diff --git a/src/backend/index.js b/src/backend/index.js
index efa6e83489..298d06a121 100644
--- a/src/backend/index.js
+++ b/src/backend/index.js
@@ -23,7 +23,10 @@ export function initBackend(
         rendererInterface: RendererInterface,
       }) => {
         agent.setRendererInterface(id, rendererInterface);
-        rendererInterface.walkTree();
+
+        // Now that the Store and the renderer interface are connected,
+        // it's time to flush the pending operation codes to the frontend.
+        rendererInterface.flushInitialOperations();
       }
     ),
 
diff --git a/src/backend/renderer.js b/src/backend/renderer.js
index 8f9d866a41..821060fc78 100644
--- a/src/backend/renderer.js
+++ b/src/backend/renderer.js
@@ -567,6 +567,7 @@ export function attach(
   }
 
   let pendingOperations: Uint32Array = new Uint32Array(0);
+  let pendingOperationsQueue: Array<Uint32Array> | null = [];
 
   function addOperation(
     newAction: Uint32Array,
@@ -604,7 +605,16 @@ export function attach(
     // Let the frontend know about tree operations.
     // The first value in this array will identify which root it corresponds to,
     // so we do no longer need to dispatch a separate root-committed event.
-    hook.emit('operations', pendingOperations);
+    if (pendingOperationsQueue !== null) {
+      // Until the frontend has been connected, store the tree operations.
+      // This will let us avoid walking the tree later when the frontend connects,
+      // and it enables the Profiler's reload-and-profile functionality to work as well.
+      pendingOperationsQueue.push(pendingOperations);
+    } else {
+      // If we've already connected to the frontend, just pass the operations through.
+      hook.emit('operations', pendingOperations);
+    }
+
     pendingOperations = new Uint32Array(0);
   }
 
@@ -914,31 +924,46 @@ export function attach(
     // We don't patch any methods so there is no cleanup.
   }
 
-  function walkTree() {
-    // Hydrate all the roots for the first time.
-    hook.getFiberRoots(rendererID).forEach(root => {
-      currentRootID = getFiberID(getPrimaryFiber(root.current));
+  function flushInitialOperations() {
+    const localPendingOperationsQueue = pendingOperationsQueue;
 
-      if (isProfiling) {
-        // If profiling is active, store commit time and duration, and the current interactions.
-        // The frontend may request this information after profiling has stopped.
-        currentCommitProfilingMetadata = {
-          actualDurations: [],
-          commitTime: performance.now() - profilingStartTime,
-          interactions: Array.from(root.memoizedInteractions).map(
-            (interaction: Interaction) => ({
-              ...interaction,
-              timestamp: interaction.timestamp - profilingStartTime,
-            })
-          ),
-          maxActualDuration: 0,
-        };
-      }
+    pendingOperationsQueue = null;
 
-      mountFiber(root.current, null);
-      flushPendingEvents(root);
-      currentRootID = -1;
-    });
+    if (
+      localPendingOperationsQueue !== null &&
+      localPendingOperationsQueue.length > 0
+    ) {
+      // We may have already queued up some operations before the frontend connected
+      // If so, let the frontend know about them.
+      localPendingOperationsQueue.forEach(pendingOperations => {
+        hook.emit('operations', pendingOperations);
+      });
+    } else {
+      // If we have not been profiling, then we can just walk the tree and build up its current state as-is.
+      hook.getFiberRoots(rendererID).forEach(root => {
+        currentRootID = getFiberID(getPrimaryFiber(root.current));
+
+        if (isProfiling) {
+          // If profiling is active, store commit time and duration, and the current interactions.
+          // The frontend may request this information after profiling has stopped.
+          currentCommitProfilingMetadata = {
+            actualDurations: [],
+            commitTime: performance.now() - profilingStartTime,
+            interactions: Array.from(root.memoizedInteractions).map(
+              (interaction: Interaction) => ({
+                ...interaction,
+                timestamp: interaction.timestamp - profilingStartTime,
+              })
+            ),
+            maxActualDuration: 0,
+          };
+        }
+
+        mountFiber(root.current, null);
+        flushPendingEvents(root);
+        currentRootID = -1;
+      });
+    }
   }
 
   function handleCommitFiberUnmount(fiber) {
@@ -1623,6 +1648,7 @@ export function attach(
 
   return {
     cleanup,
+    flushInitialOperations,
     getCommitDetails,
     getFiberIDFromNative,
     getInteractions,
@@ -1641,6 +1667,5 @@ export function attach(
     setInState,
     startProfiling,
     stopProfiling,
-    walkTree,
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/types.js b/src/backend/types.js
index 9e85dac6d2..8768715d41 100644
--- a/src/backend/types.js
+++ b/src/backend/types.js
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ export type ProfilingSummary = {|
 
 export type RendererInterface = {
   cleanup: () => void,
+  flushInitialOperations: () => void,
   getCommitDetails: (rootID: number, commitIndex: number) => CommitDetails,
   getNativeFromReactElement?: ?(component: Fiber) => ?NativeType,
   getFiberIDFromNative: (
@@ -108,7 +109,6 @@ export type RendererInterface = {
   setInState: (id: number, path: Array<string | number>, value: any) => void,
   startProfiling: () => void,
   stopProfiling: () => void,
-  walkTree: () => void,
 };
 
 export type Handler = (data: any) => void;
diff --git a/src/devtools/views/Profiler/CommitTreeBuilder.js b/src/devtools/views/Profiler/CommitTreeBuilder.js
index 92e85c62ad..2f714aaa9d 100644
--- a/src/devtools/views/Profiler/CommitTreeBuilder.js
+++ b/src/devtools/views/Profiler/CommitTreeBuilder.js
@@ -112,14 +112,9 @@ export function getCommitTree({
     }
   }
 
-  console.error(
+  throw Error(
     `getCommitTree(): Unable to reconstruct tree for root "${rootID}" and commit ${commitIndex}`
   );
-
-  return {
-    nodes: new Map(),
-    rootID,
-  };
 }
 
 function recursivelyIniitliazeTree(
diff --git a/src/devtools/views/Profiler/FlamegraphChartBuilder.js b/src/devtools/views/Profiler/FlamegraphChartBuilder.js
index df183d63d9..9a7339cd01 100644
--- a/src/devtools/views/Profiler/FlamegraphChartBuilder.js
+++ b/src/devtools/views/Profiler/FlamegraphChartBuilder.js
@@ -56,6 +56,11 @@ export function getChartData({
     idToDepthMap.set(id, currentDepth);
 
     const node = ((nodes.get(id): any): Node);
+
+    if (node == null) {
+      throw Error(`Could not find node with id "${id}" in commit tree`);
+    }
+
     const name = node.displayName || 'Unknown';
 
     const selfDuration = calculateSelfDuration(id, commitTree, commitDetails);
diff --git a/src/devtools/views/Profiler/RankedChartBuilder.js b/src/devtools/views/Profiler/RankedChartBuilder.js
index f900a6d3f0..b514cac3bc 100644
--- a/src/devtools/views/Profiler/RankedChartBuilder.js
+++ b/src/devtools/views/Profiler/RankedChartBuilder.js
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ export function getChartData({
   actualDurations.forEach((actualDuration, id) => {
     const node = ((nodes.get(id): any): Node);
 
+    if (node == null) {
+      throw Error(`Could not find node with id "${id}" in commit tree`);
+    }
+
     // Don't show the root node in this chart.
     if (node.parentID === 0) {
       return;