# Kubernetes v1.36: Staleness Mitigation and Observability for Controllers

DevFeed: [Kubernetes v1.36: Staleness Mitigation and Observability for Controllers](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/kubernetes-v1-36-staleness-mitigation-and-observability-for-controllers-4541.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/04/28/kubernetes-v1-36-staleness-mitigation-for-controllers/>)

Author: Use

Published: 2026-04-28T18:35:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Kubernetes Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/kubernetes-blog.md>)

Topics: [Kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/kubernetes.md>), [Cache](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cache.md>), [observability](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/observability.md>), [API](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/api.md>), [Caching](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/caching.md>)

Tags: [api](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/api.md>), [cache](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cache.md>), [kubernetes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/kubernetes.md>), [observability](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/observability.md>), [update](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/update.md>)

## AI overview

Kubernetes v1.36 introduces improvements intended to mitigate staleness in controllers and improve observability into controller behavior. The article explains how outdated local caches arise and describes atomic FIFO processing in client-go.

## Source excerpt

Staleness in Kubernetes controllers is a problem that affects many controllers, and is something may affect controller behavior in subtle ways. It is usually not until it is too late, when a controller in production has already taken incorrect action, that staleness is found to be an issue due to some underlying assumption made by the controller author. Some issues caused by staleness include controllers taking incorrect actions, controllers not taking action when they should, and controllers taking too long to take action. I am excited to announce that Kubernetes v1.36 includes new features that help mitigate staleness in controllers and provide better observability into controller behavior. What is staleness? Staleness in controllers comes from an outdated view of the world inside of the controller cache. In order to provide a fast user experience, controllers typically maintain a local cache of the state of the cluster. This cache is populated by watching the Kubernetes API server for changes to objects that the controller cares about. When the controller needs to take action, it will first check its cache to see if it has the latest information. If it does not, it will then update its cache by watching the API server for changes to objects that the controller cares about. This process is known as reconciliation. However, there are some cases where the controller's cache may be outdated. For example, if the controller is restarted, it will need to rebuild its cache by watching the API server for changes to objects that the controller cares about. During this time, the controller's cache will be outdated, and it will not be able to take action. Additionally, if the API server is down, the controller's cache will not be updated, and it will not be able to take action. These are just a few examples of cases where the controller's cache may be outdated. Improvements in 1.36 Kubernetes v1.36 includes improvements in both client-go as well as implementations of highly