diff --git a/npm/cmd/start_server.go b/npm/cmd/start_server.go
index 6137902d30..d8ac7e1b68 100644
--- a/npm/cmd/start_server.go
+++ b/npm/cmd/start_server.go
@@ -81,6 +81,9 @@ func startControlplane(config npmconfig.Config, flags npmconfig.Flags) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	k8sConfig.AcceptContentTypes = "application/vnd.kubernetes.protobuf,application/json"
+	k8sConfig.ContentType = "application/vnd.kubernetes.protobuf"
+
 	// Creates the clientset
 	clientset, err := kubernetes.NewForConfig(k8sConfig)
 	if err != nil {