diff --git a/pkg/deploy/controller.go b/pkg/deploy/controller.go
index 6061c92cc2..e6c7e4da21 100644
--- a/pkg/deploy/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/deploy/controller.go
@@ -35,14 +35,13 @@ const (
 	startKey = "_start_"
 )
 
-func WatchFiles(ctx context.Context, skips []string, bases ...string) error {
+func WatchFiles(ctx context.Context, bases ...string) error {
 	server := norman.GetServer(ctx)
 	addons := v1.ClientsFrom(ctx).Addon
 
 	w := &watcher{
 		addonCache: addons.Cache(),
 		addons:     addons,
-		skips:      skips,
 		bases:      bases,
 		restConfig: *server.Runtime.LocalConfig,
 		discovery:  server.K8sClient.Discovery(),
@@ -64,7 +63,6 @@ type watcher struct {
 	addonCache v1.AddonClientCache
 	addons     v1.AddonClient
 	bases      []string
-	skips      []string
 	restConfig rest.Config
 	discovery  discovery.DiscoveryInterface
 	clients    map[schema.GroupVersionKind]*objectclient.ObjectClient
@@ -107,9 +105,6 @@ func (w *watcher) listFilesIn(base string, force bool) error {
 	}
 
 	skips := map[string]bool{}
-	for _, skip := range w.skips {
-		skips[skip] = true
-	}
 	for _, file := range files {
 		if strings.HasSuffix(file.Name(), ".skip") {
 			skips[strings.TrimSuffix(file.Name(), ".skip")] = true
diff --git a/pkg/deploy/stage.go b/pkg/deploy/stage.go
index 3feb1a9428..dc625090aa 100644
--- a/pkg/deploy/stage.go
+++ b/pkg/deploy/stage.go
@@ -9,10 +9,18 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 )
 
-func Stage(dataDir string, templateVars map[string]string) error {
+func Stage(dataDir string, templateVars map[string]string, skipList []string) error {
 	os.MkdirAll(dataDir, 0700)
 
+	skips := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, skip := range skipList {
+		skips[skip] = true
+	}
+
 	for _, name := range AssetNames() {
+		if skips[name] {
+			continue
+		}
 		content, err := Asset(name)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
diff --git a/pkg/server/server.go b/pkg/server/server.go
index 84106ab7ed..0f893fb89f 100644
--- a/pkg/server/server.go
+++ b/pkg/server/server.go
@@ -126,10 +126,10 @@ func startNorman(ctx context.Context, config *Config) (string, error) {
 			func(ctx context.Context) error {
 				dataDir := filepath.Join(controlConfig.DataDir, "manifests")
 				templateVars := map[string]string{"%{CLUSTER_DNS}%": controlConfig.ClusterDNS.String()}
-				if err := deploy.Stage(dataDir, templateVars); err != nil {
+				if err := deploy.Stage(dataDir, templateVars, controlConfig.Skips); err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
-				if err := deploy.WatchFiles(ctx, controlConfig.Skips, dataDir); err != nil {
+				if err := deploy.WatchFiles(ctx, dataDir); err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
 				return nil