diff --git a/lib/hooks/relationship-hooks.js b/lib/hooks/relationship-hooks.js
--- a/lib/hooks/relationship-hooks.js
+++ b/lib/hooks/relationship-hooks.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 import { useNewThickThread } from './thread-hooks.js';
 import { useUsersSupportThickThreads } from './user-identities-hooks.js';
+import { useWaitForConnection } from './wait-for-connection.js';
 import { updateRelationships as serverUpdateRelationships } from '../actions/relationship-actions.js';
 import { useLegacyAshoatKeyserverCall } from '../keyserver-conn/legacy-keyserver-call.js';
 import { pendingToRealizedThreadIDsSelector } from '../selectors/thread-selectors.js';
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@
 
   const mapUsersSupportingThickThreads = useUsersSupportThickThreads();
 
+  const waitForConnection = useWaitForConnection();
+
   const updateRelationshipsAndSendRobotext = React.useCallback(
     async (action: RelationshipAction, userIDs: $ReadOnlyArray<string>) => {
       if (!viewerID) {
@@ -97,6 +100,7 @@
         );
         return {};
       }
+      await waitForConnection();
       const usersSupportingThickThreads =
         await mapUsersSupportingThickThreads(userIDs);
       const planForUsers = new Map<string, RobotextPlanForUser>();
@@ -229,6 +233,7 @@
       userInfos,
       rawThreadInfos,
       createNewThickThread,
+      waitForConnection,
     ],
   );
 
diff --git a/lib/hooks/wait-for-connection.js b/lib/hooks/wait-for-connection.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/hooks/wait-for-connection.js
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+// @flow
+
+import * as React from 'react';
+
+import { connectionSelector } from '../selectors/keyserver-selectors.js';
+import { useTunnelbroker } from '../tunnelbroker/tunnelbroker-context.js';
+import { authoritativeKeyserverID } from '../utils/authoritative-keyserver.js';
+import { useSelector } from '../utils/redux-utils.js';
+
+function useWaitForConnection(): () => Promise<void> {
+  const { socketState } = useTunnelbroker();
+
+  const connection = useSelector(
+    connectionSelector(authoritativeKeyserverID()),
+  );
+
+  const resolveConnectionPromise = React.useRef<?() => void>();
+
+  const isConnectedOrUnreachable = React.useMemo(() => {
+    return (
+      socketState.connected &&
+      (connection?.unreachable || connection?.status === 'connected')
+    );
+  }, [connection?.status, connection?.unreachable, socketState.connected]);
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (isConnectedOrUnreachable) {
+      resolveConnectionPromise.current?.();
+    }
+  }, [isConnectedOrUnreachable]);
+
+  const waitForConnection = React.useCallback((): Promise<void> => {
+    if (isConnectedOrUnreachable) {
+      return Promise.resolve();
+    }
+    return new Promise(resolve => {
+      resolveConnectionPromise.current = resolve;
+    });
+  }, [isConnectedOrUnreachable]);
+
+  return waitForConnection;
+}
+
+export { useWaitForConnection };