diff --git a/main.js b/main.js
index ab85f30..96cbefd 100644
--- a/main.js
+++ b/main.js
@@ -106,14 +106,6 @@ async function loadAccount() {
   globalAccountID = id
   await p(peer.set.load)(id)
   await p(peer.dict.load)(id)
-  peer.conductor.start(
-    id,
-    [
-      ['profile@dict', 'zooboardElements@newest-100', 'hubs@set'],
-      ['profile@dict', 'zooboardElements@newest-100'],
-    ],
-    64_000_000
-  )
 
   // Read hubs
   const multiaddrs = peer.set.values('hubs')
@@ -134,38 +126,82 @@ async function setProfileName(ev, name) {
   return name
 }
 
-async function writeElements(ev, actions) {
-  await loadAccount() // FIXME: ideally the frontend shouldn't do this
+async function writeElements(ev, elements) {
   if (globalAccountID === null) throw new Error('account not loaded')
-  for (const action of actions) {
+  for (const element of elements) {
     await p(peer.db.feed.publish)({
       account: globalAccountID,
       domain: 'zooboardElements',
-      data: action,
+      data: element,
     })
   }
 }
 
+let hasSubscribedToReadElements = false
 function subscribeToReadElements() {
+  if (hasSubscribedToReadElements) return
+  hasSubscribedToReadElements = true
+
+  // Load initial elements and inform renderer
   const elementsByID = new Map()
-  for (const msg of peer.db.msgs()) {
+  const msgIDToElemID = new Map()
+  for (const { id: msgID, msg } of peer.db.records()) {
     if (msg.data && msg.metadata.domain === 'zooboardElements') {
-      const { id, isDeleted } = msg.data
+      const { id: elemID, isDeleted } = msg.data
       if (isDeleted) {
-        elementsByID.delete(id)
+        elementsByID.delete(elemID)
       } else {
-        elementsByID.set(id, msg.data)
+        msgIDToElemID.set(msgID, elemID)
+        elementsByID.set(elemID, msg.data)
       }
     }
   }
   const initialElements = [...elementsByID.values()]
   mainWindow.webContents.send('readElements', initialElements)
 
-  peer.db.onRecordAdded(({ msg }) => {
+  // Subscribe to new elements and inform renderer
+  peer.db.onRecordAdded(({ id: msgID, msg }) => {
     if (msg.data && msg.metadata.domain === 'zooboardElements') {
+      const { id: elemID, isDeleted } = msg.data
+      if (isDeleted) {
+        elementsByID.delete(elemID)
+      } else {
+        msgIDToElemID.set(msgID, elemID)
+        elementsByID.set(elemID, msg.data)
+      }
       mainWindow.webContents.send('readElements', [msg.data])
     }
   })
+
+  // Subscribe to deleted elements and inform renderer
+  peer.db.onRecordDeletedOrErased((msgID) => {
+    const elemID = msgIDToElemID.get(msgID)
+    if (!elemID) return
+    msgIDToElemID.delete(msgID)
+    // Is there some other msgID that supports this elemID? If so, bail out
+    for (const [, remainingElemID] of msgIDToElemID) {
+      if (remainingElemID === elemID) {
+        return
+      }
+    }
+    // If not, delete the element
+    elementsByID.delete(elemID)
+    mainWindow.webContents.send('readElements', [
+      { id: elemID, isDeleted: true },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  // Finally safe to kickstart replication and garbage collection
+  setTimeout(() => {
+    peer.conductor.start(
+      globalAccountID,
+      [
+        ['profile@dict', 'zooboardElements@newest-100', 'hubs@set'],
+        ['profile@dict', 'zooboardElements@newest-100'],
+      ],
+      64_000
+    )
+  }, 32)
 }
 
 async function scheduleWithHub(multiaddr) {
diff --git a/src/App.js b/src/App.js
index d6a0ef5..b3467c1 100644
--- a/src/App.js
+++ b/src/App.js
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ import { Excalidraw } from '@excalidraw/excalidraw'
 import './App.css'
 import debounce from 'debounce'
 
+const elemsPersisted = new Map()
+let sceneInitialized = false
+
 function MyAccount() {
   const nameInput = createRef()
   const [loaded, setLoaded] = useState(false)
@@ -52,7 +55,6 @@ function MyAccount() {
 }
 
 function App() {
-  const elemsPersisted = new Map()
   const [excalidrawAPI, setExcalidrawAPI] = useState(null)
 
   function loadExcalidraw(api) {
@@ -67,14 +69,15 @@ function App() {
         }
       }
       api.updateScene({ elements: [...elemsPersisted.values()] })
+      if (!sceneInitialized) sceneInitialized = true
     })
   }
 
   const updateElements = debounce((elems) => {
-    if (excalidrawAPI) return
+    if (!sceneInitialized) return
     const actions = []
     for (const elem of elems) {
-      const oldVersion = elemsPersisted.get(elem.id)?.version ?? 0
+      const oldVersion = elemsPersisted.get(elem.id)?.version ?? -1
       if (elem.version > oldVersion) {
         actions.push(elem)
         elemsPersisted.set(elem.id, { ...elem })