diff --git a/pkg/config/config.go b/pkg/config/config.go
index edca53f..0defa70 100644
--- a/pkg/config/config.go
+++ b/pkg/config/config.go
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	ResourceTags                    []string
 	WatchNamespace                  string
 	WatchSelectors                  string
+	WatchSelectorsParsed            labels.Selector
 	EnableWebhookServer             bool
 	WebhookServerAddr               string
 	DeletionPolicy                  ackv1alpha1.DeletionPolicy
@@ -489,7 +490,8 @@ func (cfg *Config) ParseWatchSelectors() (labels.Selector, error) {
 	// If the WatchSelectors isn't set, return nil. controller-runtime will be in charge
 	// of defaulting to watching all objects.
 	if cfg.WatchSelectors == "" {
-		return nil, nil
+		cfg.WatchSelectorsParsed = labels.Everything()
+		return labels.Everything(), nil
 	}
 
 	labelSelector, err := labels.Parse(cfg.WatchSelectors)
@@ -497,6 +499,8 @@ func (cfg *Config) ParseWatchSelectors() (labels.Selector, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid value for flag '%s': %v", flagWatchSelectors, err)
 	}
 
+	// Set the parsed label selector in the Config struct for later use
+	cfg.WatchSelectorsParsed = labelSelector
 	return labelSelector, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/runtime/reconciler.go b/pkg/runtime/reconciler.go
index ddc94f4..4a71810 100644
--- a/pkg/runtime/reconciler.go
+++ b/pkg/runtime/reconciler.go
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/labels"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	ctrlrt "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
@@ -214,6 +215,18 @@ func (r *resourceReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrlrt.Request)
 		return ctrlrt.Result{}, err
 	}
 
+	// Check if the resource still matches the watchSelectors.
+	if !r.cfg.WatchSelectorsParsed.Matches(labels.Set(desired.MetaObject().GetLabels())) {
+		r.log.V(1).Info(
+			"Skipping reconcile for resource that does not match watch selectors",
+			"resource", desired.MetaObject().GetName(),
+			"namespace", desired.MetaObject().GetNamespace(),
+			"kind", r.rd.GroupVersionKind().Kind,
+			"watchSelectors", r.cfg.WatchSelectors,
+		)
+		return ctrlrt.Result{}, nil
+	}
+
 	rlog := ackrtlog.NewResourceLogger(
 		r.log, desired,
 		// All the fields for a resource that do not change during reconciliation