diff --git a/js/ui/search.js b/js/ui/search.js
index 47cb0e6de..5b6a2c28f 100644
--- a/js/ui/search.js
+++ b/js/ui/search.js
@@ -112,6 +112,43 @@ function SearchProvider(title) {
 SearchProvider.prototype = {
     _init: function(title) {
         this.title = title;
+        this.searchSystem = null;
+        this.searchAsync  = false;
+    },
+
+    _asyncCancelled: function() {
+    },
+
+    startAsync: function() {
+        this.searchAsync = true;
+    },
+
+    tryCancelAsync: function() {
+        if (!this.searchAsync)
+            return;
+        this._asyncCancelled();
+        this.searchAsync = false;
+    },
+
+    /**
+     * addItems:
+     * @items: an array of result identifier strings representing
+     * items which match the last given search terms.
+     *
+     * This should be used for something that requires a bit more
+     * logic; it's designed to be an asyncronous way to add a result
+     * to the current search.
+     */
+    addItems: function(items) {
+        if (!this.searchSystem)
+            throw new Error('Search provider not registered');
+
+        if (!items.length)
+            return;
+
+        this.tryCancelAsync();
+
+        this.searchSystem.addProviderItems(this, items);
     },
 
     /**
@@ -315,6 +352,7 @@ SearchSystem.prototype = {
     },
 
     registerProvider: function (provider) {
+        provider.searchSystem = this;
         this._providers.push(provider);
     },
 
@@ -331,12 +369,23 @@ SearchSystem.prototype = {
         this._previousResults = [];
     },
 
+    addProviderItems: function(provider, items) {
+        this.emit('search-updated', provider, items);
+    },
+
     updateSearch: function(searchString) {
         searchString = searchString.replace(/^\s+/g, '').replace(/\s+$/g, '');
         if (searchString == '')
-            return [];
+            return;
 
         let terms = searchString.split(/\s+/);
+        this.updateSearchResults(terms);
+    },
+
+    updateSearchResults: function(terms) {
+        if (!terms)
+            return;
+
         let isSubSearch = terms.length == this._previousTerms.length;
         if (isSubSearch) {
             for (let i = 0; i < terms.length; i++) {
@@ -349,12 +398,12 @@ SearchSystem.prototype = {
 
         let results = [];
         if (isSubSearch) {
-            for (let i = 0; i < this._previousResults.length; i++) {
+            for (let i = 0; i < this._providers.length; i++) {
                 let [provider, previousResults] = this._previousResults[i];
+                provider.tryCancelAsync();
                 try {
                     let providerResults = provider.getSubsearchResultSet(previousResults, terms);
-                    if (providerResults.length > 0)
-                        results.push([provider, providerResults]);
+                    results.push([provider, providerResults]);
                 } catch (error) {
                     global.log ('A ' + error.name + ' has occured in ' + provider.title + ': ' + error.message);
                 }
@@ -362,10 +411,10 @@ SearchSystem.prototype = {
         } else {
             for (let i = 0; i < this._providers.length; i++) {
                 let provider = this._providers[i];
+                provider.tryCancelAsync();
                 try {
                     let providerResults = provider.getInitialResultSet(terms);
-                    if (providerResults.length > 0)
-                        results.push([provider, providerResults]);
+                    results.push([provider, providerResults]);
                 } catch (error) {
                     global.log ('A ' + error.name + ' has occured in ' + provider.title + ': ' + error.message);
                 }
@@ -374,8 +423,7 @@ SearchSystem.prototype = {
 
         this._previousTerms = terms;
         this._previousResults = results;
-
-        return results;
-    }
+        this.emit('search-completed', results);
+    },
 };
 Signals.addSignalMethods(SearchSystem.prototype);
diff --git a/js/ui/searchDisplay.js b/js/ui/searchDisplay.js
index 580f410be..04ef64cdf 100644
--- a/js/ui/searchDisplay.js
+++ b/js/ui/searchDisplay.js
@@ -189,6 +189,8 @@ function SearchResults(searchSystem, openSearchSystem) {
 SearchResults.prototype = {
     _init: function(searchSystem, openSearchSystem) {
         this._searchSystem = searchSystem;
+        this._searchSystem.connect('search-updated', Lang.bind(this, this._updateCurrentResults));
+        this._searchSystem.connect('search-completed', Lang.bind(this, this._updateResults));
         this._openSearchSystem = openSearchSystem;
 
         this.actor = new St.BoxLayout({ name: 'searchResults',
@@ -223,9 +225,11 @@ SearchResults.prototype = {
         this._selectedProvider = -1;
         this._providers = this._searchSystem.getProviders();
         this._providerMeta = [];
-        for (let i = 0; i < this._providers.length; i++)
+        this._providerMetaResults = {};
+        for (let i = 0; i < this._providers.length; i++) {
             this.createProviderMeta(this._providers[i]);
-
+            this._providerMetaResults[this.providers[i].title] = [];
+        }
         this._searchProvidersBox = new St.BoxLayout({ style_class: 'search-providers-box' });
         this.actor.add(this._searchProvidersBox);
 
@@ -305,6 +309,12 @@ SearchResults.prototype = {
         }
     },
 
+    _clearDisplayForProvider: function(index) {
+        let meta = this._providerMeta[index];
+        meta.resultDisplay.clear();
+        meta.actor.hide();
+    },
+
     reset: function() {
         this._searchSystem.reset();
         this._statusText.hide();
@@ -319,15 +329,24 @@ SearchResults.prototype = {
         this._statusText.show();
     },
 
+    doSearch: function (searchString) {
+        this._searchSystem.updateSearch(searchString);
+    },
+
     _metaForProvider: function(provider) {
         return this._providerMeta[this._providers.indexOf(provider)];
     },
 
-    updateSearch: function (searchString) {
-        let results = this._searchSystem.updateSearch(searchString);
-
-        this._clearDisplay();
+    _updateCurrentResults: function(searchSystem, provider, results) {
+        let terms = searchSystem.getTerms();
+        let meta = this._metaForProvider(provider);
+        meta.resultDisplay.clear();
+        meta.actor.show();
+        meta.resultDisplay.renderResults(results, terms);
+        return true;
+    },
 
+    _updateResults: function(searchSystem, results) {
         if (results.length == 0) {
             this._statusText.set_text(_("No matching results."));
             this._statusText.show();
@@ -337,7 +356,7 @@ SearchResults.prototype = {
             this._statusText.hide();
         }
 
-        let terms = this._searchSystem.getTerms();
+        let terms = searchSystem.getTerms();
         this._openSearchSystem.setSearchTerms(terms);
 
         // To avoid CSS transitions causing flickering
@@ -349,9 +368,15 @@ SearchResults.prototype = {
 
         for (let i = 0; i < results.length; i++) {
             let [provider, providerResults] = results[i];
-            let meta = this._metaForProvider(provider);
-            meta.actor.show();
-            meta.resultDisplay.renderResults(providerResults, terms);
+            if (providerResults.length == 0) {
+                this._clearDisplayForProvider(i);
+            } else {
+                this._providerMetaResults[provider.title] = providerResults;
+                this._clearDisplayForProvider(i);
+                let meta = this._metaForProvider(provider);
+                meta.actor.show();
+                meta.resultDisplay.renderResults(providerResults, terms);
+            }
         }
 
         if (this._selectedOpenSearchButton == -1)
diff --git a/js/ui/viewSelector.js b/js/ui/viewSelector.js
index 53b349c77..b33139f57 100644
--- a/js/ui/viewSelector.js
+++ b/js/ui/viewSelector.js
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ SearchTab.prototype = {
     _doSearch: function () {
         this._searchTimeoutId = 0;
         let text = this._text.get_text().replace(/^\s+/g, '').replace(/\s+$/g, '');
-        this._searchResults.updateSearch(text);
+        this._searchResults.doSearch(text);
 
         return false;
     }