diff --git a/config_test.go b/config_test.go
index 7c592bdf..2d5f79bc 100644
--- a/config_test.go
+++ b/config_test.go
@@ -112,7 +112,8 @@ var testingIpfsCfg = []byte(`{
     "node_multiaddress": "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/5001",
     "connect_swarms_delay": "7s",
     "pin_timeout": "30s",
-    "unpin_timeout": "15s"
+    "unpin_timeout": "15s",
+    "informer_trigger_interval": 10
 }`)
 
 var testingTrackerCfg = []byte(`
diff --git a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go
index 76aa78a7..757722c5 100644
--- a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go
+++ b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config.go
@@ -18,13 +18,14 @@ const envConfigKey = "cluster_ipfshttp"
 
 // Default values for Config.
 const (
-	DefaultNodeAddr           = "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/5001"
-	DefaultConnectSwarmsDelay = 30 * time.Second
-	DefaultIPFSRequestTimeout = 5 * time.Minute
-	DefaultPinTimeout         = 2 * time.Minute
-	DefaultUnpinTimeout       = 3 * time.Hour
-	DefaultRepoGCTimeout      = 24 * time.Hour
-	DefaultUnpinDisable       = false
+	DefaultNodeAddr                = "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/5001"
+	DefaultConnectSwarmsDelay      = 30 * time.Second
+	DefaultIPFSRequestTimeout      = 5 * time.Minute
+	DefaultPinTimeout              = 2 * time.Minute
+	DefaultUnpinTimeout            = 3 * time.Hour
+	DefaultRepoGCTimeout           = 24 * time.Hour
+	DefaultInformerTriggerInterval = 0 // disabled
+	DefaultUnpinDisable            = false
 )
 
 // Config is used to initialize a Connector and allows to customize
@@ -51,6 +52,11 @@ type Config struct {
 
 	// RepoGC Operation timeout
 	RepoGCTimeout time.Duration
+
+	// How many pin and block/put operations need to happen before we do a
+	// special broadcast informer metrics to the network. 0 to disable.
+	InformerTriggerInterval int
+
 	// Disables the unpin operation and returns an error.
 	UnpinDisable bool
 
@@ -59,13 +65,14 @@ type Config struct {
 }
 
 type jsonConfig struct {
-	NodeMultiaddress   string `json:"node_multiaddress"`
-	ConnectSwarmsDelay string `json:"connect_swarms_delay"`
-	IPFSRequestTimeout string `json:"ipfs_request_timeout"`
-	PinTimeout         string `json:"pin_timeout"`
-	UnpinTimeout       string `json:"unpin_timeout"`
-	RepoGCTimeout      string `json:"repogc_timeout"`
-	UnpinDisable       bool   `json:"unpin_disable,omitempty"`
+	NodeMultiaddress        string `json:"node_multiaddress"`
+	ConnectSwarmsDelay      string `json:"connect_swarms_delay"`
+	IPFSRequestTimeout      string `json:"ipfs_request_timeout"`
+	PinTimeout              string `json:"pin_timeout"`
+	UnpinTimeout            string `json:"unpin_timeout"`
+	RepoGCTimeout           string `json:"repogc_timeout"`
+	InformerTriggerInterval int    `json:"informer_trigger_interval"`
+	UnpinDisable            bool   `json:"unpin_disable,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // ConfigKey provides a human-friendly identifier for this type of Config.
@@ -82,6 +89,7 @@ func (cfg *Config) Default() error {
 	cfg.PinTimeout = DefaultPinTimeout
 	cfg.UnpinTimeout = DefaultUnpinTimeout
 	cfg.RepoGCTimeout = DefaultRepoGCTimeout
+	cfg.InformerTriggerInterval = DefaultInformerTriggerInterval
 	cfg.UnpinDisable = DefaultUnpinDisable
 
 	return nil
@@ -130,6 +138,9 @@ func (cfg *Config) Validate() error {
 	if cfg.RepoGCTimeout < 0 {
 		err = errors.New("ipfshttp.repogc_timeout invalid")
 	}
+	if cfg.InformerTriggerInterval < 0 {
+		err = errors.New("ipfshttp.update_metrics_after")
+	}
 
 	return err
 
@@ -157,6 +168,7 @@ func (cfg *Config) applyJSONConfig(jcfg *jsonConfig) error {
 
 	cfg.NodeAddr = nodeAddr
 	cfg.UnpinDisable = jcfg.UnpinDisable
+	cfg.InformerTriggerInterval = jcfg.InformerTriggerInterval
 
 	err = config.ParseDurations(
 		"ipfshttp",
@@ -201,6 +213,7 @@ func (cfg *Config) toJSONConfig() (jcfg *jsonConfig, err error) {
 	jcfg.PinTimeout = cfg.PinTimeout.String()
 	jcfg.UnpinTimeout = cfg.UnpinTimeout.String()
 	jcfg.RepoGCTimeout = cfg.RepoGCTimeout.String()
+	jcfg.InformerTriggerInterval = cfg.InformerTriggerInterval
 	jcfg.UnpinDisable = cfg.UnpinDisable
 
 	return
diff --git a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config_test.go b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config_test.go
index 8e1038dc..87e1258a 100644
--- a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config_test.go
+++ b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/config_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ var cfgJSON = []byte(`
 	"ipfs_request_timeout": "5m0s",
 	"pin_timeout": "2m",
 	"unpin_timeout": "3h",
-	"repogc_timeout": "24h"
+	"repogc_timeout": "24h",
+	"informer_trigger_interval": 10
 }
 `)
 
@@ -27,6 +28,11 @@ func TestLoadJSON(t *testing.T) {
 
 	j := &jsonConfig{}
 	json.Unmarshal(cfgJSON, j)
+
+	if cfg.InformerTriggerInterval != 10 {
+		t.Error("missing value")
+	}
+
 	j.NodeMultiaddress = "abc"
 	tst, _ := json.Marshal(j)
 	err = cfg.LoadJSON(tst)
diff --git a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp.go b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp.go
index 817f5a57..53a44b8e 100644
--- a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp.go
+++ b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ipfs/ipfs-cluster/api"
@@ -41,11 +42,6 @@ var DNSTimeout = 5 * time.Second
 
 var logger = logging.Logger("ipfshttp")
 
-// updateMetricsMod only makes updates to informer metrics
-// on the nth occasion. So, for example, for every BlockPut,
-// only the 10th will trigger a SendInformerMetrics call.
-var updateMetricMod = 10
-
 // Connector implements the IPFSConnector interface
 // and provides a component which  is used to perform
 // on-demand requests against the configured IPFS daemom
@@ -62,8 +58,7 @@ type Connector struct {
 
 	client *http.Client // client to ipfs daemon
 
-	updateMetricMutex sync.Mutex
-	updateMetricCount int
+	updateMetricCount uint64
 
 	shutdownLock sync.Mutex
 	shutdown     bool
@@ -970,11 +965,12 @@ func (ipfs *Connector) BlockGet(ctx context.Context, c cid.Cid) ([]byte, error)
 // Returns true every updateMetricsMod-th time that we
 // call this function.
 func (ipfs *Connector) shouldUpdateMetric() bool {
-	ipfs.updateMetricMutex.Lock()
-	defer ipfs.updateMetricMutex.Unlock()
-	ipfs.updateMetricCount++
-	if ipfs.updateMetricCount%updateMetricMod == 0 {
-		ipfs.updateMetricCount = 0
+	if ipfs.config.InformerTriggerInterval <= 0 {
+		return false
+	}
+	curCount := atomic.AddUint64(&ipfs.updateMetricCount, 1)
+	if curCount%uint64(ipfs.config.InformerTriggerInterval) == 0 {
+		atomic.StoreUint64(&ipfs.updateMetricCount, 0)
 		return true
 	}
 	return false
diff --git a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp_test.go b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp_test.go
index f6a52317..21bcba57 100644
--- a/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp_test.go
+++ b/ipfsconn/ipfshttp/ipfshttp_test.go
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ func testIPFSConnector(t *testing.T) (*Connector, *test.IpfsMock) {
 	cfg.Default()
 	cfg.NodeAddr = nodeMAddr
 	cfg.ConnectSwarmsDelay = 0
+	cfg.InformerTriggerInterval = 10
 
 	ipfs, err := NewConnector(cfg)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/rpc_api.go b/rpc_api.go
index ff880398..6a78922a 100644
--- a/rpc_api.go
+++ b/rpc_api.go
@@ -407,11 +407,7 @@ func (rpcapi *ClusterRPCAPI) RepoGCLocal(ctx context.Context, in struct{}, out *
 
 // SendInformerMetric runs Cluster.sendInformerMetric().
 func (rpcapi *ClusterRPCAPI) SendInformerMetrics(ctx context.Context, in struct{}, out *struct{}) error {
-	_, err := rpcapi.c.sendInformerMetrics(ctx, rpcapi.c.informers[0])
-	if err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	return nil
+	return rpcapi.c.sendInformersMetrics(ctx)
 }
 
 // SendInformersMetrics runs Cluster.sendInformerMetric() on all informers.