diff --git a/spec/display-buffer-spec.coffee b/spec/display-buffer-spec.coffee
index 62875804b..4a0314483 100644
--- a/spec/display-buffer-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/display-buffer-spec.coffee
@@ -996,7 +996,9 @@ describe "DisplayBuffer", ->
 
         displayBuffer.setLineHeightInPixels(20)
         displayBuffer.setDefaultCharWidth(10)
-        displayBuffer.setScopedCharWidths(["source.js", "keyword.control.js"], r: 11, e: 11, t: 11, u: 11, n: 11)
+
+        for char in ['r', 'e', 't', 'u', 'r', 'n']
+          displayBuffer.setScopedCharWidth(["source.js", "keyword.control.js"], char, 11)
 
         {start, end} = marker.getPixelRange()
         expect(start.top).toBe 5 * 20
@@ -1077,3 +1079,38 @@ describe "DisplayBuffer", ->
       it "does not scroll vertically if the position is already in view", ->
         displayBuffer.scrollToScreenPosition([4, 20], center: true)
         expect(displayBuffer.getScrollTop()).toBe 0
+
+  describe "scroll width", ->
+    cursorWidth = 1
+    beforeEach ->
+      displayBuffer.setDefaultCharWidth(10)
+
+    it "recomputes the scroll width when the default character width changes", ->
+      expect(displayBuffer.getScrollWidth()).toBe 10 * 65 + cursorWidth
+
+      displayBuffer.setDefaultCharWidth(12)
+      expect(displayBuffer.getScrollWidth()).toBe 12 * 65 + cursorWidth
+
+    it "recomputes the scroll width when the max line length changes", ->
+      buffer.insert([6, 12], ' ')
+      expect(displayBuffer.getScrollWidth()).toBe 10 * 66 + cursorWidth
+
+      buffer.delete([[6, 10], [6, 12]], ' ')
+      expect(displayBuffer.getScrollWidth()).toBe 10 * 64 + cursorWidth
+
+    it "recomputes the scroll width when the scoped character widths change", ->
+      operatorWidth = 20
+      displayBuffer.setScopedCharWidth(['source.js', 'keyword.operator.js'], '<', operatorWidth)
+      expect(displayBuffer.getScrollWidth()).toBe 10 * 64 + operatorWidth + cursorWidth
+
+    it "recomputes the scroll width when the scoped character widths change in a batch", ->
+      operatorWidth = 20
+
+      displayBuffer.on 'character-widths-changed', changedSpy = jasmine.createSpy()
+
+      displayBuffer.batchCharacterMeasurement ->
+        displayBuffer.setScopedCharWidth(['source.js', 'keyword.operator.js'], '<', operatorWidth)
+        displayBuffer.setScopedCharWidth(['source.js', 'keyword.operator.js'], '?', operatorWidth)
+
+      expect(displayBuffer.getScrollWidth()).toBe 10 * 63 + operatorWidth * 2 + cursorWidth
+      expect(changedSpy.callCount).toBe 1
diff --git a/spec/editor-spec.coffee b/spec/editor-spec.coffee
index 05b84cc79..d697b7491 100644
--- a/spec/editor-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/editor-spec.coffee
@@ -1196,6 +1196,7 @@ describe "Editor", ->
           editor.setHeight(50)
           editor.setWidth(50)
           editor.setHorizontalScrollbarHeight(0)
+
           expect(editor.getScrollTop()).toBe 0
 
           editor.setSelectedBufferRange([[5, 6], [6, 8]], autoscroll: true)
diff --git a/src/display-buffer.coffee b/src/display-buffer.coffee
index cca84758f..23b288eac 100644
--- a/src/display-buffer.coffee
+++ b/src/display-buffer.coffee
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ class DisplayBuffer extends Model
     width: null
     scrollTop: 0
     scrollLeft: 0
+    scrollWidth: 0
 
   verticalScrollMargin: 2
   horizontalScrollMargin: 6
@@ -207,7 +208,11 @@ class DisplayBuffer extends Model
   setLineHeightInPixels: (@lineHeightInPixels) -> @lineHeightInPixels
 
   getDefaultCharWidth: -> @defaultCharWidth
-  setDefaultCharWidth: (@defaultCharWidth) -> @defaultCharWidth
+  setDefaultCharWidth: (defaultCharWidth) ->
+    if defaultCharWidth isnt @defaultCharWidth
+      @defaultCharWidth = defaultCharWidth
+      @computeScrollWidth()
+    defaultCharWidth
 
   getCursorWidth: -> 1
 
@@ -222,13 +227,21 @@ class DisplayBuffer extends Model
     scope.charWidths ?= {}
     scope.charWidths
 
+  batchCharacterMeasurement: (fn) ->
+    oldChangeCount = @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount
+    @batchingCharacterMeasurement = true
+    fn()
+    @batchingCharacterMeasurement = false
+    @characterWidthsChanged() if oldChangeCount isnt @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount
+
   setScopedCharWidth: (scopeNames, char, width) ->
     @getScopedCharWidths(scopeNames)[char] = width
-    @emit 'character-widths-changed', @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount++
+    @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount++
+    @characterWidthsChanged() unless @batchingCharacterMeasurement
 
-  setScopedCharWidths: (scopeNames, charWidths) ->
-    _.extend(@getScopedCharWidths(scopeNames), charWidths)
-    @emit 'character-widths-changed', @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount++
+  characterWidthsChanged: ->
+    @computeScrollWidth()
+    @emit 'character-widths-changed', @scopedCharacterWidthsChangeCount
 
   clearScopedCharWidths: ->
     @charWidthsByScope = {}
@@ -239,7 +252,7 @@ class DisplayBuffer extends Model
     @getLineCount() * @getLineHeightInPixels()
 
   getScrollWidth: ->
-    (@getMaxLineLength() * @getDefaultCharWidth()) + @getCursorWidth()
+    @scrollWidth
 
   getVisibleRowRange: ->
     return [0, 0] unless @getLineHeightInPixels() > 0
@@ -1041,6 +1054,8 @@ class DisplayBuffer extends Model
     {screenLines, regions}
 
   findMaxLineLength: (startScreenRow, endScreenRow, newScreenLines) ->
+    oldMaxLineLength = @maxLineLength
+
     if startScreenRow <= @longestScreenRow < endScreenRow
       @longestScreenRow = 0
       @maxLineLength = 0
@@ -1056,6 +1071,11 @@ class DisplayBuffer extends Model
         @longestScreenRow = maxLengthCandidatesStartRow + screenRow
         @maxLineLength = length
 
+    @computeScrollWidth() if oldMaxLineLength isnt @maxLineLength
+
+  computeScrollWidth: ->
+    @scrollWidth = @pixelPositionForScreenPosition([@longestScreenRow, @maxLineLength]).left + 1
+
   handleBufferMarkersUpdated: =>
     if event = @pendingChangeEvent
       @pendingChangeEvent = null
diff --git a/src/editor.coffee b/src/editor.coffee
index f1bdfeb77..be0dcd06d 100644
--- a/src/editor.coffee
+++ b/src/editor.coffee
@@ -1975,6 +1975,8 @@ class Editor extends Model
   getLineHeightInPixels: -> @displayBuffer.getLineHeightInPixels()
   setLineHeightInPixels: (lineHeightInPixels) -> @displayBuffer.setLineHeightInPixels(lineHeightInPixels)
 
+  batchCharacterMeasurement: (fn) -> @displayBuffer.batchCharacterMeasurement(fn)
+
   getScopedCharWidth: (scopeNames, char) -> @displayBuffer.getScopedCharWidth(scopeNames, char)
   setScopedCharWidth: (scopeNames, char, width) -> @displayBuffer.setScopedCharWidth(scopeNames, char, width)
 
diff --git a/src/lines-component.coffee b/src/lines-component.coffee
index 79160fc04..63809691b 100644
--- a/src/lines-component.coffee
+++ b/src/lines-component.coffee
@@ -250,10 +250,12 @@ LinesComponent = React.createClass
     [visibleStartRow, visibleEndRow] = @props.renderedRowRange
     node = @getDOMNode()
 
-    for tokenizedLine in editor.linesForScreenRows(visibleStartRow, visibleEndRow - 1)
-      unless @measuredLines.has(tokenizedLine)
-        lineNode = @lineNodesByLineId[tokenizedLine.id]
-        @measureCharactersInLine(tokenizedLine, lineNode)
+    editor.batchCharacterMeasurement =>
+      for tokenizedLine in editor.linesForScreenRows(visibleStartRow, visibleEndRow - 1)
+        unless @measuredLines.has(tokenizedLine)
+          lineNode = @lineNodesByLineId[tokenizedLine.id]
+          @measureCharactersInLine(tokenizedLine, lineNode)
+      return
 
   measureCharactersInLine: (tokenizedLine, lineNode) ->
     {editor} = @props