diff --git a/src/js/git/index.js b/src/js/git/index.js
index b9e2d694..3047c6af 100644
--- a/src/js/git/index.js
+++ b/src/js/git/index.js
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.exportTree = function() {
 
   _.each(this.branchCollection.toJSON(), function(branch) {
     branch.target = branch.target.get('id');
-    branch.visBranch = undefined;
+    delete branch.visBranch;
 
     totalExport.branches[branch.id] = branch;
   });
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.exportTree = function() {
   _.each(this.commitCollection.toJSON(), function(commit) {
     // clear out the fields that reference objects and create circular structure
     _.each(Commit.prototype.constants.circularFields, function(field) {
-      commit[field] = undefined;
+      delete commit[field];
     }, this);
 
     // convert parents
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ GitEngine.prototype.exportTree = function() {
   }, this);
 
   var HEAD = this.HEAD.toJSON();
-  HEAD.lastTarget = HEAD.lastLastTarget = HEAD.visBranch = HEAD.visTag =undefined;
+  HEAD.lastTarget = HEAD.lastLastTarget = HEAD.visBranch = HEAD.visTag = undefined;
   HEAD.target = HEAD.target.get('id');
   totalExport.HEAD = HEAD;
 
@@ -291,23 +291,23 @@ GitEngine.prototype.instantiateFromTree = function(tree) {
   var createdSoFar = {};
 
   _.each(tree.commits, function(commitJSON) {
-    var commit = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, commitJSON.id);
+    var commit = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, commitJSON.id, this.gitVisuals);
     this.commitCollection.add(commit);
   }, this);
 
   _.each(tree.branches, function(branchJSON) {
-    var branch = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, branchJSON.id);
+    var branch = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, branchJSON.id, this.gitVisuals);
 
     this.branchCollection.add(branch, {silent: true});
   }, this);
 
   _.each(tree.tags, function(tagJSON) {
-    var tag = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, tagJSON.id);
+    var tag = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, tagJSON.id, this.gitVisuals);
 
     this.tagCollection.add(tag, {silent: true});
   }, this);
 
-  var HEAD = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, tree.HEAD.id);
+  var HEAD = this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, tree.HEAD.id, this.gitVisuals);
   this.HEAD = HEAD;
 
   this.rootCommit = createdSoFar['C0'];
@@ -482,7 +482,8 @@ GitEngine.prototype.setLocalToTrackRemote = function(localBranch, remoteBranch)
 GitEngine.prototype.getOrMakeRecursive = function(
   tree,
   createdSoFar,
-  objID
+  objID,
+  gitVisuals
 ) {
   if (createdSoFar[objID]) {
     // base case
diff --git a/src/js/graph/index.js b/src/js/graph/index.js
index 3040ee02..06f206a0 100644
--- a/src/js/graph/index.js
+++ b/src/js/graph/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,94 @@
 var _ = require('underscore');
 
 var Graph = {
+  getOrMakeRecursive: function(
+    tree,
+    createdSoFar,
+    objID,
+    gitVisuals
+  ) {
+    if (createdSoFar[objID]) {
+      // base case
+      return createdSoFar[objID];
+    }
+
+    var getType = function(tree, id) {
+      if (tree.commits[id]) {
+        return 'commit';
+      } else if (tree.branches[id]) {
+        return 'branch';
+      } else if (id == 'HEAD') {
+        return 'HEAD';
+      } else if (tree.tags[id]) {
+        return 'tag';
+      }
+      throw new Error("bad type for " + id);
+    };
+
+    // figure out what type
+    var type = getType(tree, objID);
+
+    if (type == 'HEAD') {
+      var headJSON = tree.HEAD;
+      var HEAD = new Ref(_.extend(
+        tree.HEAD,
+        {
+          target: this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, headJSON.target)
+        }
+      ));
+      createdSoFar[objID] = HEAD;
+      return HEAD;
+    }
+
+    if (type == 'branch') {
+      var branchJSON = tree.branches[objID];
+
+      var branch = new Branch(_.extend(
+        tree.branches[objID],
+        {
+          target: this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, branchJSON.target)
+        }
+      ));
+      createdSoFar[objID] = branch;
+      return branch;
+    }
+
+    if (type == 'tag') {
+      var tagJSON = tree.tags[objID];
+
+      var tag = new Tag(_.extend(
+        tree.tags[objID],
+        {
+          target: this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, tagJSON.target)
+        }
+      ));
+      createdSoFar[objID] = tag;
+      return tag;
+    }
+
+    if (type == 'commit') {
+      // for commits, we need to grab all the parents
+      var commitJSON = tree.commits[objID];
+
+      var parentObjs = [];
+      _.each(commitJSON.parents, function(parentID) {
+        parentObjs.push(this.getOrMakeRecursive(tree, createdSoFar, parentID));
+      }, this);
+
+      var commit = new Commit(_.extend(
+        commitJSON,
+        {
+          parents: parentObjs,
+          gitVisuals: this.gitVisuals
+        }
+      ));
+      createdSoFar[objID] = commit;
+      return commit;
+    }
+
+    throw new Error('ruh rho!! unsupported type for ' + objID);
+  },
+
   descendSortDepth: function(objects) {
     return objects.sort(function(oA, oB) {
       return oB.depth - oA.depth;