diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/Readme.md b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/Readme.md
index 8dc846df597..f7888a95799 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/Readme.md
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/Readme.md
@@ -12,6 +12,22 @@ Uses the `useStore` hook, under the hood, to create a new store from a saved sna
 const { classifierStore, loaded } = useHydratedStore({ authClient, client }, enableStorage = false, storageKey)
 ```
 
+## useSavedSnapshot
+
+Asynchronously load a store snapshot from session storage.
+
+```js
+const initialState = useSavedSnapshot(enableStorage, storageKey)
+```
+
+## useSessionStorage
+
+Wrap a store in an [`onSnapshot`](https://mobx-state-tree.js.org/API/#onsnapshot) listener, which writes snapshots asynchronously to session storage. Returns true when complete, which allows us to wait on store initialisation before adding new data to the store.
+
+```js
+const loaded = useSessionStorage(cachePanoptesData, classifierStore, storageKey)
+```
+
 ## useStore
 
 Create a `mobx-state-tree` store, using the Panoptes API clients and an optional snapshot. Adapted from [the NextJS example](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/blob/5201cdbaeaa72b54badc8f929ddc73c09f414dc4/examples/with-mobx-state-tree/store.js#L49-L52), which is also used in `app-project`. `initialState` must be a valid store snapshot.
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/index.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/index.js
index 1bb1894dd08..cc26d2e6703 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/index.js
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/index.js
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 export { default as useHydratedStore } from './useHydratedStore'
+export { default as useSavedSnapshot } from './useSavedSnapshot'
+export { default as useSessionStorage } from './useSessionStorage'
 export { default as useStore } from './useStore'
 export { default as useWorkflowSnapshot } from './useWorkflowSnapshot'
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useHydratedStore.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useHydratedStore.js
index cf0c5d05107..c34c8b9d419 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useHydratedStore.js
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useHydratedStore.js
@@ -1,53 +1,12 @@
-import  { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
-
-import { asyncSessionStorage, persist } from '@helpers'
-import { useStore } from './'
-
-async function hydrateStore(storageKey) {
-  let snapshot = {}
-  try {
-    snapshot = await loadSnapshot(storageKey, asyncSessionStorage)
-    console.log('store loaded from local storage')
-  } catch (error) {
-    console.log('store snapshot error.')
-    console.error(error)
-  }
-  return snapshot
-}
-
-async function loadSnapshot(storageKey, storage) {
-  const data = await storage.getItem(storageKey)
-  const snapshot = JSON.parse(data)
-  return snapshot
-}
+import { useSavedSnapshot, useSessionStorage, useStore } from './'
 
 export default function useHydratedStore({ authClient, client }, cachePanoptesData = false, storageKey) {
-  const [initialState, setInitialState] = useState(null)
-  const [loaded, setLoaded] = useState(false)
+  // Asynchronously load a store snapshot from an external source.
+  const initialState = useSavedSnapshot(cachePanoptesData, storageKey)
+  // Create a new store from the initialState snapshot.
   const classifierStore = useStore({ authClient, client, initialState })
-
-  async function onStoreCreated() {
-    if (!loaded && classifierStore && cachePanoptesData) {
-      await persist(storageKey, classifierStore, { storage: asyncSessionStorage })
-    }
-    setLoaded(true)
-  }
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    onStoreCreated()
-  }, [cachePanoptesData, classifierStore, loaded])
-
-  async function getInitialState() {
-    let _initialState = {}
-    if (cachePanoptesData) {
-      _initialState = await hydrateStore(storageKey)
-    }
-    setInitialState(_initialState)
-  }
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    getInitialState()
-  }, [])
+  // Write store snapshots to session storage.
+  const loaded = useSessionStorage(cachePanoptesData, classifierStore, storageKey)
 
   return { classifierStore, loaded }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useSavedSnapshot.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useSavedSnapshot.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8a2ffcdf2b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useSavedSnapshot.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+
+import { asyncSessionStorage } from '@helpers'
+
+async function loadSnapshot(storageKey, storage) {
+  const data = await storage.getItem(storageKey)
+  const snapshot = JSON.parse(data)
+  return snapshot
+}
+
+async function hydrateStore(storageKey) {
+  let snapshot = {}
+  try {
+    snapshot = await loadSnapshot(storageKey, asyncSessionStorage)
+    console.log('store loaded from local storage')
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.log('store snapshot error.')
+    console.error(error)
+  }
+  return snapshot
+}
+
+export default function useSavedSnapshot(enableStorage, storageKey) {
+  const [initialState, setInitialState] = useState(null)
+
+  async function getInitialState() {
+    let _initialState = {}
+    if (enableStorage) {
+      _initialState = await hydrateStore(storageKey)
+    }
+    setInitialState(_initialState)
+  }
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    getInitialState()
+  }, [storageKey])
+
+  return initialState
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useSessionStorage.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useSessionStorage.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a15ffa08745
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/components/Classifier/hooks/useSessionStorage.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { addDisposer, onSnapshot } from 'mobx-state-tree'
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
+
+import { asyncSessionStorage } from '@helpers'
+
+function persist(storageKey, store, storage) {
+  function _saveSnapshot(snapshot) {
+    const data = JSON.stringify(snapshot)
+    storage.setItem(storageKey, data)
+  }
+  const snapshotDisposer = onSnapshot(store, _saveSnapshot)
+  return addDisposer(store, snapshotDisposer)
+}
+
+export default function useSessionStorage(enableStorage, store, storageKey) {
+  const [loaded, setLoaded] = useState(false)
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!loaded && store && enableStorage) {
+      persist(storageKey, store, asyncSessionStorage)
+    }
+    setLoaded(true)
+  }, [enableStorage, store, loaded])
+
+  return loaded
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/index.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/index.js
index 6fecfdd357c..5199c426b96 100644
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/index.js
+++ b/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/index.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ export { featureDetection }
 export { default as findLocationsByMediaType } from './findLocationsByMediaType'
 export { default as formatTimeStamp } from './formatTimeStamp'
 export { default as layouts } from './layouts'
-export { default as persist } from './persist'
 export { default as shownMarks } from './shownMarks'
 export { default as subjectsSeenThisSession } from './subjectsSeenThisSession'
 export { default as subjectViewers } from './subjectViewers'
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/persist/index.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/persist/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 68d8ea09cf4..00000000000
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/persist/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-export { default } from './persist'
diff --git a/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/persist/persist.js b/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/persist/persist.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 8e03dd24d8e..00000000000
--- a/packages/lib-classifier/src/helpers/persist/persist.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-import { addDisposer, applySnapshot, onSnapshot } from 'mobx-state-tree'
-
-export default async function persist(storageKey, store, { storage }) {
-  addDisposer(store, onSnapshot(store, snapshot => {
-    const data = JSON.stringify(snapshot)
-    storage.setItem(storageKey, data)
-  }))
-}