diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 524dbf0..502bd07 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ ifeq (, $(shell which controller-gen))
 	CONTROLLER_GEN_TMP_DIR=$$(mktemp -d) ;\
 	cd $$CONTROLLER_GEN_TMP_DIR ;\
 	go mod init tmp ;\
-	go get sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools/cmd/controller-gen@v0.6.2 ;\
+	go install sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools/cmd/controller-gen@v0.6.2 ;\
 	rm -rf $$CONTROLLER_GEN_TMP_DIR ;\
 	}
 CONTROLLER_GEN=$(GOBIN)/controller-gen
diff --git a/handlers/idler/metrics.go b/handlers/idler/metrics.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b74a17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/handlers/idler/metrics.go
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package idler
+
+import (
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
+)
+
+var (
+	idleEvents = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_idling_events",
+		Help: "The total number of events that aergia has processed to idle environments",
+	})
+)
diff --git a/handlers/idler/service-kubernetes.go b/handlers/idler/service-kubernetes.go
index 0d3753b..2c416bf 100644
--- a/handlers/idler/service-kubernetes.go
+++ b/handlers/idler/service-kubernetes.go
@@ -267,15 +267,16 @@ func (h *Idler) patchIngress(ctx context.Context, opLog logr.Logger, namespace c
 			}
 		}
 		if patched {
-			// update the namespace to indicate it is not idled
+			// update the namespace to indicate it is idled
 			namespaceCopy := namespace.DeepCopy()
 			mergePatch, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]interface{}{
 				"metadata": map[string]interface{}{
 					"labels": map[string]string{
-						"idling.amazee.io/idled": "false",
+						"idling.amazee.io/idled": "true",
 					},
 				},
 			})
+			idleEvents.Inc()
 			if err := h.Client.Patch(ctx, namespaceCopy, client.RawPatch(types.MergePatchType, mergePatch)); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf(fmt.Sprintf("Error patching namespace %s", namespace.Name))
 			}
diff --git a/handlers/idler/service.go b/handlers/idler/service.go
index fe7bb14..53d4ef2 100644
--- a/handlers/idler/service.go
+++ b/handlers/idler/service.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/selection"
 	client "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 )
 
@@ -32,6 +33,15 @@ func (h *Idler) ServiceIdler() {
 	// in kubernetes, we can reliably check for the existence of this label so that
 	// we only check namespaces that have been deployed by a lagoon at one point
 	labelRequirements := generateLabelRequirements(h.Selectors.Service.Namespace)
+	// only evaluate namespaces that are not idled
+	selector := generateSelector(idlerSelector{
+		Name:     "idling.amazee.io/idled",
+		Operator: selection.NotEquals,
+		Values: []string{
+			"true",
+		},
+	})
+	labelRequirements = append(labelRequirements, *selector)
 	listOption = (&client.ListOptions{}).ApplyOptions([]client.ListOption{
 		client.MatchingLabelsSelector{
 			Selector: labels.NewSelector().Add(labelRequirements...),
diff --git a/handlers/metrics/metrics.go b/handlers/metrics/metrics.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c98b6e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/handlers/metrics/metrics.go
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+package metrics
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promhttp"
+)
+
+// NewServer returns a *http.Server serving prometheus metrics in a new
+// goroutine.
+// Caller should defer Shutdown() for cleanup.
+func NewServer(log logr.Logger, addr string) *http.Server {
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	mux.Handle("/metrics", promhttp.Handler())
+	s := http.Server{
+		Addr:         addr,
+		Handler:      mux,
+		ReadTimeout:  16 * time.Second,
+		WriteTimeout: 16 * time.Second,
+	}
+	go func() {
+		if err := s.ListenAndServe(); err != http.ErrServerClosed {
+			log.Error(fmt.Errorf("metrics server did not shut down cleanly"), err.Error())
+		}
+	}()
+	return &s
+}
diff --git a/handlers/unidler/handler.go b/handlers/unidler/handler.go
index 749c110..c179910 100644
--- a/handlers/unidler/handler.go
+++ b/handlers/unidler/handler.go
@@ -92,7 +92,9 @@ func (h *Unidler) ingressHandler(path string) func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Re
 			if allowUnidle {
 				// if a namespace exists, it means that the custom-http-errors code is defined in the ingress object
 				// so do something with that here, like kickstart the idler process to unidle targets
-				opLog.Info(fmt.Sprintf("Got request in namespace %s", ns))
+				if h.Debug {
+					opLog.Info(fmt.Sprintf("Request for %s verfied: %t from xff:%s; tcip:%s; ua: %s, ", ns, verfied, xForwardedFor, trueClientIP, requestUserAgent))
+				}
 
 				file := fmt.Sprintf("%v/unidle.html", path)
 				forceScaled := h.checkForceScaled(ctx, ns, opLog)
@@ -103,6 +105,7 @@ func (h *Unidler) ingressHandler(path string) func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Re
 					// only unidle environments that aren't force scaled
 					// actually do the unidling here, lock to prevent multiple unidle operations from running
 					if verfied {
+						allowedRequests.Inc()
 						w.Header().Set("X-Aergia-Allowed", "true")
 						_, ok := h.Locks.Load(ns)
 						if !ok {
@@ -110,7 +113,8 @@ func (h *Unidler) ingressHandler(path string) func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Re
 							go h.Unidle(ctx, namespace, opLog)
 						}
 					} else {
-						w.Header().Set("X-Aergia-Denied", "true")
+						verificationRequired.Inc()
+						w.Header().Set("X-Aergia-Verification-Required", "true")
 					}
 				}
 				if h.Debug == true {
@@ -133,12 +137,15 @@ func (h *Unidler) ingressHandler(path string) func(http.ResponseWriter, *http.Re
 					Verifier:        signedNamespace,
 				})
 			} else {
-				// respond with 503 to match the standard request
+				// respond with forbidden
 				w.Header().Set("X-Aergia-Denied", "true")
-				h.genericError(w, r, opLog, ext, format, path, "", 503)
+				blockedRequests.Inc()
+				h.genericError(w, r, opLog, ext, format, path, "", 403)
 			}
 		} else {
+			w.Header().Set("X-Aergia-Denied", "true")
 			w.Header().Set("X-Aergia-No-Namespace", "true")
+			noNamespaceRequests.Inc()
 			h.genericError(w, r, opLog, ext, format, path, "", code)
 		}
 		h.setMetrics(r, start)
@@ -184,6 +191,7 @@ func (h *Unidler) verifyRequest(r *http.Request, ns *corev1.Namespace) (string,
 		// if hmac verification is enabled, perform the verification of the request
 		signedNamespace := hmacSigner(ns.Name, []byte(h.VerifiedSecret))
 		verifier := r.URL.Query().Get("verifier")
+		verificationRequests.Inc()
 		return signedNamespace, hmacVerifier(ns.Name, verifier, []byte(h.VerifiedSecret))
 	}
 	return "", true
diff --git a/handlers/unidler/metrics.go b/handlers/unidler/metrics.go
index 3fc88fd..f78b094 100644
--- a/handlers/unidler/metrics.go
+++ b/handlers/unidler/metrics.go
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"strconv"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
 )
 
 func (h *Unidler) setMetrics(r *http.Request, start time.Time) {
@@ -16,3 +19,30 @@ func (h *Unidler) setMetrics(r *http.Request, start time.Time) {
 	h.RequestCount.WithLabelValues(proto).Inc()
 	h.RequestDuration.WithLabelValues(proto).Observe(duration)
 }
+
+var (
+	allowedRequests = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_allowed_requests",
+		Help: "The total number of requests that aergia has allowed",
+	})
+	verificationRequests = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_verification_requests",
+		Help: "The total number of verificiation requests that aergia has recieved",
+	})
+	verificationRequired = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_verification_required_requests",
+		Help: "The total number of verificiation required requests that aergia has received",
+	})
+	blockedRequests = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_blocked_by_block_list",
+		Help: "The total number of requests that aergia has blocked by an allow or block list rule",
+	})
+	noNamespaceRequests = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_no_namespace",
+		Help: "The total number of requests that aergia has received where no namespace was found",
+	})
+	unidleEvents = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "aergia_unidling_events",
+		Help: "The total number of events that aergia has processed to unidle an environments",
+	})
+)
diff --git a/handlers/unidler/unidler.go b/handlers/unidler/unidler.go
index 214c817..b8d7bae 100644
--- a/handlers/unidler/unidler.go
+++ b/handlers/unidler/unidler.go
@@ -191,9 +191,7 @@ func (h *Unidler) Unidle(ctx context.Context, namespace *corev1.Namespace, opLog
 	// this could still result in 503 for users until the resulting services/endpoints are active and receiving traffic
 	for _, deploy := range deployments.Items {
 		opLog.Info(fmt.Sprintf("Waiting for %s to be running - %s", deploy.ObjectMeta.Name, namespace.Name))
-		timeout, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, defaultPollTimeout)
-		defer cancel()
-		wait.PollUntilWithContext(timeout, defaultPollDuration, h.hasRunningPod(ctx, namespace.Name, deploy.Name))
+		wait.PollUntilContextTimeout(ctx, defaultPollDuration, defaultPollTimeout, true, h.hasRunningPod(ctx, namespace.Name, deploy.Name))
 	}
 	// remove the 503 code from any ingress objects that have it in this namespace
 	h.removeCodeFromIngress(ctx, namespace.Name, opLog)
@@ -202,10 +200,11 @@ func (h *Unidler) Unidle(ctx context.Context, namespace *corev1.Namespace, opLog
 	mergePatch, _ := json.Marshal(map[string]interface{}{
 		"metadata": map[string]interface{}{
 			"labels": map[string]string{
-				"idling.amazee.io/idled": "true",
+				"idling.amazee.io/idled": "false",
 			},
 		},
 	})
+	unidleEvents.Inc()
 	if err := h.Client.Patch(ctx, namespaceCopy, client.RawPatch(types.MergePatchType, mergePatch)); err != nil {
 		opLog.Info(fmt.Sprintf("Error patching namespace %s", namespace.Name))
 	}
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index e74b200..7888641 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package main
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/amazeeio/aergia-controller/controllers"
 	"github.com/amazeeio/aergia-controller/handlers/idler"
+	"github.com/amazeeio/aergia-controller/handlers/metrics"
 	"github.com/amazeeio/aergia-controller/handlers/unidler"
 	u "github.com/amazeeio/aergia-controller/handlers/unidler"
 	prometheusapi "github.com/prometheus/client_golang/api"
@@ -250,6 +252,10 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	setupLog.Info("starting aergia metrics server")
+	m := metrics.NewServer(setupLog, ":9912")
+	defer m.Shutdown(context.Background())
+
 	setupLog.Info("starting manager")
 	if err := mgr.Start(ctrl.SetupSignalHandler()); err != nil {
 		setupLog.Error(err, "problem running manager")