diff --git a/js/ui/search.js b/js/ui/search.js
index 832fe1ce4..3f6e0ed39 100644
--- a/js/ui/search.js
+++ b/js/ui/search.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 const Clutter = imports.gi.Clutter;
 const Lang = imports.lang;
+const GLib = imports.gi.GLib;
 const Gio = imports.gi.Gio;
 const Gtk = imports.gi.Gtk;
 const Meta = imports.gi.Meta;
@@ -401,18 +402,23 @@ const SearchResults = new Lang.Class({
 
         this._highlightDefault = false;
         this._defaultResult = null;
+        this._startingSearch = false;
+
+        this._terms = [];
+        this._results = {};
 
         this._providers = [];
-        this._registerProvider(new AppDisplay.AppSearchProvider());
 
         this._searchSettings = new Gio.Settings({ schema: SEARCH_PROVIDERS_SCHEMA });
         this._searchSettings.connect('changed::disabled', Lang.bind(this, this._reloadRemoteProviders));
         this._searchSettings.connect('changed::disable-external', Lang.bind(this, this._reloadRemoteProviders));
         this._searchSettings.connect('changed::sort-order', Lang.bind(this, this._reloadRemoteProviders));
 
-        this._reloadRemoteProviders();
-
+        this._searchTimeoutId = 0;
         this._cancellable = new Gio.Cancellable();
+
+        this._registerProvider(new AppDisplay.AppSearchProvider());
+        this._reloadRemoteProviders();
     },
 
     _reloadRemoteProviders: function() {
@@ -446,14 +452,39 @@ const SearchResults = new Lang.Class({
         this._updateResults(provider, results);
     },
 
-    setTerms: function(terms) {
+    _doSearch: function() {
         this._startingSearch = false;
 
+        let previousResults = this._results;
+        this._results = {};
+
+        this._providers.forEach(Lang.bind(this, function(provider) {
+            provider.searchInProgress = true;
+
+            let previousProviderResults = previousResults[provider.id];
+            if (this._isSubSearch && previousProviderResults)
+                provider.getSubsearchResultSet(previousProviderResults, this._terms, Lang.bind(this, this._gotResults, provider), this._cancellable);
+            else
+                provider.getInitialResultSet(this._terms, Lang.bind(this, this._gotResults, provider), this._cancellable);
+        }));
+
+        this._updateSearchProgress();
+
+        this._searchTimeoutId = 0;
+        return GLib.SOURCE_REMOVE;
+    },
+
+    setTerms: function(terms) {
+        this._startingSearch = true;
+
         this._cancellable.cancel();
         this._cancellable.reset();
 
-        if (!terms)
+        if (!terms) {
+            if (this._searchTimeoutId > 0)
+                GLib.source_remove(this._searchTimeoutId);
             return;
+        }
 
         let searchString = terms.join(' ');
         let previousSearchString = this._terms.join(' ');
@@ -465,19 +496,11 @@ const SearchResults = new Lang.Class({
             isSubSearch = searchString.indexOf(previousSearchString) == 0;
 
         this._terms = terms;
-        this._results = {};
-
-        this._providers.forEach(Lang.bind(this, function(provider) {
-            provider.searchInProgress = true;
-
-            let previousProviderResults = previousResults[provider.id];
-            if (isSubSearch && previousProviderResults)
-                provider.getSubsearchResultSet(previousProviderResults, terms, Lang.bind(this, this._gotResults, provider), this._cancellable);
-            else
-                provider.getInitialResultSet(terms, Lang.bind(this, this._gotResults, provider), this._cancellable);
-        }));
-
+        this._isSubSearch = isSubSearch;
         this._updateSearchProgress();
+
+        if (this._searchTimeoutId == 0)
+            this._searchTimeoutId = GLib.timeout_add(GLib.PRIORITY_DEFAULT, 150, Lang.bind(this, this._doSearch));
     },
 
     _onPan: function(action) {
@@ -512,29 +535,6 @@ const SearchResults = new Lang.Class({
         });
     },
 
-    reset: function() {
-        this._terms = [];
-        this._results = {};
-        this._clearDisplay();
-        this._defaultResult = null;
-        this._startingSearch = false;
-
-        this._updateSearchProgress();
-    },
-
-    startingSearch: function() {
-        this.reset();
-
-        // We don't call setTerms and do the actual search until
-        // a timeout a little while later, but we don't want to
-        // show "No Results" because we think there's no work
-        // being done, so we keep this flag to know that there's
-        // "pending work". This is cleared in setTerms.
-        this._startingSearch = true;
-
-        this._updateSearchProgress();
-    },
-
     _maybeSetInitialSelection: function() {
         let newDefaultResult = null;
 
@@ -601,6 +601,8 @@ const SearchResults = new Lang.Class({
     },
 
     activateDefault: function() {
+        this._doSearch();
+
         if (this._defaultResult)
             this._defaultResult.activate();
     },
diff --git a/js/ui/viewSelector.js b/js/ui/viewSelector.js
index e97627d19..e82dfb3ff 100644
--- a/js/ui/viewSelector.js
+++ b/js/ui/viewSelector.js
@@ -125,7 +125,6 @@ const ViewSelector = new Lang.Class({
         this._activePage = null;
 
         this._searchActive = false;
-        this._searchTimeoutId = 0;
 
         this._entry = searchEntry;
         ShellEntry.addContextMenu(this._entry);
@@ -485,36 +484,23 @@ const ViewSelector = new Lang.Class({
     _onTextChanged: function (se, prop) {
         let terms = getTermsForSearchString(this._entry.get_text());
 
-        let searchPreviouslyActive = this._searchActive;
         this._searchActive = (terms.length > 0);
-
-        let startSearch = this._searchActive && !searchPreviouslyActive;
-        if (startSearch)
-            this._searchResults.startingSearch();
+        this._searchResults.setTerms(terms);
 
         if (this._searchActive) {
+            this._showPage(this._searchPage);
+
             this._entry.set_secondary_icon(this._clearIcon);
 
             if (this._iconClickedId == 0)
                 this._iconClickedId = this._entry.connect('secondary-icon-clicked',
                     Lang.bind(this, this.reset));
-
-            if (this._searchTimeoutId == 0) {
-                this._searchTimeoutId = Mainloop.timeout_add(150,
-                    Lang.bind(this, this._doSearch));
-                GLib.Source.set_name_by_id(this._searchTimeoutId, '[gnome-shell] this._doSearch');
-            }
         } else {
             if (this._iconClickedId > 0) {
                 this._entry.disconnect(this._iconClickedId);
                 this._iconClickedId = 0;
             }
 
-            if (this._searchTimeoutId > 0) {
-                Mainloop.source_remove(this._searchTimeoutId);
-                this._searchTimeoutId = 0;
-            }
-
             this._entry.set_secondary_icon(null);
             this._searchCancelled();
         }
@@ -552,12 +538,6 @@ const ViewSelector = new Lang.Class({
                 this._searchResults.navigateFocus(nextDirection);
                 return Clutter.EVENT_STOP;
             } else if (symbol == Clutter.Return || symbol == Clutter.KP_Enter) {
-                // We can't connect to 'activate' here because search providers
-                // might want to do something with the modifiers in activateDefault.
-                if (this._searchTimeoutId > 0) {
-                    Mainloop.source_remove(this._searchTimeoutId);
-                    this._doSearch();
-                }
                 this._searchResults.activateDefault();
                 return Clutter.EVENT_STOP;
             }
@@ -580,17 +560,6 @@ const ViewSelector = new Lang.Class({
         return Clutter.EVENT_PROPAGATE;
     },
 
-    _doSearch: function () {
-        this._searchTimeoutId = 0;
-
-        let terms = getTermsForSearchString(this._entry.get_text());
-
-        this._searchResults.setTerms(terms);
-        this._showPage(this._searchPage);
-
-        return GLib.SOURCE_REMOVE;
-    },
-
     getActivePage: function() {
         if (this._activePage == this._workspacesPage)
             return ViewPage.WINDOWS;