diff --git a/packages/react-devtools-extensions/src/background.js b/packages/react-devtools-extensions/src/background.js
index 70c2420b0df18..8ef96d2ec9b6f 100644
--- a/packages/react-devtools-extensions/src/background.js
+++ b/packages/react-devtools-extensions/src/background.js
@@ -12,22 +12,31 @@ if (!IS_FIREFOX) {
   // It's critical since it allows us to directly run scripts on the "main" world on the page
   // "document_start" allows it to run before the page's scripts
   // so the hook can be detected by react reconciler
-  chrome.scripting.registerContentScripts([
-    {
-      id: 'hook',
-      matches: ['<all_urls>'],
-      js: ['build/installHook.js'],
-      runAt: 'document_start',
-      world: chrome.scripting.ExecutionWorld.MAIN,
-    },
-    {
-      id: 'renderer',
-      matches: ['<all_urls>'],
-      js: ['build/renderer.js'],
-      runAt: 'document_start',
-      world: chrome.scripting.ExecutionWorld.MAIN,
+  chrome.scripting.registerContentScripts(
+    [
+      {
+        id: 'hook',
+        matches: ['<all_urls>'],
+        js: ['build/installHook.js'],
+        runAt: 'document_start',
+        world: chrome.scripting.ExecutionWorld.MAIN,
+      },
+      {
+        id: 'renderer',
+        matches: ['<all_urls>'],
+        js: ['build/renderer.js'],
+        runAt: 'document_start',
+        world: chrome.scripting.ExecutionWorld.MAIN,
+      },
+    ],
+    function() {
+      // When the content scripts are already registered, an error will be thrown.
+      // It happens when the service worker process is incorrectly duplicated.
+      if (chrome.runtime.lastError) {
+        console.error(chrome.runtime.lastError);
+      }
     },
-  ]);
+  );
 }
 
 chrome.runtime.onConnect.addListener(function (port) {
@@ -51,7 +60,7 @@ chrome.runtime.onConnect.addListener(function (port) {
   ports[tab][name] = port;
 
   if (ports[tab].devtools && ports[tab]['content-script']) {
-    doublePipe(ports[tab].devtools, ports[tab]['content-script']);
+    doublePipe(ports[tab].devtools, ports[tab]['content-script'], tab);
   }
 });
 
@@ -70,20 +79,36 @@ function installProxy(tabId: number) {
   }
 }
 
-function doublePipe(one, two) {
+function doublePipe(one, two, tabId) {
   one.onMessage.addListener(lOne);
   function lOne(message) {
-    two.postMessage(message);
+    try {
+      two.postMessage(message);
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (__DEV__) {
+        console.log(`Broken pipe ${tabId}: `, e);
+      }
+      shutdown();
+    }
   }
   two.onMessage.addListener(lTwo);
   function lTwo(message) {
-    one.postMessage(message);
+    try {
+      one.postMessage(message);
+    } catch (e) {
+      if (__DEV__) {
+        console.log(`Broken pipe ${tabId}: `, e);
+      }
+      shutdown();
+    }
   }
   function shutdown() {
     one.onMessage.removeListener(lOne);
     two.onMessage.removeListener(lTwo);
     one.disconnect();
     two.disconnect();
+    // clean up so that we can rebuild the double pipe if the page is reloaded
+    ports[tabId] = null;
   }
   one.onDisconnect.addListener(shutdown);
   two.onDisconnect.addListener(shutdown);