--- old/src/hotspot/share/utilities/globalCounter.cpp	2018-08-03 16:41:20.000000000 -0500
+++ new/src/hotspot/share/utilities/globalCounter.cpp	2018-08-03 16:41:20.000000000 -0500
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@
   // Atomic::add must provide fence since we have storeload dependency.
   volatile uintx gbl_cnt = Atomic::add((uintx)COUNTER_INCREMENT, &_global_counter._counter,
                                        memory_order_conservative);
+  // Handle bootstrap
+  if (Threads::number_of_threads() == 0) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   // Do all RCU threads.
   CounterThreadCheck ctc(gbl_cnt);
   for (JavaThreadIteratorWithHandle jtiwh; JavaThread *thread = jtiwh.next(); ) {