diff --git a/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/next.dart b/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/next.dart
index 1b1937af33..d6bd21114b 100644
--- a/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/next.dart
+++ b/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/next.dart
@@ -48,12 +48,20 @@ class NextCommand extends Command<void> {
 
   @override
   Future<void> run() async {
+    final File stateFile = checkouts.fileSystem.file(argResults![kStateOption]);
+    if (!stateFile.existsSync()) {
+      throw ConductorException(
+          'No persistent state file found at ${stateFile.path}.',
+      );
+    }
+    final pb.ConductorState state = state_import.readStateFromFile(stateFile);
+
     await NextContext(
       autoAccept: argResults![kYesFlag] as bool,
       checkouts: checkouts,
       force: argResults![kForceFlag] as bool,
-      stateFile: checkouts.fileSystem.file(argResults![kStateOption]),
-    ).run();
+      stateFile: stateFile,
+    ).run(state);
   }
 }
 
@@ -74,20 +82,12 @@ class NextContext {
   final Checkouts checkouts;
   final File stateFile;
 
-  Future<void> run() async {
+  Future<void> run(pb.ConductorState state) async {
     final Stdio stdio = checkouts.stdio;
     const List<CherrypickState> finishedStates = <CherrypickState>[
       CherrypickState.COMPLETED,
       CherrypickState.ABANDONED,
     ];
-    if (!stateFile.existsSync()) {
-      throw ConductorException(
-          'No persistent state file found at ${stateFile.path}.',
-      );
-    }
-
-    final pb.ConductorState state = readStateFromFile(stateFile);
-
     switch (state.currentPhase) {
       case pb.ReleasePhase.APPLY_ENGINE_CHERRYPICKS:
         final Remote upstream = Remote(
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ class NextContext {
           );
           if (!response) {
             stdio.printError('Aborting command.');
-            writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+            updateState(state, stdio.logs);
             return;
           }
         }
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ class NextContext {
           );
           if (!response) {
             stdio.printError('Aborting command.');
-            writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+            updateState(state, stdio.logs);
             return;
           }
         }
@@ -284,7 +284,7 @@ class NextContext {
           );
           if (!response) {
             stdio.printError('Aborting command.');
-            writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+            updateState(state, stdio.logs);
             return;
           }
         }
@@ -319,7 +319,7 @@ class NextContext {
           );
           if (!response) {
             stdio.printError('Aborting command.');
-            writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+            updateState(state, stdio.logs);
             return;
           }
         }
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ class NextContext {
           );
           if (!response) {
             stdio.printError('Aborting command.');
-            writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+            updateState(state, stdio.logs);
             return;
           }
         }
@@ -377,7 +377,7 @@ class NextContext {
           );
           if (!response) {
             stdio.printError('Aborting command.');
-            writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+            updateState(state, stdio.logs);
             return;
           }
         }
@@ -390,13 +390,17 @@ class NextContext {
     state.currentPhase = nextPhase;
     stdio.printStatus(state_import.phaseInstructions(state));
 
-    writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+    updateState(state, stdio.logs);
   }
 
-  /// Persist the state to a file.
+  /// Save the release's [state].
+  ///
+  /// This can be overridden by frontends that may not persist the state to
+  /// disk, and/or may need to call additional update hooks each time the state
+  /// is updated.
   @visibleForOverriding
-  void writeStateToFile(File file, pb.ConductorState state, [List<String> logs = const <String>[]]) {
-    state_import.writeStateToFile(file, state, logs);
+  void updateState(pb.ConductorState state, [List<String> logs = const <String>[]]) {
+    state_import.writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, logs);
   }
 
   @visibleForTesting
@@ -414,8 +418,4 @@ class NextContext {
       'Unknown user input (expected "y" or "n"): $response',
     );
   }
-
-  /// Read the state from a file.
-  @visibleForOverriding
-  pb.ConductorState readStateFromFile(File file) => state_import.readStateFromFile(file);
 }
diff --git a/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/start.dart b/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/start.dart
index d45c6c0def..91134567d0 100644
--- a/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/start.dart
+++ b/dev/conductor/core/lib/src/start.dart
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import 'package:args/args.dart';
 import 'package:args/command_runner.dart';
 import 'package:file/file.dart';
 import 'package:fixnum/fixnum.dart';
+import 'package:meta/meta.dart' show visibleForOverriding;
 import 'package:platform/platform.dart';
 import 'package:process/process.dart';
 
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ import './globals.dart';
 import './proto/conductor_state.pb.dart' as pb;
 import './proto/conductor_state.pbenum.dart' show ReleasePhase;
 import './repository.dart';
-import './state.dart';
+import './state.dart' as state_import;
 import './stdio.dart';
 import './version.dart';
 
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ class StartCommand extends Command<void> {
         processManager = checkouts.processManager,
         fileSystem = checkouts.fileSystem,
         stdio = checkouts.stdio {
-    final String defaultPath = defaultStateFilePath(platform);
+    final String defaultPath = state_import.defaultStateFilePath(platform);
     argParser.addOption(
       kCandidateOption,
       help: 'The candidate branch the release will be based on.',
@@ -401,9 +402,19 @@ class StartContext {
 
     stdio.printTrace('Writing state to file ${stateFile.path}...');
 
-    writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, stdio.logs);
+    updateState(state, stdio.logs);
 
-    stdio.printStatus(presentState(state));
+    stdio.printStatus(state_import.presentState(state));
+  }
+
+  /// Save the release's [state].
+  ///
+  /// This can be overridden by frontends that may not persist the state to
+  /// disk, and/or may need to call additional update hooks each time the state
+  /// is updated.
+  @visibleForOverriding
+  void updateState(pb.ConductorState state, List<String> logs) {
+    state_import.writeStateToFile(stateFile, state, logs);
   }
 
   // To minimize merge conflicts, sort the commits by rev-list order.