diff --git a/js/modules/loki_primitives.js b/js/modules/loki_primitives.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3a8a315b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/modules/loki_primitives.js
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+/* global clearTimeout */
+// was timeoutDelay
+const sleepFor = ms => new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
+
+let log
+function configure(options = {}) {
+  ({ log } = options);
+}
+
+// Taken from https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51160260/clean-way-to-wait-for-first-true-returned-by-promise
+// The promise returned by this function will resolve true when the first promise
+// in ps resolves true *or* it will resolve false when all of ps resolve false
+const firstTrue = ps => {
+  const newPs = ps.map(
+    p =>
+      new Promise(
+        // eslint-disable-next-line more/no-then
+        (resolve, reject) => p.then(v => v && resolve(true), reject)
+      )
+  );
+  // eslint-disable-next-line more/no-then
+  newPs.push(Promise.all(ps).then(() => false));
+  return Promise.race(newPs);
+};
+
+// one action resolves all
+const snodeGlobalLocks = {};
+async function allowOnlyOneAtATime(name, process, timeout) {
+  // if currently not in progress
+  if (snodeGlobalLocks[name] === undefined) {
+    // set lock
+    snodeGlobalLocks[name] = new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
+      // set up timeout feature
+      let timeoutTimer = null;
+      if (timeout) {
+        timeoutTimer = setTimeout(() => {
+          log.warn(
+            `loki_snodes:::allowOnlyOneAtATime - TIMEDOUT after ${timeout}s`
+          );
+          delete snodeGlobalLocks[name]; // clear lock
+          reject();
+        }, timeout);
+      }
+      // do actual work
+      let innerRetVal;
+      try {
+        innerRetVal = await process();
+      } catch(e) {
+        log.error(`loki_snodes:::allowOnlyOneAtATime - error ${e.code} ${e.message}`);
+        throw e;
+      }
+      // clear timeout timer
+      if (timeout) {
+        if (timeoutTimer !== null) {
+          clearTimeout(timeoutTimer);
+          timeoutTimer = null;
+        }
+      }
+      delete snodeGlobalLocks[name]; // clear lock
+      // release the kraken
+      resolve(innerRetVal);
+    });
+  }
+  let outerRetval;
+  // handle any timeouts
+  try {
+    outerRetval = await snodeGlobalLocks[name];
+  } catch (e) {
+    // we will throw for each time allowOnlyOneAtATime has been called in parallel
+    log.error('loki_snodes:::allowOnlyOneAtATime - error', e.code, e.message);
+    throw e;
+  }
+  return outerRetval;
+}
+
+function abortableIterator(array, iterator) {
+
+  let abortIteration = false;
+
+  // for the control promise
+  let controlResolveFunctor;
+  const stopPolling = new Promise(res => {
+    // store resolve functor
+    controlResolveFunctor = res;
+  });
+
+  // eslint-disable-next-line more/no-then
+  stopPolling.then(() => {
+    abortIteration = true;
+  });
+
+  const destructableList = [...array];
+  const accum = [];
+
+  return {
+    start: async (serially) => {
+      let item = destructableList.pop();
+      while(item && !abortIteration) {
+        // console.log('iterating on item', item);
+        if (serially) {
+          try {
+            // eslint-disable-next-line no-await-in-loop
+            accum.push(await iterator(item));
+          } catch(e) {
+            log.error(`loki_snodes:::abortableIterator - error ${e.code} ${e.message}`);
+            throw e;
+          }
+        } else {
+          accum.push(iterator(item));
+        }
+        item = destructableList.pop()
+      }
+      return accum;
+    },
+    stop: () => {
+      /*
+      log.debug('loki_snodes:::abortableIterator - Stopping',
+                destructableList.length, '+', accum.length, '=', array.length,
+                'aborted?', abortIteration);
+      */
+      controlResolveFunctor();
+    },
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  configure,
+  sleepFor,
+  allowOnlyOneAtATime,
+  abortableIterator,
+  firstTrue,
+}