diff --git a/core/compiler/units/units.factor b/core/compiler/units/units.factor
index 01ee815511..f1f9131f08 100644
--- a/core/compiler/units/units.factor
+++ b/core/compiler/units/units.factor
@@ -61,6 +61,10 @@ GENERIC: definitions-changed ( assoc obj -- )
 [ V{ } clone definition-observers set-global ]
 "compiler.units" add-init-hook
 
+! This goes here because vocabs cannot depend on init
+[ V{ } clone vocab-observers set-global ]
+"vocabs" add-init-hook
+
 : add-definition-observer ( obj -- )
     definition-observers get push ;
 
diff --git a/core/continuations/continuations.factor b/core/continuations/continuations.factor
index d46b73f83d..56ac4a71e9 100644
--- a/core/continuations/continuations.factor
+++ b/core/continuations/continuations.factor
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: arrays vectors kernel kernel.private sequences
 namespaces make math splitting sorting quotations assocs
-combinators combinators.private accessors words init ;
+combinators combinators.private accessors words ;
 IN: continuations
 
 SYMBOL: error
@@ -200,5 +200,3 @@ M: condition compute-restarts
     "kernel-error" 6 setenv ;
 
 PRIVATE>
-
-[ init-catchstack init-error-handler ] "continuations" add-init-hook
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/init/init.factor b/core/init/init.factor
index 70464a4ba4..0140fcc0e8 100644
--- a/core/init/init.factor
+++ b/core/init/init.factor
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2004, 2009 Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
-USING: kernel kernel.private sequences assocs namespaces namespaces.private ;
+USING: continuations continuations.private kernel
+kernel.private sequences assocs namespaces namespaces.private
+continuations continuations.private ;
 IN: init
 
 SYMBOL: init-hooks
@@ -14,7 +16,7 @@ init-hooks global [ drop V{ } clone ] cache drop
     dup init-hooks get at [ over call( -- ) ] unless
     init-hooks get set-at ;
 
-: boot ( -- ) init-namespaces ;
+: boot ( -- ) init-namespaces init-catchstack init-error-handler ;
 
 : boot-quot ( -- quot ) 20 getenv ;
 
diff --git a/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor b/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
index 73ffd1a80c..6c12b7b325 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/vocabs.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2007, 2009 Eduardo Cavazos, Slava Pestov.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: accessors assocs strings kernel sorting namespaces
-sequences definitions init ;
+sequences definitions ;
 IN: vocabs
 
 SYMBOL: dictionary
@@ -69,8 +69,6 @@ SYMBOL: vocab-observers
 
 GENERIC: vocabs-changed ( obj -- )
 
-[ V{ } clone vocab-observers set-global ] "vocabs" add-init-hook
-
 : add-vocab-observer ( obj -- )
     vocab-observers get push ;