diff --git a/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js b/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js
index 388efb64a..14c7d805b 100644
--- a/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js
+++ b/spec/text-editor-registry-spec.js
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ describe('TextEditorRegistry', function () {
       disposable.dispose()
       expect(registry.editors.size).toBe(0)
       expect(editor.registered).toBe(false)
+      expect(retainedEditorCount(registry)).toBe(0)
     })
   })
 
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ describe('TextEditorRegistry', function () {
 
       editor.getBuffer().setPath('test.js')
       expect(editor.getGrammar().name).toBe('Null Grammar')
+      expect(retainedEditorCount(registry)).toBe(0)
     })
   })
 
@@ -216,7 +218,7 @@ describe('TextEditorRegistry', function () {
       atom.config.set('core.fileEncoding', 'utf16be')
       expect(editor.getEncoding()).toBe('utf8')
       expect(getSubscriptionCount(editor)).toBe(previousSubscriptionCount)
-      expect(registry.editorsWithMaintainedConfig.size).toBe(0)
+      expect(retainedEditorCount(registry)).toBe(0)
     })
 
     it('sets the encoding based on the config', function () {
@@ -586,3 +588,11 @@ function getSubscriptionCount (editor) {
     editor.buffer.emitter.getTotalListenerCount() +
     editor.displayLayer.emitter.getTotalListenerCount()
 }
+
+function retainedEditorCount (registry) {
+  const editors = new Set()
+  registry.editors.forEach(e => editors.add(e))
+  registry.editorsWithMaintainedConfig.forEach(e => editors.add(e))
+  registry.editorsWithMaintainedGrammar.forEach(e => editors.add(e))
+  return editors.size
+}
diff --git a/src/workspace.coffee b/src/workspace.coffee
index 258e68fa3..7f51a37d0 100644
--- a/src/workspace.coffee
+++ b/src/workspace.coffee
@@ -164,10 +164,13 @@ class Workspace extends Model
   subscribeToAddedItems: ->
     @onDidAddPaneItem ({item, pane, index}) =>
       if item instanceof TextEditor
-        @textEditorRegistry.maintainConfig(item)
-        @textEditorRegistry.maintainGrammar(item)
-        grammarSubscription = item.observeGrammar(@handleGrammarUsed.bind(this))
-        item.onDidDestroy -> grammarSubscription.dispose()
+        subscriptions = new CompositeDisposable(
+          @textEditorRegistry.add(item)
+          @textEditorRegistry.maintainConfig(item)
+          @textEditorRegistry.maintainGrammar(item)
+          item.observeGrammar(@handleGrammarUsed.bind(this))
+        )
+        item.onDidDestroy -> subscriptions.dispose()
         @emitter.emit 'did-add-text-editor', {textEditor: item, pane, index}
 
   # Updates the application's title and proxy icon based on whichever file is