diff --git a/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/hnc_config.go b/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/hnc_config.go
index 3b1f1d677..9c248ff9b 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/hnc_config.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/hnc_config.go
@@ -69,10 +69,11 @@ type TypeSynchronizationStatus struct {
 	// Kind to be configured.
 	Kind string `json:"kind,omitempty"`
 
-	// Tracks the number of original objects that are being propagated to descendant namespaces.
+	// Tracks the number of objects that are being propagated to descendant namespaces. The propagated
+	// objects are created by HNC.
 	// +kubebuilder:validation:Minimum=0
 	// +optional
-	NumPropagated *int32 `json:"numPropagated,omitempty"`
+	NumPropagatedObjects *int32 `json:"numPropagatedObjects,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // +kubebuilder:object:root=true
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go b/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
index bb4d37d81..29783d9a1 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/api/v1alpha1/zz_generated.deepcopy.go
@@ -376,8 +376,8 @@ func (in *TypeSynchronizationSpec) DeepCopy() *TypeSynchronizationSpec {
 // DeepCopyInto is an autogenerated deepcopy function, copying the receiver, writing into out. in must be non-nil.
 func (in *TypeSynchronizationStatus) DeepCopyInto(out *TypeSynchronizationStatus) {
 	*out = *in
-	if in.NumPropagated != nil {
-		in, out := &in.NumPropagated, &out.NumPropagated
+	if in.NumPropagatedObjects != nil {
+		in, out := &in.NumPropagatedObjects, &out.NumPropagatedObjects
 		*out = new(int32)
 		**out = **in
 	}
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/config/crd/bases/hnc.x-k8s.io_hncconfigurations.yaml b/incubator/hnc/config/crd/bases/hnc.x-k8s.io_hncconfigurations.yaml
index 2ac140dfe..18dd88175 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/config/crd/bases/hnc.x-k8s.io_hncconfigurations.yaml
+++ b/incubator/hnc/config/crd/bases/hnc.x-k8s.io_hncconfigurations.yaml
@@ -108,9 +108,10 @@ spec:
                   kind:
                     description: Kind to be configured.
                     type: string
-                  numPropagated:
-                    description: Tracks the number of original objects that are being
-                      propagated to descendant namespaces.
+                  numPropagatedObjects:
+                    description: Tracks the number of objects that are being propagated
+                      to descendant namespaces. The propagated objects are created
+                      by HNC.
                     format: int32
                     minimum: 0
                     type: integer
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/pkg/forest/forest.go b/incubator/hnc/pkg/forest/forest.go
index 40e8ba942..d0d5780a4 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/pkg/forest/forest.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/pkg/forest/forest.go
@@ -32,6 +32,16 @@ type TypeSyncer interface {
 	// SetMode sets the propagation mode of objects that are handled by the reconciler who implements the interface.
 	// The method also syncs objects in the cluster for the type handled by the reconciler if necessary.
 	SetMode(context.Context, api.SynchronizationMode, logr.Logger) error
+	// GetMode gets the propagation mode of objects that are handled by the reconciler who implements the interface.
+	GetMode() api.SynchronizationMode
+	// GetNumPropagatedObjects returns the number of propagated objects on the apiserver.
+	GetNumPropagatedObjects() int
+}
+
+// NumPropagatedObjectsSyncer syncs the number of propagated objects. ConfigReconciler implements the
+// interface so that it can be called by an ObjectReconciler if the number of propagated objects is changed.
+type NumPropagatedObjectsSyncer interface {
+	SyncNumPropagatedObjects(logr.Logger)
 }
 
 // Forest defines a forest of namespaces - that is, a set of trees. It includes methods to mutate
@@ -53,6 +63,10 @@ type Forest struct {
 	// We can also move the lock out of the forest and pass it to all reconcilers that need the lock.
 	// In that way, we don't need to put the list in the forest.
 	types []TypeSyncer
+
+	// config is the ConfigReconciler that an object reconciler can call if the status of the HNCConfiguration
+	// object needs to be updated.
+	Config NumPropagatedObjectsSyncer
 }
 
 func NewForest() *Forest {
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config.go b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config.go
index 17a0761d6..ccb04bfd7 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config.go
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ package reconcilers
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"sort"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
 
 	"k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1beta1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
@@ -33,19 +36,35 @@ type ConfigReconciler struct {
 	// Forest is the in-memory data structure that is shared with all other reconcilers.
 	Forest *forest.Forest
 
-	// Igniter is a channel of event.GenericEvent (see "Watching Channels" in
+	// Trigger is a channel of event.GenericEvent (see "Watching Channels" in
 	// https://book-v1.book.kubebuilder.io/beyond_basics/controller_watches.html)
-	// that is used to enqueue the singleton for initial reconciliation.
-	Igniter chan event.GenericEvent
+	// that is used to enqueue the singleton to trigger reconciliation.
+	Trigger chan event.GenericEvent
 
 	// HierarchyConfigUpdates is a channel of events used to update hierarchy configuration changes performed by
 	// ObjectReconcilers. It is passed on to ObjectReconcilers for the updates. The ConfigReconciler itself does
 	// not use it.
 	HierarchyConfigUpdates chan event.GenericEvent
+
+	// activeGVKs contains GVKs that are configured in the Spec.
+	activeGVKs gvkSet
+
+	// shouldReconcileLock is used to prevent reconcilers trying to access shouldReconcile at the same time.
+	shouldReconcileLock sync.Mutex
+
+	// shouldReconcile is used by object reconcilers to signal config reconciler to reconcile.
+	// Object reconcilers will set shouldReconcile to be true when an object is successfully reconciled
+	// and the status of the `config` singleton might need to be updated.
+	shouldReconcile bool
 }
 
+// gvkSet keeps track of a group of unique GVKs.
 type gvkSet map[schema.GroupVersionKind]bool
 
+// checkPeriod is the period that the config reconciler checks if it needs to reconcile the
+// `config` singleton.
+const checkPeriod = 3 * time.Second
+
 // Reconcile sets up some basic variable and logs the Spec.
 // TODO: Updates the comment above when adding more logic to the Reconcile method.
 func (r *ConfigReconciler) Reconcile(req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
@@ -63,18 +82,17 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) Reconcile(req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
 	}
 
-	// TODO: Modify this and other reconcilers (e.g., hierarchy and object reconcilers) to
-	// achieve the reconciliation.
-	r.Log.Info("Reconciling cluster-wide HNC configuration")
-
-	// Clear the existing conditions because we will reconstruct the latest conditions.
+	// Clear the existing the status because we will reconstruct the latest status.
 	inst.Status.Conditions = nil
+	inst.Status.Types = nil
 
 	// Create or sync corresponding ObjectReconcilers, if needed.
 	syncErr := r.syncObjectReconcilers(ctx, inst)
 
+	// Add the status for each type.
+	r.addTypeStatus(inst)
+
 	// Write back to the apiserver.
-	// TODO: Update HNCConfiguration.Status before writing the singleton back to the apiserver.
 	if err := r.writeSingleton(ctx, inst); err != nil {
 		r.Log.Error(err, "Couldn't write singleton")
 		return ctrl.Result{}, err
@@ -225,6 +243,7 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) syncObjectReconcilers(ctx context.Context, inst *api.
 func (r *ConfigReconciler) syncActiveReconcilers(ctx context.Context, inst *api.HNCConfiguration) error {
 	// exist keeps track of existing types in the `config` singleton.
 	exist := gvkSet{}
+	r.activeGVKs = gvkSet{}
 	for _, t := range inst.Spec.Types {
 		// If there are multiple configurations of the same type, we will follow the first
 		// configuration and ignore the rest.
@@ -232,6 +251,7 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) syncActiveReconcilers(ctx context.Context, inst *api.
 			continue
 		}
 		gvk := schema.FromAPIVersionAndKind(t.APIVersion, t.Kind)
+		r.activeGVKs[gvk] = true
 		if ts := r.Forest.GetTypeSyncer(gvk); ts != nil {
 			if err := ts.SetMode(ctx, t.Mode, r.Log); err != nil {
 				return err // retry the reconciliation
@@ -311,9 +331,10 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) createObjectReconciler(gvk schema.GroupVersionKind, m
 		Log:               ctrl.Log.WithName("reconcilers").WithName(gvk.Kind),
 		Forest:            r.Forest,
 		GVK:               gvk,
-		Mode:              mode,
+		Mode:              GetValidateMode(mode, r.Log),
 		Affected:          make(chan event.GenericEvent),
 		AffectedNamespace: r.HierarchyConfigUpdates,
+		propagatedObjects: namespacedNameSet{},
 	}
 
 	// TODO: figure out MaxConcurrentReconciles option - https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/multi-tenancy/issues/291
@@ -362,21 +383,89 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) validateSingletonName(ctx context.Context, nm string)
 	return fmt.Errorf("Error while validating singleton name: %s", msg)
 }
 
-// forceInitialReconcile forces reconciliation to start after setting up the
-// controller with the manager. This is used to create a default singleton if
-// there is no singleton in the cluster. This occurs in a goroutine so the
+// addTypeStatus adds Status.Types for types configured in the spec. Only the status of
+// types in `propagate` and `remove` modes will be recorded. The Status.Types
+// is sorted in alphabetical order based on APIVersion.
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) addTypeStatus(inst *api.HNCConfiguration) {
+	for _, ts := range r.Forest.GetTypeSyncers() {
+		if r.activeGVKs[ts.GetGVK()] && ts.GetMode() != api.Ignore {
+			r.addNumPropagatedObjects(ts.GetGVK(), ts.GetNumPropagatedObjects(), inst)
+		}
+	}
+	sort.Slice(inst.Status.Types, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return inst.Status.Types[i].APIVersion < inst.Status.Types[j].APIVersion
+	})
+}
+
+// addNumPropagatedObjects adds the NumPropagatedObjects field for a given GVK in the status.
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) addNumPropagatedObjects(gvk schema.GroupVersionKind, num int,
+	inst *api.HNCConfiguration) {
+	apiVersion, kind := gvk.ToAPIVersionAndKind()
+	n := int32(num)
+	inst.Status.Types = append(inst.Status.Types, api.TypeSynchronizationStatus{
+		APIVersion:           apiVersion,
+		Kind:                 kind,
+		NumPropagatedObjects: &n,
+	})
+}
+
+// enqueueSingleton enqueues the `config` singleton to trigger the reconciliation
+// of the singleton for a given reason . This occurs in a goroutine so the
 // caller doesn't block; since the reconciler is never garbage-collected,
 // this is safe.
-func (r *ConfigReconciler) forceInitialReconcile(log logr.Logger, reason string) {
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) enqueueSingleton(log logr.Logger, reason string) {
 	go func() {
 		log.Info("Enqueuing for reconciliation", "reason", reason)
 		// The watch handler doesn't care about anything except the metadata.
 		inst := &api.HNCConfiguration{}
 		inst.ObjectMeta.Name = api.HNCConfigSingleton
-		r.Igniter <- event.GenericEvent{Meta: inst}
+		r.Trigger <- event.GenericEvent{Meta: inst}
 	}()
 }
 
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) getShouldReconcile() bool {
+	r.shouldReconcileLock.Lock()
+	defer r.shouldReconcileLock.Unlock()
+
+	return r.shouldReconcile
+}
+
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) unsetShouldReconcile() {
+	r.shouldReconcileLock.Lock()
+	defer r.shouldReconcileLock.Unlock()
+
+	r.shouldReconcile = false
+}
+
+// periodicTrigger periodically checks if the `config` singleton needs to be reconciled and
+// enqueues the `config` singleton for reconciliation, if needed.
+// Object reconcilers signal the config reconciler to reconcile when the status needs to
+// be updated. The config reconciler only reconciles periodically so that the reconciliation
+// won't be triggered too frequently.
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) periodicTrigger() {
+	// run forever
+	for {
+		time.Sleep(checkPeriod)
+		if r.getShouldReconcile() == false {
+			continue
+		}
+		msg := fmt.Sprintf("Syncing NumPropagatedObjects in the status")
+		r.enqueueSingleton(r.Log, msg)
+		r.unsetShouldReconcile()
+	}
+}
+
+// SyncNumPropagatedObjects will be called by object reconcilers to signal config
+// reconciler to reconcile when an object is reconciled successfully and the status of
+// the `config` object might need to be updated.
+func (r *ConfigReconciler) SyncNumPropagatedObjects(log logr.Logger) {
+	r.shouldReconcileLock.Lock()
+	defer r.shouldReconcileLock.Unlock()
+
+	log.Info("Signalling config reconciler for reconciliation.")
+	r.shouldReconcile = true
+}
+
 // SetupWithManager builds a controller with the reconciler.
 func (r *ConfigReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
 	// Whenever a CRD is created/updated, we will send a request to reconcile the
@@ -392,14 +481,15 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
 		})
 	err := ctrl.NewControllerManagedBy(mgr).
 		For(&api.HNCConfiguration{}).
-		Watches(&source.Channel{Source: r.Igniter}, &handler.EnqueueRequestForObject{}).
+		Watches(&source.Channel{Source: r.Trigger}, &handler.EnqueueRequestForObject{}).
 		Watches(&source.Kind{Type: &v1beta1.CustomResourceDefinition{}},
 			&handler.EnqueueRequestsFromMapFunc{ToRequests: crdMapFn}).
 		Complete(r)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	// Create a default singleton if there is no singleton in the cluster.
+	// Create a default singleton if there is no singleton in the cluster by forcing
+	// reconciliation to start.
 	//
 	// The cache used by the client to retrieve objects might not be populated
 	// at this point. As a result, we cannot use r.Get() to determine the existence
@@ -407,7 +497,18 @@ func (r *ConfigReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager) error {
 	// it does not exist. As a workaround, we decide to enforce reconciliation. The
 	// cache is populated at the reconciliation stage. A default singleton will be
 	// created during the reconciliation if there is no singleton in the cluster.
-	r.forceInitialReconcile(r.Log, "Enforce reconciliation to create a default"+
+	r.enqueueSingleton(r.Log, "Enforce reconciliation to create a default"+
 		"HNCConfiguration singleton if it does not exist")
+
+	// Inform the forest about the config reconciler so that object reconcilers can
+	// signal the config reconciler to reconcile.
+	r.Forest.Config = r
+
+	// Periodically checks if the config reconciler needs to reconcile and trigger the
+	// reconciliation if needed, in case the status needs to be updated. This occurs
+	// in a goroutine so the caller doesn't block; since the reconciler is never
+	// garbage-collected, this is safe.
+	go r.periodicTrigger()
+
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config_test.go b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config_test.go
index 02e57384c..6bd4f69f8 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config_test.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/hnc_config_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package reconcilers_test
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -12,14 +13,16 @@ import (
 	v1 "k8s.io/api/rbac/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver/pkg/apis/apiextensions/v1beta1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
 )
 
 var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
-	// sleepTime is the time to sleep for objects propagation to take effect.
+	// objectPropagationTime is the time to sleep for objects propagation to take effect.
 	// From experiment it takes ~0.015s for HNC to propagate an object. Setting
 	// the sleep time to 1s should be long enough.
 	// We may need to increase the sleep time in future if HNC takes longer to propagate objects.
-	const sleepTime = 1 * time.Second
+	const objectPropagationTime = 1 * time.Second
+
 	ctx := context.Background()
 
 	var (
@@ -28,6 +31,9 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 	)
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
+		// Increase the timeout of `Eventually` for test cases in this file because the `Reconcile`
+		// method of ConfigReconciler sleeps at the very beginning of the method.
+		//SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(4 * time.Second)
 		fooName = createNS(ctx, "foo")
 		barName = createNS(ctx, "bar")
 	})
@@ -37,6 +43,7 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		Eventually(func() error {
 			return resetHNCConfigToDefault(ctx)
 		}).Should(Succeed())
+		//SetDefaultEventuallyTimeout(2 * time.Second)
 	})
 
 	It("should set mode of Roles and RoleBindings as propagate by default", func() {
@@ -99,22 +106,15 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithName(ctx, api.CritSingletonNameInvalid, nm)).Should(BeTrue())
 	})
 
-	It("should set ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed condition if an object reconciler creation fails", func() {
-		// API version of Secret should be "v1"
+	It("should unset ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed condition if an object reconciler creation later succeeds", func() {
+		// API version of ConfigMap should be "v1"
 		addToHNCConfig(ctx, "v2", "ConfigMap", api.Propagate)
 
 		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed, "/v2, Kind=ConfigMap")).Should(BeTrue())
-	})
 
-	It("should unset ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed condition if an object reconciler creation later succeeds", func() {
-		// API version of LimitRange should be "v1"
-		addToHNCConfig(ctx, "v2", "LimitRange", api.Propagate)
+		updateHNCConfigSpec(ctx, "v2", "v1", "ConfigMap", "ConfigMap", api.Propagate, api.Propagate)
 
-		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed, "/v2, Kind=LimitRange")).Should(BeTrue())
-
-		updateHNCConfigSpec(ctx, "v2", "v1", "LimitRange", "LimitRange", api.Propagate, api.Propagate)
-
-		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed, "/v2, Kind=LimitRange")).Should(BeFalse())
+		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed, "/v2, Kind=ConfigMap")).Should(BeFalse())
 	})
 
 	It("should set MultipleConfigurationsForOneType if there are multiple configurations for one type", func() {
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		// Foo should have "foo-resource-quota" since we created there.
 		Eventually(hasObject(ctx, "ResourceQuota", fooName, "foo-resource-quota")).Should(BeTrue())
 		// Sleep to give "foo-resource-quota" a chance to propagate from foo to bar, if it could.
-		time.Sleep(sleepTime)
+		time.Sleep(objectPropagationTime)
 		Expect(hasObject(ctx, "ResourceQuota", barName, "foo-resource-quota")()).Should(BeFalse())
 	})
 
@@ -178,10 +178,11 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		Expect(objectInheritedFrom(ctx, "Secret", barName, "foo-sec")).Should(Equal(fooName))
 
 		updateHNCConfigSpec(ctx, "v1", "v1", "Secret", "Secret", api.Propagate, api.Ignore)
+
 		bazName := createNS(ctx, "baz")
 		setParent(ctx, bazName, fooName)
 		// Sleep to give "foo-sec" a chance to propagate from foo to baz, if it could.
-		time.Sleep(sleepTime)
+		time.Sleep(objectPropagationTime)
 		Expect(hasObject(ctx, "Secret", bazName, "foo-sec")()).Should(BeFalse())
 	})
 
@@ -194,7 +195,7 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		// Foo should have "foo-resource-quota" since we created there.
 		Eventually(hasObject(ctx, "ResourceQuota", fooName, "foo-resource-quota")).Should(BeTrue())
 		// Sleep to give "foo-resource-quota" a chance to propagate from foo to bar, if it could.
-		time.Sleep(sleepTime)
+		time.Sleep(objectPropagationTime)
 		Expect(hasObject(ctx, "ResourceQuota", barName, "foo-resource-quota")()).Should(BeFalse())
 
 		updateHNCConfigSpec(ctx, "v1", "v1", "ResourceQuota", "ResourceQuota", api.Ignore, api.Propagate)
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		// Foo should have "foo-resource-quota" because it is a source object, which will not be removed.
 		Eventually(hasObject(ctx, "ResourceQuota", fooName, "foo-resource-quota")).Should(BeTrue())
 		// Sleep to give "foo-resource-quota" a chance to propagate from foo to bar, if it could.
-		time.Sleep(sleepTime)
+		time.Sleep(objectPropagationTime)
 		// "foo-resource-quota" should not be propagated from foo to bar.
 		Expect(hasObject(ctx, "ResourceQuota", barName, "foo-resource-quota")()).Should(BeFalse())
 
@@ -257,7 +258,7 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		// Foo should have "foo-sec-2" because we created there.
 		Eventually(hasObject(ctx, "Secret", fooName, "foo-sec-2")).Should(BeTrue())
 		// Sleep to give "foo-sec-2" a chance to propagate from foo to bar, if it could.
-		time.Sleep(sleepTime)
+		time.Sleep(objectPropagationTime)
 		// "foo-role-2" should not propagate from foo to bar because the reconciliation request is ignored.
 		Expect(hasObject(ctx, "Secret", barName, "foo-sec-2")()).Should(BeFalse())
 
@@ -268,13 +269,15 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		addToHNCConfig(ctx, "stable.example.com/v1", "CronTab", api.Propagate)
 
 		// The corresponding object reconciler should not be created because the type does not exist.
-		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed, "stable.example.com/v1, Kind=CronTab")).Should(BeTrue())
+		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed,
+			"stable.example.com/v1, Kind=CronTab")).Should(BeTrue())
 
 		// Add the CRD for CronTab to the apiserver.
 		createCronTabCRD(ctx)
 
 		// The object reconciler for CronTab should be created successfully.
-		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed, "stable.example.com/v1, Kind=CronTab")).Should(BeFalse())
+		Eventually(hasHNCConfigurationConditionWithMsg(ctx, api.ObjectReconcilerCreationFailed,
+			"stable.example.com/v1, Kind=CronTab")).Should(BeFalse())
 
 		// Give foo a CronTab object.
 		setParent(ctx, barName, fooName)
@@ -284,6 +287,30 @@ var _ = Describe("HNCConfiguration", func() {
 		Eventually(hasObject(ctx, "CronTab", barName, "foo-crontab")).Should(BeTrue())
 		Expect(objectInheritedFrom(ctx, "CronTab", barName, "foo-crontab")).Should(Equal(fooName))
 	})
+
+	It("should set NumPropagatedObjects back to 0 after deleting the source object in propagate mode", func() {
+		addToHNCConfig(ctx, "v1", "LimitRange", api.Propagate)
+		setParent(ctx, barName, fooName)
+		makeObject(ctx, "LimitRange", fooName, "foo-lr")
+
+		Eventually(getNumPropagatedObjects(ctx, "v1", "LimitRange"), 4*time.Second).Should(Equal(int32(1)))
+
+		deleteObject(ctx, "LimitRange", fooName, "foo-lr")
+
+		Eventually(getNumPropagatedObjects(ctx, "v1", "LimitRange"), 4*time.Second).Should(Equal(int32(0)))
+	})
+
+	It("should set NumPropagatedObjects back to 0 after switching from propagate to remove mode", func() {
+		addToHNCConfig(ctx, "v1", "LimitRange", api.Propagate)
+		setParent(ctx, barName, fooName)
+		makeObject(ctx, "LimitRange", fooName, "foo-lr")
+
+		Eventually(getNumPropagatedObjects(ctx, "v1", "LimitRange"), 4*time.Second).Should(Equal(int32(1)))
+
+		updateHNCConfigSpec(ctx, "v1", "v1", "LimitRange", "LimitRange", api.Propagate, api.Remove)
+
+		Eventually(getNumPropagatedObjects(ctx, "v1", "LimitRange"), 4*time.Second).Should(Equal(int32(0)))
+	})
 })
 
 func hasTypeWithMode(ctx context.Context, apiVersion, kind string, mode api.SynchronizationMode) func() bool {
@@ -429,3 +456,31 @@ func createCronTabCRD(ctx context.Context) {
 		return k8sClient.Create(ctx, &crontab)
 	}).Should(Succeed())
 }
+
+// getNumPropagatedObjects returns NumPropagatedObjects status for a given type. If NumPropagatedObjects is
+// not set or if type does not exist in status, it returns -1 and an error.
+func getNumPropagatedObjects(ctx context.Context, apiVersion, kind string) func() (int32, error) {
+	return func() (int32, error) {
+		c := getHNCConfig(ctx)
+		for _, t := range c.Status.Types {
+			if t.APIVersion == apiVersion && t.Kind == kind {
+				if t.NumPropagatedObjects != nil {
+					return *t.NumPropagatedObjects, nil
+				}
+				return -1, errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("NumPropagatedObjects field is not set for "+
+					"apiversion %s, kind %s", apiVersion, kind))
+			}
+		}
+		return -1, errors.New(fmt.Sprintf("apiversion %s, kind %s is not found in status", apiVersion, kind))
+	}
+}
+
+// deleteObject deletes an object of the given kind in a specific namespace. The kind and
+// its corresponding GVK should be included in the GVKs map.
+func deleteObject(ctx context.Context, kind string, nsName, name string) {
+	inst := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
+	inst.SetGroupVersionKind(GVKs[kind])
+	inst.SetNamespace(nsName)
+	inst.SetName(name)
+	ExpectWithOffset(1, k8sClient.Delete(ctx, inst)).Should(Succeed())
+}
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/object.go b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/object.go
index a5f3b1a40..4ae33dcb1 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/object.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/object.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/go-logr/logr"
 	"github.com/kubernetes-sigs/multi-tenancy/incubator/hnc/pkg/metadata"
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ import (
 	v1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1/unstructured"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	ctrl "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/controller"
@@ -51,6 +53,10 @@ const (
 	ignore
 )
 
+// namespacedNameSet is used to keep track of existing propagated objects of
+// a specific GVK in the cluster.
+type namespacedNameSet map[types.NamespacedName]bool
+
 // ObjectReconciler reconciles generic propagated objects. You must create one for each
 // group/version/kind that needs to be propagated and set its `GVK` field appropriately.
 type ObjectReconciler struct {
@@ -74,6 +80,13 @@ type ObjectReconciler struct {
 
 	// AffectedNamespace is a channel of events used to update namespaces.
 	AffectedNamespace chan event.GenericEvent
+
+	// propagatedObjectsLock is used to prevent the race condition between concurrent reconciliation threads
+	// trying to update propagatedObjects at the same time.
+	propagatedObjectsLock sync.Mutex
+
+	// propagatedObjects contains all propagated objects of the GVK handled by this reconciler.
+	propagatedObjects namespacedNameSet
 }
 
 // +kubebuilder:rbac:groups=*,resources=*,verbs=get;list;watch;create;update;patch;delete
@@ -100,11 +113,33 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) GetGVK() schema.GroupVersionKind {
 	return r.GVK
 }
 
+// GetMode provides the mode of objects that are handled by this reconciler.
+func (r *ObjectReconciler) GetMode() api.SynchronizationMode {
+	return r.Mode
+}
+
+// GetValidateMode returns a valid api.SynchronizationMode based on the given mode. Please
+// see the comments of api.SynchronizationMode for currently supported modes.
+// If mode is not set, it will be api.Propagate by default. Any unrecognized mode is
+// treated as api.Ignore.
+func GetValidateMode(mode api.SynchronizationMode, log logr.Logger) api.SynchronizationMode {
+	switch mode {
+	case api.Propagate, api.Ignore, api.Remove:
+		return mode
+	case "":
+		log.Info("Unset mode; using 'propagate'")
+		return api.Propagate
+	default:
+		log.Info("Unrecognized mode; using 'ignore'", "mode", mode)
+		return api.Ignore
+	}
+}
+
 // SetMode sets the Mode field of an object reconciler and syncs objects in the cluster if needed.
 // The method will return an error if syncs fail.
 func (r *ObjectReconciler) SetMode(ctx context.Context, mode api.SynchronizationMode, log logr.Logger) error {
 	log = log.WithValues("gvk", r.GVK)
-	newMode := r.getValidateMode(mode, log)
+	newMode := GetValidateMode(mode, log)
 	oldMode := r.Mode
 	if newMode == oldMode {
 		return nil
@@ -122,21 +157,14 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) SetMode(ctx context.Context, mode api.Synchronization
 	return nil
 }
 
-// getValidateMode returns a valid api.SynchronizationMode based on the given mode. Please
-// see the comments of api.SynchronizationMode for currently supported modes.
-// If mode is not set, it will be api.Propagate by default. Any unrecognized mode is
-// treated as api.Ignore.
-func (r *ObjectReconciler) getValidateMode(mode api.SynchronizationMode, log logr.Logger) api.SynchronizationMode {
-	switch mode {
-	case api.Propagate, api.Ignore, api.Remove:
-		return mode
-	case "":
-		log.Info("Unset mode; using 'propagate'")
-		return api.Propagate
-	default:
-		log.Info("Unrecognized mode; using 'ignore'", "mode", mode)
-		return api.Ignore
-	}
+// GetNumPropagatedObjects returns the number of propagated objects of the GVK handled by this object reconciler.
+func (r *ObjectReconciler) GetNumPropagatedObjects() int {
+	// We need to lock the map because there can be concurrent reconciliation threads reading/writing
+	// the map.
+	r.propagatedObjectsLock.Lock()
+	defer r.propagatedObjectsLock.Unlock()
+
+	return len(r.propagatedObjects)
 }
 
 // enqueueAllObjects enqueues all the current objects in all namespaces.
@@ -158,7 +186,6 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) Reconcile(req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
 	}
 
 	log := r.Log.WithValues("trigger", req.NamespacedName)
-	r.Mode = r.getValidateMode(r.Mode, log)
 	if r.Mode == api.Ignore {
 		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
 	}
@@ -180,9 +207,19 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) Reconcile(req ctrl.Request) (ctrl.Result, error) {
 			return resp, err
 		}
 	}
+
 	act, srcInst := r.syncWithForest(ctx, log, inst)
 
-	return resp, r.operate(ctx, log, act, inst, srcInst)
+	err := r.operate(ctx, log, act, inst, srcInst)
+	if err != nil {
+		return resp, err
+	}
+
+	// Only trigger the config reconciler to update NumPropagatedObjects status of the
+	// `config` singleton when operations on the apiserver succeeds. Otherwise, the
+	// NumPropagatedObjects is unchanged.
+	r.Forest.Config.SyncNumPropagatedObjects(log)
+	return resp, nil
 }
 
 // syncWithForest syncs the object instance with the in-memory forest. It returns the action to take on
@@ -290,6 +327,10 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) syncPropagated(ctx context.Context, log logr.Logger,
 		return write, srcInst
 	}
 
+	// Add the propagated object to the map if it is not in the map because at this point we are confident that
+	// this is a propagated object that is already on the apiserver, if this is the first time we reconcile this
+	// object, we should include it in the map.
+	r.addToNumPropagated(log, inst.GetNamespace(), inst.GetName())
 	return ignore, nil
 }
 
@@ -408,6 +449,9 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) delete(ctx context.Context, log logr.Logger, inst *un
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// Remove the propagated object from the map because we are confident that the object was successfully deleted
+	// on the apiserver.
+	r.removeFromNumPropagated(log, inst.GetNamespace(), inst.GetName())
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -433,6 +477,10 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) write(ctx context.Context, log logr.Logger, inst, src
 	if err != nil {
 		r.setErrorConditions(log, srcInst, inst, op, err)
 		log.Error(err, "Couldn't write", "object", inst)
+	} else {
+		// Add the object to the map if it does not exist because we are confident that the object was updated/created
+		// successfully on the apiserver.
+		r.addToNumPropagated(log, inst.GetNamespace(), inst.GetName())
 	}
 	return err
 }
@@ -539,6 +587,32 @@ func (r *ObjectReconciler) exclude(log logr.Logger, inst *unstructured.Unstructu
 	}
 }
 
+// addToNumPropagated adds a propagated object to the PropagatedObjects map if it does not exist.
+func (r *ObjectReconciler) addToNumPropagated(log logr.Logger, namespace, name string) {
+	r.propagatedObjectsLock.Lock()
+	defer r.propagatedObjectsLock.Unlock()
+
+	nnm := types.NamespacedName{
+		Namespace: namespace,
+		Name:      name,
+	}
+	if !r.propagatedObjects[nnm] {
+		r.propagatedObjects[nnm] = true
+	}
+}
+
+// removeFromNumPropagated removes a propagated object to the PropagatedObjects map.
+func (r *ObjectReconciler) removeFromNumPropagated(log logr.Logger, namespace, name string) {
+	r.propagatedObjectsLock.Lock()
+	defer r.propagatedObjectsLock.Unlock()
+
+	nnm := types.NamespacedName{
+		Namespace: namespace,
+		Name:      name,
+	}
+	delete(r.propagatedObjects, nnm)
+}
+
 func (r *ObjectReconciler) SetupWithManager(mgr ctrl.Manager, maxReconciles int) error {
 	target := &unstructured.Unstructured{}
 	target.SetGroupVersionKind(r.GVK)
diff --git a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/setup.go b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/setup.go
index 2070b3267..0cebaa4dd 100644
--- a/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/setup.go
+++ b/incubator/hnc/pkg/reconcilers/setup.go
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ func Create(mgr ctrl.Manager, f *forest.Forest, maxReconciles int, enableHNSReco
 		Log:                    ctrl.Log.WithName("reconcilers").WithName("HNCConfiguration"),
 		Manager:                mgr,
 		Forest:                 f,
-		Igniter:                make(chan event.GenericEvent),
+		Trigger:                make(chan event.GenericEvent),
 		HierarchyConfigUpdates: hcChan,
 	}
 	if err := cr.SetupWithManager(mgr); err != nil {