diff --git a/.eslintrc.json b/.eslintrc.json
index d03101f9ff..4aaf93f316 100644
--- a/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/.eslintrc.json
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@
         "realm_icon": false,
         "recent_senders": false,
         "reload": false,
+        "reload_state": false,
         "reminder": false,
         "resize": false,
         "rows": false,
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
index 7bed6c1371..86662a8d5e 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ const _stream_popover = {
     },
 };
 
-const _reload = {
+const _reload_state = {
     is_in_progress: () => false,
 };
 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ set_global('feature_flags', _feature_flags);
 set_global('keydown_util', _keydown_util);
 set_global('page_params', _page_params);
 set_global('popovers', _popovers);
-set_global('reload', _reload);
+set_global('reload_state', _reload_state);
 set_global('resize', _resize);
 set_global('scroll_util', _scroll_util);
 set_global('stream_popover', _stream_popover);
@@ -853,7 +853,7 @@ run_test('initialize', () => {
     assert(!activity.has_focus);
 
     // Now execute the reload-in-progress code path
-    reload.is_in_progress = function () {
+    _reload_state.is_in_progress = function () {
         return true;
     };
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose_actions.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose_actions.js
index a043107370..eef6bed27c 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose_actions.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/compose_actions.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ compose_state.recipient = (function () {
     };
 }());
 
-set_global('reload', {
+set_global('reload_state', {
     is_in_progress: return_false,
 });
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/people_errors.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/people_errors.js
index c5fa3db950..027f726399 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/people_errors.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/people_errors.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ zrequire('people');
 
 var return_false = function () { return false; };
 var return_true = function () { return true; };
-set_global('reload', {
+set_global('reload_state', {
     is_in_progress: return_false,
 });
 
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ run_test('report_late_add', () => {
     assert.equal(blueslip.get_test_logs('error').length, 1);
     blueslip.clear_test_data();
 
-    reload.is_in_progress = return_true;
+    reload_state.is_in_progress = return_true;
     people.report_late_add(55, 'foo@example.com');
     assert.equal(blueslip.get_test_logs('log').length, 1);
     assert.equal(blueslip.get_test_logs('log')[0].message, 'Added user late: user_id=55 email=foo@example.com');
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence.js
index baa5beaa68..3310ca25a9 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/presence.js
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ var return_false = function () { return false; };
 
 set_global('server_events', {});
 set_global('blueslip', {});
-set_global('reload', {
+set_global('reload_state', {
     is_in_progress: return_false,
 });
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/server_events.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/server_events.js
index 1d1310b9f4..a55a0cec3b 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/server_events.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/server_events.js
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ set_global('home_msg_list', {
     selected_id: function () {return 1;},
 });
 set_global('page_params', {test_suite: false});
-set_global('reload', {
+set_global('reload_state', {
     is_in_progress: function () {return false;},
 });
 
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/transmit.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/transmit.js
index 6f0c7da0fc..6626e10d71 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/transmit.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/transmit.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ set_global('page_params', {
 set_global('channel', {});
 set_global('navigator', {});
 set_global('reload', {});
+set_global('reload_state', {});
 set_global('socket', {});
 set_global('Socket', function () {
     return global.socket;
@@ -136,7 +137,7 @@ run_test('transmit_message_ajax', () => {
 run_test('transmit_message_ajax_reload_pending', () => {
     var success = function () { throw 'unexpected success'; };
 
-    reload.is_pending = function () {
+    reload_state.is_pending = function () {
         return true;
     };
 
diff --git a/static/js/activity.js b/static/js/activity.js
index 5529774b5c..bdbfd291fa 100644
--- a/static/js/activity.js
+++ b/static/js/activity.js
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ exports.update_huddles = function () {
 };
 
 function focus_ping(want_redraw) {
-    if (reload.is_in_progress()) {
+    if (reload_state.is_in_progress()) {
         blueslip.log("Skipping querying presence because reload in progress");
         return;
     }
diff --git a/static/js/bundles/app.js b/static/js/bundles/app.js
index 74cbe8482f..4a58949716 100644
--- a/static/js/bundles/app.js
+++ b/static/js/bundles/app.js
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ import "js/message_list.js";
 import "js/message_live_update.js";
 import "js/narrow_state.js";
 import "js/narrow.js";
+import "js/reload_state.js";
 import "js/reload.js";
 import "js/compose_fade.js";
 import "js/fenced_code.js";
diff --git a/static/js/compose_actions.js b/static/js/compose_actions.js
index 0dab5b9558..65c9589db5 100644
--- a/static/js/compose_actions.js
+++ b/static/js/compose_actions.js
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ function same_recipient_as_before(msg_type, opts) {
 exports.start = function (msg_type, opts) {
     exports.autosize_message_content();
 
-    if (reload.is_in_progress()) {
+    if (reload_state.is_in_progress()) {
         return;
     }
     notifications.clear_compose_notifications();
diff --git a/static/js/people.js b/static/js/people.js
index 6ab66abe9b..8ae4ecebf4 100644
--- a/static/js/people.js
+++ b/static/js/people.js
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@ exports.report_late_add = function (user_id, email) {
     // types of realms.
     var msg = 'Added user late: user_id=' + user_id + ' email=' + email;
 
-    if (reload.is_in_progress()) {
+    if (reload_state.is_in_progress()) {
         blueslip.log(msg);
     } else {
         blueslip.error(msg);
diff --git a/static/js/presence.js b/static/js/presence.js
index d8f18684ed..45ed2313b5 100644
--- a/static/js/presence.js
+++ b/static/js/presence.js
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ exports.set_info = function (presences, server_timestamp) {
         if (!people.is_current_user(this_email)) {
             var person = people.get_by_email(this_email);
             if (person === undefined) {
-                if (!(server_events.suspect_offline || reload.is_in_progress())) {
+                if (!(server_events.suspect_offline || reload_state.is_in_progress())) {
                     // If we're online, and we get a user who we don't
                     // know about in the presence data, throw an error.
                     blueslip.error('Unknown email in presence data: ' + this_email);
diff --git a/static/js/reload.js b/static/js/reload.js
index d8c321edc9..d14661d8ff 100644
--- a/static/js/reload.js
+++ b/static/js/reload.js
@@ -3,17 +3,6 @@ var reload = (function () {
 
 var exports = {};
 
-var reload_in_progress = false;
-var reload_pending = false;
-
-exports.is_pending = function () {
-    return reload_pending;
-};
-
-exports.is_in_progress = function () {
-    return reload_in_progress;
-};
-
 function preserve_state(send_after_reload, save_pointer, save_narrow, save_compose) {
     if (!localstorage.supported()) {
         // If local storage is not supported by the browser, we can't
@@ -181,7 +170,7 @@ exports.initialize = function () {
 };
 
 function do_reload_app(send_after_reload, save_pointer, save_narrow, save_compose, message) {
-    if (reload_in_progress) {
+    if (reload_state.is_in_progress()) {
         blueslip.log("do_reload_app: Doing nothing since reload_in_progress");
         return;
     }
@@ -203,7 +192,7 @@ function do_reload_app(send_after_reload, save_pointer, save_narrow, save_compos
     // TODO: We need a better API for showing messages.
     ui_report.message(message, $("#reloading-application"));
     blueslip.log('Starting server requested page reload');
-    reload_in_progress = true;
+    reload_state.set_state_to_in_progress();
 
     // Sometimes the window.location.reload that we attempt has no
     // immediate effect (likely by browsers trying to save power by
@@ -253,10 +242,10 @@ exports.initiate = function (options) {
                       options.message);
     }
 
-    if (reload_pending) {
+    if (reload_state.is_pending()) {
         return;
     }
-    reload_pending = true;
+    reload_state.set_state_to_pending();
 
     // If the user is composing a message, reload if they become idle
     // while composing.  If they finish or cancel the compose, wait
@@ -315,7 +304,7 @@ window.addEventListener('beforeunload', function () {
     // happens before the navigation is complete the user is kept captive at
     // zulip.
     blueslip.log("Setting reload_in_progress in beforeunload handler");
-    reload_in_progress = true;
+    reload_state.set_state_to_in_progress();
 });
 
 
diff --git a/static/js/reload_state.js b/static/js/reload_state.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..87a02d3b1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/static/js/reload_state.js
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+var reload_state = (function () {
+
+var exports = {};
+
+/*
+    We want his module to load pretty early in the process
+    of starting the app, so that people.js can load early.
+    All the heavy lifting for reload logic happens in
+    reload.js, which has lots of UI dependencies.  If we
+    didn't split out this module, our whole dependency tree
+    would be kind of upside down.
+*/
+
+var reload_in_progress = false;
+var reload_pending = false;
+
+exports.is_pending = function () {
+    return reload_pending;
+};
+
+exports.is_in_progress = function () {
+    return reload_in_progress;
+};
+
+exports.set_state_to_pending = function () {
+    // Why do we never set this back to false?
+    // Because the reload is gonna happen next. :)
+    // I was briefly confused by this, hence the comment.
+    reload_pending = true;
+};
+
+exports.set_state_to_in_progress = function () {
+    reload_in_progress = true;
+};
+
+
+return exports;
+}());
+
+if (typeof module !== 'undefined') {
+    module.exports = reload_state;
+}
+window.reload_state = reload_state;
diff --git a/static/js/server_events.js b/static/js/server_events.js
index f8e66aebb4..684d6adf2b 100644
--- a/static/js/server_events.js
+++ b/static/js/server_events.js
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ function get_events_success(events) {
 function get_events(options) {
     options = _.extend({dont_block: false}, options);
 
-    if (reload.is_in_progress()) {
+    if (reload_state.is_in_progress()) {
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/static/js/transmit.js b/static/js/transmit.js
index 6f634b327c..7690408741 100644
--- a/static/js/transmit.js
+++ b/static/js/transmit.js
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function send_message_ajax(request, success, error) {
         data: request,
         success: success,
         error: function (xhr, error_type) {
-            if (error_type !== 'timeout' && reload.is_pending()) {
+            if (error_type !== 'timeout' && reload_state.is_pending()) {
                 // The error might be due to the server changing
                 reload.initiate({immediate: true,
                                  save_pointer: true,