diff --git a/pkg/runtime/backend.go b/pkg/runtime/backend.go
index a086b9f..6e9c38b 100644
--- a/pkg/runtime/backend.go
+++ b/pkg/runtime/backend.go
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
-	"sync/atomic"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/acorn-io/baaah/pkg/backend"
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ type Backend struct {
 
 	cacheFactory SharedControllerFactory
 	cache        cache.Cache
-	started      atomic.Bool
+	startedLock  *sync.RWMutex
+	started      bool
 }
 
 func newBackend(cacheFactory SharedControllerFactory, client *cacheClient, cache cache.Cache) *Backend {
@@ -32,13 +33,16 @@ func newBackend(cacheFactory SharedControllerFactory, client *cacheClient, cache
 		cacheClient:  client,
 		cacheFactory: cacheFactory,
 		cache:        cache,
+		startedLock:  new(sync.RWMutex),
 	}
 }
 
 func (b *Backend) Start(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
+	b.startedLock.Lock()
+	defer b.startedLock.Unlock()
 	defer func() {
 		if err == nil {
-			b.started.Store(true)
+			b.started = true
 		}
 	}()
 	if err := b.cacheFactory.Start(ctx, 5); err != nil {
@@ -47,9 +51,10 @@ func (b *Backend) Start(ctx context.Context) (err error) {
 	if !b.cache.WaitForCacheSync(ctx) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to wait for caches to sync")
 	}
-	if !b.started.Load() {
+	if !b.started {
 		b.cacheClient.startPurge(ctx)
 	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -89,7 +94,7 @@ func (b *Backend) addIndexer(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersionKind) e
 	indexers := map[string]kcache.IndexFunc{}
 	for _, field := range f.FieldNames() {
 		field := field
-		indexers["field:"+field] = kcache.IndexFunc(func(obj interface{}) ([]string, error) {
+		indexers["field:"+field] = func(obj interface{}) ([]string, error) {
 			f, ok := obj.(fields.Fields)
 			if !ok {
 				return nil, nil
@@ -103,7 +108,7 @@ func (b *Backend) addIndexer(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersionKind) e
 				vals = append(vals, keyFunc(ko.GetNamespace(), v))
 			}
 			return vals, nil
-		})
+		}
 	}
 	return cache.AddIndexers(indexers)
 }
@@ -121,7 +126,7 @@ func (b *Backend) Watch(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersionKind, name s
 	})
 	c.RegisterHandler(ctx, fmt.Sprintf("%s %v", name, gvk), handler)
 
-	if b.started.Load() {
+	if b.hasStarted() {
 		return c.Start(ctx, 5)
 	}
 	return nil
@@ -146,3 +151,9 @@ func (b *Backend) GetInformerForKind(ctx context.Context, gvk schema.GroupVersio
 	}
 	return i.(kcache.SharedIndexInformer), nil
 }
+
+func (b *Backend) hasStarted() bool {
+	b.startedLock.RLock()
+	defer b.startedLock.RUnlock()
+	return b.started
+}