diff --git a/public/components/element_content/element_content.js b/public/components/element_content/element_content.js
index dbecd847d971c..788b5b0bb10cb 100644
--- a/public/components/element_content/element_content.js
+++ b/public/components/element_content/element_content.js
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
-import { pure, compose, branch, renderComponent, withProps } from 'recompose';
+import { pure, compose, branch, renderComponent } from 'recompose';
 import Style from 'style-it';
+import { getType } from '../../../common/lib/get_type';
 import { Loading } from '../loading';
 import { RenderWithFn } from '../render_with_fn';
-import { getType } from '../../../common/lib/get_type';
+import { ElementShareContainer } from '../element_share_container';
 import { InvalidExpression } from './invalid_expression';
 import { InvalidElementType } from './invalid_element_type';
 
@@ -31,21 +32,20 @@ const branches = [
       !renderFunction // We can't find an element in the registry for this
     );
   }, renderComponent(InvalidExpression)),
-  withProps(({ handlers }) => ({
-    handlers: {
-      done() {},
-      ...handlers,
-    },
-  })),
 ];
 
-// NOTE: the data-shared-* attributes here are used for reporting
 export const ElementContent = compose(pure, ...branches)(
   ({ renderable, renderFunction, size, handlers }) => {
+    const { getFilter, setFilter, done, onComplete } = handlers;
+
     return Style.it(
       renderable.css,
       <div style={{ ...renderable.containerStyle, ...size }}>
-        <div className="canvas__element--content" data-shared-item>
+        <ElementShareContainer
+          className="canvas__element--content"
+          onComplete={onComplete}
+          functionName={renderFunction.name}
+        >
           <RenderWithFn
             name={renderFunction.name}
             renderFn={renderFunction.render}
@@ -53,18 +53,30 @@ export const ElementContent = compose(pure, ...branches)(
             config={renderable.value}
             css={renderable.css} // This is an actual CSS stylesheet string, it will be scoped by RenderElement
             size={size} // Size is only passed for the purpose of triggering the resize event, it isn't really used otherwise
-            handlers={handlers}
+            handlers={{ getFilter, setFilter, done }}
           />
-        </div>
+        </ElementShareContainer>
       </div>
     );
   }
 );
 
 ElementContent.propTypes = {
-  renderable: PropTypes.object,
-  renderFunction: PropTypes.object,
+  renderable: PropTypes.shape({
+    css: PropTypes.string,
+    value: PropTypes.object,
+  }),
+  renderFunction: PropTypes.shape({
+    name: PropTypes.string,
+    render: PropTypes.func,
+    reuseDomNode: PropTypes.bool,
+  }),
   size: PropTypes.object,
-  handlers: PropTypes.object,
+  handlers: PropTypes.shape({
+    setFilter: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+    getFilter: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+    done: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+    onComplete: PropTypes.func.isRequired, // local, not passed through
+  }).isRequired,
   state: PropTypes.string,
 };
diff --git a/public/components/element_content/index.js b/public/components/element_content/index.js
index 6c2b013aebc3e..d881dfb8e91e1 100644
--- a/public/components/element_content/index.js
+++ b/public/components/element_content/index.js
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ export const ElementContent = compose(
 )(Component);
 
 ElementContent.propTypes = {
-  renderable: PropTypes.object,
-  size: PropTypes.object,
-  handlers: PropTypes.object,
-  state: PropTypes.string,
+  renderable: PropTypes.shape({
+    as: PropTypes.string,
+  }),
 };
diff --git a/public/components/element_share_container/element_share_container.js b/public/components/element_share_container/element_share_container.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..0ec8352279844
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/components/element_share_container/element_share_container.js
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+import React from 'react';
+import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
+
+export class ElementShareContainer extends React.PureComponent {
+  static propTypes = {
+    functionName: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+    onComplete: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+    className: PropTypes.string,
+    children: PropTypes.node.isRequired,
+  };
+
+  state = {
+    renderComplete: false,
+  };
+
+  componentDidMount() {
+    const { functionName, onComplete } = this.props;
+    const isDevelopment = process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production';
+    let t;
+
+    // check that the done event is called within a certain time
+    if (isDevelopment) {
+      const timeout = 15000; // 15 seconds
+      t = setTimeout(() => {
+        // TODO: show this message in a proper notification
+        console.warn(`done handler never called in render function: ${functionName}`);
+      }, timeout);
+    }
+
+    // dispatches a custom DOM event on the container when the element is complete
+    onComplete(() => {
+      clearTimeout(t);
+      const ev = new Event('renderComplete');
+      this.sharedItemRef.dispatchEvent(ev);
+
+      // if the element is finished before reporting is listening for then
+      // renderComplete event, the report never completes. to get around that
+      // issue, track the completed state locally and set the
+      // [data-render-complete] value accordingly.
+      // this is similar to renderComplete directive in Kibana,
+      // see: src/ui/public/render_complete/directive.js
+      this.setState({ renderComplete: true });
+    });
+  }
+
+  render() {
+    // NOTE: the data-shared-item and data-render-complete attributes are used for reporting
+    return (
+      <div
+        data-shared-item
+        data-render-complete={this.state.renderComplete}
+        className={this.props.className}
+        ref={ref => (this.sharedItemRef = ref)}
+      >
+        {this.props.children}
+      </div>
+    );
+  }
+}
diff --git a/public/components/element_share_container/index.js b/public/components/element_share_container/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..6196708b280c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/components/element_share_container/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export { ElementShareContainer } from './element_share_container';
diff --git a/public/components/element_wrapper/index.js b/public/components/element_wrapper/index.js
index 475c25d7516ae..84373c6c18b5e 100644
--- a/public/components/element_wrapper/index.js
+++ b/public/components/element_wrapper/index.js
@@ -47,5 +47,7 @@ const mergeProps = (stateProps, dispatchProps, { element }) => {
 export const ElementWrapper = connect(mapStateToProps, mapDispatchToProps, mergeProps)(Component);
 
 ElementWrapper.propTypes = {
-  element: PropTypes.object,
+  element: PropTypes.shape({
+    id: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+  }).isRequired,
 };
diff --git a/public/components/element_wrapper/lib/handlers.js b/public/components/element_wrapper/lib/handlers.js
index c386729ddbe0c..1fa5816adf2a4 100644
--- a/public/components/element_wrapper/lib/handlers.js
+++ b/public/components/element_wrapper/lib/handlers.js
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import { setFilter } from '../../../state/actions/elements';
 
 export function createHandlers(element, pageId, dispatch) {
+  let isComplete = false;
+  let completeFn = () => {};
+
   return {
     setFilter(text) {
       dispatch(setFilter(text, element.id, pageId, true));
@@ -9,5 +12,15 @@ export function createHandlers(element, pageId, dispatch) {
     getFilter() {
       return element.filter;
     },
+
+    onComplete(fn) {
+      completeFn = fn;
+    },
+
+    done() {
+      if (isComplete) return; // don't emit if the element is already done
+      isComplete = true;
+      completeFn();
+    },
   };
 }
diff --git a/public/components/render_with_fn/index.js b/public/components/render_with_fn/index.js
index ce06e6580046d..92c9d58251838 100644
--- a/public/components/render_with_fn/index.js
+++ b/public/components/render_with_fn/index.js
@@ -12,11 +12,12 @@ export const RenderWithFn = compose(
     })
   ),
   withProps(({ handlers, elementHandlers }) => ({
-    handlers: Object.assign(elementHandlers, handlers, { done: () => {} }),
+    handlers: Object.assign(elementHandlers, handlers),
     onError: message => notify.error(message),
   }))
 )(Component);
 
 RenderWithFn.propTypes = {
   handlers: PropTypes.object,
+  elementHandlers: PropTypes.object,
 };
diff --git a/public/components/render_with_fn/lib/handlers.js b/public/components/render_with_fn/lib/handlers.js
index 259857d9fc29d..40aa92fa862f8 100644
--- a/public/components/render_with_fn/lib/handlers.js
+++ b/public/components/render_with_fn/lib/handlers.js
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 export class ElementHandlers {
-  constructor() {
-    this.resize = () => {};
-    this.destroy = () => {};
-  }
+  resize() {}
+
+  destroy() {}
 
   onResize(fn) {
     this.resize = fn;
diff --git a/public/components/render_with_fn/render_with_fn.js b/public/components/render_with_fn/render_with_fn.js
index 38e92a4e09a2b..1fa2f067f309f 100644
--- a/public/components/render_with_fn/render_with_fn.js
+++ b/public/components/render_with_fn/render_with_fn.js
@@ -6,16 +6,29 @@ import { RenderToDom } from '../render_to_dom';
 
 export class RenderWithFn extends React.Component {
   static propTypes = {
-    name: PropTypes.string,
+    name: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
     renderFn: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
     reuseNode: PropTypes.bool,
-    handlers: PropTypes.object,
-    destroyFn: PropTypes.func,
-    config: PropTypes.object,
-    size: PropTypes.object,
+    handlers: PropTypes.shape({
+      // element handlers, see components/element_wrapper/lib/handlers.js
+      setFilter: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+      getFilter: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+      done: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+      // render handlers, see lib/handlers.js
+      resize: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+      onResize: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+      destroy: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+      onDestroy: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
+    }),
+    config: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
+    size: PropTypes.object.isRequired,
     onError: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
   };
 
+  static defaultProps = {
+    reuseNode: false,
+  };
+
   static domNode = null;
 
   componentDidMount() {
@@ -109,7 +122,6 @@ export class RenderWithFn extends React.Component {
     return (
       <div
         className="canvas__workpad--element_render canvas__element"
-        data-render-complete="true"
         style={{ height: '100%', width: '100%' }}
       >
         <RenderToDom
diff --git a/public/render_functions/image.js b/public/render_functions/image.js
index c792b22c4862a..30973e71c75a8 100644
--- a/public/render_functions/image.js
+++ b/public/render_functions/image.js
@@ -22,7 +22,5 @@ export const image = () => ({
     ReactDOM.render(<div style={style} />, domNode, () => handlers.done());
 
     handlers.onDestroy(() => ReactDOM.unmountComponentAtNode(domNode));
-
-    handlers.done();
   },
 });