diff --git a/src/common/catalog/catalog-category-registry.ts b/src/common/catalog/catalog-category-registry.ts
index 43da644a1c..4d87437ff4 100644
--- a/src/common/catalog/catalog-category-registry.ts
+++ b/src/common/catalog/catalog-category-registry.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ export class CatalogCategoryRegistry {
     return Array.from(this.categories);
   }
 
+  getById(id: string): CatalogCategory{
+    return  this.categories.find(category => category.getId() === id);
+  }
+
   getForGroupKind<T extends CatalogCategory>(group: string, kind: string) {
     return this.categories.find((c) => c.spec.group === group && c.spec.names.kind === kind) as T;
   }
diff --git a/src/renderer/api/catalog-entity-registry.ts b/src/renderer/api/catalog-entity-registry.ts
index 4c5aec9286..755c874d08 100644
--- a/src/renderer/api/catalog-entity-registry.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/api/catalog-entity-registry.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import { CatalogCategory, CatalogEntity, CatalogEntityData, catalogCategoryRegis
 import "../../common/catalog-entities";
 
 export class CatalogEntityRegistry {
-  @observable protected _items: CatalogEntity[] = observable.array([], { deep: true });
+  @observable protected _items: CatalogEntity[] = observable.array();
   @observable protected _activeEntity: CatalogEntity;
 
   constructor(private categoryRegistry: CatalogCategoryRegistry) {
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog-entity.store.ts b/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog-entity.store.ts
index 9936c83063..8ae17d9fdd 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog-entity.store.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog-entity.store.ts
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@
  * CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
  */
 
-import { action, computed, IReactionDisposer, observable, reaction, makeObservable } from "mobx";
+import { action, autorun, computed, makeObservable, observable } from "mobx";
 import { catalogEntityRegistry } from "../../api/catalog-entity-registry";
 import { CatalogEntity, CatalogEntityActionContext } from "../../api/catalog-entity";
 import { ItemObject, ItemStore } from "../../item.store";
-import { autoBind } from "../../utils";
+import { autoBind, disposer } from "../../utils";
 import { CatalogCategory } from "../../../common/catalog";
 
 export class CatalogEntityItem implements ItemObject {
@@ -87,13 +87,15 @@ export class CatalogEntityItem implements ItemObject {
 }
 
 export class CatalogEntityStore extends ItemStore<CatalogEntityItem> {
-  @observable activeCategory?: CatalogCategory;
+  dispose = disposer();
+  @observable.ref activeCategory?: CatalogCategory;
 
   constructor() {
     super();
 
     makeObservable(this);
     autoBind(this);
+    this.bindAutoLoading();
   }
 
   @computed get entities() {
@@ -104,16 +106,24 @@ export class CatalogEntityStore extends ItemStore<CatalogEntityItem> {
     return catalogEntityRegistry.getItemsForCategory(this.activeCategory).map(entity => new CatalogEntityItem(entity));
   }
 
-  watch() {
-    const disposers: IReactionDisposer[] = [
-      reaction(() => this.entities, () => this.loadAll()),
-      reaction(() => this.activeCategory, () => this.loadAll(), { delay: 100})
-    ];
+  protected bindAutoLoading() {
+    const disposer = autorun(() => {
+      this.loadItem(this.activeCategory); // preload active category
+      this.loadItems(this.entities); // preload all available entities
+    });
 
-    return () => disposers.forEach((dispose) => dispose());
+    this.dispose.push(disposer);
   }
 
-  loadAll() {
-    return this.loadItems(() => this.entities);
+  async loadItem(category: CatalogCategory): Promise<CatalogEntityItem> {
+    return super.loadItem(() => category);
+  }
+
+  async loadItems(entities: CatalogEntityItem[] = []) {
+    return super.loadItems(() => entities);
+  }
+
+  async loadAll() {
+    return this.loadItems();
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog.tsx b/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog.tsx
index 44fe5f27f5..ec3521719c 100644
--- a/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/components/+catalog/catalog.tsx
@@ -23,14 +23,14 @@ import "./catalog.scss";
 import React from "react";
 import { disposeOnUnmount, observer } from "mobx-react";
 import { ItemListLayout } from "../item-object-list";
-import { action, observable, reaction, makeObservable } from "mobx";
+import { autorun, computed, makeObservable, observable } from "mobx";
 import { CatalogEntityItem, CatalogEntityStore } from "./catalog-entity.store";
 import { navigate } from "../../navigation";
 import { kebabCase } from "lodash";
 import { PageLayout } from "../layout/page-layout";
-import { MenuItem, MenuActions } from "../menu";
+import { MenuActions, MenuItem } from "../menu";
 import { Icon } from "../icon";
-import { CatalogEntityContextMenu, CatalogEntityContextMenuContext, catalogEntityRunContext } from "../../api/catalog-entity";
+import { CatalogCategory, CatalogEntityContextMenu, CatalogEntityContextMenuContext, catalogEntityRunContext } from "../../api/catalog-entity";
 import { Badge } from "../badge";
 import { HotbarStore } from "../../../common/hotbar-store";
 import { boundMethod } from "../../utils";
@@ -44,31 +44,37 @@ enum sortBy {
   source = "source",
   status = "status"
 }
+
 @observer
 export class Catalog extends React.Component {
-  @observable private catalogEntityStore?: CatalogEntityStore;
-  @observable.deep private contextMenu: CatalogEntityContextMenuContext;
-  @observable activeTab?: string;
+  private catalogEntityStore = new CatalogEntityStore();
+
+  private contextMenu: CatalogEntityContextMenuContext = {
+    menuItems: [],
+    navigate: (url: string) => navigate(url),
+  };
+
+  @observable activeCategoryId = this.categories[0]?.getId();
+
+  @computed get activeCategory(): CatalogCategory {
+    return catalogCategoryRegistry.getById(this.activeCategoryId);
+  }
+
+  @computed get categories(): CatalogCategory[] {
+    return catalogCategoryRegistry.items;
+  }
 
   constructor(props: {}) {
     super(props);
     makeObservable(this);
   }
 
-  async componentDidMount() {
-    this.contextMenu = {
-      menuItems: [],
-      navigate: (url: string) => navigate(url)
-    };
-    this.catalogEntityStore = new CatalogEntityStore();
+  componentDidMount() {
     disposeOnUnmount(this, [
-      this.catalogEntityStore.watch(),
-      reaction(() => catalogCategoryRegistry.items, (items) => {
-        if (!this.activeTab && items.length > 0) {
-          this.activeTab = items[0].getId();
-          this.catalogEntityStore.activeCategory = items[0];
-        }
-      }, { fireImmediately: true })
+      () => this.catalogEntityStore.dispose(), // stop all events, loaders, etc.
+      autorun(() => {
+        this.catalogEntityStore.activeCategory = this.activeCategory; // sync
+      }),
     ]);
   }
 
@@ -97,21 +103,14 @@ export class Catalog extends React.Component {
     }
   }
 
-  get categories() {
-    return catalogCategoryRegistry.items;
-  }
-
-  @action
-  onTabChange = (tabId: string | null) => {
-    const activeCategory = this.categories.find(category => category.getId() === tabId);
-
-    this.catalogEntityStore.activeCategory = activeCategory;
-    this.activeTab = activeCategory?.getId();
-  };
-
   renderNavigation() {
     return (
-      <Tabs className="flex column" scrollable={false} onChange={this.onTabChange} value={this.activeTab}>
+      <Tabs
+        className="flex column"
+        scrollable={false}
+        value={this.activeCategoryId}
+        onChange={(categoryId: string) => this.activeCategoryId = categoryId}
+      >
         <div className="sidebarHeader">Catalog</div>
         <div className="sidebarTabs">
           <Tab
@@ -141,13 +140,13 @@ export class Catalog extends React.Component {
 
     return (
       <MenuActions onOpen={() => item.onContextMenuOpen(this.contextMenu)}>
-        <MenuItem key="add-to-hotbar" onClick={() => this.addToHotbar(item) }>
+        <MenuItem key="add-to-hotbar" onClick={() => this.addToHotbar(item)}>
           <Icon material="add" small interactive={true} title="Add to hotbar"/> Add to Hotbar
         </MenuItem>
         {
           menuItems.map((menuItem, index) => (
             <MenuItem key={index} onClick={() => this.onMenuItemClick(menuItem)}>
-              <Icon material={menuItem.icon} small interactive={true} title={menuItem.title} /> {menuItem.title}
+              <Icon material={menuItem.icon} small interactive={true} title={menuItem.title}/> {menuItem.title}
             </MenuItem>
           ))
         }
@@ -156,8 +155,8 @@ export class Catalog extends React.Component {
   }
 
   render() {
-    if (!this.catalogEntityStore) {
-      return null;
+    if (!this.activeCategory) {
+      return "";
     }
 
     return (
@@ -167,7 +166,7 @@ export class Catalog extends React.Component {
         provideBackButtonNavigation={false}
         contentGaps={false}>
         <ItemListLayout
-          renderHeaderTitle={this.catalogEntityStore.activeCategory?.metadata.name ?? "Browse All"}
+          renderHeaderTitle={this.activeCategory.metadata.name ?? "Browse All"}
           isClusterScoped
           isSearchable={true}
           isSelectable={false}
@@ -191,13 +190,13 @@ export class Catalog extends React.Component {
           renderTableContents={(item: CatalogEntityItem) => [
             item.name,
             item.source,
-            item.labels.map((label) => <Badge key={label} label={label} title={label} />),
+            item.labels.map((label) => <Badge key={label} label={label} title={label}/>),
             { title: item.phase, className: kebabCase(item.phase) }
           ]}
-          onDetails={(item: CatalogEntityItem) => this.onDetails(item) }
+          onDetails={(item: CatalogEntityItem) => this.onDetails(item)}
           renderItemMenu={this.renderItemMenu}
         />
-        <CatalogAddButton category={this.catalogEntityStore.activeCategory} />
+        <CatalogAddButton category={this.activeCategory}/>
       </PageLayout>
     );
   }
diff --git a/src/renderer/item.store.ts b/src/renderer/item.store.ts
index b249a4539f..83733dea41 100644
--- a/src/renderer/item.store.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/item.store.ts
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ export abstract class ItemStore<T extends ItemObject = ItemObject> {
   protected async loadItem(...args: any[]): Promise<T>
   @action
   protected async loadItem(request: () => Promise<T>, sortItems = true) {
-    const item = await request().catch(() => null);
+    const item = await Promise.resolve(request()).catch(() => null);
 
     if (item) {
       const existingItem = this.items.find(el => el.getId() === item.getId());