diff --git a/reconciler/example/main.go b/reconciler/example/main.go
index ce553cf..682f66f 100644
--- a/reconciler/example/main.go
+++ b/reconciler/example/main.go
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ var Hive = hive.New(
 	),
 )
 
-func NewReconcilerConfig(ops reconciler.Operations[*Memo], m reconciler.Metrics) reconciler.Config[*Memo] {
+func NewReconcilerConfig(ops reconciler.Operations[*Memo], m *reconciler.ExpVarMetrics) reconciler.Config[*Memo] {
 	return reconciler.Config[*Memo]{
 		Metrics:                   m,
 		FullReconcilationInterval: 10 * time.Second,
diff --git a/reconciler/metrics.go b/reconciler/metrics.go
index 609aacb..8987d6c 100644
--- a/reconciler/metrics.go
+++ b/reconciler/metrics.go
@@ -70,7 +70,15 @@ func (m *ExpVarMetrics) IncrementalReconciliationErrors(moduleID cell.FullModule
 
 var _ Metrics = &ExpVarMetrics{}
 
-func NewExpVarMetrics(publish bool) *ExpVarMetrics {
+func NewExpVarMetrics() *ExpVarMetrics {
+	return newExpVarMetrics(true)
+}
+
+func NewUnpublishedExpVarMetrics() *ExpVarMetrics {
+	return newExpVarMetrics(false)
+}
+
+func newExpVarMetrics(publish bool) *ExpVarMetrics {
 	newMap := func(name string) *expvar.Map {
 		if publish {
 			return expvar.NewMap(name)
diff --git a/reconciler/reconciler.go b/reconciler/reconciler.go
index 6be0098..b93de76 100644
--- a/reconciler/reconciler.go
+++ b/reconciler/reconciler.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func New[Obj comparable](p Params[Obj]) (Reconciler[Obj], error) {
 	}
 
 	if p.Config.Metrics == nil {
-		p.Config.Metrics = NewExpVarMetrics(false)
+		p.Config.Metrics = NewUnpublishedExpVarMetrics()
 	}
 
 	idx := p.Table.PrimaryIndexer()
diff --git a/reconciler/reconciler_test.go b/reconciler/reconciler_test.go
index b46bc11..12bf36b 100644
--- a/reconciler/reconciler_test.go
+++ b/reconciler/reconciler_test.go
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func testReconciler(t *testing.T, batchOps bool) {
 		fakeHealth *cell.SimpleHealth
 	)
 
-	expVarMetrics := reconciler.NewExpVarMetrics(false)
+	expVarMetrics := reconciler.NewUnpublishedExpVarMetrics()
 
 	testObjects, err := statedb.NewTable[*testObject]("test-objects", idIndex, statusIndex)
 	require.NoError(t, err, "NewTable")