diff --git a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
index cefe43fead..8f9283856d 100644
--- a/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
+++ b/cmd/kube-controller-manager/app/controllermanager.go
@@ -235,6 +235,16 @@ func (s *CMServer) ResyncPeriod() time.Duration {
 	return time.Duration(float64(s.MinResyncPeriod.Nanoseconds()) * factor)
 }
 
+func clientForUserAgentOrDie(config client.Config, userAgent string) *client.Client {
+	fullUserAgent := client.DefaultKubernetesUserAgent() + "/" + userAgent
+	config.UserAgent = fullUserAgent
+	kubeClient, err := client.New(&config)
+	if err != nil {
+		glog.Fatalf("Invalid API configuration: %v", err)
+	}
+	return kubeClient
+}
+
 // Run runs the CMServer.  This should never exit.
 func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 	kubeconfig, err := clientcmd.BuildConfigFromFlags(s.Master, s.Kubeconfig)
@@ -268,14 +278,17 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 		glog.Fatal(server.ListenAndServe())
 	}()
 
-	go endpointcontroller.NewEndpointController(kubeClient, s.ResyncPeriod).
+	go endpointcontroller.NewEndpointController(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "endpoint-controller"), s.ResyncPeriod).
 		Run(s.ConcurrentEndpointSyncs, util.NeverStop)
 
-	go replicationcontroller.NewReplicationManager(kubeClient, s.ResyncPeriod, replicationcontroller.BurstReplicas).
-		Run(s.ConcurrentRCSyncs, util.NeverStop)
+	go replicationcontroller.NewReplicationManager(
+		clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "replication-controller"),
+		s.ResyncPeriod,
+		replicationcontroller.BurstReplicas,
+	).Run(s.ConcurrentRCSyncs, util.NeverStop)
 
 	if s.TerminatedPodGCThreshold > 0 {
-		go gc.New(kubeClient, s.ResyncPeriod, s.TerminatedPodGCThreshold).
+		go gc.New(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "garbage-collector"), s.ResyncPeriod, s.TerminatedPodGCThreshold).
 			Run(util.NeverStop)
 	}
 
@@ -284,13 +297,13 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 		glog.Fatalf("Cloud provider could not be initialized: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	nodeController := nodecontroller.NewNodeController(cloud, kubeClient,
+	nodeController := nodecontroller.NewNodeController(cloud, clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "node-controller"),
 		s.PodEvictionTimeout, util.NewTokenBucketRateLimiter(s.DeletingPodsQps, s.DeletingPodsBurst),
 		util.NewTokenBucketRateLimiter(s.DeletingPodsQps, s.DeletingPodsBurst),
 		s.NodeMonitorGracePeriod, s.NodeStartupGracePeriod, s.NodeMonitorPeriod, &s.ClusterCIDR, s.AllocateNodeCIDRs)
 	nodeController.Run(s.NodeSyncPeriod)
 
-	serviceController := servicecontroller.New(cloud, kubeClient, s.ClusterName)
+	serviceController := servicecontroller.New(cloud, clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "service-controller"), s.ClusterName)
 	if err := serviceController.Run(s.ServiceSyncPeriod, s.NodeSyncPeriod); err != nil {
 		glog.Errorf("Failed to start service controller: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -301,7 +314,7 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 		} else if routes, ok := cloud.Routes(); !ok {
 			glog.Warning("allocate-node-cidrs is set, but cloud provider does not support routes. Will not manage routes.")
 		} else {
-			routeController := routecontroller.New(routes, kubeClient, s.ClusterName, &s.ClusterCIDR)
+			routeController := routecontroller.New(routes, clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "route-controller"), s.ClusterName, &s.ClusterCIDR)
 			routeController.Run(s.NodeSyncPeriod)
 		}
 	} else {
@@ -309,7 +322,8 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 	}
 
 	go resourcequotacontroller.NewResourceQuotaController(
-		kubeClient, controller.StaticResyncPeriodFunc(s.ResourceQuotaSyncPeriod)).Run(s.ConcurrentResourceQuotaSyncs, util.NeverStop)
+		clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "resourcequota-controller"),
+		controller.StaticResyncPeriodFunc(s.ResourceQuotaSyncPeriod)).Run(s.ConcurrentResourceQuotaSyncs, util.NeverStop)
 
 	// If apiserver is not running we should wait for some time and fail only then. This is particularly
 	// important when we start apiserver and controller manager at the same time.
@@ -331,7 +345,7 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 		glog.Fatalf("Failed to get supported resources from server: %v", err)
 	}
 
-	namespacecontroller.NewNamespaceController(kubeClient, versions, s.NamespaceSyncPeriod).Run()
+	namespacecontroller.NewNamespaceController(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "namespace-controller"), versions, s.NamespaceSyncPeriod).Run()
 
 	groupVersion := "extensions/v1beta1"
 	resources, found := resourceMap[groupVersion]
@@ -340,34 +354,41 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 		glog.Infof("Starting %s apis", groupVersion)
 		if containsResource(resources, "horizontalpodautoscalers") {
 			glog.Infof("Starting horizontal pod controller.")
-			metricsClient := metrics.NewHeapsterMetricsClient(kubeClient, metrics.DefaultHeapsterNamespace, metrics.DefaultHeapsterScheme, metrics.DefaultHeapsterService, metrics.DefaultHeapsterPort)
-			podautoscaler.NewHorizontalController(kubeClient, metricsClient).
+			hpaClient := clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "horizontal-pod-autoscaler")
+			metricsClient := metrics.NewHeapsterMetricsClient(
+				hpaClient,
+				metrics.DefaultHeapsterNamespace,
+				metrics.DefaultHeapsterScheme,
+				metrics.DefaultHeapsterService,
+				metrics.DefaultHeapsterPort,
+			)
+			podautoscaler.NewHorizontalController(hpaClient, metricsClient).
 				Run(s.HorizontalPodAutoscalerSyncPeriod)
 		}
 
 		if containsResource(resources, "daemonsets") {
 			glog.Infof("Starting daemon set controller")
-			go daemon.NewDaemonSetsController(kubeClient, s.ResyncPeriod).
+			go daemon.NewDaemonSetsController(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "daemon-set-controller"), s.ResyncPeriod).
 				Run(s.ConcurrentDSCSyncs, util.NeverStop)
 		}
 
 		if containsResource(resources, "jobs") {
 			glog.Infof("Starting job controller")
-			go job.NewJobController(kubeClient, s.ResyncPeriod).
+			go job.NewJobController(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "job-controller"), s.ResyncPeriod).
 				Run(s.ConcurrentJobSyncs, util.NeverStop)
 		}
 
 		if containsResource(resources, "deployments") {
 			glog.Infof("Starting deployment controller")
-			deployment.New(kubeClient).
+			deployment.New(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "deployment-controller")).
 				Run(s.DeploymentControllerSyncPeriod)
 		}
 	}
 
-	pvclaimBinder := persistentvolumecontroller.NewPersistentVolumeClaimBinder(kubeClient, s.PVClaimBinderSyncPeriod)
+	pvclaimBinder := persistentvolumecontroller.NewPersistentVolumeClaimBinder(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "persistent-volume-binder"), s.PVClaimBinderSyncPeriod)
 	pvclaimBinder.Run()
 
-	pvRecycler, err := persistentvolumecontroller.NewPersistentVolumeRecycler(kubeClient, s.PVClaimBinderSyncPeriod, ProbeRecyclableVolumePlugins(s.VolumeConfigFlags))
+	pvRecycler, err := persistentvolumecontroller.NewPersistentVolumeRecycler(clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "persistent-volume-recycler"), s.PVClaimBinderSyncPeriod, ProbeRecyclableVolumePlugins(s.VolumeConfigFlags))
 	if err != nil {
 		glog.Fatalf("Failed to start persistent volume recycler: %+v", err)
 	}
@@ -393,7 +414,7 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 			glog.Errorf("Error reading key for service account token controller: %v", err)
 		} else {
 			serviceaccount.NewTokensController(
-				kubeClient,
+				clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "tokens-controller"),
 				serviceaccount.TokensControllerOptions{
 					TokenGenerator: serviceaccount.JWTTokenGenerator(privateKey),
 					RootCA:         rootCA,
@@ -403,7 +424,7 @@ func (s *CMServer) Run(_ []string) error {
 	}
 
 	serviceaccount.NewServiceAccountsController(
-		kubeClient,
+		clientForUserAgentOrDie(*kubeconfig, "service-account-controller"),
 		serviceaccount.DefaultServiceAccountsControllerOptions(),
 	).Run()