diff --git a/src/container/GraphView/index.tsx b/src/container/GraphView/index.tsx
index aa78cef8..3423c334 100644
--- a/src/container/GraphView/index.tsx
+++ b/src/container/GraphView/index.tsx
@@ -89,6 +89,11 @@ const GraphView = memo(
       }
 
       const size = getDimensions(rendererNode.current);
+
+      if (size.height === 0 || size.width === 0) {
+        throw new Error('The React Flow parent container needs a width and a height to render the graph.');
+      }
+
       updateSize(size);
     };
 
diff --git a/src/container/ReactFlow/index.tsx b/src/container/ReactFlow/index.tsx
index d7c86841..371a0deb 100644
--- a/src/container/ReactFlow/index.tsx
+++ b/src/container/ReactFlow/index.tsx
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export interface ReactFlowProps extends Omit<HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>, 'on
 const ReactFlow = ({
   style,
   onElementClick,
-  elements,
+  elements = [],
   children,
   nodeTypes,
   edgeTypes,