diff --git a/internal/metrics/metrics.go b/internal/metrics/metrics.go
index 4a08854..eb20d79 100644
--- a/internal/metrics/metrics.go
+++ b/internal/metrics/metrics.go
@@ -144,3 +144,11 @@ var (
 		Buckets: prometheus.DefBuckets,
 	})
 )
+
+// Work Mode Metrics
+var (
+	CurrentWorkMode = promauto.NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+		Name: "current_work_mode",
+		Help: "The current work mode (0 = backfill, 1 = live)",
+	})
+)
diff --git a/internal/orchestrator/committer.go b/internal/orchestrator/committer.go
index c24caed..e8487f1 100644
--- a/internal/orchestrator/committer.go
+++ b/internal/orchestrator/committer.go
@@ -27,9 +27,19 @@ type Committer struct {
 	rpc                rpc.IRPCClient
 	lastCommittedBlock *big.Int
 	publisher          *publisher.Publisher
+	workMode           WorkMode
+	workModeChan       chan WorkMode
 }
 
-func NewCommitter(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *Committer {
+type CommitterOption func(*Committer)
+
+func WithCommitterWorkModeChan(ch chan WorkMode) CommitterOption {
+	return func(c *Committer) {
+		c.workModeChan = ch
+	}
+}
+
+func NewCommitter(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage, opts ...CommitterOption) *Committer {
 	triggerInterval := config.Cfg.Committer.Interval
 	if triggerInterval == 0 {
 		triggerInterval = DEFAULT_COMMITTER_TRIGGER_INTERVAL
@@ -40,7 +50,7 @@ func NewCommitter(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *Committer {
 	}
 
 	commitFromBlock := big.NewInt(int64(config.Cfg.Committer.FromBlock))
-	return &Committer{
+	committer := &Committer{
 		triggerIntervalMs:  triggerInterval,
 		blocksPerCommit:    blocksPerCommit,
 		storage:            storage,
@@ -48,7 +58,14 @@ func NewCommitter(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *Committer {
 		rpc:                rpc,
 		lastCommittedBlock: commitFromBlock,
 		publisher:          publisher.GetInstance(),
+		workMode:           "",
+	}
+
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		opt(committer)
 	}
+
+	return committer
 }
 
 func (c *Committer) Start(ctx context.Context) {
@@ -61,8 +78,17 @@ func (c *Committer) Start(ctx context.Context) {
 			log.Info().Msg("Committer shutting down")
 			c.publisher.Close()
 			return
+		case workMode := <-c.workModeChan:
+			if workMode != c.workMode && workMode != "" {
+				log.Info().Msgf("Committer work mode changing from %s to %s", c.workMode, workMode)
+				c.workMode = workMode
+			}
 		default:
 			time.Sleep(interval)
+			if c.workMode == "" {
+				log.Debug().Msg("Committer work mode not set, skipping commit")
+				continue
+			}
 			blockDataToCommit, err := c.getSequentialBlockDataToCommit(ctx)
 			if err != nil {
 				log.Error().Err(err).Msg("Error getting block data to commit")
diff --git a/internal/orchestrator/committer_test.go b/internal/orchestrator/committer_test.go
index 25b0ca3..5c1bf60 100644
--- a/internal/orchestrator/committer_test.go
+++ b/internal/orchestrator/committer_test.go
@@ -372,6 +372,7 @@ func TestStartCommitter(t *testing.T) {
 
 	committer := NewCommitter(mockRPC, mockStorage)
 	committer.triggerIntervalMs = 100 // Set a short interval for testing
+	committer.workMode = WorkModeBackfill
 
 	chainID := big.NewInt(1)
 	mockRPC.EXPECT().GetChainID().Return(chainID)
@@ -405,6 +406,7 @@ func TestCommitterRespectsSIGTERM(t *testing.T) {
 
 	committer := NewCommitter(mockRPC, mockStorage)
 	committer.triggerIntervalMs = 100 // Short interval for testing
+	committer.workMode = WorkModeBackfill
 
 	chainID := big.NewInt(1)
 	mockRPC.EXPECT().GetChainID().Return(chainID)
diff --git a/internal/orchestrator/orchestrator.go b/internal/orchestrator/orchestrator.go
index 2bf2faa..d2e4bb4 100644
--- a/internal/orchestrator/orchestrator.go
+++ b/internal/orchestrator/orchestrator.go
@@ -54,11 +54,17 @@ func (o *Orchestrator) Start() {
 		o.cancel()
 	}()
 
+	// Create the work mode monitor first
+	workModeMonitor := NewWorkModeMonitor(o.rpc, o.storage)
+
 	if o.pollerEnabled {
 		wg.Add(1)
 		go func() {
 			defer wg.Done()
-			poller := NewPoller(o.rpc, o.storage)
+			pollerWorkModeChan := make(chan WorkMode, 1)
+			workModeMonitor.RegisterChannel(pollerWorkModeChan)
+			defer workModeMonitor.UnregisterChannel(pollerWorkModeChan)
+			poller := NewPoller(o.rpc, o.storage, WithPollerWorkModeChan(pollerWorkModeChan))
 			poller.Start(ctx)
 		}()
 	}
@@ -76,7 +82,10 @@ func (o *Orchestrator) Start() {
 		wg.Add(1)
 		go func() {
 			defer wg.Done()
-			committer := NewCommitter(o.rpc, o.storage)
+			committerWorkModeChan := make(chan WorkMode, 1)
+			workModeMonitor.RegisterChannel(committerWorkModeChan)
+			defer workModeMonitor.UnregisterChannel(committerWorkModeChan)
+			committer := NewCommitter(o.rpc, o.storage, WithCommitterWorkModeChan(committerWorkModeChan))
 			committer.Start(ctx)
 		}()
 	}
@@ -90,6 +99,12 @@ func (o *Orchestrator) Start() {
 		}()
 	}
 
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		workModeMonitor.Start(ctx)
+	}()
+
 	// The chain tracker is always running
 	wg.Add(1)
 	go func() {
diff --git a/internal/orchestrator/poller.go b/internal/orchestrator/poller.go
index 325de7c..b660a8c 100644
--- a/internal/orchestrator/poller.go
+++ b/internal/orchestrator/poller.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ type Poller struct {
 	pollFromBlock     *big.Int
 	pollUntilBlock    *big.Int
 	parallelPollers   int
+	workModeChan      chan WorkMode
 }
 
 type BlockNumberWithError struct {
@@ -35,7 +36,15 @@ type BlockNumberWithError struct {
 	Error       error
 }
 
-func NewBoundlessPoller(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *Poller {
+type PollerOption func(*Poller)
+
+func WithPollerWorkModeChan(ch chan WorkMode) PollerOption {
+	return func(p *Poller) {
+		p.workModeChan = ch
+	}
+}
+
+func NewBoundlessPoller(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage, opts ...PollerOption) *Poller {
 	blocksPerPoll := config.Cfg.Poller.BlocksPerPoll
 	if blocksPerPoll == 0 {
 		blocksPerPoll = DEFAULT_BLOCKS_PER_POLL
@@ -44,19 +53,25 @@ func NewBoundlessPoller(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *Poller {
 	if triggerInterval == 0 {
 		triggerInterval = DEFAULT_TRIGGER_INTERVAL
 	}
-	return &Poller{
+	poller := &Poller{
 		rpc:               rpc,
 		triggerIntervalMs: int64(triggerInterval),
 		blocksPerPoll:     int64(blocksPerPoll),
 		storage:           storage,
 		parallelPollers:   config.Cfg.Poller.ParallelPollers,
 	}
+
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		opt(poller)
+	}
+
+	return poller
 }
 
 var ErrNoNewBlocks = fmt.Errorf("no new blocks to poll")
 
-func NewPoller(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *Poller {
-	poller := NewBoundlessPoller(rpc, storage)
+func NewPoller(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage, opts ...PollerOption) *Poller {
+	poller := NewBoundlessPoller(rpc, storage, opts...)
 	untilBlock := big.NewInt(int64(config.Cfg.Poller.UntilBlock))
 	pollFromBlock := big.NewInt(int64(config.Cfg.Poller.FromBlock))
 	lastPolledBlock := new(big.Int).Sub(pollFromBlock, big.NewInt(1)) // needs to include the first block
@@ -131,11 +146,14 @@ func (p *Poller) Start(ctx context.Context) {
 	for {
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
-			cancel()
-			close(tasks)
-			wg.Wait()
-			log.Info().Msg("Poller shutting down")
+			p.shutdown(cancel, tasks, &wg)
 			return
+		case workMode := <-p.workModeChan:
+			if workMode == WorkModeLive {
+				log.Info().Msg("Switching to live mode, stopping poller")
+				p.shutdown(cancel, tasks, &wg)
+				return
+			}
 		case <-ticker.C:
 			select {
 			case tasks <- struct{}{}:
@@ -274,3 +292,10 @@ func (p *Poller) handleBlockFailures(results []rpc.GetFullBlockResult) {
 		log.Error().Err(err).Msg("Error saving block failures")
 	}
 }
+
+func (p *Poller) shutdown(cancel context.CancelFunc, tasks chan struct{}, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
+	cancel()
+	close(tasks)
+	wg.Wait()
+	log.Info().Msg("Poller shutting down")
+}
diff --git a/internal/orchestrator/work_mode_monitor.go b/internal/orchestrator/work_mode_monitor.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..298eb89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/orchestrator/work_mode_monitor.go
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+package orchestrator
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"math/big"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/rs/zerolog/log"
+	"github.com/thirdweb-dev/indexer/internal/metrics"
+	"github.com/thirdweb-dev/indexer/internal/rpc"
+	"github.com/thirdweb-dev/indexer/internal/storage"
+)
+
+type WorkMode string
+
+const (
+	WORK_MODE_CHECK_INTERVAL              = 10 * time.Minute
+	WORK_MODE_BACKFILL_THRESHOLD          = 500
+	WorkModeLive                 WorkMode = "live"
+	WorkModeBackfill             WorkMode = "backfill"
+)
+
+type WorkModeMonitor struct {
+	rpc              rpc.IRPCClient
+	storage          storage.IStorage
+	workModeChannels map[chan WorkMode]struct{}
+	channelsMutex    sync.RWMutex
+	currentMode      WorkMode
+}
+
+func NewWorkModeMonitor(rpc rpc.IRPCClient, storage storage.IStorage) *WorkModeMonitor {
+	return &WorkModeMonitor{
+		rpc:              rpc,
+		storage:          storage,
+		workModeChannels: make(map[chan WorkMode]struct{}),
+		currentMode:      "",
+	}
+}
+
+// RegisterChannel adds a new channel to receive work mode updates
+func (m *WorkModeMonitor) RegisterChannel(ch chan WorkMode) {
+	m.channelsMutex.Lock()
+	defer m.channelsMutex.Unlock()
+
+	m.workModeChannels[ch] = struct{}{}
+	// Send current mode to the new channel only if it's not empty
+	if m.currentMode != "" {
+		select {
+		case ch <- m.currentMode:
+			log.Debug().Msg("Initial work mode sent to new channel")
+		default:
+			log.Warn().Msg("Failed to send initial work mode to new channel - channel full")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// UnregisterChannel removes a channel from receiving work mode updates
+func (m *WorkModeMonitor) UnregisterChannel(ch chan WorkMode) {
+	m.channelsMutex.Lock()
+	defer m.channelsMutex.Unlock()
+
+	delete(m.workModeChannels, ch)
+}
+
+func (m *WorkModeMonitor) updateWorkModeMetric(mode WorkMode) {
+	var value float64
+	if mode == WorkModeLive {
+		value = 1
+	}
+	metrics.CurrentWorkMode.Set(value)
+}
+
+func (m *WorkModeMonitor) Start(ctx context.Context) {
+	// Perform immediate check
+	newMode, err := m.determineWorkMode(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Error().Err(err).Msg("Error checking work mode during startup")
+	} else if newMode != m.currentMode {
+		log.Info().Msgf("Work mode changing from %s to %s during startup", m.currentMode, newMode)
+		m.currentMode = newMode
+		m.updateWorkModeMetric(newMode)
+		m.broadcastWorkMode(newMode)
+	}
+
+	ticker := time.NewTicker(WORK_MODE_CHECK_INTERVAL)
+	defer ticker.Stop()
+
+	log.Info().Msgf("Work mode monitor started with initial mode: %s", m.currentMode)
+
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			log.Info().Msg("Work mode monitor shutting down")
+			return
+		case <-ticker.C:
+			newMode, err := m.determineWorkMode(ctx)
+			if err != nil {
+				log.Error().Err(err).Msg("Error checking work mode")
+				continue
+			}
+
+			if newMode != m.currentMode {
+				log.Info().Msgf("Work mode changing from %s to %s", m.currentMode, newMode)
+				m.currentMode = newMode
+				m.updateWorkModeMetric(newMode)
+				m.broadcastWorkMode(newMode)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (m *WorkModeMonitor) broadcastWorkMode(mode WorkMode) {
+	m.channelsMutex.RLock()
+	defer m.channelsMutex.RUnlock()
+
+	for ch := range m.workModeChannels {
+		select {
+		case ch <- mode:
+			log.Debug().Msg("Work mode change notification sent")
+		default:
+			if r := recover(); r != nil {
+				log.Warn().Msg("Work mode notification dropped - channel closed")
+				delete(m.workModeChannels, ch)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (m *WorkModeMonitor) determineWorkMode(ctx context.Context) (WorkMode, error) {
+	lastCommittedBlock, err := m.storage.MainStorage.GetMaxBlockNumber(m.rpc.GetChainID())
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	if lastCommittedBlock.Sign() == 0 {
+		log.Debug().Msg("No blocks committed yet, using backfill mode")
+		return WorkModeBackfill, nil
+	}
+
+	latestBlock, err := m.rpc.GetLatestBlockNumber(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	blockDiff := new(big.Int).Sub(latestBlock, lastCommittedBlock)
+	log.Debug().Msgf("Committer is %d blocks behind the chain", blockDiff.Int64())
+	if blockDiff.Cmp(big.NewInt(WORK_MODE_BACKFILL_THRESHOLD)) < 0 {
+		return WorkModeLive, nil
+	}
+
+	return WorkModeBackfill, nil
+}