diff --git a/imports/startup/client/Gkeys.js b/imports/startup/client/Gkeys.js
index 7a3848e..aa9325e 100644
--- a/imports/startup/client/Gkeys.js
+++ b/imports/startup/client/Gkeys.js
@@ -6,6 +6,13 @@ import GoogleMapsLoader from 'google-maps';
 class GkeysC {
   constructor() {
     this.gmapkey = new ReactiveVar(null);
+    // Separate from the key itself: a deployment with no gmaps key configured
+    // still loads the script and still has to render. Waiting on the key value
+    // meant that with an empty key every component mounted after the script had
+    // loaded (i.e. any client-side navigation) sat forever on "Waiting for the
+    // gkey" and rendered an empty <div> — /subscriptions/new was blank, with no
+    // error anywhere.
+    this.loaded = new ReactiveVar(false);
     const self = this;
     this.callbacks = [];
     Meteor.startup(() => {
@@ -20,6 +27,7 @@ class GkeysC {
         GoogleMapsLoader.createUrl = () => `${origCreateUrl()}&loading=async`;
         GoogleMapsLoader.load(() => {
           self.gmapkey.set(key);
+          self.loaded.set(true);
           console.log('GMaps script just loaded');
           self.doCallbacks(key);
         });
@@ -37,14 +45,12 @@ class GkeysC {
   load(callback) {
     this.callbacks.push(callback);
     Tracker.autorun((computation) => {
-      const key = this.gmapkey.get();
-      if (key) {
-        // already loaded
-        // console.log('GMaps already loaded');
-        this.doCallbacks(key);
+      if (this.loaded.get()) {
+        // already loaded; the key may legitimately be empty
+        this.doCallbacks(this.gmapkey.get());
         computation.stop();
       } else {
-        console.log('Waiting for the gkey');
+        console.log('Waiting for the gmaps script');
       }
     });
   }