diff --git a/agent/service_manager.go b/agent/service_manager.go
index 16d15255b..a20a00d19 100644
--- a/agent/service_manager.go
+++ b/agent/service_manager.go
@@ -168,7 +168,6 @@ func (s *ServiceManager) AddService(req *addServiceRequest) error {
 	// merged config.
 	watch := &serviceConfigWatch{
 		registration: reg,
-		updateCh:     make(chan cache.UpdateEvent, 1),
 		agent:        s.agent,
 		registerCh:   s.registerCh,
 	}
@@ -229,9 +228,6 @@ type serviceConfigWatch struct {
 	// we check to see if a new cache watch is needed.
 	cacheKey string
 
-	// updateCh receives changes from cache watchers
-	updateCh chan cache.UpdateEvent
-
 	cancelFunc func()
 	running    sync.WaitGroup
 }
@@ -244,8 +240,6 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) RegisterAndStart(
 	persistServiceConfig bool,
 	wg *sync.WaitGroup,
 ) error {
-	service := w.registration.service
-
 	// Either we explicitly block waiting for defaults before registering,
 	// or we feed it some seed data (or NO data) and bypass the blocking
 	// operation. Either way the watcher will end up with something flagged
@@ -254,7 +248,8 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) RegisterAndStart(
 		var err error
 		serviceDefaults, err = w.fetchDefaults(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("could not retrieve initial service_defaults config for service %q: %v", service.ID, err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("could not retrieve initial service_defaults config for service %q: %v",
+				w.registration.service.ID, err)
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -318,6 +313,8 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) start(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup) erro
 	req := makeConfigRequest(w.agent, w.registration)
 	w.cacheKey = req.CacheInfo().Key
 
+	updateCh := make(chan cache.UpdateEvent, 1)
+
 	// We use the cache key as the correlationID here. Notify in general will not
 	// respond on the updateCh after the context is cancelled however there could
 	// possible be a race where it has only just got an update and checked the
@@ -329,7 +326,7 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) start(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup) erro
 		cachetype.ResolvedServiceConfigName,
 		req,
 		w.cacheKey,
-		w.updateCh,
+		updateCh,
 	)
 	if err != nil {
 		w.cancelFunc()
@@ -338,7 +335,7 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) start(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup) erro
 
 	w.running.Add(1)
 	wg.Add(1)
-	go w.runWatch(ctx, wg)
+	go w.runWatch(ctx, wg, updateCh)
 
 	return nil
 }
@@ -352,7 +349,7 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) Stop() {
 // config watch is shut down.
 //
 // NOTE: the caller must NOT hold the Agent.stateLock!
-func (w *serviceConfigWatch) runWatch(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
+func (w *serviceConfigWatch) runWatch(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup, updateCh chan cache.UpdateEvent) {
 	defer wg.Done()
 	defer w.running.Done()
 
@@ -360,7 +357,7 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) runWatch(ctx context.Context, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return
-		case event := <-w.updateCh:
+		case event := <-updateCh:
 			if err := w.handleUpdate(ctx, event); err != nil {
 				w.agent.logger.Error("error handling service update", "error", err)
 			}
@@ -401,10 +398,8 @@ func (w *serviceConfigWatch) handleUpdate(ctx context.Context, event cache.Updat
 
 	// While we were waiting on the agent state lock we may have been shutdown.
 	// So avoid doing a registration in that case.
-	select {
-	case <-ctx.Done():
+	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
 		return nil
-	default:
 	}
 
 	registerReq := &asyncRegisterRequest{