diff --git a/src/core/instrumentation/placeholder.ts b/src/core/instrumentation/placeholder.ts
index ea584061..cef925dd 100644
--- a/src/core/instrumentation/placeholder.ts
+++ b/src/core/instrumentation/placeholder.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,42 @@
-import { registerDevtoolsHook } from './fiber';
-
 // __REACT_DEVTOOLS_GLOBAL_HOOK__ must exist before React is ever executed
 // this is the case with the React Devtools extension, but without it, we need
 
-// sometimes in expo this comes back as undefined
-// registerDevtoolsHook({
-//   onCommitFiberRoot() {
-//     /**/
-//   },
-// });
+let attemptCount = 0;
+const MAX_ATTEMPTS = 3;
+
+// temporary hack since module is sometime uninitialized in expo
+//  fix is probably to remove circular imports
+function ensureDevtoolsHook() {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    function attempt() {
+      try {
+        const { registerDevtoolsHook } = require('./fiber');
+        if (registerDevtoolsHook) {
+          registerDevtoolsHook({
+            onCommitFiberRoot() {
+              /**/
+            },
+          });
+          resolve(true);
+        } else if (attemptCount < MAX_ATTEMPTS) {
+          attemptCount++;
+          setTimeout(attempt, 50);
+        } else {
+          resolve(false);
+        }
+      } catch (e) {
+        if (attemptCount < MAX_ATTEMPTS) {
+          attemptCount++;
+          setTimeout(attempt, 50);
+        } else {
+          resolve(false);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    attempt();
+  });
+}
+
+if (typeof globalThis.__REACT_DEVTOOLS_GLOBAL_HOOK__ === 'undefined') {
+  ensureDevtoolsHook();
+}