diff --git a/cluster-controller/src/main/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/Main.java b/cluster-controller/src/main/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/Main.java
index efff247f309..6d7050530db 100644
--- a/cluster-controller/src/main/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/Main.java
+++ b/cluster-controller/src/main/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/Main.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.DefaultKubernetesClient;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.KubernetesClient;
 import io.fabric8.openshift.client.OpenShiftClient;
+import io.netty.handler.codec.http.HttpResponseStatus;
 import io.strimzi.controller.cluster.operations.cluster.KafkaClusterOperations;
 import io.strimzi.controller.cluster.operations.cluster.KafkaConnectClusterOperations;
 import io.strimzi.controller.cluster.operations.cluster.KafkaConnectS2IClusterOperations;
@@ -23,9 +24,12 @@
 import io.vertx.core.CompositeFuture;
 import io.vertx.core.Future;
 import io.vertx.core.Vertx;
+import io.vertx.core.http.HttpClient;
+import io.vertx.core.http.HttpClientOptions;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
+import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
@@ -34,15 +38,25 @@ public class Main {
     private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(Main.class.getName());
 
     public static void main(String[] args) {
-        run(Vertx.vertx(), new DefaultKubernetesClient(), System.getenv()).setHandler(ar -> {
-            if (ar.failed()) {
-                log.error("Unable to start controller for 1 or more namespace", ar.cause());
+        Vertx vertx = Vertx.vertx();
+        KubernetesClient client = new DefaultKubernetesClient();
+
+        isOnOpenShift(vertx, client).setHandler(os -> {
+            if (os.succeeded()) {
+                run(vertx, client, os.result().booleanValue(), System.getenv()).setHandler(ar -> {
+                    if (ar.failed()) {
+                        log.error("Unable to start controller for 1 or more namespace", ar.cause());
+                        System.exit(1);
+                    }
+                });
+            } else {
+                log.error("Failed to distinguish between Kubernetes and OpenShift", os.cause());
                 System.exit(1);
             }
         });
     }
 
-    static CompositeFuture run(Vertx vertx, KubernetesClient client, Map<String, String> env) {
+    static CompositeFuture run(Vertx vertx, KubernetesClient client, boolean isOpenShift, Map<String, String> env) {
         ClusterControllerConfig config = ClusterControllerConfig.fromMap(env);
 
         ServiceOperations serviceOperations = new ServiceOperations(vertx, client);
@@ -53,7 +67,6 @@ static CompositeFuture run(Vertx vertx, KubernetesClient client, Map<String, Str
         PodOperations podOperations = new PodOperations(vertx, client);
         EndpointOperations endpointOperations = new EndpointOperations(vertx, client);
 
-        boolean isOpenShift = Boolean.TRUE.equals(client.isAdaptable(OpenShiftClient.class));
         KafkaClusterOperations kafkaClusterOperations = new KafkaClusterOperations(vertx, isOpenShift, config.getOperationTimeoutMs(), configMapOperations, serviceOperations, statefulSetOperations, pvcOperations, podOperations, endpointOperations, deploymentOperations);
         KafkaConnectClusterOperations kafkaConnectClusterOperations = new KafkaConnectClusterOperations(vertx, isOpenShift, configMapOperations, deploymentOperations, serviceOperations);
 
@@ -94,4 +107,39 @@ static CompositeFuture run(Vertx vertx, KubernetesClient client, Map<String, Str
         }
         return CompositeFuture.join(futures);
     }
+
+    static Future<Boolean> isOnOpenShift(Vertx vertx, KubernetesClient client)  {
+        URL kubernetesApi = client.getMasterUrl();
+        Future<Boolean> fut = Future.future();
+
+        HttpClientOptions httpClientOptions = new HttpClientOptions();
+        httpClientOptions.setDefaultHost(kubernetesApi.getHost());
+
+        if (kubernetesApi.getPort() == -1) {
+            httpClientOptions.setDefaultPort(kubernetesApi.getDefaultPort());
+        } else {
+            httpClientOptions.setDefaultPort(kubernetesApi.getPort());
+        }
+
+        if (kubernetesApi.getProtocol().equals("https")) {
+            httpClientOptions.setSsl(true);
+            httpClientOptions.setTrustAll(true);
+        }
+
+        HttpClient httpClient = vertx.createHttpClient(httpClientOptions);
+
+        httpClient.getNow("/oapi", res -> {
+            if (res.statusCode() == HttpResponseStatus.OK.code()) {
+                log.debug("{} returned {}. We are on OpenShift.", res.request().absoluteURI(), res.statusCode());
+                // We should be on OpenShift based on the /oapi result. We can now safely try isAdaptable() to be 100% sure.
+                Boolean isOpenShift = Boolean.TRUE.equals(client.isAdaptable(OpenShiftClient.class));
+                fut.complete(isOpenShift);
+            } else {
+                log.debug("{} returned {}. We are not on OpenShift.", res.request().absoluteURI(), res.statusCode());
+                fut.complete(Boolean.FALSE);
+            }
+        });
+
+        return fut;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/cluster-controller/src/test/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/ClusterControllerTest.java b/cluster-controller/src/test/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/ClusterControllerTest.java
index a0d74193bab..4c16a011ae9 100644
--- a/cluster-controller/src/test/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/ClusterControllerTest.java
+++ b/cluster-controller/src/test/java/io/strimzi/controller/cluster/ClusterControllerTest.java
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ private void startStop(TestContext context, String namespaces) {
         env.put(ClusterControllerConfig.STRIMZI_NAMESPACE, namespaces);
         env.put(ClusterControllerConfig.STRIMZI_CONFIGMAP_LABELS, STRIMZI_IO_KIND_CLUSTER);
         env.put(ClusterControllerConfig.STRIMZI_FULL_RECONCILIATION_INTERVAL_MS, "120000");
-        Main.run(vertx, client, env).setHandler(ar -> {
+        Main.run(vertx, client, true, env).setHandler(ar -> {
             context.assertNull(ar.cause(), "Expected all verticles to start OK");
             async.complete();
         });