diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java
index 7274cc7..2af7074 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java
@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ public class SegmentNodeStore implements NodeStore, Observable {
 
         private boolean isCreated;
 
+        private boolean dispatchChanges = true;
+
         private SegmentNodeStoreBuilder(
                 @Nonnull Revisions revisions,
                 @Nonnull SegmentReader reader,
@@ -101,6 +103,12 @@ public class SegmentNodeStore implements NodeStore, Observable {
         }
 
         @Nonnull
+        public SegmentNodeStoreBuilder dispatchChanges(boolean dispatchChanges) {
+            this.dispatchChanges = dispatchChanges;
+            return this;
+        }
+
+        @Nonnull
         public SegmentNodeStore build() {
             checkState(!isCreated);
             isCreated = true;
@@ -188,7 +196,9 @@ public class SegmentNodeStore implements NodeStore, Observable {
         this.writer = builder.writer;
         this.blobStore = builder.blobStore;
         this.head = new AtomicReference<SegmentNodeState>(reader.readHeadState(revisions));
-        this.changeDispatcher = new ChangeDispatcher(getRoot());
+        this.changeDispatcher = builder.dispatchChanges ?
+                new ChangeDispatcher(getRoot()) :
+                null;
     }
 
     void setMaximumBackoff(long max) {
@@ -228,13 +238,21 @@ public class SegmentNodeStore implements NodeStore, Observable {
         SegmentNodeState state = reader.readHeadState(revisions);
         if (!state.getRecordId().equals(head.get().getRecordId())) {
             head.set(state);
-            changeDispatcher.contentChanged(state.getChildNode(ROOT), null);
+            if (changeDispatcher != null) {
+                changeDispatcher.contentChanged(state.getChildNode(ROOT), null);
+            }
         }
     }
 
     @Override
     public Closeable addObserver(Observer observer) {
-        return changeDispatcher.addObserver(observer);
+        return (changeDispatcher != null) ?
+                changeDispatcher.addObserver(observer) :
+                new Closeable() {
+                    @Override
+                    public void close() throws IOException {
+                    }
+                };
     }
 
     @Override @Nonnull
@@ -509,7 +527,9 @@ public class SegmentNodeStore implements NodeStore, Observable {
             refreshHead();
             if (revisions.setHead(before.getRecordId(), after.getRecordId())) {
                 head.set(after);
-                changeDispatcher.contentChanged(after.getChildNode(ROOT), info);
+                if (changeDispatcher != null) {
+                    changeDispatcher.contentChanged(after.getChildNode(ROOT), info);
+                }
                 refreshHead();
                 return true;
             } else {
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStoreService.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStoreService.java
index 78ee106..ac0e0bc 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStoreService.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/SegmentNodeStoreService.java
@@ -336,11 +336,8 @@ public class SegmentNodeStoreService extends ProxyNodeStore
 
     private synchronized void registerNodeStore() throws IOException {
         if (registerSegmentStore()) {
-            if (toBoolean(property(STANDBY), false)) {
-                return;
-            }
-
-            if (registerSegmentNodeStore()) {
+            boolean standby = toBoolean(property(STANDBY), false);
+            if (! standby) {
                 Dictionary<String, Object> props = new Hashtable<String, Object>();
                 props.put(Constants.SERVICE_PID, SegmentNodeStore.class.getName());
                 props.put("oak.nodestore.description", new String[]{"nodeStoreType=segment"});
@@ -483,34 +480,19 @@ public class SegmentNodeStoreService extends ProxyNodeStore
                 "FileStore statistics"
         ));
 
-        // Register a factory service to expose the FileStore
-
-        providerRegistration = context.getBundleContext().registerService(SegmentStoreProvider.class.getName(), this, null);
-
-        return true;
-    }
-
-    private SegmentGCOptions newGCOptions() {
-        boolean pauseCompaction = toBoolean(property(PAUSE_COMPACTION), PAUSE_DEFAULT);
-        int retryCount = toInteger(property(COMPACTION_RETRY_COUNT), RETRY_COUNT_DEFAULT);
-        int forceTimeout = toInteger(property(COMPACTION_FORCE_TIMEOUT), FORCE_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT);
-
-        byte gainThreshold = getGainThreshold();
-        long sizeDeltaEstimation = toLong(property(COMPACTION_SIZE_DELTA_ESTIMATION), SIZE_DELTA_ESTIMATION_DEFAULT);
-
-        return new SegmentGCOptions(pauseCompaction, gainThreshold, retryCount, forceTimeout)
-                .setGcSizeDeltaEstimation(sizeDeltaEstimation);
-    }
+        // register segment node store
 
-    private boolean registerSegmentNodeStore() throws IOException {
         Dictionary<?, ?> properties = context.getProperties();
         name = String.valueOf(properties.get(NAME));
 
         final long blobGcMaxAgeInSecs = toLong(property(PROP_BLOB_GC_MAX_AGE), DEFAULT_BLOB_GC_MAX_AGE);
 
-        OsgiWhiteboard whiteboard = new OsgiWhiteboard(context.getBundleContext());
-
-        segmentNodeStore = SegmentNodeStoreBuilders.builder(store).build();
+        SegmentNodeStore.SegmentNodeStoreBuilder segmentNodeStoreBuilder =
+                SegmentNodeStoreBuilders.builder(store);
+        if (toBoolean(property(STANDBY), false)) {
+            segmentNodeStoreBuilder.dispatchChanges(false);
+        }
+        segmentNodeStore = segmentNodeStoreBuilder.build();
 
         observerTracker = new ObserverTracker(segmentNodeStore);
         observerTracker.start(context.getBundleContext());
@@ -550,7 +532,7 @@ public class SegmentNodeStoreService extends ProxyNodeStore
 
             if (blobStore instanceof BlobTrackingStore) {
                 final long trackSnapshotInterval = toLong(property(PROP_BLOB_SNAPSHOT_INTERVAL),
-                    DEFAULT_BLOB_SNAPSHOT_INTERVAL);
+                        DEFAULT_BLOB_SNAPSHOT_INTERVAL);
                 String root = property(DIRECTORY);
                 if (Strings.isNullOrEmpty(root)) {
                     root = "repository";
@@ -561,8 +543,8 @@ public class SegmentNodeStoreService extends ProxyNodeStore
                     trackingStore.getTracker().close();
                 }
                 ((BlobTrackingStore) blobStore).addTracker(
-                    new BlobIdTracker(root, repoId, trackSnapshotInterval, (SharedDataStore)
-                        blobStore));
+                        new BlobIdTracker(root, repoId, trackSnapshotInterval, (SharedDataStore)
+                                blobStore));
             }
         }
 
@@ -585,9 +567,26 @@ public class SegmentNodeStoreService extends ProxyNodeStore
         }
 
         log.info("SegmentNodeStore initialized");
+
+        // Register a factory service to expose the FileStore
+
+        providerRegistration = context.getBundleContext().registerService(SegmentStoreProvider.class.getName(), this, null);
+
         return true;
     }
 
+    private SegmentGCOptions newGCOptions() {
+        boolean pauseCompaction = toBoolean(property(PAUSE_COMPACTION), PAUSE_DEFAULT);
+        int retryCount = toInteger(property(COMPACTION_RETRY_COUNT), RETRY_COUNT_DEFAULT);
+        int forceTimeout = toInteger(property(COMPACTION_FORCE_TIMEOUT), FORCE_TIMEOUT_DEFAULT);
+
+        byte gainThreshold = getGainThreshold();
+        long sizeDeltaEstimation = toLong(property(COMPACTION_SIZE_DELTA_ESTIMATION), SIZE_DELTA_ESTIMATION_DEFAULT);
+
+        return new SegmentGCOptions(pauseCompaction, gainThreshold, retryCount, forceTimeout)
+                .setGcSizeDeltaEstimation(sizeDeltaEstimation);
+    }
+
     private void unregisterNodeStore() {
         new CompositeRegistration(registrations).unregister();
         if (providerRegistration != null) {