diff --git a/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/workspace_types.go b/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/workspace_types.go
index 9dc957d68ed66d..a4ec155453429c 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/workspace_types.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/workspace_types.go
@@ -171,6 +171,8 @@ type WorkspaceStatus struct {
 
 	// +kubebuilder:validation:Optional
 	Runtime *WorkspaceRuntimeStatus `json:"runtime,omitempty"`
+
+	LastActivity *metav1.Time `json:"lastActivity,omitempty"`
 }
 
 func (s *WorkspaceStatus) SetCondition(cond metav1.Condition) {
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index dbbe95b7297628..d3280f1139c53a 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-api/go/crd/v1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -428,6 +428,10 @@ func (in *WorkspaceStatus) DeepCopyInto(out *WorkspaceStatus) {
 		*out = new(WorkspaceRuntimeStatus)
 		**out = **in
 	}
+	if in.LastActivity != nil {
+		in, out := &in.LastActivity, &out.LastActivity
+		*out = (*in).DeepCopy()
+	}
 }
 
 // DeepCopy is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, creating a new WorkspaceStatus.
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/cmd/sample-workspace/main.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/cmd/sample-workspace/main.go
index 228869ba8281bf..845d702b754a24 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/cmd/sample-workspace/main.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/cmd/sample-workspace/main.go
@@ -10,10 +10,11 @@ import (
 	"log"
 	"time"
 
-	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/utils/pointer"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/yaml"
+
+	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 )
 
 func main() {
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/crd/bases/workspace.gitpod.io_workspaces.yaml b/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/crd/bases/workspace.gitpod.io_workspaces.yaml
index 8d4ffdddae0119..2138a11b23fb97 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/crd/bases/workspace.gitpod.io_workspaces.yaml
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/crd/bases/workspace.gitpod.io_workspaces.yaml
@@ -522,6 +522,9 @@ spec:
                       type: string
                     type: array
                 type: object
+              lastActivity:
+                format: date-time
+                type: string
               ownerToken:
                 type: string
               phase:
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/manager/manager.yaml b/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/manager/manager.yaml
index d69189ccb79980..ba50abe568ed21 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/manager/manager.yaml
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/config/manager/manager.yaml
@@ -33,8 +33,6 @@ spec:
       containers:
       - command:
         - /manager
-        args:
-        - --leader-elect
         image: controller:latest
         name: manager
         securityContext:
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/maintenance_controller.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/maintenance_controller.go
index c33f50516bb71a..0754baca12e5e1 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/maintenance_controller.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/maintenance_controller.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"os"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -17,7 +18,12 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/event"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/handler"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/predicate"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/source"
 )
 
 var (
@@ -106,9 +112,46 @@ func (r *MaintenanceReconciler) setEnabledUntil(ctx context.Context, enabledUnti
 	log.FromContext(ctx).Info("maintenance mode state change", "enabledUntil", enabledUntil)
 }
 
-func (r *MaintenanceReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
-	return ctrl.NewControllerManagedBy(mgr).
-		Named("maintenance").
-		For(&corev1.ConfigMap{}).
-		Complete(r)
+func (r *MaintenanceReconciler) SetupWithManager(ctx context.Context, mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
+	// We need to use an unmanaged controller to avoid issues when the pod is in standby mode.
+	// In that scenario, the controllers are not started and don't watch changes and only
+	// observe the maintenance mode during the initialization.
+	c, err := controller.NewUnmanaged("maintenance-controller", mgr, controller.Options{Reconciler: r})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	go func() {
+		err = c.Start(ctx)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.FromContext(ctx).Error(err, "cannot start maintenance reconciler")
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	return c.Watch(source.Kind(mgr.GetCache(), &corev1.ConfigMap{}), &handler.EnqueueRequestForObject{}, &filterConfigMap{})
+}
+
+type filterConfigMap struct {
+	predicate.Funcs
+}
+
+func (f filterConfigMap) Create(e event.CreateEvent) bool {
+	return f.filter(e.Object)
+}
+
+func (f filterConfigMap) Update(e event.UpdateEvent) bool {
+	return f.filter(e.ObjectNew)
+}
+
+func (f filterConfigMap) Generic(e event.GenericEvent) bool {
+	return f.filter(e.Object)
+}
+
+func (f filterConfigMap) filter(obj client.Object) bool {
+	if obj == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+
+	return obj.GetName() == configMapKey.Name && obj.GetNamespace() == configMapKey.Namespace
 }
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/subscriber_controller.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/subscriber_controller.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..5c98242eb14f03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/subscriber_controller.go
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2022 Gitpod GmbH. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).
+// See License-AGPL.txt in the project root for license information.
+
+package controllers
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"os"
+
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/handler"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/source"
+
+	config "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/config"
+	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
+)
+
+func NewSubscriberReconciler(c client.Client, cfg *config.Configuration) (*SubscriberReconciler, error) {
+	reconciler := &SubscriberReconciler{
+		Client: c,
+		Config: cfg,
+	}
+
+	return reconciler, nil
+}
+
+type SubscriberReconciler struct {
+	client.Client
+
+	Config *config.Configuration
+
+	OnReconcile func(ctx context.Context, ws *workspacev1.Workspace)
+}
+
+func (r *SubscriberReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
+	log := log.FromContext(ctx)
+
+	var workspace workspacev1.Workspace
+	if err := r.Get(ctx, req.NamespacedName, &workspace); err != nil {
+		if !errors.IsNotFound(err) {
+			log.Error(err, "unable to fetch workspace")
+		}
+
+		return ctrl.Result{}, client.IgnoreNotFound(err)
+	}
+
+	if workspace.Status.Conditions == nil {
+		workspace.Status.Conditions = []metav1.Condition{}
+	}
+
+	if r.OnReconcile != nil {
+		r.OnReconcile(ctx, &workspace)
+	}
+
+	return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+}
+
+// SetupWithManager sets up the controller with the Manager.
+func (r *SubscriberReconciler) SetupWithManager(ctx context.Context, mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
+	c, err := controller.NewUnmanaged("subscribers-controller", mgr, controller.Options{Reconciler: r})
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	go func() {
+		err = c.Start(ctx)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.FromContext(ctx).Error(err, "cannot start Subscriber reconciler")
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	return c.Watch(source.Kind(mgr.GetCache(), &workspacev1.Workspace{}), &handler.EnqueueRequestForObject{})
+}
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/suite_test.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/suite_test.go
index e0bb3ec83ae76c..ea0569f43f0df4 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/suite_test.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/suite_test.go
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/metrics"
 
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/util"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/config"
 	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 	//+kubebuilder:scaffold:imports
@@ -50,10 +49,9 @@ func TestAPIs(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 var (
-	ctx        context.Context
-	cancel     context.CancelFunc
-	wsActivity *activity.WorkspaceActivity
-	wsMetrics  *controllerMetrics
+	ctx       context.Context
+	cancel    context.CancelFunc
+	wsMetrics *controllerMetrics
 )
 
 var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
@@ -111,8 +109,7 @@ var _ = BeforeSuite(func() {
 	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 	Expect(wsReconciler.SetupWithManager(k8sManager)).To(Succeed())
 
-	wsActivity = activity.NewWorkspaceActivity()
-	timeoutReconciler, err := NewTimeoutReconciler(k8sManager.GetClient(), k8sManager.GetEventRecorderFor("workspace"), conf, wsActivity, maintenance)
+	timeoutReconciler, err := NewTimeoutReconciler(k8sManager.GetClient(), k8sManager.GetEventRecorderFor("workspace"), conf, maintenance)
 	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 	Expect(timeoutReconciler.SetupWithManager(k8sManager)).To(Succeed())
 
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller.go
index 9ba9a9631fcf36..4c41bdbd2dfa1d 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller.go
@@ -20,13 +20,13 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/util"
-	wsactivity "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/maintenance"
 	config "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/config"
 	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 )
 
-func NewTimeoutReconciler(c client.Client, recorder record.EventRecorder, cfg config.Configuration, activity *wsactivity.WorkspaceActivity, maintenance maintenance.Maintenance) (*TimeoutReconciler, error) {
+func NewTimeoutReconciler(c client.Client, recorder record.EventRecorder, cfg config.Configuration, maintenance maintenance.Maintenance) (*TimeoutReconciler, error) {
 	if cfg.HeartbeatInterval == 0 {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid heartbeat interval, must not be 0")
 	}
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ func NewTimeoutReconciler(c client.Client, recorder record.EventRecorder, cfg co
 	return &TimeoutReconciler{
 		Client:            c,
 		Config:            cfg,
-		activity:          activity,
 		reconcileInterval: reconcileInterval,
 		recorder:          recorder,
 		maintenance:       maintenance,
@@ -53,7 +52,6 @@ type TimeoutReconciler struct {
 	client.Client
 
 	Config            config.Configuration
-	activity          *wsactivity.WorkspaceActivity
 	reconcileInterval time.Duration
 	recorder          record.EventRecorder
 	maintenance       maintenance.Maintenance
@@ -157,7 +155,7 @@ func (r *TimeoutReconciler) isWorkspaceTimedOut(ws *workspacev1.Workspace) (reas
 	}
 
 	start := ws.ObjectMeta.CreationTimestamp.Time
-	lastActivity := r.activity.GetLastActivity(ws)
+	lastActivity := activity.Last(ws)
 	isClosed := ws.IsConditionTrue(workspacev1.WorkspaceConditionClosed)
 
 	switch phase {
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller_test.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller_test.go
index a1093b096eb362..0aa6697f124f7e 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller_test.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/timeout_controller_test.go
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	wsk8s "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/kubernetes"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
 	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 			// Use a fake client instead of the envtest's k8s client, such that we can add objects
 			// with custom CreationTimestamps and check timeout logic.
 			fakeClient = fake.NewClientBuilder().WithStatusSubresource(&workspacev1.Workspace{}).WithScheme(k8sClient.Scheme()).Build()
-			r, err = NewTimeoutReconciler(fakeClient, record.NewFakeRecorder(100), conf, activity.NewWorkspaceActivity(), &fakeMaintenance{enabled: false})
+			r, err = NewTimeoutReconciler(fakeClient, record.NewFakeRecorder(100), conf, &fakeMaintenance{enabled: false})
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
@@ -48,7 +47,6 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 			customMaxLifetime *time.Duration
 			update            func(ws *workspacev1.Workspace)
 			updateStatus      func(ws *workspacev1.Workspace)
-			controllerRestart time.Time
 			expectTimeout     bool
 		}
 		DescribeTable("workspace timeouts",
@@ -56,12 +54,14 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 				By("creating a workspace")
 				ws := newWorkspace(uuid.NewString(), "default")
 				ws.CreationTimestamp = metav1.NewTime(now.Add(-tc.age))
-				Expect(fakeClient.Create(ctx, ws)).To(Succeed())
 
 				if tc.lastActivityAgo != nil {
-					r.activity.Store(ws.Name, now.Add(-*tc.lastActivityAgo))
+					now := metav1.NewTime(now.Add(-*tc.lastActivityAgo))
+					ws.Status.LastActivity = &now
 				}
 
+				Expect(fakeClient.Create(ctx, ws)).To(Succeed())
+
 				updateObjWithRetries(fakeClient, ws, false, func(ws *workspacev1.Workspace) {
 					if tc.customTimeout != nil {
 						ws.Spec.Timeout.Time = &metav1.Duration{Duration: *tc.customTimeout}
@@ -80,14 +80,6 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 					}
 				})
 
-				// Set controller (re)start time.
-				if tc.controllerRestart.IsZero() {
-					// Bit arbitrary, but default to the controller running for ~2 days.
-					r.activity.ManagerStartedAt = now.Add(-48 * time.Hour)
-				} else {
-					r.activity.ManagerStartedAt = tc.controllerRestart
-				}
-
 				// Run the timeout controller for this workspace.
 				By("running the TimeoutController reconcile()")
 				_, err := r.Reconcile(ctx, reconcile.Request{NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Name: ws.Name, Namespace: ws.Namespace}})
@@ -159,32 +151,11 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 				lastActivityAgo:   pointer.Duration(1 * time.Minute),
 				expectTimeout:     true,
 			}),
-			Entry("shouldn't timeout after controller restart", testCase{
-				phase: workspacev1.WorkspacePhaseRunning,
-				updateStatus: func(ws *workspacev1.Workspace) {
-					// Add FirstUserActivity condition from 5 hours ago.
-					// From this condition the controller should deduce that the workspace
-					// has had user activity, but since lastActivity is nil, it's been cleared on
-					// a restart. The controller therefore should not timeout the workspace and
-					// wait for new user activity. Or timeout once user activity doesn't come
-					// eventually after the controller restart.
-					ws.Status.Conditions = wsk8s.AddUniqueCondition(ws.Status.Conditions, metav1.Condition{
-						Type:               string(workspacev1.WorkspaceConditionFirstUserActivity),
-						Status:             metav1.ConditionTrue,
-						LastTransitionTime: metav1.NewTime(now.Add(-5 * time.Hour)),
-					})
-				},
-				age:               5 * time.Hour,
-				lastActivityAgo:   nil, // No last activity recorded yet after controller restart.
-				controllerRestart: now,
-				expectTimeout:     false,
-			}),
 			Entry("should timeout after controller restart if no FirstUserActivity", testCase{
-				phase:             workspacev1.WorkspacePhaseRunning,
-				age:               5 * time.Hour,
-				lastActivityAgo:   nil, // No last activity recorded yet after controller restart.
-				controllerRestart: now,
-				expectTimeout:     true,
+				phase:           workspacev1.WorkspacePhaseRunning,
+				age:             5 * time.Hour,
+				lastActivityAgo: nil, // No last activity recorded yet after controller restart.
+				expectTimeout:   true,
 			}),
 			Entry("should timeout eventually with no user activity after controller restart", testCase{
 				phase: workspacev1.WorkspacePhaseRunning,
@@ -195,10 +166,9 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 						LastTransitionTime: metav1.NewTime(now.Add(-5 * time.Hour)),
 					})
 				},
-				age:               5 * time.Hour,
-				lastActivityAgo:   nil,
-				controllerRestart: now.Add(-2 * time.Hour),
-				expectTimeout:     true,
+				age:             5 * time.Hour,
+				lastActivityAgo: nil,
+				expectTimeout:   true,
 			}),
 		)
 	})
@@ -207,7 +177,7 @@ var _ = Describe("TimeoutController", func() {
 		var r *TimeoutReconciler
 		BeforeEach(func() {
 			var err error
-			r, err = NewTimeoutReconciler(k8sClient, record.NewFakeRecorder(100), newTestConfig(), activity.NewWorkspaceActivity(), &fakeMaintenance{enabled: false})
+			r, err = NewTimeoutReconciler(k8sClient, record.NewFakeRecorder(100), newTestConfig(), &fakeMaintenance{enabled: false})
 			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
 		})
 
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/workspace_controller.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/workspace_controller.go
index 6510815ee8223f..5be7583eaaecab 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/workspace_controller.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/controllers/workspace_controller.go
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ type WorkspaceReconciler struct {
 	metrics     *controllerMetrics
 	maintenance maintenance.Maintenance
 	Recorder    record.EventRecorder
-	OnReconcile func(ctx context.Context, ws *workspacev1.Workspace)
 }
 
 //+kubebuilder:rbac:groups=workspace.gitpod.io,resources=workspaces,verbs=get;list;watch;create;update;patch;delete
@@ -107,14 +106,6 @@ func (r *WorkspaceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request) (
 		workspace.Status.Conditions = []metav1.Condition{}
 	}
 
-	if r.OnReconcile != nil {
-		// Publish to subscribers in a goroutine, to prevent blocking the main reconcile loop.
-		ws := workspace.DeepCopy()
-		go func() {
-			r.OnReconcile(ctx, ws)
-		}()
-	}
-
 	log.Info("reconciling workspace", "workspace", req.NamespacedName, "phase", workspace.Status.Phase)
 
 	var workspacePods corev1.PodList
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/main.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/main.go
index 654f3cb21e4bc9..0a4899a947c4d2 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/main.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/main.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/credentials/insecure"
 	_ "k8s.io/client-go/plugin/pkg/client/auth"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
 
 	"github.com/bombsimon/logrusr/v2"
 	grpc_prometheus "github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-prometheus"
@@ -43,7 +44,6 @@ import (
 	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/controllers"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/maintenance"
 	imgproxy "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/proxy"
 	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/service"
@@ -68,13 +68,9 @@ func init() {
 }
 
 func main() {
-	var enableLeaderElection bool
 	var configFN string
 	var jsonLog bool
 	var verbose bool
-	flag.BoolVar(&enableLeaderElection, "leader-elect", false,
-		"Enable leader election for controller manager. "+
-			"Enabling this will ensure there is only one active controller manager.")
 	flag.StringVar(&configFN, "config", "", "Path to the config file")
 	flag.BoolVar(&jsonLog, "json-log", true, "produce JSON log output on verbose level")
 	flag.BoolVar(&verbose, "verbose", false, "Enable verbose logging")
@@ -115,25 +111,32 @@ func main() {
 		setupLog.Error(nil, "namespace cannot be empty")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
+
 	if cfg.Manager.SecretsNamespace == "" {
 		setupLog.Error(nil, "secretsNamespace cannot be empty")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
 	mgr, err := ctrl.NewManager(ctrl.GetConfigOrDie(), ctrl.Options{
-		Scheme:                 scheme,
-		MetricsBindAddress:     cfg.Prometheus.Addr,
-		Port:                   9443,
-		HealthProbeBindAddress: cfg.Health.Addr,
-		LeaderElection:         enableLeaderElection,
-		LeaderElectionID:       "ws-manager-mk2-leader.gitpod.io",
-		NewCache:               cache.MultiNamespacedCacheBuilder([]string{cfg.Manager.Namespace, cfg.Manager.SecretsNamespace}),
+		Scheme:                        scheme,
+		MetricsBindAddress:            cfg.Prometheus.Addr,
+		Port:                          9443,
+		HealthProbeBindAddress:        cfg.Health.Addr,
+		LeaderElection:                true,
+		LeaderElectionID:              "ws-manager-mk2-leader.gitpod.io",
+		LeaderElectionReleaseOnCancel: true,
+		NewCache: func(config *rest.Config, opts cache.Options) (cache.Cache, error) {
+			opts.Namespaces = []string{cfg.Manager.Namespace, cfg.Manager.SecretsNamespace}
+			return cache.New(config, opts)
+		},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to start manager")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	mgrCtx := ctrl.SetupSignalHandler()
+
 	maintenanceReconciler, err := controllers.NewMaintenanceReconciler(mgr.GetClient())
 	if err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to create maintenance controller", "controller", "Maintenance")
@@ -147,29 +150,42 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	activity := activity.NewWorkspaceActivity()
-	timeoutReconciler, err := controllers.NewTimeoutReconciler(mgr.GetClient(), mgr.GetEventRecorderFor("workspace"), cfg.Manager, activity, maintenanceReconciler)
+	timeoutReconciler, err := controllers.NewTimeoutReconciler(mgr.GetClient(), mgr.GetEventRecorderFor("workspace"), cfg.Manager, maintenanceReconciler)
 	if err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to create timeout controller", "controller", "Timeout")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	wsmanService, err := setupGRPCService(cfg, mgr.GetClient(), activity, maintenanceReconciler)
+	wsmanService, err := setupGRPCService(cfg, mgr.GetClient(), maintenanceReconciler)
 	if err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to start manager service")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
-	workspaceReconciler.OnReconcile = wsmanService.OnWorkspaceReconcile
+	subscriberReconciler, err := controllers.NewSubscriberReconciler(mgr.GetClient(), &cfg.Manager)
+	if err != nil {
+		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to create subscriber controller", "controller", "Subscribers")
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	subscriberReconciler.OnReconcile = wsmanService.OnWorkspaceReconcile
+
+	if err = subscriberReconciler.SetupWithManager(mgrCtx, mgr); err != nil {
+		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to setup workspace controller with manager", "controller", "Subscribers")
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
 	if err = workspaceReconciler.SetupWithManager(mgr); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to setup workspace controller with manager", "controller", "Workspace")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
+
 	if err = timeoutReconciler.SetupWithManager(mgr); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to setup timeout controller with manager", "controller", "Timeout")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
-	if err = maintenanceReconciler.SetupWithManager(mgr); err != nil {
+
+	if err = maintenanceReconciler.SetupWithManager(mgrCtx, mgr); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "unable to setup maintenance controller with manager", "controller", "Maintenance")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
@@ -191,13 +207,13 @@ func main() {
 	}
 
 	setupLog.Info("starting manager")
-	if err := mgr.Start(ctrl.SetupSignalHandler()); err != nil {
+	if err := mgr.Start(mgrCtx); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "problem running manager")
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 }
 
-func setupGRPCService(cfg *config.ServiceConfiguration, k8s client.Client, activity *activity.WorkspaceActivity, maintenance maintenance.Maintenance) (*service.WorkspaceManagerServer, error) {
+func setupGRPCService(cfg *config.ServiceConfiguration, k8s client.Client, maintenance maintenance.Maintenance) (*service.WorkspaceManagerServer, error) {
 	// TODO(cw): remove use of common-go/log
 
 	if len(cfg.RPCServer.RateLimits) > 0 {
@@ -253,7 +269,7 @@ func setupGRPCService(cfg *config.ServiceConfiguration, k8s client.Client, activ
 		imgbldr.RegisterImageBuilderServer(grpcServer, imgproxy.ImageBuilder{D: imgbldr.NewImageBuilderClient(conn)})
 	}
 
-	srv := service.NewWorkspaceManagerServer(k8s, &cfg.Manager, metrics.Registry, activity, maintenance)
+	srv := service.NewWorkspaceManagerServer(k8s, &cfg.Manager, metrics.Registry, maintenance)
 
 	grpc_prometheus.Register(grpcServer)
 	wsmanapi.RegisterWorkspaceManagerServer(grpcServer, srv)
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity/activity.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity/activity.go
index 0c6df4157854d9..1c17b5b528f3cb 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity/activity.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity/activity.go
@@ -1,47 +1,20 @@
 // Copyright (c) 2023 Gitpod GmbH. All rights reserved.
 // Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).
-// See License.AGPL.txt in the project root for license information.
+// See License-AGPL.txt in the project root for license information.
 
 package activity
 
 import (
-	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 )
 
-// WorkspaceActivity is used to track the last user activity per workspace. This is
-// stored in memory instead of on the Workspace resource to limit load on the k8s API,
-// as this value will update often for each workspace.
-type WorkspaceActivity struct {
-	ManagerStartedAt time.Time
-	m                sync.Map
-}
-
-func NewWorkspaceActivity() *WorkspaceActivity {
-	return &WorkspaceActivity{
-		ManagerStartedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
-	}
-}
-
-func (w *WorkspaceActivity) Store(workspaceId string, lastActivity time.Time) {
-	w.m.Store(workspaceId, &lastActivity)
-}
-
-func (w *WorkspaceActivity) GetLastActivity(ws *workspacev1.Workspace) *time.Time {
-	lastActivity, ok := w.m.Load(ws.Name)
-	if ok {
-		return lastActivity.(*time.Time)
-	}
-
-	// In case we don't have a record of the workspace's last activity, check for the FirstUserActivity condition
-	// to see if the lastActivity got lost on a manager restart.
-	if ws.IsConditionTrue(workspacev1.WorkspaceConditionFirstUserActivity) {
-		// Manager was restarted, consider the workspace's last activity to be the time the manager restarted.
-		return &w.ManagerStartedAt
+func Last(ws *workspacev1.Workspace) *time.Time {
+	lastActivity := ws.Status.LastActivity
+	if lastActivity != nil {
+		return &lastActivity.Time
 	}
 
-	// If the FirstUserActivity condition isn't present we know that the workspace has never had user activity.
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/components/ws-manager-mk2/service/manager.go b/components/ws-manager-mk2/service/manager.go
index 484f05d7351348..7bfc8d9fef7a46 100644
--- a/components/ws-manager-mk2/service/manager.go
+++ b/components/ws-manager-mk2/service/manager.go
@@ -16,25 +16,13 @@ import (
 	validation "github.com/go-ozzo/ozzo-validation"
 	"github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	"golang.org/x/xerrors"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/peer"
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
 	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/timestamppb"
-
-	wsk8s "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/kubernetes"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/log"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/tracing"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/util"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/maintenance"
-	wsmanapi "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/config"
-	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
-
-	csapi "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/content-service/api"
-	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
@@ -46,6 +34,17 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/utils/pointer"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller/controllerutil"
+
+	wsk8s "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/kubernetes"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/log"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/tracing"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/common-go/util"
+	csapi "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/content-service/api"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/activity"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager-mk2/pkg/maintenance"
+	wsmanapi "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/config"
+	workspacev1 "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/crd/v1"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -66,15 +65,14 @@ var (
 	}
 )
 
-func NewWorkspaceManagerServer(clnt client.Client, cfg *config.Configuration, reg prometheus.Registerer, activity *activity.WorkspaceActivity, maintenance maintenance.Maintenance) *WorkspaceManagerServer {
-	metrics := newWorkspaceMetrics(cfg.Namespace, clnt, activity)
+func NewWorkspaceManagerServer(clnt client.Client, cfg *config.Configuration, reg prometheus.Registerer, maintenance maintenance.Maintenance) *WorkspaceManagerServer {
+	metrics := newWorkspaceMetrics(cfg.Namespace, clnt)
 	reg.MustRegister(metrics)
 
 	return &WorkspaceManagerServer{
 		Client:      clnt,
 		Config:      cfg,
 		metrics:     metrics,
-		activity:    activity,
 		maintenance: maintenance,
 		subs: subscriptions{
 			subscribers: make(map[string]chan *wsmanapi.SubscribeResponse),
@@ -86,7 +84,6 @@ type WorkspaceManagerServer struct {
 	Client      client.Client
 	Config      *config.Configuration
 	metrics     *workspaceMetrics
-	activity    *activity.WorkspaceActivity
 	maintenance maintenance.Maintenance
 
 	subs subscriptions
@@ -468,7 +465,7 @@ func (wsm *WorkspaceManagerServer) DescribeWorkspace(ctx context.Context, req *w
 		Status: wsm.extractWorkspaceStatus(&ws),
 	}
 
-	lastActivity := wsm.activity.GetLastActivity(&ws)
+	lastActivity := activity.Last(&ws)
 	if lastActivity != nil {
 		result.LastActivity = lastActivity.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339Nano)
 	}
@@ -513,10 +510,17 @@ func (wsm *WorkspaceManagerServer) MarkActive(ctx context.Context, req *wsmanapi
 		return &wsmanapi.MarkActiveResponse{}, nil
 	}
 
-	// We do not keep the last activity in the workspace resource to limit the load we're placing
-	// on the K8S master in check. Thus, this state lives locally in a map.
 	now := time.Now().UTC()
-	wsm.activity.Store(req.Id, now)
+	lastActivityStatus := metav1.NewTime(now)
+	ws.Status.LastActivity = &lastActivityStatus
+
+	err = wsm.modifyWorkspace(ctx, req.Id, true, func(ws *workspacev1.Workspace) error {
+		ws.Status.LastActivity = &lastActivityStatus
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		log.WithError(err).WithFields(log.OWI("", "", workspaceID)).Warn("was unable to update status")
+	}
 
 	// We do however maintain the the "closed" flag as condition on the workspace. This flag should not change
 	// very often and provides a better UX if it persists across ws-manager restarts.
@@ -1390,7 +1394,7 @@ type workspaceMetrics struct {
 	workspaceActivityVec  *workspaceActivityVec
 }
 
-func newWorkspaceMetrics(namespace string, k8s client.Client, activity *activity.WorkspaceActivity) *workspaceMetrics {
+func newWorkspaceMetrics(namespace string, k8s client.Client) *workspaceMetrics {
 	return &workspaceMetrics{
 		totalStartsCounterVec: prometheus.NewCounterVec(prometheus.CounterOpts{
 			Namespace: "gitpod",
@@ -1398,7 +1402,7 @@ func newWorkspaceMetrics(namespace string, k8s client.Client, activity *activity
 			Name:      "workspace_starts_total",
 			Help:      "total number of workspaces started",
 		}, []string{"type", "class"}),
-		workspaceActivityVec: newWorkspaceActivityVec(namespace, k8s, activity),
+		workspaceActivityVec: newWorkspaceActivityVec(namespace, k8s),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1430,10 +1434,9 @@ type workspaceActivityVec struct {
 	name               string
 	workspaceNamespace string
 	k8s                client.Client
-	activity           *activity.WorkspaceActivity
 }
 
-func newWorkspaceActivityVec(workspaceNamespace string, k8s client.Client, activity *activity.WorkspaceActivity) *workspaceActivityVec {
+func newWorkspaceActivityVec(workspaceNamespace string, k8s client.Client) *workspaceActivityVec {
 	opts := prometheus.GaugeOpts{
 		Namespace: "gitpod",
 		Subsystem: "ws_manager_mk2",
@@ -1445,7 +1448,6 @@ func newWorkspaceActivityVec(workspaceNamespace string, k8s client.Client, activ
 		name:               prometheus.BuildFQName(opts.Namespace, opts.Subsystem, opts.Name),
 		workspaceNamespace: workspaceNamespace,
 		k8s:                k8s,
-		activity:           activity,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1484,7 +1486,7 @@ func (wav *workspaceActivityVec) getWorkspaceActivityCounts() (active, notActive
 			continue
 		}
 
-		hasActivity := wav.activity.GetLastActivity(&ws) != nil
+		hasActivity := activity.Last(&ws) != nil
 		if hasActivity {
 			active++
 		} else {
diff --git a/dev/preview/workflow/preview/deploy-gitpod.sh b/dev/preview/workflow/preview/deploy-gitpod.sh
index 9ca87157f9f530..fa682395562f79 100755
--- a/dev/preview/workflow/preview/deploy-gitpod.sh
+++ b/dev/preview/workflow/preview/deploy-gitpod.sh
@@ -302,8 +302,8 @@ yq w -i "${INSTALLER_CONFIG_PATH}" experimental.ide.ideMetrics.enabledErrorRepor
 #
 # configureObservability
 #
-TRACING_ENDPOINT="http://otel-collector.monitoring-satellite.svc.cluster.local:14268/api/traces"
-yq w -i "${INSTALLER_CONFIG_PATH}" observability.tracing.endpoint "${TRACING_ENDPOINT}"
+#TRACING_ENDPOINT="http://otel-collector.monitoring-satellite.svc.cluster.local:14268/api/traces"
+#yq w -i "${INSTALLER_CONFIG_PATH}" observability.tracing.endpoint "${TRACING_ENDPOINT}"
 
 #
 # configureAuthProviders
diff --git a/install/installer/pkg/components/ws-manager-mk2/deployment.go b/install/installer/pkg/components/ws-manager-mk2/deployment.go
index 8fcf3c4507d420..a27581696a3ef8 100644
--- a/install/installer/pkg/components/ws-manager-mk2/deployment.go
+++ b/install/installer/pkg/components/ws-manager-mk2/deployment.go
@@ -5,10 +5,6 @@
 package wsmanagermk2
 
 import (
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/cluster"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/common"
-	wsdaemon "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/components/ws-daemon"
-	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/config/v1"
 	appsv1 "k8s.io/api/apps/v1"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/resource"
@@ -16,6 +12,11 @@ import (
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/intstr"
 	"k8s.io/utils/pointer"
+
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/cluster"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/common"
+	wsdaemon "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/components/ws-daemon"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/installer/pkg/config/v1"
 )
 
 func deployment(ctx *common.RenderContext) ([]runtime.Object, error) {
@@ -58,7 +59,6 @@ func deployment(ctx *common.RenderContext) ([]runtime.Object, error) {
 			Name: Component,
 			Args: []string{
 				"--config", "/config/config.json",
-				"--leader-elect",
 			},
 			Image:           ctx.ImageName(ctx.Config.Repository, Component, ctx.VersionManifest.Components.WSManagerMk2.Version),
 			ImagePullPolicy: corev1.PullIfNotPresent,
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ func deployment(ctx *common.RenderContext) ([]runtime.Object, error) {
 			},
 			Spec: appsv1.DeploymentSpec{
 				Selector: &metav1.LabelSelector{MatchLabels: labels},
-				Replicas: common.Replicas(ctx, Component),
+				Replicas: pointer.Int32(2),
 				Strategy: common.DeploymentStrategy,
 				Template: corev1.PodTemplateSpec{
 					ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
diff --git a/test/go.mod b/test/go.mod
index 35ea08a56dfd15..c1669c36bf4cf8 100644
--- a/test/go.mod
+++ b/test/go.mod
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.10.1
 	github.com/vishvananda/netns v0.0.4
 	golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20220722155223-a9213eeb770e
-	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.6.0
+	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.8.0
 	golang.org/x/sync v0.2.0
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.11.0
 	golang.org/x/xerrors v0.0.0-20220907171357-04be3eba64a2
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ require (
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.27.3
 	k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.90.1
 	k8s.io/kubectl v0.27.3
-	sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework v0.0.7
+	sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework v0.2.0
 )
 
 require (
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/Azure/go-ansiterm v0.0.0-20210617225240-d185dfc1b5a1 // indirect
 	github.com/BurntSushi/toml v0.4.1 // indirect
 	github.com/MakeNowJust/heredoc v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20230301143203-a9d515a09cc2 // indirect
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2 v1.17.1 // indirect
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws/protocol/eventstream v1.4.9 // indirect
 	github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/config v1.18.3 // indirect
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-middleware v1.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-prometheus v1.2.0 // indirect
 	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.11.3 // indirect
-	github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.4 // indirect
+	github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.1 // indirect
 	github.com/heptiolabs/healthcheck v0.0.0-20211123025425-613501dd5deb // indirect
 	github.com/imdario/mergo v0.3.12 // indirect
 	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.0.1 // indirect
@@ -154,8 +155,8 @@ require (
 	github.com/xlab/treeprint v1.1.0 // indirect
 	go.opencensus.io v0.24.0 // indirect
 	go.starlark.net v0.0.0-20200306205701-8dd3e2ee1dd5 // indirect
-	go.uber.org/atomic v1.8.0 // indirect
-	golang.org/x/crypto v0.1.0 // indirect
+	go.uber.org/atomic v1.7.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20210921155107-089bfa567519 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/mod v0.10.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/net v0.10.0 // indirect
 	golang.org/x/term v0.8.0 // indirect
@@ -166,7 +167,7 @@ require (
 	google.golang.org/appengine v1.6.7 // indirect
 	google.golang.org/genproto v0.0.0-20230320184635-7606e756e683 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 // indirect
-	gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.62.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.57.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
 	honnef.co/go/tools v0.2.2 // indirect
diff --git a/test/go.sum b/test/go.sum
index c84bf9cd57a734..642397002db0c4 100644
--- a/test/go.sum
+++ b/test/go.sum
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ github.com/MakeNowJust/heredoc v1.0.0 h1:cXCdzVdstXyiTqTvfqk9SDHpKNjxuom+DOlyEeQ
 github.com/MakeNowJust/heredoc v1.0.0/go.mod h1:mG5amYoWBHf8vpLOuehzbGGw0EHxpZZ6lCpQ4fNJ8LE=
 github.com/armon/go-socks5 v0.0.0-20160902184237-e75332964ef5 h1:0CwZNZbxp69SHPdPJAN/hZIm0C4OItdklCFmMRWYpio=
 github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20230301143203-a9d515a09cc2 h1:DklsrG3dyBCFEj5IhUbnKptjxatkF07cF2ak3yi77so=
+github.com/asaskevich/govalidator v0.0.0-20230301143203-a9d515a09cc2/go.mod h1:WaHUgvxTVq04UNunO+XhnAqY/wQc+bxr74GqbsZ/Jqw=
 github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2 v1.17.1 h1:02c72fDJr87N8RAC2s3Qu0YuvMRZKNZJ9F+lAehCazk=
 github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2 v1.17.1/go.mod h1:JLnGeGONAyi2lWXI1p0PCIOIy333JMVK1U7Hf0aRFLw=
 github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws/protocol/eventstream v1.4.9 h1:RKci2D7tMwpvGpDNZnGQw9wk6v7o/xSwFcUAuNPoB8k=
@@ -211,8 +212,8 @@ github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-prometheus v1.2.0 h1:Ovs26xHkKqVztRpIrF/92Bcuy
 github.com/grpc-ecosystem/go-grpc-prometheus v1.2.0/go.mod h1:8NvIoxWQoOIhqOTXgfV/d3M/q6VIi02HzZEHgUlZvzk=
 github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.11.3 h1:lLT7ZLSzGLI08vc9cpd+tYmNWjdKDqyr/2L+f6U12Fk=
 github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.11.3/go.mod h1:o//XUCC/F+yRGJoPO/VU0GSB0f8Nhgmxx0VIRUvaC0w=
-github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.4 h1:YDjusn29QI/Das2iO9M0BHnIbxPeyuCHsjMW+lJfyTc=
-github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.4/go.mod h1:iADmTwqILo4mZ8BN3D2Q6+9jd8WM5uGBxy+E8yxSoD4=
+github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.1 h1:0hERBMJE1eitiLkihrMvRVBYAkpHzc/J3QdDN+dAcgU=
+github.com/hashicorp/golang-lru v0.5.1/go.mod h1:/m3WP610KZHVQ1SGc6re/UDhFvYD7pJ4Ao+sR/qLZy8=
 github.com/helloyi/go-sshclient v1.1.1 h1:yRcrc/Q1nJ2hYbtVFfBBTyneQLqr2vy/jD3/GneyirI=
 github.com/helloyi/go-sshclient v1.1.1/go.mod h1:NrhRWsYJDjoQXTDWZ4YtVk84wZ4LK3NSM9jD2TZDAm8=
 github.com/heptiolabs/healthcheck v0.0.0-20211123025425-613501dd5deb h1:tsEKRC3PU9rMw18w/uAptoijhgG4EvlA5kfJPtwrMDk=
@@ -381,7 +382,7 @@ github.com/uber/jaeger-lib v2.4.1+incompatible h1:td4jdvLcExb4cBISKIpHuGoVXh+dVK
 github.com/uber/jaeger-lib v2.4.1+incompatible/go.mod h1:ComeNDZlWwrWnDv8aPp0Ba6+uUTzImX/AauajbLI56U=
 github.com/vishvananda/netns v0.0.4 h1:Oeaw1EM2JMxD51g9uhtC0D7erkIjgmj8+JZc26m1YX8=
 github.com/vishvananda/netns v0.0.4/go.mod h1:SpkAiCQRtJ6TvvxPnOSyH3BMl6unz3xZlaprSwhNNJM=
-github.com/vladimirvivien/gexe v0.1.1 h1:2A0SBaOSKH+cwLVdt6H+KkHZotZWRNLlWygANGw5DxE=
+github.com/vladimirvivien/gexe v0.2.0 h1:nbdAQ6vbZ+ZNsolCgSVb9Fno60kzSuvtzVh6Ytqi/xY=
 github.com/xlab/treeprint v1.1.0 h1:G/1DjNkPpfZCFt9CSh6b5/nY4VimlbHF3Rh4obvtzDk=
 github.com/xlab/treeprint v1.1.0/go.mod h1:gj5Gd3gPdKtR1ikdDK6fnFLdmIS0X30kTTuNd/WEJu0=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.1.27/go.mod h1:3hX8gzYuyVAZsxl0MRgGTJEmQBFcNTphYh9decYSb74=
@@ -393,8 +394,8 @@ go.opencensus.io v0.24.0/go.mod h1:vNK8G9p7aAivkbmorf4v+7Hgx+Zs0yY+0fOtgBfjQKo=
 go.starlark.net v0.0.0-20200306205701-8dd3e2ee1dd5 h1:+FNtrFTmVw0YZGpBGX56XDee331t6JAXeK2bcyhLOOc=
 go.starlark.net v0.0.0-20200306205701-8dd3e2ee1dd5/go.mod h1:nmDLcffg48OtT/PSW0Hg7FvpRQsQh5OSqIylirxKC7o=
 go.uber.org/atomic v1.4.0/go.mod h1:gD2HeocX3+yG+ygLZcrzQJaqmWj9AIm7n08wl/qW/PE=
-go.uber.org/atomic v1.8.0 h1:CUhrE4N1rqSE6FM9ecihEjRkLQu8cDfgDyoOs83mEY4=
-go.uber.org/atomic v1.8.0/go.mod h1:fEN4uk6kAWBTFdckzkM89CLk9XfWZrxpCo0nPH17wJc=
+go.uber.org/atomic v1.7.0 h1:ADUqmZGgLDDfbSL9ZmPxKTybcoEYHgpYfELNoN+7hsw=
+go.uber.org/atomic v1.7.0/go.mod h1:fEN4uk6kAWBTFdckzkM89CLk9XfWZrxpCo0nPH17wJc=
 go.uber.org/goleak v1.2.1 h1:NBol2c7O1ZokfZ0LEU9K6Whx/KnwvepVetCUhtKja4A=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.1.0/go.mod h1:wR5kodmAFQ0UK8QlbwjlSNy0Z68gJhDJUG5sjR94q/0=
 go.uber.org/multierr v1.6.0 h1:y6IPFStTAIT5Ytl7/XYmHvzXQ7S3g/IeZW9hyZ5thw4=
@@ -404,8 +405,8 @@ golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20190308221718-c2843e01d9a2/go.mod h1:djNgcEr1/C05ACk
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20191011191535-87dc89f01550/go.mod h1:yigFU9vqHzYiE8UmvKecakEJjdnWj3jj499lnFckfCI=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20200622213623-75b288015ac9/go.mod h1:LzIPMQfyMNhhGPhUkYOs5KpL4U8rLKemX1yGLhDgUto=
 golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20201221181555-eec23a3978ad/go.mod h1:jdWPYTVW3xRLrWPugEBEK3UY2ZEsg3UU495nc5E+M+I=
-golang.org/x/crypto v0.1.0 h1:MDRAIl0xIo9Io2xV565hzXHw3zVseKrJKodhohM5CjU=
-golang.org/x/crypto v0.1.0/go.mod h1:RecgLatLF4+eUMCP1PoPZQb+cVrJcOPbHkTkbkB9sbw=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20210921155107-089bfa567519 h1:7I4JAnoQBe7ZtJcBaYHi5UtiO8tQHbUSXxL+pnGRANg=
+golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20210921155107-089bfa567519/go.mod h1:GvvjBRRGRdwPK5ydBHafDWAxML/pGHZbMvKqRZ5+Abc=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20190121172915-509febef88a4/go.mod h1:CJ0aWSM057203Lf6IL+f9T1iT9GByDxfZKAQTCR3kQA=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20220722155223-a9213eeb770e h1:+WEEuIdZHnUeJJmEUjyYC2gfUMj69yZXw17EnHg/otA=
 golang.org/x/exp v0.0.0-20220722155223-a9213eeb770e/go.mod h1:Kr81I6Kryrl9sr8s2FK3vxD90NdsKWRuOIl2O4CvYbA=
@@ -445,8 +446,8 @@ golang.org/x/net v0.0.0-20211201190559-0a0e4e1bb54c/go.mod h1:9nx3DQGgdP8bBQD5qx
 golang.org/x/net v0.10.0 h1:X2//UzNDwYmtCLn7To6G58Wr6f5ahEAQgKNzv9Y951M=
 golang.org/x/net v0.10.0/go.mod h1:0qNGK6F8kojg2nk9dLZ2mShWaEBan6FAoqfSigmmuDg=
 golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.0.0-20180821212333-d2e6202438be/go.mod h1:N/0e6XlmueqKjAGxoOufVs8QHGRruUQn6yWY3a++T0U=
-golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.6.0 h1:Lh8GPgSKBfWSwFvtuWOfeI3aAAnbXTSutYxJiOJFgIw=
-golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.6.0/go.mod h1:ycmewcwgD4Rpr3eZJLSB4Kyyljb3qDh40vJ8STE5HKw=
+golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.8.0 h1:6dkIjl3j3LtZ/O3sTgZTMsLKSftL/B8Zgq4huOIIUu8=
+golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.8.0/go.mod h1:yr7u4HXZRm1R1kBWqr/xKNqewf0plRYoB7sla+BCIXE=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20180314180146-1d60e4601c6f/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20181108010431-42b317875d0f/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20181221193216-37e7f081c4d4/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
@@ -565,8 +566,8 @@ gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20201130134442-10cb98267c6c h1:Hei/4ADfdWqJk1ZMxUNpqntN
 gopkg.in/check.v1 v1.0.0-20201130134442-10cb98267c6c/go.mod h1:JHkPIbrfpd72SG/EVd6muEfDQjcINNoR0C8j2r3qZ4Q=
 gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 h1:73M5CoZyi3ZLMOyDlQh031Cx6N9NDJ2Vvfl76EDAgDc=
 gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1/go.mod h1:cWUDdTG/fYaXco+Dcufb5Vnc6Gp2YChqWtbxRZE0mXw=
-gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.62.0 h1:duBzk771uxoUuOlyRLkHsygud9+5lrlGjdFBb4mSKDU=
-gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.62.0/go.mod h1:pNLf8WUiyNEtQjuu5G5vTm06TEv9tsIgeAvK8hOrP4k=
+gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.57.0 h1:9unxIsFcTt4I55uWluz+UmL95q4kdJ0buvQ1ZIqVQww=
+gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.57.0/go.mod h1:pNLf8WUiyNEtQjuu5G5vTm06TEv9tsIgeAvK8hOrP4k=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.2/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.8/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.3.0/go.mod h1:hI93XBmqTisBFMUTm0b8Fm+jr3Dg1NNxqwp+5A1VGuI=
@@ -602,8 +603,8 @@ k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20230209194617-a36077c30491 h1:r0BAOLElQnnFhE/ApUsg3iHdVYYPB
 k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20230209194617-a36077c30491/go.mod h1:OLgZIPagt7ERELqWJFomSt595RzquPNLL48iOWgYOg0=
 sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.15.0 h1:ML+5Adt3qZnMSYxZ7gAverBLNPSMQEibtzAgp0UPojU=
 sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.15.0/go.mod h1:7ngYvp1MLT+9GeZ+6lH3LOlcHkp/+tzA/fmHa4iq9kk=
-sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework v0.0.7 h1:nMv2oSPBLWARse2aBoqX5Wq3ox67w8jrhTGWGpccWDQ=
-sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework v0.0.7/go.mod h1:hdwYGVQg4bvDAah5eidNf2/qkG35qHjzuyMVr2A3oiY=
+sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework v0.2.0 h1:gD6AWWAHFcHibI69E9TgkNFhh0mVwWtRCHy2RU057jQ=
+sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework v0.2.0/go.mod h1:E6JXj/V4PIlb95jsn2WrNKG+Shb45xaaI7C0+BH4PL8=
 sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20221116044647-bc3834ca7abd h1:EDPBXCAspyGV4jQlpZSudPeMmr1bNJefnuqLsRAsHZo=
 sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20221116044647-bc3834ca7abd/go.mod h1:B8JuhiUyNFVKdsE8h686QcCxMaH6HrOAZj4vswFpcB0=
 sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/api v0.13.2 h1:kejWfLeJhUsTGioDoFNJET5LQe/ajzXhJGYoU+pJsiA=
diff --git a/test/pkg/integration/setup.go b/test/pkg/integration/setup.go
index 0353cfc0acccca..6b31e30ac3146f 100644
--- a/test/pkg/integration/setup.go
+++ b/test/pkg/integration/setup.go
@@ -79,7 +79,8 @@ func Setup(ctx context.Context) (string, string, env.Environment, bool, string,
 		assess     string
 		parallel   bool
 
-		labels = make(flags.LabelsMap)
+		labels     = make(flags.LabelsMap)
+		skipLabels = make(flags.LabelsMap)
 	)
 
 	flagset := flag.CommandLine
@@ -99,6 +100,8 @@ func Setup(ctx context.Context) (string, string, env.Environment, bool, string,
 	flagset.StringVar(&feature, "feature", "", "Regular expression that targets features to test")
 	flagset.StringVar(&assess, "assess", "", "Regular expression that targets assertive steps to run")
 	flagset.Var(&labels, "labels", "Comma-separated key/value pairs to filter tests by labels")
+	flagset.Var(&skipLabels, "skip-labels", "Comma-separated key/value pairs to skip tests by labels")
+
 	if err := flagset.Parse(os.Args[1:]); err != nil {
 		klog.Fatalf("cannot parse flags: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -121,6 +124,7 @@ func Setup(ctx context.Context) (string, string, env.Environment, bool, string,
 
 	e.WithClient(client)
 	e.WithLabels(labels)
+	e.WithSkipLabels(skipLabels)
 	e.WithNamespace(namespace)
 
 	// use the namespace from the CurrentContext
diff --git a/test/run.sh b/test/run.sh
index 25fa46368876a7..8b1b2dc709afac 100755
--- a/test/run.sh
+++ b/test/run.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #
 
 set -euo pipefail
+set -x
 
 REPORT=""
 TEST_SUITE=all
@@ -114,7 +115,17 @@ if [ "$TEST_SUITE" == "workspace" ]; then
 
   set +e
   # shellcheck disable=SC2086
-  go test -p 10 -v $TEST_LIST "${args[@]}" -parallel-features=true 2>&1  | go-junit-report -subtest-mode=exclude-parents -set-exit-code -out "${RESULTS_DIR}/TEST-${TEST_NAME}.xml" -iocopy
+  go test -p 4 -v $TEST_LIST "${args[@]}" -parallel-features=true -skip-labels="type=maintenance" 2>&1  | go-junit-report -subtest-mode=exclude-parents -set-exit-code -out "${RESULTS_DIR}/TEST-${TEST_NAME}.xml" -iocopy
+  RC=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
+  set -e
+
+  if [ "${RC}" -ne "0" ]; then
+    FAILURE_COUNT=$((FAILURE_COUNT+1))
+  fi
+
+  set +e
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2086
+  go test -v $TEST_LIST "${args[@]}" -labels="type=maintenance" 2>&1
   RC=${PIPESTATUS[0]}
   set -e
 
diff --git a/test/tests/components/ws-manager/maintenence_test.go b/test/tests/components/ws-manager/maintenence_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..a22a59d5976e90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/tests/components/ws-manager/maintenence_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,217 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2020 Gitpod GmbH. All rights reserved.
+// Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL).
+// See License.AGPL.txt in the project root for license information.
+
+package wsmanager
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/codes"
+	"google.golang.org/grpc/status"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework/klient"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework/pkg/envconf"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/e2e-framework/pkg/features"
+
+	csapi "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/content-service/api"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/test/pkg/integration"
+	wsmanapi "github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api"
+	"github.com/gitpod-io/gitpod/ws-manager/api/config"
+)
+
+func TestMaintenance(t *testing.T) {
+	testRepo := "https://github.com/gitpod-io/empty"
+	testRepoName := "empty"
+
+	f1 := features.New("maintenance").
+		WithLabel("component", "ws-manager").
+		WithLabel("type", "maintenance").
+		Assess("should display maintenance message", func(testCtx context.Context, t *testing.T, cfg *envconf.Config) context.Context {
+			kubeClient, err := cfg.NewClient()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			untilTime := time.Now().Add(1 * time.Hour)
+			err = configureMaintenanceMode(testCtx, &untilTime, kubeClient)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			t.Cleanup(func() {
+				err = configureMaintenanceMode(testCtx, nil, kubeClient)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Error(err)
+				}
+			})
+
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(testCtx, time.Duration(5*time.Minute))
+			defer cancel()
+
+			api := integration.NewComponentAPI(ctx, cfg.Namespace(), kubeconfig, cfg.Client())
+			t.Cleanup(func() {
+				api.Done(t)
+			})
+
+			customizeWorkspace := func(swr *wsmanapi.StartWorkspaceRequest) error {
+				swr.Spec.Initializer = &csapi.WorkspaceInitializer{
+					Spec: &csapi.WorkspaceInitializer_Git{
+						Git: &csapi.GitInitializer{
+							RemoteUri:        testRepo,
+							CheckoutLocation: testRepoName,
+							Config:           &csapi.GitConfig{},
+						},
+					},
+				}
+				swr.Spec.WorkspaceLocation = testRepoName
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			_, _, err = integration.LaunchWorkspaceDirectly(t, ctx, api, integration.WithRequestModifier(customizeWorkspace))
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Fatalf("expected under maintenance error")
+			} else {
+				if !errors.Is(err, status.Error(codes.FailedPrecondition, "under maintenance")) {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			return testCtx
+		}).
+		Feature()
+
+	f2 := features.New("maintenance-configuration").
+		WithLabel("component", "ws-manager").
+		WithLabel("type", "maintenance").
+		Assess("should display a maintenance message when configured and not when disabled", func(testCtx context.Context, t *testing.T, cfg *envconf.Config) context.Context {
+			kubeClient, err := cfg.NewClient()
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			defer func() {
+				err := configureMaintenanceMode(testCtx, nil, kubeClient)
+				if err != nil {
+					t.Error(err)
+				}
+			}()
+
+			untilTime := time.Now().Add(1 * time.Hour)
+			err = configureMaintenanceMode(testCtx, &untilTime, kubeClient)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(testCtx, time.Duration(5*time.Minute))
+			defer cancel()
+
+			api := integration.NewComponentAPI(ctx, cfg.Namespace(), kubeconfig, cfg.Client())
+			t.Cleanup(func() {
+				api.Done(t)
+			})
+
+			_, _, err = integration.LaunchWorkspaceDirectly(t, ctx, api, integration.WithRequestModifier(func(swr *wsmanapi.StartWorkspaceRequest) error {
+				swr.Spec.Initializer = &csapi.WorkspaceInitializer{
+					Spec: &csapi.WorkspaceInitializer_Git{
+						Git: &csapi.GitInitializer{
+							RemoteUri:        testRepo,
+							CheckoutLocation: testRepoName,
+							Config:           &csapi.GitConfig{},
+						},
+					},
+				}
+				swr.Spec.WorkspaceLocation = testRepoName
+				return nil
+			}))
+			if err == nil {
+				t.Fatalf("expected under maintenance error")
+			} else {
+				if !errors.Is(err, status.Error(codes.FailedPrecondition, "under maintenance")) {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			err = configureMaintenanceMode(testCtx, nil, kubeClient)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+
+			_, stopWs, err := integration.LaunchWorkspaceDirectly(t, ctx, api, integration.WithRequestModifier(func(swr *wsmanapi.StartWorkspaceRequest) error {
+				swr.Spec.Initializer = &csapi.WorkspaceInitializer{
+					Spec: &csapi.WorkspaceInitializer_Git{
+						Git: &csapi.GitInitializer{
+							RemoteUri:        testRepo,
+							CheckoutLocation: testRepoName,
+							Config:           &csapi.GitConfig{},
+						},
+					},
+				}
+				swr.Spec.WorkspaceLocation = testRepoName
+				return nil
+			}))
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+
+			if err := stopWorkspace(t, cfg, stopWs); err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("cannot stop workspace: %q", err)
+			}
+
+			return testCtx
+		}).
+		Feature()
+
+	testEnv.Test(t, f1, f2)
+}
+
+func configureMaintenanceMode(ctx context.Context, untilTime *time.Time, kubeClient klient.Client) error {
+	cmap, err := maintenanceConfigmap(untilTime)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	err = kubeClient.Resources().Create(ctx, cmap)
+	if err != nil {
+		if apierrors.IsAlreadyExists(err) {
+			err = kubeClient.Resources().Update(ctx, cmap)
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+		}
+
+		return err
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func maintenanceConfigmap(untilTime *time.Time) (*corev1.ConfigMap, error) {
+	mcfg := config.MaintenanceConfig{}
+	if untilTime != nil {
+		mcfg.EnabledUntil = untilTime
+	}
+
+	data, err := json.Marshal(mcfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &corev1.ConfigMap{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:      "ws-manager-mk2-maintenance-mode",
+			Namespace: "default",
+		},
+		Data: map[string]string{
+			"config.json": string(data),
+		},
+	}, nil
+}