diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/dsess/autoincrement_tracker.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/dsess/autoincrement_tracker.go
index 10415505e1..18aba69e95 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/dsess/autoincrement_tracker.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/dsess/autoincrement_tracker.go
@@ -16,10 +16,12 @@ package dsess
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"io"
 	"math"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/dolthub/go-mysql-server/sql"
 	gmstypes "github.com/dolthub/go-mysql-server/sql/types"
@@ -48,6 +50,8 @@ type AutoIncrementTracker struct {
 	sequences *sync.Map // map[string]uint64
 	mm        *mutexmap.MutexMap
 	lockMode  LockMode
+	init      chan struct{}
+	initErr   error
 }
 
 var _ globalstate.AutoIncrementTracker = &AutoIncrementTracker{}
@@ -61,8 +65,9 @@ func NewAutoIncrementTracker(ctx context.Context, dbName string, roots ...doltdb
 		dbName:    dbName,
 		sequences: &sync.Map{},
 		mm:        mutexmap.NewMutexMap(),
+		init:      make(chan struct{}),
 	}
-	ait.InitWithRoots(ctx, roots...)
+	ait.runInitWithRootsAsync(ctx, roots...)
 	return &ait, nil
 }
 
@@ -76,13 +81,22 @@ func loadAutoIncValue(sequences *sync.Map, tableName string) uint64 {
 }
 
 // Current returns the next value to be generated in the auto increment sequence for the table named
-func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) Current(tableName string) uint64 {
-	return loadAutoIncValue(a.sequences, tableName)
+func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) Current(tableName string) (uint64, error) {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return loadAutoIncValue(a.sequences, tableName), nil
 }
 
 // Next returns the next auto increment value for the table named using the provided value from an insert (which may
 // be null or 0, in which case it will be generated from the sequence).
 func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) Next(tbl string, insertVal interface{}) (uint64, error) {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+
 	tbl = strings.ToLower(tbl)
 
 	given, err := CoerceAutoIncrementValue(insertVal)
@@ -113,6 +127,10 @@ func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) Next(tbl string, insertVal interface{}) (uint64,
 }
 
 func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) CoerceAutoIncrementValue(val interface{}) (uint64, error) {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
 	return CoerceAutoIncrementValue(val)
 }
 
@@ -140,6 +158,11 @@ func CoerceAutoIncrementValue(val interface{}) (uint64, error) {
 // table. Otherwise, the update is silently disregarded. So far this matches the MySQL behavior, but Dolt uses the
 // maximum value for this table across all branches.
 func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) Set(ctx *sql.Context, tableName string, table *doltdb.Table, ws ref.WorkingSetRef, newAutoIncVal uint64) (*doltdb.Table, error) {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	tableName = strings.ToLower(tableName)
 
 	release := a.mm.Lock(tableName)
@@ -338,16 +361,27 @@ func getMaxIndexValue(ctx context.Context, indexData durable.Index) (uint64, err
 }
 
 // AddNewTable initializes a new table with an auto increment column to the tracker, as necessary
-func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) AddNewTable(tableName string) {
+func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) AddNewTable(tableName string) error {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	tableName = strings.ToLower(tableName)
 	// only initialize the sequence for this table if no other branch has such a table
 	a.sequences.LoadOrStore(tableName, uint64(1))
+	return nil
 }
 
 // DropTable drops the table with the name given.
 // To establish the new auto increment value, callers must also pass all other working sets in scope that may include
 // a table with the same name, omitting the working set that just deleted the table named.
 func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) DropTable(ctx *sql.Context, tableName string, wses ...*doltdb.WorkingSet) error {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	tableName = strings.ToLower(tableName)
 
 	release := a.mm.Lock(tableName)
@@ -389,6 +423,11 @@ func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) DropTable(ctx *sql.Context, tableName string, wse
 }
 
 func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) AcquireTableLock(ctx *sql.Context, tableName string) (func(), error) {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
 	_, i, _ := sql.SystemVariables.GetGlobal("innodb_autoinc_lock_mode")
 	lockMode := LockMode(i.(int64))
 	if lockMode == LockMode_Interleaved {
@@ -398,7 +437,23 @@ func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) AcquireTableLock(ctx *sql.Context, tableName stri
 	return a.mm.Lock(tableName), nil
 }
 
-func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) InitWithRoots(ctx context.Context, roots ...doltdb.Rootish) error {
+func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) waitForInit() error {
+	select {
+	case <-a.init:
+		return a.initErr
+	case <-time.After(5 * time.Minute):
+		return errors.New("failed to initialize autoincrement tracker")
+	}
+}
+
+func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) runInitWithRootsAsync(ctx context.Context, roots ...doltdb.Rootish) {
+	go func() {
+		defer close(a.init)
+		a.initErr = a.initWithRoots(ctx, roots...)
+	}()
+}
+
+func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) initWithRoots(ctx context.Context, roots ...doltdb.Rootish) error {
 	eg, egCtx := errgroup.WithContext(ctx)
 	eg.SetLimit(128)
 
@@ -435,3 +490,13 @@ func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) InitWithRoots(ctx context.Context, roots ...doltd
 
 	return eg.Wait()
 }
+
+func (a *AutoIncrementTracker) InitWithRoots(ctx context.Context, roots ...doltdb.Rootish) error {
+	err := a.waitForInit()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	a.init = make(chan struct{})
+	a.runInitWithRootsAsync(ctx, roots...)
+	return a.waitForInit()
+}
diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/globalstate/auto_increment_tracker.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/globalstate/auto_increment_tracker.go
index 3c92f6e0a0..87be501d97 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/globalstate/auto_increment_tracker.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/globalstate/auto_increment_tracker.go
@@ -27,11 +27,11 @@ import (
 // interface here because implementations need to reach into session state, requiring a dependency on this package.
 type AutoIncrementTracker interface {
 	// Current returns the current auto increment value for the given table.
-	Current(tableName string) uint64
+	Current(tableName string) (uint64, error)
 	// Next returns the next auto increment value for the given table, and increments the current value.
 	Next(tbl string, insertVal interface{}) (uint64, error)
 	// AddNewTable adds a new table to the tracker, initializing the auto increment value to 1.
-	AddNewTable(tableName string)
+	AddNewTable(tableName string) error
 	// DropTable removes a table from the tracker.
 	DropTable(ctx *sql.Context, tableName string, wses ...*doltdb.WorkingSet) error
 	// CoerceAutoIncrementValue coerces the given value to a uint64, returning an error if it can't be done.
diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/noms_write_session.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/noms_write_session.go
index c0e721fea1..a538774735 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/noms_write_session.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/noms_write_session.go
@@ -179,7 +179,10 @@ func (s *nomsWriteSession) flush(ctx *sql.Context) (*doltdb.WorkingSet, error) {
 			// Update the auto increment value for the table if a tracker was provided
 			// TODO: the table probably needs an autoincrement tracker no matter what
 			if schema.HasAutoIncrement(ed.Schema()) {
-				v := s.aiTracker.Current(name)
+				v, err := s.aiTracker.Current(name)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
 				tbl, err = tbl.SetAutoIncrementValue(ctx, v)
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
diff --git a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/prolly_write_session.go b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/prolly_write_session.go
index a73a789699..0e86aeb356 100644
--- a/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/prolly_write_session.go
+++ b/go/libraries/doltcore/sqle/writer/prolly_write_session.go
@@ -165,7 +165,10 @@ func (s *prollyWriteSession) flush(ctx *sql.Context, autoIncSet bool, manualAuto
 			// override was specified (e.g. if the next value was set explicitly)
 			if schema.HasAutoIncrement(wr.sch) {
 				// TODO: need schema name for auto increment
-				autoIncVal := s.aiTracker.Current(name.Name)
+				autoIncVal, err := s.aiTracker.Current(name.Name)
+				if err != nil {
+					return err
+				}
 				override, hasManuallySetAi := manualAutoIncrementsSettings[name.Name]
 				if hasManuallySetAi {
 					autoIncVal = override