diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 36847d045f..079d546a6b 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -792,6 +792,7 @@ func (c *MarathonSDConfig) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) erro
 // KubernetesSDConfig is the configuration for Kubernetes service discovery.
 type KubernetesSDConfig struct {
 	APIServers      []URL          `yaml:"api_servers"`
+	Role            string         `yaml:"role"`
 	InCluster       bool           `yaml:"in_cluster,omitempty"`
 	BasicAuth       *BasicAuth     `yaml:"basic_auth,omitempty"`
 	BearerToken     string         `yaml:"bearer_token,omitempty"`
@@ -804,6 +805,29 @@ type KubernetesSDConfig struct {
 	XXX map[string]interface{} `yaml:",inline"`
 }
 
+type KubernetesRole string
+
+const (
+	KubernetesRoleNode      = "node"
+	KubernetesRolePod       = "pod"
+	KubernetesRoleContainer = "container"
+	KubernetesRoleService   = "service"
+	KubernetesRoleEndpoint  = "endpoint"
+	KubernetesRoleAPIServer = "apiserver"
+)
+
+func (c *KubernetesRole) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
+	if err := unmarshal((*string)(c)); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	switch *c {
+	case KubernetesRoleNode, KubernetesRolePod, KubernetesRoleContainer, KubernetesRoleService, KubernetesRoleEndpoint, KubernetesRoleAPIServer:
+		return nil
+	default:
+		return fmt.Errorf("Unknown Kubernetes SD role %q", c)
+	}
+}
+
 // UnmarshalYAML implements the yaml.Unmarshaler interface.
 func (c *KubernetesSDConfig) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) error {
 	*c = DefaultKubernetesSDConfig
@@ -815,6 +839,9 @@ func (c *KubernetesSDConfig) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) er
 	if err := checkOverflow(c.XXX, "kubernetes_sd_config"); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	if c.Role == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("role missing (one of: container, pod, service, endpoint, node, apiserver)")
+	}
 	if len(c.APIServers) == 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Kubernetes SD configuration requires at least one Kubernetes API server")
 	}
@@ -824,7 +851,6 @@ func (c *KubernetesSDConfig) UnmarshalYAML(unmarshal func(interface{}) error) er
 	if c.BasicAuth != nil && (len(c.BearerToken) > 0 || len(c.BearerTokenFile) > 0) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("at most one of basic_auth, bearer_token & bearer_token_file must be configured")
 	}
-
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/config/config_test.go b/config/config_test.go
index a7555d8784..ca9ab86a78 100644
--- a/config/config_test.go
+++ b/config/config_test.go
@@ -223,6 +223,7 @@ var expectedConf = &Config{
 			KubernetesSDConfigs: []*KubernetesSDConfig{
 				{
 					APIServers: []URL{kubernetesSDHostURL()},
+					Role:       KubernetesRoleEndpoint,
 					BasicAuth: &BasicAuth{
 						Username: "myusername",
 						Password: "mypassword",
diff --git a/config/testdata/conf.good.yml b/config/testdata/conf.good.yml
index b911db7673..ea9acfbf1e 100644
--- a/config/testdata/conf.good.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/conf.good.yml
@@ -109,7 +109,8 @@ scrape_configs:
 - job_name: service-kubernetes
 
   kubernetes_sd_configs:
-  - api_servers:
+  - role: endpoint 
+    api_servers:
     - 'https://localhost:1234'
 
     basic_auth:
diff --git a/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken.bad.yml b/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken.bad.yml
index 756644be6f..533742fd3f 100644
--- a/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken.bad.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken.bad.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ scrape_configs:
   - job_name: prometheus
 
     kubernetes_sd_configs:
-    - api_servers:
+    - role: node
+      api_servers:
       - 'https://localhost:1234'
 
       bearer_token: 1234
diff --git a/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken_basicauth.bad.yml b/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken_basicauth.bad.yml
index 9ef16ae4bd..e7c1633d5c 100644
--- a/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken_basicauth.bad.yml
+++ b/config/testdata/kubernetes_bearertoken_basicauth.bad.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ scrape_configs:
   - job_name: prometheus
 
     kubernetes_sd_configs:
-    - api_servers:
+    - role: pod
+      api_servers:
       - 'https://localhost:1234'
 
       bearer_token: 1234
diff --git a/retrieval/discovery/kubernetes/discovery.go b/retrieval/discovery/kubernetes/discovery.go
index 1e2a6698b3..d06411d679 100644
--- a/retrieval/discovery/kubernetes/discovery.go
+++ b/retrieval/discovery/kubernetes/discovery.go
@@ -127,52 +127,35 @@ func (kd *Discovery) Run(ctx context.Context, ch chan<- []*config.TargetGroup) {
 	log.Debugf("Kubernetes Discovery.Run beginning")
 	defer close(ch)
 
-	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-
-	pd := &podDiscovery{
-		retryInterval: time.Duration(kd.Conf.RetryInterval),
-		kd:            kd,
-	}
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
+	switch kd.Conf.Role {
+	case config.KubernetesRolePod, config.KubernetesRoleContainer:
+		pd := &podDiscovery{
+			retryInterval: time.Duration(kd.Conf.RetryInterval),
+			kd:            kd,
+		}
 		pd.run(ctx, ch)
-		wg.Done()
-	}()
-
-	nd := &nodeDiscovery{
-		retryInterval: time.Duration(kd.Conf.RetryInterval),
-		kd:            kd,
-	}
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
+	case config.KubernetesRoleNode:
+		nd := &nodeDiscovery{
+			retryInterval: time.Duration(kd.Conf.RetryInterval),
+			kd:            kd,
+		}
 		nd.run(ctx, ch)
-		wg.Done()
-	}()
-
-	sd := &serviceDiscovery{
-		retryInterval: time.Duration(kd.Conf.RetryInterval),
-		kd:            kd,
-	}
-	wg.Add(1)
-	go func() {
+	case config.KubernetesRoleService, config.KubernetesRoleEndpoint:
+		sd := &serviceDiscovery{
+			retryInterval: time.Duration(kd.Conf.RetryInterval),
+			kd:            kd,
+		}
 		sd.run(ctx, ch)
-		wg.Done()
-	}()
-
-	// Send an initial full view.
-	// TODO(fabxc): this does not include all available services and service
-	// endpoints yet. Service endpoints were also missing in the previous Sources() method.
-	var all []*config.TargetGroup
-
-	all = append(all, kd.updateAPIServersTargetGroup())
-
-	select {
-	case ch <- all:
-	case <-ctx.Done():
+	case config.KubernetesRoleAPIServer:
+		select {
+		case ch <- []*config.TargetGroup{kd.updateAPIServersTargetGroup()}:
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		}
+	default:
+		log.Errorf("unknown Kubernetes discovery kind %q", kd.Conf.Role)
 		return
 	}
-
-	wg.Wait()
 }
 
 func (kd *Discovery) queryAPIServerPath(path string) (*http.Response, error) {