diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/EventSourceInitializer.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/EventSourceInitializer.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e7500b9e47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/EventSourceInitializer.java
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.CustomResource;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.EventSourceManager;
+
+public interface EventSourceInitializer<T extends CustomResource<?, ?>> {
+
+  /**
+   * In this typically you might want to register event sources. But can access
+   * CustomResourceEventSource, what might be handy for some edge cases.
+   * 
+   * @param eventSourceManager the {@link EventSourceManager} where event sources can be registered.
+   */
+  void prepareEventSources(EventSourceManager<T> eventSourceManager);
+
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/ResourceController.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/ResourceController.java
index 5779cc4eb9..817cb554fc 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/ResourceController.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/ResourceController.java
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api;
 
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.CustomResource;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.EventSourceManager;
 
 public interface ResourceController<R extends CustomResource> {
 
@@ -49,11 +48,4 @@ default DeleteControl deleteResource(R resource, Context<R> context) {
    */
   UpdateControl<R> createOrUpdateResource(R resource, Context<R> context);
 
-  /**
-   * In init typically you might want to register event sources.
-   *
-   * @param eventSourceManager the {@link EventSourceManager} which handles this controller and with
-   *        which event sources can be registered
-   */
-  default void init(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {}
 }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/ConfiguredController.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/ConfiguredController.java
index 3ce90ebb67..dd2c74354e 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/ConfiguredController.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/ConfiguredController.java
@@ -14,20 +14,17 @@
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.Metrics.ControllerExecution;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.MissingCRDException;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.OperatorException;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.Context;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.DeleteControl;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.ResourceController;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.UpdateControl;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.*;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.ControllerConfiguration;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.DefaultEventSourceManager;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.EventSourceManager;
 
 public class ConfiguredController<R extends CustomResource<?, ?>> implements ResourceController<R>,
-    Closeable {
+    Closeable, EventSourceInitializer {
   private final ResourceController<R> controller;
   private final ControllerConfiguration<R> configuration;
   private final KubernetesClient kubernetesClient;
-  private EventSourceManager eventSourceManager;
+  private DefaultEventSourceManager eventSourceManager;
 
   public ConfiguredController(ResourceController<R> controller,
       ControllerConfiguration<R> configuration,
@@ -97,7 +94,7 @@ public UpdateControl<R> execute() {
   }
 
   @Override
-  public void init(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {
+  public void prepareEventSources(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {
     throw new UnsupportedOperationException("This method should never be called directly");
   }
 
@@ -169,7 +166,9 @@ public void start() throws OperatorException {
 
     try {
       eventSourceManager = new DefaultEventSourceManager<>(this);
-      controller.init(eventSourceManager);
+      if (controller instanceof EventSourceInitializer) {
+        ((EventSourceInitializer) controller).prepareEventSources(eventSourceManager);
+      }
     } catch (MissingCRDException e) {
       throwMissingCRDException(crdName, specVersion, controllerName);
     }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/DefaultEventSourceManager.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/DefaultEventSourceManager.java
index d72bd6ec7e..c3ab127a50 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/DefaultEventSourceManager.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/DefaultEventSourceManager.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event;
 
+import java.io.Closeable;
 import java.util.*;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;
 
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.internal.TimerEventSource;
 
 public class DefaultEventSourceManager<R extends CustomResource<?, ?>>
-    implements EventSourceManager {
+    implements EventSourceManager<R>, Closeable {
 
   private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(DefaultEventSourceManager.class);
 
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/EventSourceManager.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/EventSourceManager.java
index 7e049e7c51..e06ab2e3d1 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/EventSourceManager.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/EventSourceManager.java
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event;
 
-import java.io.Closeable;
-import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Set;
 
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.CustomResource;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.OperatorException;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.internal.CustomResourceEventSource;
 
-public interface EventSourceManager<T extends CustomResource<?, ?>> extends Closeable {
+public interface EventSourceManager<T extends CustomResource<?, ?>> {
 
   /**
    * Add the {@link EventSource} identified by the given <code>name</code> to the event manager.
@@ -25,6 +23,4 @@ void registerEventSource(EventSource eventSource)
 
   CustomResourceEventSource<T> getCustomResourceEventSource();
 
-  @Override
-  default void close() throws IOException {}
 }
diff --git a/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/event/EventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java b/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/event/EventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java
index 33e590f75f..caa5ad9fda 100644
--- a/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/event/EventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java
+++ b/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/event/EventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java
@@ -7,17 +7,15 @@
 
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.CustomResource;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.ControllerUtils;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.Context;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.Controller;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.ResourceController;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.UpdateControl;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.*;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.EventSourceManager;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.internal.TimerEventSource;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.support.TestExecutionInfoProvider;
 
 @Controller
 public class EventSourceTestCustomResourceController
-    implements ResourceController<EventSourceTestCustomResource>, TestExecutionInfoProvider {
+    implements ResourceController<EventSourceTestCustomResource>, EventSourceInitializer,
+    TestExecutionInfoProvider {
 
   public static final String FINALIZER_NAME =
       ControllerUtils.getDefaultFinalizerName(
@@ -31,7 +29,7 @@ public class EventSourceTestCustomResourceController
       new TimerEventSource<>();
 
   @Override
-  public void init(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {
+  public void prepareEventSources(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {
     eventSourceManager.registerEventSource(timerEventSource);
   }
 
diff --git a/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/informereventsource/InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java b/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/informereventsource/InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java
index a2284adfa1..772c93cac3 100644
--- a/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/informereventsource/InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java
+++ b/operator-framework/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/sample/informereventsource/InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController.java
@@ -5,10 +5,7 @@
 
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.ConfigMap;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.KubernetesClient;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.Context;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.Controller;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.ResourceController;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.UpdateControl;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.*;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.junit.KubernetesClientAware;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.EventSourceManager;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.internal.InformerEventSource;
@@ -22,7 +19,8 @@
  */
 @Controller(finalizerName = NO_FINALIZER)
 public class InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController implements
-    ResourceController<InformerEventSourceTestCustomResource>, KubernetesClientAware {
+    ResourceController<InformerEventSourceTestCustomResource>, KubernetesClientAware,
+    EventSourceInitializer {
 
   private static final Logger LOGGER =
       LoggerFactory.getLogger(InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController.class);
@@ -34,7 +32,7 @@ public class InformerEventSourceTestCustomResourceController implements
   private InformerEventSource<ConfigMap> eventSource;
 
   @Override
-  public void init(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {
+  public void prepareEventSources(EventSourceManager eventSourceManager) {
     eventSource = new InformerEventSource<>(kubernetesClient, ConfigMap.class,
         Mappers.fromAnnotation(RELATED_RESOURCE_UID));
     eventSourceManager.registerEventSource(eventSource);