diff --git a/openpype/hosts/maya/api/plugin.py b/openpype/hosts/maya/api/plugin.py
index 82df85a8be..916fddd923 100644
--- a/openpype/hosts/maya/api/plugin.py
+++ b/openpype/hosts/maya/api/plugin.py
@@ -300,6 +300,39 @@ class ReferenceLoader(Loader):
                      str(representation["_id"]),
                      type="string")
 
+        # When an animation or pointcache gets connected to an Xgen container,
+        # the compound attribute "xgenContainers" gets created. When animation
+        # containers gets updated we also need to update the cacheFileName on
+        # the Xgen collection.
+        compound_name = "xgenContainers"
+        if cmds.objExists("{}.{}".format(node, compound_name)):
+            import xgenm
+            container_amount = cmds.getAttr(
+                "{}.{}".format(node, compound_name), size=True
+            )
+            # loop through all compound children
+            for i in range(container_amount):
+                attr = "{}.{}[{}].container".format(node, compound_name, i)
+                objectset = cmds.listConnections(attr)[0]
+                reference_node = cmds.sets(objectset, query=True)[0]
+                palettes = cmds.ls(
+                    cmds.referenceQuery(reference_node, nodes=True),
+                    type="xgmPalette"
+                )
+                for palette in palettes:
+                    for description in xgenm.descriptions(palette):
+                        xgenm.setAttr(
+                            "cacheFileName",
+                            path.replace("\\", "/"),
+                            palette,
+                            description,
+                            "SplinePrimitive"
+                        )
+
+            # Refresh UI and viewport.
+            de = xgenm.xgGlobal.DescriptionEditor
+            de.refresh("Full")
+
     def remove(self, container):
         """Remove an existing `container` from Maya scene
 
diff --git a/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/load/load_xgen.py b/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/load/load_xgen.py
index fc86596208..1600cd49bd 100644
--- a/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/load/load_xgen.py
+++ b/openpype/hosts/maya/plugins/load/load_xgen.py
@@ -171,34 +171,3 @@ class XgenLoader(openpype.hosts.maya.api.plugin.ReferenceLoader):
             super().update(container, representation)
 
             xgenm.applyDelta(xgen_palette.replace("|", ""), xgd_file)
-
-        # Update any xgen containers.
-        compound_name = "xgenContainers"
-        import xgenm
-        container_amount = cmds.getAttr(
-            "{}.{}".format(container_node, compound_name), size=True
-        )
-        # loop through all compound children
-        for i in range(container_amount):
-            attr = "{}.{}[{}].container".format(
-                container_node, compound_name, i
-            )
-            objectset = cmds.listConnections(attr)[0]
-            reference_node = cmds.sets(objectset, query=True)[0]
-            palettes = cmds.ls(
-                cmds.referenceQuery(reference_node, nodes=True),
-                type="xgmPalette"
-            )
-            for palette in palettes:
-                for description in xgenm.descriptions(palette):
-                    xgenm.setAttr(
-                        "cacheFileName",
-                        maya_file.replace("\\", "/"),
-                        palette,
-                        description,
-                        "SplinePrimitive"
-                    )
-
-        # Refresh UI and viewport.
-        de = xgenm.xgGlobal.DescriptionEditor
-        de.refresh("Full")