diff --git a/skillmap/src/App.tsx b/skillmap/src/App.tsx
index f91b9f8385b4..d39ee6efc5bc 100644
--- a/skillmap/src/App.tsx
+++ b/skillmap/src/App.tsx
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ import { InfoPanel } from './components/InfoPanel';
 
 import { parseSkillMap } from './lib/skillMapParser';
 import { parseHash, getMarkdownAsync, MarkdownSource, parseQuery,
-    setPageTitle, setPageSourceUrl, ParsedHash } from './lib/browserUtils';
+    setPageTitle, setPageSourceUrl, ParsedHash, resolvePath } from './lib/browserUtils';
 
 import { MakeCodeFrame } from './components/makecodeFrame';
 import { getLocalUserStateAsync, getUserStateAsync, saveUserStateAsync } from './lib/workspaceProvider';
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ interface AppState {
     error?: string;
     cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: boolean;
     badgeSyncLock: boolean;
+    syncingLocalState?: boolean;
 }
 
 class AppImpl extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
@@ -234,8 +235,9 @@ class AppImpl extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
     protected async cloudSyncCheckAsync() {
         const res = await this.ready();
         if (!await authClient.loggedInAsync()) {
-            this.setState({cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: true});
+            this.setState({cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: true, syncingLocalState: false});
         } else {
+            this.setState({syncingLocalState: true});
             const doCloudSyncCheckAsync = async () => {
                 const state = store.getState();
                 const localUser = await getLocalUserStateAsync();
@@ -313,14 +315,14 @@ class AppImpl extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
                     action: "requestprojectcloudstatus",
                     headerIds: getFlattenedHeaderIds(currentUser, state.pageSourceUrl)
                 } as pxt.editor.EditorMessageRequestProjectCloudStatus);
-                this.setState({cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: true});
+                this.setState({cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: true, syncingLocalState: false});
             }
             // Timeout if cloud sync check doesn't complete in a reasonable timeframe.
             const TIMEOUT_MS = 10 * 1000;
             await Promise.race([
                 pxt.U.delay(TIMEOUT_MS).then(() => {
                     if (!this.state.cloudSyncCheckHasFinished)
-                        this.setState({cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: true});
+                        this.setState({cloudSyncCheckHasFinished: true, syncingLocalState: false});
                 }),
                 doCloudSyncCheckAsync()]);
         }
@@ -352,18 +354,22 @@ class AppImpl extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
 
     render() {
         const { skillMaps, activityOpen, backgroundImageUrl, theme } = this.props;
-        const { error } = this.state;
+        const { error, syncingLocalState } = this.state;
         const maps = Object.keys(skillMaps).map((id: string) => skillMaps[id]);
         return (<div className={`app-container ${pxt.appTarget.id}`}>
                 <HeaderBar />
-                    <div className={`skill-map-container ${activityOpen ? "hidden" : ""}`} style={{ backgroundColor: theme.backgroundColor }}>
-                        { error
-                            ? <div className="skill-map-error">{error}</div>
-                            : <SkillGraphContainer maps={maps} backgroundImageUrl={backgroundImageUrl} />
-                        }
-                        { !error && <InfoPanel />}
-                    </div>
-                    <MakeCodeFrame onFrameLoaded={this.onMakeCodeFrameLoaded}/>
+                {syncingLocalState && <div className={"makecode-frame-loader"}>
+                    <img src={resolvePath("assets/logo.svg")} alt={lf("MakeCode Logo")} />
+                <div className="makecode-frame-loader-text">{lf("Saving to cloud...")}</div>
+                </div>}
+                <div className={`skill-map-container ${activityOpen ? "hidden" : ""}`} style={{ backgroundColor: theme.backgroundColor }}>
+                    { error
+                        ? <div className="skill-map-error">{error}</div>
+                        : <SkillGraphContainer maps={maps} backgroundImageUrl={backgroundImageUrl} />
+                    }
+                    { !error && <InfoPanel />}
+                </div>
+                <MakeCodeFrame onWorkspaceReady={this.onMakeCodeFrameLoaded}/>
                 <AppModal />
                 <UserProfile />
             </div>);
@@ -427,6 +433,11 @@ class AppImpl extends React.Component<AppProps, AppState> {
             }
         }
 
+        if ((!this.props.signedIn || (this.props.signedIn && this.state.cloudSyncCheckHasFinished))
+            && this.state.syncingLocalState) {
+            this.setState({ syncingLocalState: false });
+        }
+
         await this.syncBadgesAsync();
     }
 
diff --git a/skillmap/src/components/makecodeFrame.tsx b/skillmap/src/components/makecodeFrame.tsx
index bf6e4b737783..95c15e499efa 100644
--- a/skillmap/src/components/makecodeFrame.tsx
+++ b/skillmap/src/components/makecodeFrame.tsx
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ interface MakeCodeFrameProps {
     dispatchSetShareStatus: (headerId?: string, url?: string) => void;
     dispatchShowLoginPrompt: () => void;
     dispatchSetCloudStatus: (headerId: string, status: string) => void;
-    onFrameLoaded: (sendMessageAsync: (message: any) => Promise<any>) => void;
+    onWorkspaceReady: (sendMessageAsync: (message: any) => Promise<any>) => void;
 }
 
 type FrameState = "loading" | "no-project" | "opening-project" | "project-open" | "closing-project";
@@ -143,8 +143,6 @@ class MakeCodeFrameImpl extends React.Component<MakeCodeFrameProps, MakeCodeFram
 
             const root = document.getElementById("root");
             if (root) pxt.BrowserUtils.addClass(root, "editor");
-
-            this.props.onFrameLoaded((message) => this.sendMessageAsync(message));
         }
     }
 
@@ -165,6 +163,11 @@ class MakeCodeFrameImpl extends React.Component<MakeCodeFrameProps, MakeCodeFram
 
         switch (data.action) {
             case "newproject":
+                if (!this.state.workspaceReady) {
+                    this.setState({ workspaceReady: true });
+                    this.sendMessageAsync(); // Flush message queue
+                    this.props.onWorkspaceReady((message) => this.sendMessageAsync(message));
+                }
                 if (this.state.frameState === "loading") {
                     this.setState({ frameState: "no-project" });
                 }
@@ -182,7 +185,7 @@ class MakeCodeFrameImpl extends React.Component<MakeCodeFrameProps, MakeCodeFram
         }
     }
 
-    protected sendMessageAsync(message: any) {
+    protected sendMessageAsync(message?: any) {
         return new Promise(resolve => {
             const sendMessageCore = (message: any) => {
                 message.response = true;
@@ -195,14 +198,14 @@ class MakeCodeFrameImpl extends React.Component<MakeCodeFrameProps, MakeCodeFram
             }
 
             if (this.ref) {
-                if (!this.ref.contentWindow) {
+                if (!this.state.workspaceReady) {
                     this.messageQueue.push(message);
                 }
                 else {
                     while (this.messageQueue.length) {
                         sendMessageCore(this.messageQueue.shift());
                     }
-                    sendMessageCore(message);
+                    if (message) sendMessageCore(message);
                 }
             }
         });