diff --git a/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go b/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go
index 854a510fec..1dbbbc1cc0 100644
--- a/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go
+++ b/lib/promscrape/discovery/kubernetes/api_watcher.go
@@ -75,11 +75,6 @@ func newAPIWatcher(apiServer string, ac *promauth.Config, sdc *SDConfig, swcFunc
 }
 
 func (aw *apiWatcher) mustStart() {
-	if aw.role == "endpoints" || aw.role == "endpointslices" {
-		// endpoints and endpointslices watchers query pod and service objects. So start watchers for these roles as well.
-		aw.gw.startWatchersForRole("pod", nil)
-		aw.gw.startWatchersForRole("service", nil)
-	}
 	aw.gw.startWatchersForRole(aw.role, aw)
 }
 
@@ -255,37 +250,12 @@ func (gw *groupWatcher) getObjectByRoleLocked(role, namespace, name string) obje
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (gw *groupWatcher) refreshEndpointsLabelsLocked(namespace, key string) {
-	// Refresh endpoints and endpointslices labels for the corresponding service as Prometheus does.
-	// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/1240
-	gw.refreshObjectLabelsLocked("endpoints", namespace, key)
-	gw.refreshObjectLabelsLocked("endpointslices", namespace, key)
-}
-
-func (gw *groupWatcher) refreshObjectLabelsLocked(role, namespace, key string) {
-	for _, uw := range gw.m {
-		if len(uw.aws) == 0 {
-			// No apiWatchers to notify
-			continue
-		}
-		if uw.role != role {
-			// Role mismatch
-			continue
-		}
-		if uw.namespace != "" && uw.namespace != namespace {
-			// Namespace mismatch
-			continue
-		}
-		if o := uw.objectsByKey[key]; o != nil {
-			labels := o.getTargetLabels(gw)
-			for aw := range uw.aws {
-				aw.setScrapeWorks(namespace, key, labels)
-			}
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func (gw *groupWatcher) startWatchersForRole(role string, aw *apiWatcher) {
+	if role == "endpoints" || role == "endpointslices" {
+		// endpoints and endpointslices watchers query pod and service objects. So start watchers for these roles as well.
+		gw.startWatchersForRole("pod", nil)
+		gw.startWatchersForRole("service", nil)
+	}
 	paths, namespaces := getAPIPathsWithNamespaces(role, gw.namespaces, gw.selectors)
 	for i, path := range paths {
 		apiURL := gw.apiServer + path
@@ -303,6 +273,18 @@ func (gw *groupWatcher) startWatchersForRole(role string, aw *apiWatcher) {
 		if needStart {
 			uw.reloadObjects()
 			go uw.watchForUpdates()
+			if role == "endpoints" || role == "endpointslices" {
+				// Refresh endpoints and enpointslices targets in background, since they depend on other object types such as pod and service.
+				// This should fix https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/1240 .
+				go func() {
+					for {
+						time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
+						gw.mu.Lock()
+						uw.reloadScrapeWorksForAPIWatchersLocked(uw.aws)
+						gw.mu.Unlock()
+					}
+				}()
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -488,13 +470,6 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) reloadObjects() string {
 	uw.objectsCount.Add(added - removed)
 	uw.reloadScrapeWorksForAPIWatchersLocked(uw.aws)
 	uw.resourceVersion = metadata.ResourceVersion
-	if uw.role == "service" {
-		// Refresh endpoints labels for the corresponding services as Prometheus does.
-		// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/1240
-		for key := range objectsByKey {
-			uw.gw.refreshEndpointsLabelsLocked(uw.namespace, key)
-		}
-	}
 	uw.gw.mu.Unlock()
 
 	logger.Infof("reloaded %d objects from %q", len(objectsByKey), requestURL)
@@ -616,11 +591,6 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) readObjectUpdateStream(r io.Reader) error {
 					aw.setScrapeWorks(uw.namespace, key, labels)
 				}
 			}
-			if uw.role == "service" {
-				// Refresh endpoints labels for the corresponding service as Prometheus does.
-				// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/1240
-				uw.gw.refreshEndpointsLabelsLocked(uw.namespace, key)
-			}
 			uw.gw.mu.Unlock()
 		case "DELETED":
 			o, err := uw.parseObject(we.Object)
@@ -637,11 +607,6 @@ func (uw *urlWatcher) readObjectUpdateStream(r io.Reader) error {
 			for aw := range uw.aws {
 				aw.removeScrapeWorks(uw.namespace, key)
 			}
-			if uw.role == "service" {
-				// Refresh endpoints labels for the corresponding service as Prometheus does.
-				// See https://github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/issues/1240
-				uw.gw.refreshEndpointsLabelsLocked(uw.namespace, key)
-			}
 			uw.gw.mu.Unlock()
 		case "BOOKMARK":
 			// See https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/using-api/api-concepts/#watch-bookmarks