diff --git a/frontend/wave.ts b/frontend/wave.ts
index 8ea68474..d788576b 100644
--- a/frontend/wave.ts
+++ b/frontend/wave.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ console.log("Wave Starting");
 
 document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", async () => {
     console.log("DOMContentLoaded");
-    // ensures client/window are loaded into the cache before rendering
+    // ensures client/window/workspace are loaded into the cache before rendering
     await WOS.loadAndPinWaveObject<Client>(WOS.makeORef("client", clientId));
     const waveWindow = await WOS.loadAndPinWaveObject<WaveWindow>(WOS.makeORef("window", windowId));
     await WOS.loadAndPinWaveObject<Workspace>(WOS.makeORef("workspace", waveWindow.workspaceid));
diff --git a/pkg/waveobj/waveobj.go b/pkg/waveobj/waveobj.go
index da3c5971..fac10a89 100644
--- a/pkg/waveobj/waveobj.go
+++ b/pkg/waveobj/waveobj.go
@@ -156,6 +156,9 @@ func SetMeta(waveObj WaveObj, meta map[string]any) {
 }
 
 func ToJsonMap(w WaveObj) (map[string]any, error) {
+	if w == nil {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
 	m := make(map[string]any)
 	dconfig := &mapstructure.DecoderConfig{
 		Result:  &m,
diff --git a/pkg/wstore/wstore_dbops.go b/pkg/wstore/wstore_dbops.go
index 5a33ce80..9536fdcd 100644
--- a/pkg/wstore/wstore_dbops.go
+++ b/pkg/wstore/wstore_dbops.go
@@ -103,7 +103,10 @@ func DBGetORef(ctx context.Context, oref waveobj.ORef) (waveobj.WaveObj, error)
 		table := tableNameFromOType(oref.OType)
 		query := fmt.Sprintf("SELECT oid, version, data FROM %s WHERE oid = ?", table)
 		var row idDataType
-		tx.Get(&row, query, oref.OID)
+		found := tx.Get(&row, query, oref.OID)
+		if !found {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
 		rtn, err := waveobj.FromJson(row.Data)
 		if err != nil {
 			return rtn, err