diff --git a/pkg/monitor/recorder.go b/pkg/monitor/recorder.go
index 09752e01abf5..01028ca3a1b1 100644
--- a/pkg/monitor/recorder.go
+++ b/pkg/monitor/recorder.go
@@ -66,24 +66,24 @@ func (m *recorder) RecordResource(resourceType string, obj runtime.Object) {
 		UID:       fmt.Sprintf("%v", newMetadata.GetUID()),
 	}
 
+	// annotations are set on the stored copy so that the caller's object, which may come straight
+	// from an informer cache, is never mutated.
 	toStore := obj.DeepCopyObject()
-	// without metadata, just stomp in the new value, we can't add annotations
-	if newMetadata == nil {
-		recordedResource[key] = toStore
-		return
+	storedMetadata, err := meta.Accessor(toStore)
+	if err != nil {
+		// coding error
+		panic(err)
 	}
 
-	newAnnotations := newMetadata.GetAnnotations()
+	newAnnotations := storedMetadata.GetAnnotations()
 	if newAnnotations == nil {
 		newAnnotations = map[string]string{}
 	}
 	existingResource, ok := recordedResource[key]
 	if !ok {
-		if newMetadata != nil {
-			newAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedUpdateCountAnnotation] = "1"
-			newAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedRecreationCountAnnotation] = "0"
-			newMetadata.SetAnnotations(newAnnotations)
-		}
+		newAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedUpdateCountAnnotation] = "1"
+		newAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedRecreationCountAnnotation] = "0"
+		storedMetadata.SetAnnotations(newAnnotations)
 		recordedResource[key] = toStore
 		return
 	}
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ func (m *recorder) RecordResource(resourceType string, obj runtime.Object) {
 	}
 
 	// set the recreate count. increment if the UIDs don't match
-	existingRecreateCountStr := existingAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedUpdateCountAnnotation]
+	existingRecreateCountStr := existingAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedRecreationCountAnnotation]
 	if existingMetadata.GetUID() != newMetadata.GetUID() {
 		if existingRecreateCount, err := strconv.ParseInt(existingRecreateCountStr, 10, 32); err != nil {
 			newAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedRecreationCountAnnotation] = existingRecreateCountStr
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ func (m *recorder) RecordResource(resourceType string, obj runtime.Object) {
 		newAnnotations[monitorapi.ObservedRecreationCountAnnotation] = existingRecreateCountStr
 	}
 
-	newMetadata.SetAnnotations(newAnnotations)
+	storedMetadata.SetAnnotations(newAnnotations)
 	recordedResource[key] = toStore
 	return
 }
diff --git a/pkg/monitor/recorder_test.go b/pkg/monitor/recorder_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..bab9dfef5f2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/monitor/recorder_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package monitor
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/openshift/origin/pkg/monitor/monitorapi"
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
+)
+
+func pod(uid string) *corev1.Pod {
+	return &corev1.Pod{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Namespace: "test-namespace",
+			Name:      "test-pod",
+			UID:       types.UID(uid),
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRecordResourceObservedCounts(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name                  string
+		recorded              []*corev1.Pod
+		expectedUpdateCount   string
+		expectedRecreateCount string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:                  "first observation seeds the counts",
+			recorded:              []*corev1.Pod{pod("uid-1")},
+			expectedUpdateCount:   "1",
+			expectedRecreateCount: "0",
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "repeated observations increment the update count",
+			recorded:              []*corev1.Pod{pod("uid-1"), pod("uid-1"), pod("uid-1")},
+			expectedUpdateCount:   "3",
+			expectedRecreateCount: "0",
+		},
+		{
+			// the UID is part of monitorapi.InstanceKey, so a recreated pod is tracked under its
+			// own key and starts counting again from scratch
+			name:                  "a recreated pod is tracked separately from its predecessor",
+			recorded:              []*corev1.Pod{pod("uid-1"), pod("uid-1"), pod("uid-2")},
+			expectedUpdateCount:   "1",
+			expectedRecreateCount: "0",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			recorder := NewRecorder()
+			for _, p := range test.recorded {
+				recorder.RecordResource("pods", p)
+			}
+
+			// the key is derived from the most recently recorded pod, since the UID is part of it
+			last := test.recorded[len(test.recorded)-1]
+			key := monitorapi.InstanceKey{
+				Namespace: last.Namespace,
+				Name:      last.Name,
+				UID:       string(last.UID),
+			}
+
+			stored, ok := recorder.CurrentResourceState()["pods"][key]
+			if !ok {
+				t.Fatalf("no resource recorded for %v", key)
+			}
+			annotations := stored.(*corev1.Pod).Annotations
+
+			if actual := annotations[monitorapi.ObservedUpdateCountAnnotation]; actual != test.expectedUpdateCount {
+				t.Errorf("expected update count %q, got %q", test.expectedUpdateCount, actual)
+			}
+			if actual := annotations[monitorapi.ObservedRecreationCountAnnotation]; actual != test.expectedRecreateCount {
+				t.Errorf("expected recreation count %q, got %q", test.expectedRecreateCount, actual)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRecordResourceDoesNotMutateInput ensures the caller's object is left alone. Callers hand in
+// objects straight from an informer cache, so annotating them in place would corrupt the cache.
+func TestRecordResourceDoesNotMutateInput(t *testing.T) {
+	recorder := NewRecorder()
+
+	first := pod("uid-1")
+	recorder.RecordResource("pods", first)
+	if first.Annotations != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected the recorded object to be unmodified, got annotations %v", first.Annotations)
+	}
+
+	second := pod("uid-1")
+	recorder.RecordResource("pods", second)
+	if second.Annotations != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected the recorded object to be unmodified, got annotations %v", second.Annotations)
+	}
+}