diff --git a/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_app.ts b/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_app.ts
index ba4cef3989..1ae6887c8f 100644
--- a/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_app.ts
+++ b/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_app.ts
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@ export class KotsApp {
       return false;
     }
     const registryInfo = await stores.kotsAppStore.getAppRegistryDetails(this.id);
-    const rendered = await kotsRenderFile(this, stores, tmpl, registryInfo);
+    const rendered = await kotsRenderFile(this, this.currentSequence!, tmpl, registryInfo);
     const backup = yaml.safeLoad(rendered);
     const annotations = _.get(backup, "metadata.annotations") as any;
     if (!_.isPlainObject(annotations)) {
diff --git a/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_ffi.ts b/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_ffi.ts
index 6b5ca29979..61a8c06899 100644
--- a/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_ffi.ts
+++ b/kotsadm/api/src/kots_app/kots_ffi.ts
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ export async function kotsAppDownloadUpdateFromAirgap(airgapFile: string, app: K
   }
 }
 
-export async function kotsRenderFile(app: KotsApp, stores: Stores, input: string, registryInfo: KotsAppRegistryDetails): Promise<string> {
+export async function kotsRenderFile(app: KotsApp, sequence: number, input: string, registryInfo: KotsAppRegistryDetails): Promise<string> {
   const filename = tmp.tmpNameSync();
   fs.writeFileSync(filename, input);
 
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ export async function kotsRenderFile(app: KotsApp, stores: Stores, input: string
   const archive = path.join(tmpDir.name, "archive.tar.gz");
 
   try {
-    fs.writeFileSync(archive, await app.getArchive("" + (app.currentSequence!)));
+    fs.writeFileSync(archive, await app.getArchive("" + sequence));
 
     const statusServer = new StatusServer();
     await statusServer.start(tmpDir.name);
diff --git a/kotsadm/api/src/snapshots/backup.ts b/kotsadm/api/src/snapshots/backup.ts
index 3c53bf730c..251212d83e 100644
--- a/kotsadm/api/src/snapshots/backup.ts
+++ b/kotsadm/api/src/snapshots/backup.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ export async function backup(stores: Stores, appId: string, scheduled: boolean):
   }
 
   const tmpl = await stores.snapshotsStore.getKotsBackupSpec(appId, deployedVersion.sequence);
-  const rendered = await kotsRenderFile(app, stores, tmpl, registryInfo);
+  const rendered = await kotsRenderFile(app, app.currentSequence!, tmpl, registryInfo);
   const base = yaml.safeLoad(rendered) as Backup;
   const spec = (base && base.spec) || {};
 
diff --git a/kotsadm/api/src/sockets/kots/DeploySocket.ts b/kotsadm/api/src/sockets/kots/DeploySocket.ts
index f2284906aa..8cfa54b75b 100644
--- a/kotsadm/api/src/sockets/kots/DeploySocket.ts
+++ b/kotsadm/api/src/sockets/kots/DeploySocket.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import { IO, Nsp, SocketService, SocketSession, Socket } from "@tsed/socketio";
 import { getPostgresPool } from "../../util/persistence/db";
 import { KotsAppStore, UndeployStatus } from "../../kots_app/kots_app_store";
 import { KotsAppStatusStore } from "../../kots_app/kots_app_status_store";
-import { State, KotsApp } from "../../kots_app";
+import { State, KotsApp, kotsRenderFile } from "../../kots_app";
 import { Params } from "../../server/params";
 import { ClusterStore, Cluster } from "../../cluster";
 import { PreflightStore } from "../../preflight/preflight_store";
@@ -302,9 +302,18 @@ export class KotsDeploySocketService {
             try {
               const kotsAppSpec = await app.getKotsAppSpec(cluster.id, this.kotsAppStore)
               if (kotsAppSpec && kotsAppSpec.statusInformers) {
+                // render status informers
+                const registryInfo = await this.kotsAppStore.getAppRegistryDetails(app.id);
+                const renderedInformers: string[] = [];
+                for (let i = 0; i < kotsAppSpec.statusInformers.length; i++) {
+                  const informer = kotsAppSpec.statusInformers[i];
+                  const rendered = await kotsRenderFile(app, deployedAppSequence, informer, registryInfo);
+                  renderedInformers.push(rendered);
+                }
+                // send to kots operator
                 this.io.in(clusterSocketHistory.clusterId).emit("appInformers", {
                   app_id: app.id,
-                  informers: kotsAppSpec.statusInformers,
+                  informers: renderedInformers,
                 });
               } else {
                 // no informers, set state to ready
diff --git a/kotsadm/operator/pkg/client/client.go b/kotsadm/operator/pkg/client/client.go
index fa7a0ec26c..847281b646 100644
--- a/kotsadm/operator/pkg/client/client.go
+++ b/kotsadm/operator/pkg/client/client.go
@@ -302,9 +302,7 @@ func (c *Client) registerHandlers(socketClient *socket.Client) error {
 
 	err = socketClient.On("appInformers", func(h *socket.Channel, args InformRequest) {
 		log.Printf("received an inform event: %#v", args)
-		if err := c.applyAppInformers(args.AppID, args.Informers); err != nil {
-			log.Printf("error running informer: %s", err.Error())
-		}
+		c.applyAppInformers(args.AppID, args.Informers)
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to add inform handler")
@@ -414,17 +412,22 @@ func runPreflight(preflightURI string, ignorePermissions bool) error {
 	return kubernetesApplier.Preflight(preflightURI, ignorePermissions)
 }
 
-func (c *Client) applyAppInformers(appID string, informerStrings []types.StatusInformerString) error {
+func (c *Client) applyAppInformers(appID string, informerStrings []types.StatusInformerString) {
 	var informers []types.StatusInformer
 	for _, str := range informerStrings {
+		if str == "" {
+			continue
+		}
 		informer, err := str.Parse()
 		if err != nil {
-			return errors.Wrapf(err, "failed to parse informer %s", str)
+			log.Printf(fmt.Sprintf("failed to parse informer %s: %s", str, err.Error()))
+			continue // don't stop
 		}
 		informers = append(informers, informer)
 	}
-	c.appStateMonitor.Apply(appID, informers)
-	return nil
+	if len(informers) > 0 {
+		c.appStateMonitor.Apply(appID, informers)
+	}
 }
 
 func (c *Client) sendAppStatus(appStatus types.AppStatus) error {