diff --git a/frontend/src/features/authoring/AuthoringToolPage.jsx b/frontend/src/features/authoring/AuthoringToolPage.jsx
index ee37f64b5..08c5467d8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/features/authoring/AuthoringToolPage.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/features/authoring/AuthoringToolPage.jsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { useContext, useEffect, useRef, useState } from "react";
+import { unstable_batchedUpdates } from "react-dom";
 import { useParams } from "react-router-dom";
 import SceneContext from "context/SceneContext";
 import CanvasSideBar from "./CanvasSideBar/CanvasSideBar";
@@ -76,61 +77,59 @@ export default function AuthoringToolPage() {
       }
     }, 2500);
 
-    const listener = async ({ operation, record }) => {
-      if (operation === "undo" || operation === "redo") {
-        const editorState = useEditorStore.getState();
-
-        // React 17 doesn't batch these updates outside of an event handler,
-        // so the text cursor/selection must be cleared before the document
-        // is replaced -- otherwise a render can happen in between with the
-        // restored (possibly shorter) document and the stale selection,
-        // reading past the end of the document
-        editorState.setSelection({ start: null, end: null });
-        editorState.setVisualSelection({ start: null, end: null });
-        setSelected([]);
-
-        const batch = record;
-        const targetSceneId = batch[0]?.sceneId;
-        if (targetSceneId && targetSceneId !== sceneId) {
-          switchScene(getScene(), targetSceneId);
-        }
+    const listener = ({ operation, record }) =>
+      unstable_batchedUpdates(() => {
+        if (operation === "undo" || operation === "redo") {
+          const editorState = useEditorStore.getState();
+
+          // Discard text positions from the old document before restoring a
+          // possibly shorter one. Restore the relevant edit selection below.
+          editorState.setSelection({ start: null, end: null });
+          editorState.setVisualSelection({ start: null, end: null });
+          setSelected([]);
+
+          const batch = record;
+          const targetSceneId = batch[0]?.sceneId;
+          if (targetSceneId && targetSceneId !== sceneId) {
+            switchScene(getScene(), targetSceneId);
+          }
 
-        const restoredIds = [];
-        batch.forEach((item) => {
-          const state = operation === "undo" ? item.before : item.after;
-          if (state?.type === "textbox" && state.document && properties)
-            syncPropertyChips(state.document, properties);
-          replaceComponent(item.id, state);
-          if (state !== null) restoredIds.push(item.id);
-        });
-        setSelected(restoredIds);
-
-        // jump straight to the exact text that was undone/redone, the way
-        // undo/redo works in any text editor, by diffing the before/after
-        // documents rather than relying on wherever the cursor used to be
-        // -- only meaningful when the batch touches a single component
-        if (batch.length === 1) {
-          const [item] = batch;
-          const state = operation === "undo" ? item.before : item.after;
-          const beforeBlocks = item.before?.document?.blocks;
-          const afterBlocks = item.after?.document?.blocks;
-          const targetBlocks = state?.document?.blocks;
-          const diff =
-            beforeBlocks?.length && afterBlocks?.length
-              ? findEditDiff(beforeBlocks, afterBlocks)
-              : null;
-          if (diff && targetBlocks?.length) {
-            const selection = diffToSelection(targetBlocks, diff);
-            editorState.setMode(["text"]);
-            editorState.setSelection(selection);
-            syncVisualCursor();
+          const restoredIds = [];
+          batch.forEach((item) => {
+            const state = operation === "undo" ? item.before : item.after;
+            if (state?.type === "textbox" && state.document && properties)
+              syncPropertyChips(state.document, properties);
+            replaceComponent(item.id, state);
+            if (state !== null) restoredIds.push(item.id);
+          });
+          setSelected(restoredIds);
+
+          // jump straight to the exact text that was undone/redone, the way
+          // undo/redo works in any text editor, by diffing the before/after
+          // documents rather than relying on wherever the cursor used to be
+          // -- only meaningful when the batch touches a single component
+          if (batch.length === 1) {
+            const [item] = batch;
+            const state = operation === "undo" ? item.before : item.after;
+            const beforeBlocks = item.before?.document?.blocks;
+            const afterBlocks = item.after?.document?.blocks;
+            const targetBlocks = state?.document?.blocks;
+            const diff =
+              beforeBlocks?.length && afterBlocks?.length
+                ? findEditDiff(beforeBlocks, afterBlocks)
+                : null;
+            if (diff && targetBlocks?.length) {
+              const selection = diffToSelection(targetBlocks, diff);
+              editorState.setMode(["text"]);
+              editorState.setSelection(selection);
+              syncVisualCursor();
+            }
           }
         }
-      }
 
-      setSaving(true);
-      debounced();
-    };
+        setSaving(true);
+        debounced();
+      });
 
     historyEvents.addEventListener("update", listener);
     return () => historyEvents.removeEventListener("update", listener);
diff --git a/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/Overlay.tsx b/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/Overlay.tsx
index e8509d964..5175e55e7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/Overlay.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/Overlay.tsx
@@ -55,7 +55,10 @@ function Overlay() {
 
   const isMarqueeing =
     mode.includes("marquee") && hasMarqueeMoved(mutationBounds);
-  const hasSelection = selected.length > 0 && !isMarqueeing;
+  const hasSelection =
+    selected.length > 0 &&
+    selected.every((id) => components[id]) &&
+    !isMarqueeing;
   const type = hasSelection
     ? selected.length > 1
       ? "box"
diff --git a/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/handles/RotationHandle.tsx b/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/handles/RotationHandle.tsx
index 7d9345166..5c588dcec 100644
--- a/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/handles/RotationHandle.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/features/authoring/canvas/handles/RotationHandle.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ const RotationHandle = () => {
   const mode = useEditorStore((s) => s.mode);
 
   const bounds = getSelectedComponentBounds();
+  if (!bounds) return null;
   const center = getBoxCenter(bounds.verts);
 
   const y = Math.min(bounds.verts[0].y, bounds.verts[1].y);
diff --git a/frontend/src/features/authoring/handlers/pointer/pointer.ts b/frontend/src/features/authoring/handlers/pointer/pointer.ts
index 092c837fc..51fa5d187 100644
--- a/frontend/src/features/authoring/handlers/pointer/pointer.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/features/authoring/handlers/pointer/pointer.ts
@@ -154,7 +154,8 @@ function handleComponentDrag(e: React.MouseEvent, position: Vec2) {
     useEditorStore.getState();
   if (!selected?.length) return;
 
-  const bounds = getSelectedComponentBounds()!;
+  const bounds = getSelectedComponentBounds();
+  if (!bounds) return;
   let verts = translate(bounds.verts, subtract(position, offset));
 
   if (e.altKey) {
@@ -185,7 +186,13 @@ function handleMutationEnd() {
   if (selected.length == 1) {
     modifyComponentBounds(selected, mutationBounds);
   } else {
-    const { verts: prevVerts } = getSelectedComponentBounds()!;
+    const bounds = getSelectedComponentBounds();
+    if (!bounds) {
+      setMode(["normal"]);
+      setActiveGuides([]);
+      return;
+    }
+    const { verts: prevVerts } = bounds;
     const { verts } = mutationBounds;
 
     if (mode.includes("resize") && getHandleType() === "rotation") {
@@ -304,9 +311,12 @@ export function getSelectedComponentBounds() {
 
   const scene = useVisualScene.getState();
 
-  if (selected.length === 1) return scene.components[selected[0]].bounds;
-
   const components = selected.map((id) => scene.components[id]);
+  // A store update can render a handle before its selection has caught up.
+  // Hide the handles until every selected component is available again.
+  if (components.some((component) => !component)) return null;
+  if (components.length === 1) return components[0].bounds;
+
   return { verts: computeBounds(components), rotation: 0 };
 }