diff --git a/packages/livedata/livedata_connection.js b/packages/livedata/livedata_connection.js
index 7f0632593f..51f69ddcdd 100644
--- a/packages/livedata/livedata_connection.js
+++ b/packages/livedata/livedata_connection.js
@@ -534,18 +534,30 @@ _.extend(Meteor._LivedataConnection.prototype, {
     return handle;
   },
 
-  _subscribeAndWait: function (/* arguments */) {
+  // options:
+  // - onLateError {Function(error)} called if an error was received after the ready event.
+  //     (errors received before ready cause an error to be thrown)
+  _subscribeAndWait: function (name, args, options) {
     var self = this;
     var f = new Future();
-    var args = _.toArray(arguments);
+    var ready = false;
+    args = args || [];
     args.push({
-      onReady: function () { f.return(); },
-      onError: function (e) { f.throw(e); }
+      onReady: function () {
+        ready = true;
+        f.return();
+      },
+      onError: function (e) {
+        if (!ready)
+          f.throw(e);
+        else
+          options && options.onLateError && options.onLateError(e);
+      }
     });
 
-    self.subscribe.apply(self, args);
+    self.subscribe.apply(self, [name].concat(args));
     return f.wait();
-},
+  },
 
   methods: function (methods) {
     var self = this;
diff --git a/tools/deploy-galaxy.js b/tools/deploy-galaxy.js
index ac5c7ed003..fa70d9c064 100644
--- a/tools/deploy-galaxy.js
+++ b/tools/deploy-galaxy.js
@@ -58,10 +58,14 @@ var prettyCall = function (galaxy, name, args, messages) {
 
 
 var prettySub = function (galaxy, name, args, messages) {
-  try {
-    var ret = galaxy._subscribeAndWait.apply(galaxy, [name].concat(args));
-  } catch (e) {
+  var onError = function (e) {
     exitWithError(e, messages);
+  };
+
+  try {
+    var ret = galaxy._subscribeAndWait(name, args, {onLateError: onError});
+  } catch (e) {
+    onError(e);
   }
   return ret;
 };
@@ -207,8 +211,6 @@ exports.logs = function (options) {
   if (!ok)
     throw new Error("Couldn't connect to logs mongodb.");
 
-  // XXX make this talk to a separate logReader service instead of
-  // ultraworld direcly
   prettySub(logReader, "logsForApp", [options.app], {
     "no-such-app": "No such app: " + options.app
   });