diff --git a/src/tree.js b/src/tree.js
index 7b4817ca..fc8bc25d 100644
--- a/src/tree.js
+++ b/src/tree.js
@@ -52,8 +52,14 @@ var VisBranch = VisBase.extend({
 
   initialize: function() {
     this.validateAtInit();
-    // shorthand notation
+
+    // shorthand notation for the main objects
     this.gitVisuals = this.get('gitVisuals');
+    this.gitEngine = this.get('gitEngine');
+    if (!this.gitEngine) { 
+      console.log('throw damnit');
+      throw new Error('asd');
+    }
 
     this.get('branch').set('visBranch', this);
     var id = this.get('branch').get('id');
@@ -71,7 +77,7 @@ var VisBranch = VisBase.extend({
   },
 
   getCommitPosition: function() {
-    var commit = gitEngine.getCommitFromRef(this.get('branch'));
+    var commit = this.gitEngine.getCommitFromRef(this.get('branch'));
     var visNode = commit.get('visNode');
     return visNode.getScreenCoords();
   },
@@ -240,7 +246,7 @@ var VisBranch = VisBase.extend({
 
   getName: function() {
     var name = this.get('branch').get('id');
-    var selected = gitEngine.HEAD.get('target').get('id');
+    var selected = this.gitEngine.HEAD.get('target').get('id');
 
     var add = (selected == name) ? '*' : '';
     return name + add;
@@ -316,14 +322,14 @@ var VisBranch = VisBase.extend({
 
   getNonTextOpacity: function() {
     if (this.get('isHead')) {
-      return gitEngine.getDetachedHead() ? 1 : 0;
+      return this.gitEngine.getDetachedHead() ? 1 : 0;
     }
     return this.getBranchStackIndex() == 0 ? 1 : 0.0;
   },
 
   getTextOpacity: function() {
     if (this.get('isHead')) {
-      return gitEngine.getDetachedHead() ? 1 : 0;
+      return this.gitEngine.getDetachedHead() ? 1 : 0;
     }
     return 1;
   },
@@ -438,8 +444,9 @@ var VisNode = VisBase.extend({
 
   initialize: function() {
     this.validateAtInit();
-    // shorthand
+    // shorthand for the main objects
     this.gitVisuals = this.get('gitVisuals');
+    this.gitEngine = this.get('gitEngine');
 
     this.set('outgoingEdges', []);
   },
@@ -785,8 +792,10 @@ var VisEdge = VisBase.extend({
 
   initialize: function() {
     this.validateAtInit();
-    // shorthand
+
+    // shorthand for the main objects
     this.gitVisuals = this.get('gitVisuals');
+    this.gitEngine = this.get('gitEngine');
 
     this.get('tail').get('outgoingEdges').push(this);
   },
diff --git a/src/visuals.js b/src/visuals.js
index 7d4670b5..ba005ca6 100644
--- a/src/visuals.js
+++ b/src/visuals.js
@@ -70,16 +70,26 @@ function GitVisuals(options) {
   this.paperWidth = null;
   this.paperHeight = null;
 
-  this.commitCollection.on('change', this.collectionChanged, this);
-
   this.branchCollection.on('add', this.addBranchFromEvent, this);
   this.branchCollection.on('remove', this.removeBranch, this);
+  this.deferred = [];
   
   events.on('refreshTree', _.bind(
     this.refreshTree, this
   ));
 }
 
+GitVisuals.prototype.defer = function(action) {
+  this.deferred.push(action);
+};
+
+GitVisuals.prototype.deferFlush = function() {
+  _.each(this.deferred, function(action) {
+    action();
+  }, this);
+  this.deferred = [];
+};
+
 GitVisuals.prototype.resetAll = function() {
   this.visEdgeCollection.each(function(visEdge) {
     visEdge.remove();
@@ -102,6 +112,7 @@ GitVisuals.prototype.resetAll = function() {
 GitVisuals.prototype.assignGitEngine = function(gitEngine) {
   this.gitEngine = gitEngine;
   this.initHeadBranch();
+  this.deferFlush();
 };
 
 GitVisuals.prototype.initHeadBranch = function() {
@@ -113,7 +124,8 @@ GitVisuals.prototype.initHeadBranch = function() {
   // seed this with the HEAD pseudo-branch
   var headBranch = new VisBranch({
     branch: this.gitEngine.HEAD,
-    gitVisuals: this
+    gitVisuals: this,
+    gitEngine: this.gitEngine
   });
 
   this.visBranchCollection.add(headBranch);
@@ -429,13 +441,23 @@ GitVisuals.prototype.turnOffPaper = function() {
 };
 
 GitVisuals.prototype.addBranchFromEvent = function(branch, collection, index) {
-  this.addBranch(branch);
+  var action = _.bind(function() {
+    this.addBranch(branch);
+  }, this);
+
+  if (!this.gitEngine) {
+    this.defer(action);
+  } else {
+    action();
+  }
 };
 
 GitVisuals.prototype.addBranch = function(branch, paperOverride) {
+  // TODO
   var visBranch = new VisBranch({
     branch: branch,
-    gitVisuals: this
+    gitVisuals: this,
+    gitEngine: this.gitEngine
   });
 
   this.visBranchCollection.add(visBranch);
@@ -510,7 +532,8 @@ GitVisuals.prototype.addNode = function(id, commit) {
   var visNode = new VisNode({
     id: id,
     commit: commit,
-    gitVisuals: this
+    gitVisuals: this,
+    gitEngine: this.gitEngine
   });
   this.visNodeMap[id] = visNode;
 
@@ -533,7 +556,8 @@ GitVisuals.prototype.addEdge = function(idTail, idHead) {
   var edge = new VisEdge({
     tail: visNodeTail,
     head: visNodeHead,
-    gitVisuals: this
+    gitVisuals: this,
+    gitEngine: this.gitEngine
   });
   this.visEdgeCollection.add(edge);