diff --git a/tools/valkey-metrics/src/index.js b/tools/valkey-metrics/src/index.js
index 771b7d58..425b1035 100644
--- a/tools/valkey-metrics/src/index.js
+++ b/tools/valkey-metrics/src/index.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import express from "express"
 import { createClient } from "@valkey/client"
 import { loadConfig } from "./config.js"
 import * as Streamer from "./effects/ndjson-streamer.js"
-import { setupCollectors } from "./init-collectors.js"
+import { setupCollectors, startMonitor, stopMonitor } from "./init-collectors.js"
 import { calculateHotKeys } from "./analyzers/calculateHotKeys.js"
 
 const cfg = loadConfig()
@@ -68,14 +68,38 @@ app.get('/slowlog_len', async (_req, res) => {
   }
 })
 
-app.get('/monitor', async (_req, res) => {
+let monitorRunning = false
+app.get('/monitor', async (req, res) => {
+  const action = req.query.action
   try {
-    const rows = await Streamer.monitor();
-    res.json({ rows });
+    switch (action) {
+      case 'start':
+        if (monitorRunning) {
+          return res.json({ status: 'Monitor already running.' })
+        }
+        await startMonitor()
+        monitorRunning = true
+        return res.json({ status: 'Monitor started' })
+
+      case 'stop':
+        if (!monitorRunning) {
+          return res.json({ status: 'Monitor is already stopped.' })
+        }
+        await stopMonitor()
+        monitorRunning = false
+        return res.json({ status: 'Monitor stopped.' })
+
+      case 'status':
+        return res.json({ running: monitorRunning })
+
+      default:
+        return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Invalid action. Use ?action=start|stop|status' })
+    }
   } catch (e) {
-    res.status(500).json({ error: e.message });
+    console.error(`[monitor] ${action} error:`, e)
+    return res.status(500).json({ error: e.message })
   }
-});
+})
 
 app.get('/hot-keys', async (_req, res) => {
   try {
diff --git a/tools/valkey-metrics/src/init-collectors.js b/tools/valkey-metrics/src/init-collectors.js
index 46a8d0cb..e689b836 100644
--- a/tools/valkey-metrics/src/init-collectors.js
+++ b/tools/valkey-metrics/src/init-collectors.js
@@ -5,64 +5,56 @@ import { startCollector } from "./epics/collector-rx.js"
 import { loadConfig } from "./config.js"
 
 const cfg = loadConfig()
+const MONITOR = "monitor"
+const stoppers = {}
+
+const startMonitor = () => {
+  const nd = makeNdjsonWriter({
+    dataDir: cfg.server.data_dir,
+    filePrefix: MONITOR
+  })
+  const monitorEpic = cfg.epics.find(e => e.name === MONITOR)
+  const sink = {
+    appendRows: async rows => {
+      await nd.appendRows(rows)
+      console.info(`[${monitorEpic.name}] wrote ${rows.length} logs to ${cfg.server.data_dir}/${monitorEpic.file_prefix || monitorEpic.name}`)
+    },
+    close: nd.close
+  }
+  const stream$ = makeMonitorStream(async logs => {
+    await sink.appendRows(logs)
+  }, monitorEpic)
+  const subscription = stream$.subscribe({
+    next: logs => console.info(`[${monitorEpic.name}] monitor cycle complete (${logs.length} logs)`),
+    error: err => console.error(`[${monitorEpic.name}] monitor error:`, err),
+    complete: () => console.info(`[${monitorEpic.name}] monitor completed`),
+  })
+  stoppers[monitorEpic.name] = async () => {
+    console.info(`[${monitorEpic.name}] stopping monitor...`)
+    subscription.unsubscribe()
+    await sink.close()
+  }
+}
+
+const stopMonitor = async () => await stoppers[MONITOR]()
 
 const setupCollectors = async client => {
   const fetcher = makeFetcher(client)
-
   const stoppers = {}
-
-  // here we start data collection epics per each config with corresponding stat fetchers
-  for (const f of cfg.epics) {
-    let fn, sink
-    const nd = makeNdjsonWriter({
-      dataDir: cfg.server.data_dir,
-      filePrefix: f.file_prefix || f.name
-    })
-    if(f.type === "monitor"){
-      sink = {
-        appendRows: async rows => {
-          await nd.appendRows(rows)
-          console.info(`[${f.name}] wrote ${rows.length} logs to ${cfg.server.data_dir}/${f.file_prefix || f.name}`)
-        },
-        close: nd.close
-      }
-      const stream$ = makeMonitorStream(async logs => {
-        await sink.appendRows(logs)
-      }, f)
-      const subscription = stream$.subscribe({
-        next: logs => console.info(`[${f.name}] monitor cycle complete (${logs.length} logs)`),
-        error: err => console.error(`[${f.name}] monitor error:`, err),
-        complete: () => console.info(`[${f.name}] monitor completed`),
+  await Promise.all(cfg.epics
+    .filter(f => f.name !== MONITOR && fetcher[f.type])
+    .map(async f => {
+      const fn = fetcher[f.type]
+      const nd = makeNdjsonWriter({
+        dataDir: cfg.server.data_dir,
+        filePrefix: f.file_prefix || f.name
       })
-      stoppers[f.name] = async () => {
-        console.info(`[${f.name}] stopping monitor...`)
-        subscription.unsubscribe()
-        await sink.close()
-      }
-    }  
-    else {
-      fn = fetcher[f.type]
-      if (!fn) {
-        console.warn(`unknown epic type ${f.type} for ${f.name}, skipping`)
-        continue
-      }
-      // write NDJSON files; if we need to ingest into memory for some reason — do it here
-      sink = {
-        appendRows: async rows => {
-          await nd.appendRows(rows)
-        },
+      const sink = {
+        appendRows: async rows => nd.appendRows(rows),
         close: nd.close
       }
-
-      // collect the first values immediately
-      try {
-        const rows = await fn()
-        await sink.appendRows(rows)
-      } catch (e) {
-        console.error(`[${f.name}] error`, e?.message || e)
-      }
-
-      // then start a corresponding epic to poll on `pollMs` interval
+      const rows = await fn()
+      await sink.appendRows(rows)
       stoppers[f.name] = startCollector({
         name: f.name,
         pollMs: f.poll_ms,
@@ -71,10 +63,9 @@ const setupCollectors = async client => {
         batchMs: cfg.collector.batch_ms,
         batchMax: cfg.collector.batch_max
       })
-    }
-}
-
+    })
+  )
   return stoppers
 }
 
-export { setupCollectors }
\ No newline at end of file
+export { setupCollectors, startMonitor, stopMonitor }
\ No newline at end of file