diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js
index c153c96a51..ec6f508db4 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js
@@ -424,7 +424,6 @@ _.extend(OplogObserveDriver.prototype, {
         var thisGeneration = ++self._fetchGeneration;
         self._needToFetch = new LocalCollection._IdMap;
         var waiting = 0;
-        var anyError = null;
         var fut = new Future;
         // This loop is safe, because _currentlyFetching will not be updated
         // during this loop (in fact, it is never mutated).
@@ -435,8 +434,11 @@ _.extend(OplogObserveDriver.prototype, {
             finishIfNeedToPollQuery(function (err, doc) {
               try {
                 if (err) {
-                  if (!anyError)
-                    anyError = err;
+                  Meteor._debug("Got exception while fetching documents: " +
+                                err);
+                  if (self._phase !== PHASE.QUERYING) {
+                    self._needToPollQuery();
+                  }
                 } else if (!self._stopped && self._phase === PHASE.FETCHING
                            && self._fetchGeneration === thisGeneration) {
                   // We re-check the generation in case we've had an explicit
@@ -456,9 +458,6 @@ _.extend(OplogObserveDriver.prototype, {
             }));
         });
         fut.wait();
-        // XXX do this even if we've switched to PHASE.QUERYING?
-        if (anyError)
-          throw anyError;
         // Exit now if we've had a _pollQuery call (here or in another fiber).
         if (self._phase === PHASE.QUERYING)
           return;
@@ -599,22 +598,35 @@ _.extend(OplogObserveDriver.prototype, {
 
   _runQuery: function () {
     var self = this;
-    var newResults = new LocalCollection._IdMap;
-    var newBuffer = new LocalCollection._IdMap;
+    var newResults, newBuffer;
 
-    // Query 2x documents as the half excluded from the original query will go
-    // into unpublished buffer to reduce additional Mongo lookups in cases when
-    // documents are removed from the published set and need a replacement.
-    // XXX needs more thought on non-zero skip
-    // XXX 2 is a "magic number" meaning there is an extra chunk of docs for
-    // buffer if such is needed.
-    var cursor = self._cursorForQuery({ limit: self._limit * 2 });
-    cursor.forEach(function (doc, i) {
-      if (!self._limit || i < self._limit)
-        newResults.set(doc._id, doc);
-      else
-        newBuffer.set(doc._id, doc);
-    });
+    while (true) {
+      newResults = new LocalCollection._IdMap;
+      newBuffer = new LocalCollection._IdMap;
+
+      // Query 2x documents as the half excluded from the original query will go
+      // into unpublished buffer to reduce additional Mongo lookups in cases
+      // when documents are removed from the published set and need a
+      // replacement.
+      // XXX needs more thought on non-zero skip
+      // XXX 2 is a "magic number" meaning there is an extra chunk of docs for
+      // buffer if such is needed.
+      var cursor = self._cursorForQuery({ limit: self._limit * 2 });
+      try {
+        cursor.forEach(function (doc, i) {
+          if (!self._limit || i < self._limit)
+            newResults.set(doc._id, doc);
+          else
+            newBuffer.set(doc._id, doc);
+        });
+        break;
+      } catch (e) {
+        // During failover (eg) if we get an exception we should log and retry
+        // instead of crashing.
+        Meteor._debug("Got exception while polling query: " + e);
+        Meteor._sleepForMs(100);
+      }
+    }
 
     self._publishNewResults(newResults, newBuffer);
   },
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_tailing.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_tailing.js
index b203bfa412..b8dab965e7 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_tailing.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_tailing.js
@@ -101,12 +101,22 @@ _.extend(OplogHandle.prototype, {
     // be ready.
     self._readyFuture.wait();
 
-    // We need to make the selector at least as restrictive as the actual
-    // tailing selector (ie, we need to specify the DB name) or else we might
-    // find a TS that won't show up in the actual tail stream.
-    var lastEntry = self._oplogLastEntryConnection.findOne(
-      OPLOG_COLLECTION, self._baseOplogSelector,
-      {fields: {ts: 1}, sort: {$natural: -1}});
+    while (true) {
+      // We need to make the selector at least as restrictive as the actual
+      // tailing selector (ie, we need to specify the DB name) or else we might
+      // find a TS that won't show up in the actual tail stream.
+      try {
+        var lastEntry = self._oplogLastEntryConnection.findOne(
+          OPLOG_COLLECTION, self._baseOplogSelector,
+          {fields: {ts: 1}, sort: {$natural: -1}});
+        break;
+      } catch (e) {
+        // During failover (eg) if we get an exception we should log and retry
+        // instead of crashing.
+        Meteor._debug("Got exception while reading last entry: " + e);
+        Meteor._sleepForMs(100);
+      }
+    }
 
     if (!lastEntry) {
       // Really, nothing in the oplog? Well, we've processed everything.