diff --git a/render/container.go b/render/container.go
index 63a95a363..0dda44286 100644
--- a/render/container.go
+++ b/render/container.go
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func (c connectionJoin) Render(rpt report.Report) Nodes {
 		// Nodes without a hostid may be pseudo nodes - if so, pass through to result
 		if _, ok := m.Latest.Lookup(report.HostNodeID); !ok {
 			if id, ok := externalNodeID(m, addr, local); ok {
-				ret.addEndpointChild(m, id, newPseudoNode)
+				ret.addChild(m, id, newPseudoNode)
 				continue
 			}
 		}
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ func (c connectionJoin) Render(rpt report.Report) Nodes {
 			id, found = ipNodes[report.MakeScopedEndpointNodeID(scope, addr, port)]
 		}
 		if found && id != "" { // not one we blanked out earlier
-			ret.addEndpointChild(m, id, func(id string) report.Node {
+			ret.addChild(m, id, func(id string) report.Node {
 				return inputNodes.Nodes[id]
 			})
 		}
diff --git a/render/host.go b/render/host.go
index 9accf21e6..57617b4d5 100644
--- a/render/host.go
+++ b/render/host.go
@@ -63,10 +63,10 @@ func (e endpoints2Hosts) Render(rpt report.Report) Nodes {
 			if !ok {
 				continue
 			}
-			ret.addEndpointChild(n, id, newPseudoNode)
+			ret.addChild(n, id, newPseudoNode)
 		} else {
 			id := report.MakeHostNodeID(report.ExtractHostID(n))
-			ret.addEndpointChild(n, id, func(id string) report.Node {
+			ret.addChild(n, id, func(id string) report.Node {
 				return report.MakeNode(id).WithTopology(report.Host).
 					WithLatest(report.HostNodeID, timestamp, hostNodeID)
 			})
diff --git a/render/process.go b/render/process.go
index bae7640da..4a392f348 100644
--- a/render/process.go
+++ b/render/process.go
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ func (e endpoints2Processes) Render(rpt report.Report) Nodes {
 		// Nodes without a hostid are treated as pseudo nodes
 		if hostNodeID, ok := n.Latest.Lookup(report.HostNodeID); !ok {
 			if id, ok := pseudoNodeID(n, local); ok {
-				ret.addEndpointChild(n, id, newPseudoNode)
+				ret.addChild(n, id, newPseudoNode)
 			}
 		} else {
 			pid, timestamp, ok := n.Latest.LookupEntry(process.PID)
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ func (e endpoints2Processes) Render(rpt report.Report) Nodes {
 
 			hostID, _, _ := report.ParseNodeID(hostNodeID)
 			id := report.MakeProcessNodeID(hostID, pid)
-			ret.addEndpointChild(n, id, func(id string) report.Node {
+			ret.addChild(n, id, func(id string) report.Node {
 				if processNode, found := processes.Nodes[id]; found {
 					return processNode
 				}
diff --git a/render/render.go b/render/render.go
index d27da3536..4b3d9e0fe 100644
--- a/render/render.go
+++ b/render/render.go
@@ -158,34 +158,22 @@ func newJoinResults() joinResults {
 	return joinResults{nodes: make(report.Nodes), mapped: map[string]string{}}
 }
 
-// Add Endpoint Node m under id, creating a new result node if not already there
-// and updating the mapping from old ID to new ID
-// Note we do not update any counters for child topologies here because we never look at endpoint counts
-func (ret *joinResults) addEndpointChild(m report.Node, id string, create func(string) report.Node) {
-	result, exists := ret.nodes[id]
-	if !exists {
-		result = create(id)
-	}
-	result.Children = result.Children.Add(m)
-	ret.nodes[id] = result
-	ret.mapped[m.ID] = id
-}
-
-// Add Node m as a child of the node at id, creating a new result node if not already there
-// incrementing a count of the topology, and updating the mapping from old ID to new ID
+// Add m as a child of the node at id, creating a new result node if
+// not already there, and updating the mapping from old ID to new ID.
 func (ret *joinResults) addChild(m report.Node, id string, create func(string) report.Node) {
 	result, exists := ret.nodes[id]
 	if !exists {
 		result = create(id)
 	}
 	result.Children = result.Children.Add(m)
-	result.Counters = result.Counters.Add(m.Topology, 1)
+	if m.Topology != report.Endpoint { // optimisation: we never look at endpoint counts
+		result.Counters = result.Counters.Add(m.Topology, 1)
+	}
 	ret.nodes[id] = result
 	ret.mapped[m.ID] = id
 }
 
-// Add m and its children as children under id, creating a new result node if not already there,
-// incrementing a count of the topology, and updating the mapping from old ID to new ID
+// Like addChild, but also add m's children.
 func (ret *joinResults) addChildAndChildren(m report.Node, id string, create func(string) report.Node) {
 	result, exists := ret.nodes[id]
 	if !exists {
@@ -193,7 +181,9 @@ func (ret *joinResults) addChildAndChildren(m report.Node, id string, create fun
 	}
 	result.Children = result.Children.Add(m)
 	result.Children = result.Children.Merge(m.Children)
-	result.Counters = result.Counters.Add(m.Topology, 1)
+	if m.Topology != report.Endpoint { // optimisation: we never look at endpoint counts
+		result.Counters = result.Counters.Add(m.Topology, 1)
+	}
 	ret.nodes[id] = result
 	ret.mapped[m.ID] = id
 }