A method to dynamically switch between catalog sharing protocols includes monitoring, over a period of time, access to a catalog used to index data sets. Using information gathered during this monitoring period, the method divides the period of time into intervals based on which of a plurality of sharing protocols, used to access the catalog, would provide the best performance during the respective interval. The method schedules the sharing protocols to operate during their respective intervals going forward, and switches between the sharing protocols in accordance with the schedule. In certain embodiments, switching between the sharing protocols includes temporarily operating in a hybrid mode in which multiple sharing protocols operate simultaneously. When using this hybrid mode, the switch may occur when one sharing protocol begins to perform better than the other. A corresponding system and computer program product are also disclosed.