diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go
index 4d86018e520..455a225708a 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/storage/cacher/watch_cache.go
@@ -608,8 +608,8 @@ func (w *watchCache) Resync() error {
 }
 
 func (w *watchCache) currentCapacity() int {
-	w.Lock()
-	defer w.Unlock()
+	w.RLock()
+	defer w.RUnlock()
 	return w.capacity
 }