diff --git a/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.cpp b/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.cpp
index e825c6d63f83a39e23c5c3a804b00c73b4554c91..9e8c0ae593849cd3a398a4fe3af46b704d66327e 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.cpp
@@ -189,9 +189,6 @@ bool JfrRecorder::on_vm_start() {
   if (!validate_recording_options(thread)) {
     return false;
   }
-  if (!JfrJavaEventWriter::initialize()) {
-    return false;
-  }
   if (!JfrOptionSet::configure(thread)) {
     return false;
   }
@@ -235,6 +232,9 @@ bool JfrRecorder::create_components() {
   ResourceMark rm;
   HandleMark hm;
 
+  if (!create_java_event_writer()) {
+    return false;
+  }
   if (!create_jvmti_agent()) {
     return false;
   }
@@ -276,6 +276,10 @@ static JfrStringPool* _stringpool = NULL;
 static JfrOSInterface* _os_interface = NULL;
 static JfrThreadSampling* _thread_sampling = NULL;
 
+bool JfrRecorder::create_java_event_writer() {
+  return JfrJavaEventWriter::initialize();
+}
+
 bool JfrRecorder::create_jvmti_agent() {
   return JfrOptionSet::allow_retransforms() ? JfrJvmtiAgent::create() : true;
 }
diff --git a/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.hpp b/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.hpp
index 42b546aa82fd41ee7f0052c3315737543caf235c..80a1265af1ba5ccb541bc667e56eb36853294b00 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/jfr/recorder/jfrRecorder.hpp
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ class JfrRecorder : public JfrCHeapObj {
 
   static bool create_checkpoint_manager();
   static bool create_chunk_repository();
+  static bool create_java_event_writer();
   static bool create_jvmti_agent();
   static bool create_os_interface();
   static bool create_post_box();
diff --git a/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.cpp b/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.cpp
index 3c7326c964ac88a1cedd3a8197bc2a40a3c8cb77..2237e83584807871adfed1b76dae36210f75c9ea 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.cpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.cpp
@@ -142,8 +142,7 @@ bool JfrJavaEventWriter::has_required_classes(TRAPS) {
 bool JfrJavaEventWriter::initialize() {
   static bool initialized = false;
   if (!initialized) {
-    Thread* thread = Thread::current();
-    initialized = setup_event_writer_offsets(thread);
+    initialized = setup_event_writer_offsets(Thread::current());
   }
   return initialized;
 }
@@ -162,6 +161,7 @@ jboolean JfrJavaEventWriter::flush(jobject writer, jint used, jint requested, Ja
   // large enough to accommodate the "requested size".
   const bool is_valid = buffer->free_size() >= (size_t)(used + requested);
   u1* const new_current_position = is_valid ? buffer->pos() + used : buffer->pos();
+  assert(start_pos_offset != invalid_offset, "invariant");
   w->long_field_put(start_pos_offset, (jlong)buffer->pos());
   w->long_field_put(current_pos_offset, (jlong)new_current_position);
   // only update java writer if underlying memory changed
diff --git a/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.hpp b/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.hpp
index e4a97f3359e9def7a775462a45ccf32274216bcb..9e521f417a5b85f92cb668e3e1b7ece88b50c128 100644
--- a/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.hpp
+++ b/src/share/vm/jfr/writers/jfrJavaEventWriter.hpp
@@ -33,14 +33,15 @@ class Thread;
 
 class JfrJavaEventWriter : AllStatic {
   friend class JfrCheckpointThreadClosure;
-  friend class JfrJavaEventWriterNotifyOperation;
   friend class JfrJavaEventWriterNotificationClosure;
+  friend class JfrJavaEventWriterNotifyOperation;
+  friend class JfrRecorder;
  private:
+  static bool initialize();
   static void notify(JavaThread* jt);
 
  public:
   static bool has_required_classes(TRAPS);
-  static bool initialize();
   static void notify();
   static jobject event_writer(Thread* t);
   static jobject new_event_writer(TRAPS);