diff --git a/pkg/ocicni/ocicni.go b/pkg/ocicni/ocicni.go
index c10c4452..90d5b6c5 100644
--- a/pkg/ocicni/ocicni.go
+++ b/pkg/ocicni/ocicni.go
@@ -195,16 +195,21 @@ func (plugin *cniNetworkPlugin) monitorConfDir(start *sync.WaitGroup) {
 // If defaultNetName is empty, CNI config files should be reloaded real-time and
 // defaultNetName should be changeable and determined by file sorting.
 func InitCNI(defaultNetName string, confDir string, binDirs ...string) (CNIPlugin, error) {
-	return initCNI(nil, "", defaultNetName, confDir, binDirs...)
+	return initCNI(nil, "", defaultNetName, confDir, true, binDirs...)
 }
 
 // InitCNIWithCache works like InitCNI except that it takes the cni cache directory as third param.
 func InitCNIWithCache(defaultNetName, confDir, cacheDir string, binDirs ...string) (CNIPlugin, error) {
-	return initCNI(nil, cacheDir, defaultNetName, confDir, binDirs...)
+	return initCNI(nil, cacheDir, defaultNetName, confDir, true, binDirs...)
+}
+
+// InitCNINoInotify works like InitCNI except that it does not use inotify to watch for changes in the CNI config dir.
+func InitCNINoInotify(defaultNetName, confDir, cacheDir string, binDirs ...string) (CNIPlugin, error) {
+	return initCNI(nil, cacheDir, defaultNetName, confDir, false, binDirs...)
 }
 
 // Internal function to allow faking out exec functions for testing
-func initCNI(exec cniinvoke.Exec, cacheDir, defaultNetName string, confDir string, binDirs ...string) (CNIPlugin, error) {
+func initCNI(exec cniinvoke.Exec, cacheDir, defaultNetName string, confDir string, useInotify bool, binDirs ...string) (CNIPlugin, error) {
 	if confDir == "" {
 		confDir = DefaultConfDir
 	}
@@ -245,22 +250,26 @@ func initCNI(exec cniinvoke.Exec, cacheDir, defaultNetName string, confDir strin
 
 	plugin.syncNetworkConfig()
 
-	plugin.watcher, err = newWatcher(plugin.confDir)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
+	if useInotify {
+		plugin.watcher, err = newWatcher(plugin.confDir)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 
-	startWg := sync.WaitGroup{}
-	startWg.Add(1)
-	go plugin.monitorConfDir(&startWg)
-	startWg.Wait()
+		startWg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+		startWg.Add(1)
+		go plugin.monitorConfDir(&startWg)
+		startWg.Wait()
+	}
 
 	return plugin, nil
 }
 
 func (plugin *cniNetworkPlugin) Shutdown() error {
 	close(plugin.shutdownChan)
-	plugin.watcher.Close()
+	if plugin.watcher != nil {
+		plugin.watcher.Close()
+	}
 	plugin.done.Wait()
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/ocicni/ocicni_test.go b/pkg/ocicni/ocicni_test.go
index dce63e6d..92a336cd 100644
--- a/pkg/ocicni/ocicni_test.go
+++ b/pkg/ocicni/ocicni_test.go
@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 		_, _, err = writeConfig(tmpDir, "10-test.conf", "test", "myplugin", "0.3.1")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "test", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "test", tmpDir, false, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		Expect(ocicni.Status()).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 	})
 
 	It("finds an asynchronously written default network configuration", func() {
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "test", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "test", tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		// Writing a config that doesn't match the default network
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 	})
 
 	It("finds and refinds an asynchronously written default network configuration", func() {
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "test", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "test", tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		// Write the default network config
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 	})
 
 	It("finds an ASCIIbetically first network configuration as default real-time if given no default network name", func() {
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(&fakeExec{}, "", "", tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		_, _, err = writeConfig(tmpDir, "15-test.conf", "test", "myplugin", "0.3.1")
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 		}
 		fake.addPlugin(nil, conf, expectedResult, nil)
 
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, "network2", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, "network2", tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		podNet := PodNetwork{
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 		}
 		fake.addPlugin(nil, conf2, expectedResult2, nil)
 
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, "network2", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, "network2", tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		podNet := PodNetwork{
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 		}
 		fake.addPlugin(nil, conf2, expectedResult2, nil)
 
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, "network2", tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, "network2", tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 		podNet := PodNetwork{
@@ -725,7 +725,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 			fake.addPlugin([]string{fmt.Sprintf("CNI_IFNAME=%s", ifname1)}, conf1, nil, nil)
 			fake.addPlugin([]string{fmt.Sprintf("CNI_IFNAME=%s", ifname2)}, conf2, nil, nil)
 
-			ocicni, err = initCNI(fake, cacheDir, defaultNetName, tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+			ocicni, err = initCNI(fake, cacheDir, defaultNetName, tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 			Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 
 			podNet = PodNetwork{
@@ -790,7 +790,7 @@ var _ = Describe("ocicni operations", func() {
 		fake.addPlugin(nil, conf1, nil, nil)
 		fake.addPlugin(nil, conf2, nil, nil)
 
-		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, defaultNetName, tmpDir, "/opt/cni/bin")
+		ocicni, err := initCNI(fake, cacheDir, defaultNetName, tmpDir, true, "/opt/cni/bin")
 		Expect(err).NotTo(HaveOccurred())
 		defer ocicni.Shutdown()