) cleanupOrphanedMirrors(ctx context.Context, sourceObj metav1.Object, targetNamespaces []string) (int, error) {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
 
-	// List all namespaces
+	// List all namespaces using unified method for consistency
-	allNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListNamespaces(ctx)
+	nsInfo, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, fmt.Errorf("failed to list namespaces: %w", err)
 	}
+	allNamespaces := nsInfo.All
 
 	// Get GVK from source object
 	sourceUnstructured, ok := sourceObj.(*unstructured.Unstructured)
@@ -472,30 +536,47 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) resolveTargetNamespaces(ctx context.Context, sourceOb
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	// Get all namespaces
+	// Validate patterns and log warnings for invalid ones
-	allNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListNamespaces(ctx)
+	validationResults, allValid := filter.ValidatePatterns(patterns)
+	if !allValid {
+		logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
+		invalidPatterns := filter.InvalidPatterns(validationResults)
+		for _, invalid := range invalidPatterns {
+			logger.Info("invalid glob pattern in target-namespaces annotation, pattern will be skipped",
+				"pattern", invalid.Pattern,
+				"error", invalid.Error.Error(),
+				"source", sourceObj.GetName(),
+				"namespace", sourceObj.GetNamespace(),
+			)
+		}
+
+		// Filter to only valid patterns
+		var validPatterns []string
+		for _, result := range validationResults {
+			if result.Valid {
+				validPatterns = append(validPatterns, result.Pattern)
+			}
+		}
+		patterns = validPatterns
+
+		// If no valid patterns remain, return empty
+		if len(patterns) == 0 {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Get all namespace info in a single API call (more efficient than 3 separate calls)
+	nsInfo, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list namespaces: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Get namespaces with allow-mirrors label
+	// Resolve target namespaces using the pre-categorized namespace info
-	allowMirrorsNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list allow-mirrors namespaces: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Get namespaces that have explicitly opted out (allow-mirrors="false")
-	optOutNamespaces, err := r.NamespaceLister.ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to list opt-out namespaces: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	// Resolve target namespaces
 	targetNamespaces := filter.ResolveTargetNamespaces(
 		patterns,
-		allNamespaces,
+		nsInfo.All,
-		allowMirrorsNamespaces,
+		nsInfo.AllowMirrors,
-		optOutNamespaces,
+		nsInfo.OptOut,
 		sourceObj.GetNamespace(),
 		r.Filter,
 	)
@@ -611,16 +692,6 @@ func (r *SourceReconciler) mapMirrorToSource(ctx context.Context, obj client.Obj
 	}
 }
 
-// containsString checks if a slice contains a string.
-func containsString(slice []string, s string) bool {
-	for _, item := range slice {
-		if item == s {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 // removeString removes a string from a slice.
 func removeString(slice []string, s string) []string {
 	result := make([]string, 0, len(slice))

pkg/controller/source_reconciler_test.go

@@ -134,6 +134,14 @@ func (m *MockNamespaceLister) ListOptOutNamespaces(ctx context.Context) ([]strin
 	return args.Get(0).([]string), args.Error(1)
 }
 
+func (m *MockNamespaceLister) ListNamespacesWithLabels(ctx context.Context) (*NamespaceInfo, error) {
+	args := m.Called(ctx)
+	if args.Get(0) == nil {
+		return nil, args.Error(1)
+	}
+	return args.Get(0).(*NamespaceInfo), args.Error(1)
+}
+
 func TestIsEnabledForMirroring(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		obj  metav1.Object
@@ -280,9 +288,12 @@ func TestSourceReconciler_resolveTargetNamespaces(t *testing.T) {
 			mockLister := new(MockNamespaceLister)
 
 			if tt.expectListCalls {
-				mockLister.On("ListNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(tt.allNamespaces, nil)
+				nsInfo := &NamespaceInfo{
-				mockLister.On("ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(tt.allowMirrorsNamespaces, nil)
+					All:          tt.allNamespaces,
-				mockLister.On("ListOptOutNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return([]string{}, nil)
+					AllowMirrors: tt.allowMirrorsNamespaces,
+					OptOut:       []string{},
+				}
+				mockLister.On("ListNamespacesWithLabels", mock.Anything).Return(nsInfo, nil)
 			}
 
 			r := &SourceReconciler{
@@ -442,12 +453,15 @@ func BenchmarkIsEnabledForMirroring(b *testing.B) {
 func BenchmarkResolveTargetNamespaces(b *testing.B) {
 	mockLister := new(MockNamespaceLister)
 	allNamespaces := make([]string, 100)
-	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+	for i := range 100 {
 		allNamespaces[i] = fmt.Sprintf("namespace-%d", i)
 	}
-	mockLister.On("ListNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(allNamespaces, nil)
+	nsInfo := &NamespaceInfo{
-	mockLister.On("ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(allNamespaces[:50], nil)
+		All:          allNamespaces,
-	mockLister.On("ListOptOutNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return([]string{}, nil)
+		AllowMirrors: allNamespaces[:50],
+		OptOut:       []string{},
+	}
+	mockLister.On("ListNamespacesWithLabels", mock.Anything).Return(nsInfo, nil)
 
 	r := &SourceReconciler{
 		Config:          &config.Config{},
@@ -517,7 +531,12 @@ func TestSourceReconciler_cleanupOrphanedMirrors(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Setup: all namespaces in cluster
 	allNamespaces := []string{"default", "app-1", "app-2", "app-3", "prod-1"}
-	mockLister.On("ListNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(allNamespaces, nil)
+	nsInfo := &NamespaceInfo{
+		All:          allNamespaces,
+		AllowMirrors: []string{},
+		OptOut:       []string{},
+	}
+	mockLister.On("ListNamespacesWithLabels", mock.Anything).Return(nsInfo, nil)
 
 	// Current target list (after annotation change): only app-1 and app-2
 	targetNamespaces := []string{"app-1", "app-2"}
@@ -624,14 +643,35 @@ func TestSourceReconciler_Reconcile_AnnotationChange_AllToAllLabeled(t *testing.
 	mockLister := new(MockNamespaceLister)
 	mockFilter := filter.NewNamespaceFilter(nil, nil)
 
-	mockLister.On("ListNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(allNamespaces, nil)
+	nsInfo := &NamespaceInfo{
-	mockLister.On("ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(allowMirrorsNamespaces, nil)
+		All:          allNamespaces,
-	mockLister.On("ListOptOutNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return([]string{}, nil)
+		AllowMirrors: allowMirrorsNamespaces,
+		OptOut:       []string{},
+	}
+	mockLister.On("ListNamespacesWithLabels", mock.Anything).Return(nsInfo, nil)
 
 	// Mock Get for source
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "default", Name: "test-secret"}, mock.Anything).
 		Return(nil, source)
 
+	// Helper to create a mock mirror for verification
+	createMirror := func(ns string) *unstructured.Unstructured {
+		return &unstructured.Unstructured{
+			Object: map[string]any{
+				"apiVersion": "v1",
+				"kind":       "Secret",
+				"metadata": map[string]any{
+					"name":      "test-secret",
+					"namespace": ns,
+					"labels": map[string]any{
+						constants.LabelManagedBy: constants.ControllerName,
+						constants.LabelMirror:    "true",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Mock reconcileMirror calls for app-1 and app-2 (current targets)
 	notFoundErr := errors.NewNotFound(schema.GroupResource{Group: "", Resource: "secrets"}, "test-secret")
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "app-1", Name: "test-secret"}, mock.Anything).
@@ -639,12 +679,18 @@ func TestSourceReconciler_Reconcile_AnnotationChange_AllToAllLabeled(t *testing.
 	mockClient.On("Create", mock.Anything, mock.MatchedBy(func(obj client.Object) bool {
 		return obj.GetNamespace() == "app-1"
 	}), mock.Anything).Return(nil).Once()
+	// Verification Get after Create
+	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "app-1", Name: "test-secret"}, mock.Anything).
+		Return(nil, createMirror("app-1")).Once()
 
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "app-2", Name: "test-secret"}, mock.Anything).
 		Return(notFoundErr, nil).Once()
 	mockClient.On("Create", mock.Anything, mock.MatchedBy(func(obj client.Object) bool {
 		return obj.GetNamespace() == "app-2"
 	}), mock.Anything).Return(nil).Once()
+	// Verification Get after Create
+	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "app-2", Name: "test-secret"}, mock.Anything).
+		Return(nil, createMirror("app-2")).Once()
 
 	// Mock cleanup: check orphaned namespaces app-3, prod-1, prod-2
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "app-3", Name: "test-secret"}, mock.Anything).
@@ -751,9 +797,12 @@ func TestSourceReconciler_Reconcile_AnnotationChange_PatternChange(t *testing.T)
 	mockLister := new(MockNamespaceLister)
 	mockFilter := filter.NewNamespaceFilter(nil, nil)
 
-	mockLister.On("ListNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return(allNamespaces, nil)
+	nsInfo := &NamespaceInfo{
-	mockLister.On("ListAllowMirrorsNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return([]string{}, nil)
+		All:          allNamespaces,
-	mockLister.On("ListOptOutNamespaces", mock.Anything).Return([]string{}, nil)
+		AllowMirrors: []string{},
+		OptOut:       []string{},
+	}
+	mockLister.On("ListNamespacesWithLabels", mock.Anything).Return(nsInfo, nil)
 
 	// Mock Get for source
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "default", Name: "app-config"}, mock.Anything).
@@ -761,18 +810,42 @@ func TestSourceReconciler_Reconcile_AnnotationChange_PatternChange(t *testing.T)
 
 	notFoundErr := errors.NewNotFound(schema.GroupResource{Group: "", Resource: "configmaps"}, "app-config")
 
+	// Helper to create a mock mirror for verification
+	createMirror := func(ns string) *unstructured.Unstructured {
+		return &unstructured.Unstructured{
+			Object: map[string]any{
+				"apiVersion": "v1",
+				"kind":       "ConfigMap",
+				"metadata": map[string]any{
+					"name":      "app-config",
+					"namespace": ns,
+					"labels": map[string]any{
+						constants.LabelManagedBy: constants.ControllerName,
+						constants.LabelMirror:    "true",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Mock reconcileMirror for prod-1 and prod-2 (new targets)
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "prod-1", Name: "app-config"}, mock.Anything).
 		Return(notFoundErr, nil).Once()
 	mockClient.On("Create", mock.Anything, mock.MatchedBy(func(obj client.Object) bool {
 		return obj.GetNamespace() == "prod-1"
 	}), mock.Anything).Return(nil).Once()
+	// Verification Get after Create
+	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "prod-1", Name: "app-config"}, mock.Anything).
+		Return(nil, createMirror("prod-1")).Once()
 
 	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "prod-2", Name: "app-config"}, mock.Anything).
 		Return(notFoundErr, nil).Once()
 	mockClient.On("Create", mock.Anything, mock.MatchedBy(func(obj client.Object) bool {
 		return obj.GetNamespace() == "prod-2"
 	}), mock.Anything).Return(nil).Once()
+	// Verification Get after Create
+	mockClient.On("Get", mock.Anything, types.NamespacedName{Namespace: "prod-2", Name: "app-config"}, mock.Anything).
+		Return(nil, createMirror("prod-2")).Once()
 
 	// Mock cleanup: delete orphaned mirrors in app-1, app-2, app-3
 	for _, ns := range []string{"app-1", "app-2", "app-3"} {

pkg/discovery/discovery.go

@@ -10,10 +10,13 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/discovery"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
+	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/config"
 )
 
+var discoveryLog = ctrl.Log.WithName("discovery")
+
 // ResourceDiscovery discovers all mirrorable resource types in a cluster.
 type ResourceDiscovery struct {
 	discoveryClient discovery.DiscoveryInterface
@@ -34,6 +37,8 @@ func NewResourceDiscovery(cfg *rest.Config) (*ResourceDiscovery, error) {
 // DiscoverMirrorableResources discovers all resource types that can be mirrored.
 // It filters out resources that shouldn't be mirrored based on a deny list.
 func (d *ResourceDiscovery) DiscoverMirrorableResources(ctx context.Context) ([]config.ResourceType, error) {
+	logger := discoveryLog.WithName("discover")
+
 	// Get all API resources in the cluster
 	_, apiResourceLists, err := d.discoveryClient.ServerGroupsAndResources()
 	if err != nil {
@@ -42,10 +47,12 @@ func (d *ResourceDiscovery) DiscoverMirrorableResources(ctx context.Context) ([]
 		if !discovery.IsGroupDiscoveryFailedError(err) {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to discover API resources: %w", err)
 		}
+		logger.V(1).Info("some API groups had discovery errors, continuing with available resources")
 	}
 
 	var resources []config.ResourceType
 	seen := make(map[string]bool) // Deduplicate
+	var deniedCount int
 
 	for _, apiResourceList := range apiResourceLists {
 		gv, err := schema.ParseGroupVersion(apiResourceList.GroupVersion)
@@ -71,9 +78,23 @@ func (d *ResourceDiscovery) DiscoverMirrorableResources(ctx context.Context) ([]
 
 			// Skip denied resource types
 			if isDeniedResourceType(apiResource.Kind) {
+				deniedCount++
+				logger.V(2).Info("skipping denied resource type",
+					"kind", apiResource.Kind,
+					"group", gv.Group,
+					"version", gv.Version)
 				continue
 			}
 
+			// Warn about potentially high-cardinality resource types that aren't in deny list
+			if isHighCardinalityResource(apiResource.Kind) {
+				logger.Info("WARNING: discovered potentially high-cardinality resource type",
+					"kind", apiResource.Kind,
+					"group", gv.Group,
+					"version", gv.Version,
+					"recommendation", "Consider adding to deny list if high volume is observed")
+			}
+
 			rt := config.ResourceType{
 				Group:   gv.Group,
 				Version: gv.Version,
@@ -91,6 +112,10 @@ func (d *ResourceDiscovery) DiscoverMirrorableResources(ctx context.Context) ([]
 		}
 	}
 
+	logger.Info("resource discovery complete",
+		"discovered", len(resources),
+		"denied", deniedCount)
+
 	return resources, nil
 }
 
@@ -316,3 +341,34 @@ var deniedKinds = map[string]bool{
 func isDeniedResourceType(kind string) bool {
 	return deniedKinds[kind]
 }
+
+// highCardinalityKinds are resource types that might generate high volumes of objects.
+// These aren't denied by default but warrant monitoring when discovered.
+var highCardinalityKinds = map[string]bool{
+	// Resources that might have many instances per namespace
+	"ServiceAccount":          true, // Often auto-created per deployment
+	"Role":                    true, // Can be many per namespace
+	"RoleBinding":             true, // Can be many per namespace
+	"NetworkPolicy":           true, // Can be many per namespace
+	"LimitRange":              true, // Usually few but triggers on all namespace changes
+	"ResourceQuota":           true, // Usually few but triggers on all namespace changes
+	"HorizontalPodAutoscaler": true, // One per deployment/statefulset
+
+	// CRD resources that might have high cardinality
+	"ServiceEntry":       true, // Istio - can have many
+	"VirtualService":     true, // Istio - can have many
+	"DestinationRule":    true, // Istio - can have many
+	"EnvoyFilter":        true, // Istio - can have many
+	"Sidecar":            true, // Istio - can have many
+	"PeerAuthentication": true, // Istio - can have many
+
+	// Prometheus-style monitoring resources
+	"ServiceMonitor": true, // Often one per service
+	"PodMonitor":     true, // Often one per pod type
+	"PrometheusRule": true, // Can have many rules
+}
+
+// isHighCardinalityResource checks if a resource type might generate high volumes.
+func isHighCardinalityResource(kind string) bool {
+	return highCardinalityKinds[kind]
+}

pkg/discovery/discovery_test.go

@@ -86,3 +86,33 @@ func TestIsDeniedResourceType(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func TestIsHighCardinalityResource(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		kind string
+		want bool
+	}{
+		// High cardinality resources (should warn)
+		{name: "ServiceAccount", kind: "ServiceAccount", want: true},
+		{name: "Role", kind: "Role", want: true},
+		{name: "RoleBinding", kind: "RoleBinding", want: true},
+		{name: "NetworkPolicy", kind: "NetworkPolicy", want: true},
+		{name: "ServiceMonitor", kind: "ServiceMonitor", want: true},
+		{name: "VirtualService", kind: "VirtualService", want: true},
+
+		// Not high cardinality (no warning needed)
+		{name: "Secret", kind: "Secret", want: false},
+		{name: "ConfigMap", kind: "ConfigMap", want: false},
+		{name: "Service", kind: "Service", want: false},
+		{name: "Deployment", kind: "Deployment", want: false},
+		{name: "Middleware", kind: "Middleware", want: false},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := isHighCardinalityResource(tt.kind)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.want, got, "isHighCardinalityResource(%s) = %v, want %v", tt.kind, got, tt.want)
+		})
+	}
+}

pkg/filter/namespace.go

@@ -2,12 +2,79 @@
 package filter
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/lukaszraczylo/kubemirror/pkg/constants"
 )
 
+// PatternValidationResult contains the result of validating a pattern.
+type PatternValidationResult struct {
+	Error   error
+	Pattern string
+	Valid   bool
+}
+
+// ValidatePattern checks if a glob pattern is syntactically valid.
+// Returns an error if the pattern cannot be compiled by filepath.Match.
+func ValidatePattern(pattern string) error {
+	// Empty pattern is invalid
+	if pattern == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("empty pattern")
+	}
+
+	// Special keywords are always valid
+	if pattern == constants.TargetNamespacesAll || pattern == constants.TargetNamespacesAllLabeled {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Use filepath.Match with a test string to validate pattern syntax
+	// We use "test" as a dummy value - we only care about the error
+	_, err := filepath.Match(pattern, "test")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("invalid glob pattern %q: %w", pattern, err)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// ValidatePatterns validates a list of patterns and returns results for each.
+// Returns a slice of validation results and a boolean indicating if all patterns are valid.
+func ValidatePatterns(patterns []string) ([]PatternValidationResult, bool) {
+	if len(patterns) == 0 {
+		return nil, true
+	}
+
+	results := make([]PatternValidationResult, len(patterns))
+	allValid := true
+
+	for i, pattern := range patterns {
+		err := ValidatePattern(pattern)
+		results[i] = PatternValidationResult{
+			Pattern: pattern,
+			Valid:   err == nil,
+			Error:   err,
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			allValid = false
+		}
+	}
+
+	return results, allValid
+}
+
+// InvalidPatterns returns only the invalid patterns from a validation result.
+func InvalidPatterns(results []PatternValidationResult) []PatternValidationResult {
+	var invalid []PatternValidationResult
+	for _, r := range results {
+		if !r.Valid {
+			invalid = append(invalid, r)
+		}
+	}
+	return invalid
+}
+
 // NamespaceFilter handles namespace filtering logic including patterns and exclusions.
 type NamespaceFilter struct {
 	excludedNamespaces map[string]bool

pkg/filter/namespace_test.go

@@ -592,3 +592,167 @@ func BenchmarkResolveTargetNamespaces_LargeScale(b *testing.B) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+// Tests for pattern validation
+
+func TestValidatePattern(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name    string
+		pattern string
+		wantErr bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:    "valid simple pattern",
+			pattern: "app-*",
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "valid complex pattern",
+			pattern: "*-app-*-db",
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "valid exact match",
+			pattern: "my-namespace",
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "valid question mark pattern",
+			pattern: "app-?",
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "valid character class pattern",
+			pattern: "app-[abc]",
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "valid 'all' keyword",
+			pattern: constants.TargetNamespacesAll,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "valid 'all-labeled' keyword",
+			pattern: constants.TargetNamespacesAllLabeled,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "invalid unclosed bracket",
+			pattern: "app-[",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "character range pattern is valid",
+			pattern: "app-[z-a]",
+			wantErr: false, // filepath.Match accepts character ranges
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "empty pattern is invalid",
+			pattern: "",
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := ValidatePattern(tt.pattern)
+			if tt.wantErr {
+				assert.Error(t, err, "expected error for pattern %q", tt.pattern)
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err, "unexpected error for pattern %q", tt.pattern)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestValidatePatterns(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name         string
+		patterns     []string
+		wantAllValid bool
+		wantInvalid  int
+	}{
+		{
+			name:         "all valid patterns",
+			patterns:     []string{"app-*", "prod-*", "staging-db"},
+			wantAllValid: true,
+			wantInvalid:  0,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "empty patterns list",
+			patterns:     []string{},
+			wantAllValid: true,
+			wantInvalid:  0,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "one invalid pattern",
+			patterns:     []string{"app-*", "invalid-[", "prod-*"},
+			wantAllValid: false,
+			wantInvalid:  1,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "multiple invalid patterns",
+			patterns:     []string{"invalid-[", "app-*", "bad-["},
+			wantAllValid: false,
+			wantInvalid:  2,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "all invalid patterns",
+			patterns:     []string{"bad-[", "worse-["},
+			wantAllValid: false,
+			wantInvalid:  2,
+		},
+		{
+			name:         "mixed with keywords",
+			patterns:     []string{constants.TargetNamespacesAll, "bad-[", "app-*"},
+			wantAllValid: false,
+			wantInvalid:  1,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			results, allValid := ValidatePatterns(tt.patterns)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantAllValid, allValid, "allValid mismatch")
+
+			invalidPatterns := InvalidPatterns(results)
+			assert.Equal(t, tt.wantInvalid, len(invalidPatterns), "invalid count mismatch")
+
+			// Verify all invalid patterns have errors
+			for _, invalid := range invalidPatterns {
+				assert.False(t, invalid.Valid)
+				assert.NotNil(t, invalid.Error)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInvalidPatterns(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("filters only invalid patterns", func(t *testing.T) {
+		results := []PatternValidationResult{
+			{Pattern: "app-*", Valid: true, Error: nil},
+			{Pattern: "bad-[", Valid: false, Error: fmt.Errorf("invalid")},
+			{Pattern: "prod-*", Valid: true, Error: nil},
+			{Pattern: "worse-[", Valid: false, Error: fmt.Errorf("invalid")},
+		}
+
+		invalid := InvalidPatterns(results)
+		assert.Len(t, invalid, 2)
+		assert.Equal(t, "bad-[", invalid[0].Pattern)
+		assert.Equal(t, "worse-[", invalid[1].Pattern)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("returns nil for empty input", func(t *testing.T) {
+		invalid := InvalidPatterns(nil)
+		assert.Nil(t, invalid)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("returns nil for all valid patterns", func(t *testing.T) {
+		results := []PatternValidationResult{
+			{Pattern: "app-*", Valid: true, Error: nil},
+			{Pattern: "prod-*", Valid: true, Error: nil},
+		}
+		invalid := InvalidPatterns(results)
+		assert.Nil(t, invalid)
+	})
+}

pkg/hash/content_test.go

@@ -168,12 +168,12 @@ func TestComputeContentHash_ConfigMap(t *testing.T) {
 			name: "binaryData included in hash",
 			cm1: &corev1.ConfigMap{
 				BinaryData: map[string][]byte{
-					"file": []byte{0x00, 0x01, 0x02},
+					"file": {0x00, 0x01, 0x02},
 				},
 			},
 			cm2: &corev1.ConfigMap{
 				BinaryData: map[string][]byte{
-					"file": []byte{0x00, 0x01, 0xFF},
+					"file": {0x00, 0x01, 0xFF},
 				},
 			},
 			wantSame:  false,
@@ -484,6 +484,119 @@ func mustComputeHash(t *testing.T, obj runtime.Object) string {
 	return hash
 }
 
+// TestComputeContentHash_NoMutation verifies that hash computation doesn't mutate the input object.
+// This is critical because NestedMap can modify the underlying map.
+func TestComputeContentHash_NoMutation(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("unstructured object is not mutated", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Create an unstructured object with nested spec
+		original := &unstructured.Unstructured{
+			Object: map[string]interface{}{
+				"apiVersion": "v1",
+				"kind":       "Custom",
+				"metadata": map[string]interface{}{
+					"name":      "test-resource",
+					"namespace": "default",
+					"annotations": map[string]interface{}{
+						constants.AnnotationTransform: `{"rules":[{"field":"spec.value","action":"base64encode"}]}`,
+					},
+				},
+				"spec": map[string]interface{}{
+					"field1": "value1",
+					"nested": map[string]interface{}{
+						"deep": "data",
+					},
+				},
+				"status": map[string]interface{}{
+					"condition": "Ready",
+				},
+			},
+		}
+
+		// Deep copy the original to compare after hash computation
+		expectedCopy := original.DeepCopy()
+
+		// Compute hash multiple times
+		hash1, err := ComputeContentHash(original)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		hash2, err := ComputeContentHash(original)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Hashes should be consistent (object wasn't modified)
+		assert.Equal(t, hash1, hash2, "hash should be consistent across calls")
+
+		// Original object should be unchanged
+		assert.Equal(t, expectedCopy.Object, original.Object, "original object should not be mutated")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("secret is not mutated", func(t *testing.T) {
+		secret := &corev1.Secret{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name:      "test-secret",
+				Namespace: "default",
+				Annotations: map[string]string{
+					constants.AnnotationTransform: `{"rules":[]}`,
+				},
+			},
+			Data: map[string][]byte{
+				"password": []byte("secret123"),
+			},
+			Type: corev1.SecretTypeOpaque,
+		}
+
+		// Copy for comparison
+		originalData := make(map[string][]byte)
+		for k, v := range secret.Data {
+			originalData[k] = append([]byte(nil), v...)
+		}
+		originalAnnotations := make(map[string]string)
+		for k, v := range secret.Annotations {
+			originalAnnotations[k] = v
+		}
+
+		// Compute hash
+		_, err := ComputeContentHash(secret)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Verify no mutation
+		assert.Equal(t, originalData, secret.Data, "secret data should not be mutated")
+		assert.Equal(t, originalAnnotations, secret.Annotations, "secret annotations should not be mutated")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("configmap is not mutated", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cm := &corev1.ConfigMap{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name:      "test-cm",
+				Namespace: "default",
+			},
+			Data: map[string]string{
+				"config.yaml": "key: value",
+			},
+			BinaryData: map[string][]byte{
+				"binary": {0x00, 0x01, 0x02},
+			},
+		}
+
+		// Copy for comparison
+		originalData := make(map[string]string)
+		for k, v := range cm.Data {
+			originalData[k] = v
+		}
+		originalBinaryData := make(map[string][]byte)
+		for k, v := range cm.BinaryData {
+			originalBinaryData[k] = append([]byte(nil), v...)
+		}
+
+		// Compute hash
+		_, err := ComputeContentHash(cm)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Verify no mutation
+		assert.Equal(t, originalData, cm.Data, "configmap data should not be mutated")
+		assert.Equal(t, originalBinaryData, cm.BinaryData, "configmap binary data should not be mutated")
+	})
+}
+
 // Benchmark tests
 func BenchmarkComputeContentHash_Secret(b *testing.B) {
 	secret := &corev1.Secret{

pkg/transformer/transformer_test.go

@@ -15,13 +15,13 @@ import (
 
 func TestTransformer_Transform(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		name     string
-		source   runtime.Object
 		ctx      TransformContext
+		source   runtime.Object
+		validate func(t *testing.T, result runtime.Object)
+		name     string
+		errMsg   string
 		options  TransformOptions
 		wantErr  bool
-		errMsg   string
-		validate func(t *testing.T, result runtime.Object)
 	}{
 		// Good cases - Value rules
 		{
@@ -566,12 +566,12 @@ func TestParsePath(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestSetNestedField(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
-		name    string
-		obj     map[string]interface{}
-		path    []string
 		value   interface{}
-		wantErr bool
+		obj     map[string]interface{}
 		want    map[string]interface{}
+		name    string
+		path    []string
+		wantErr bool
 	}{
 		{
 			name:    "set top-level field",

pkg/transformer/types.go

@@ -13,46 +13,22 @@ type TransformRules struct {
 
 // Rule represents a single transformation rule.
 type Rule struct {
-	// Path is the JSONPath to the field to transform (e.g., "data.LOG_LEVEL", "metadata.labels.env")
-	Path string `yaml:"path"`
-
-	// Value sets a static value (mutually exclusive with Template, Merge, Delete)
 	Value            *string                `yaml:"value,omitempty"`
-
-	// Template uses Go templates to generate the value (mutually exclusive with Value, Merge, Delete)
 	Template         *string                `yaml:"template,omitempty"`
-
-	// Merge merges a map into the target field (mutually exclusive with Value, Template, Delete)
 	Merge            map[string]interface{} `yaml:"merge,omitempty"`
-
-	// Delete removes the field (mutually exclusive with Value, Template, Merge)
-	Delete bool `yaml:"delete,omitempty"`
-
-	// NamespacePattern is an optional glob pattern that limits this rule to specific target namespaces
-	// Examples: "prod-*", "*-staging", "preprod-*"
-	// If not specified, the rule applies to all namespaces
 	NamespacePattern *string                `yaml:"namespacePattern,omitempty"`
+	Path             string                 `yaml:"path"`
+	Delete           bool                   `yaml:"delete,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // TransformContext provides context variables for template evaluation.
 type TransformContext struct {
-	// TargetNamespace is the namespace where the mirror is being created
-	TargetNamespace string
-
-	// SourceNamespace is the namespace of the source resource
-	SourceNamespace string
-
-	// SourceName is the name of the source resource
-	SourceName string
-
-	// TargetName is the name of the target resource (usually same as source)
-	TargetName string
-
-	// Labels is a copy of the source resource's labels
 	Labels          map[string]string
-
-	// Annotations is a copy of the source resource's annotations
 	Annotations     map[string]string
+	TargetNamespace string
+	SourceNamespace string
+	SourceName      string
+	TargetName      string
 }
 
 // TransformOptions configures the transformation behavior.

pkg/transformer/types_test.go

@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ import (
 func TestRule_Validate(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name    string
+		errMsg  string
 		rule    Rule
 		wantErr bool
-		errMsg  string
 	}{
 		// Good cases
 		{
@@ -191,8 +191,8 @@ func TestRule_Type(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRuleType_String(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name     string
-		ruleType RuleType
 		want     string
+		ruleType RuleType
 	}{
 		{name: "value", ruleType: RuleTypeValue, want: "value"},
 		{name: "template", ruleType: RuleTypeTemplate, want: "template"},