diff --git a/spec/app/tokenized-buffer-spec.coffee b/spec/app/tokenized-buffer-spec.coffee
index f35dde3fe..40508e419 100644
--- a/spec/app/tokenized-buffer-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/tokenized-buffer-spec.coffee
@@ -16,10 +16,18 @@ describe "TokenizedBuffer", ->
     advanceClock() while tokenizedBuffer.firstInvalidRow()?
     changeHandler?.reset()
 
+  describe "@deserialize(state)", ->
+    it "constructs a tokenized buffer with the same buffer and tabLength setting", ->
+      buffer = project.bufferForPath('sample.js')
+      tokenizedBuffer1 = new TokenizedBuffer(buffer: buffer, tabLength: 4)
+      tokenizedBuffer2 = deserialize(tokenizedBuffer1.serialize())
+      expect(tokenizedBuffer2.buffer).toBe tokenizedBuffer1.buffer
+      expect(tokenizedBuffer2.getTabLength()).toBe tokenizedBuffer1.getTabLength()
+
   describe "when the buffer contains soft-tabs", ->
     beforeEach ->
       buffer = project.bufferForPath('sample.js')
-      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(buffer)
+      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer({buffer})
       tokenizedBuffer.setVisible(true)
       tokenizedBuffer.on "changed", changeHandler = jasmine.createSpy('changeHandler')
 
@@ -299,7 +307,7 @@ describe "TokenizedBuffer", ->
     beforeEach ->
       atom.activatePackage('coffee-script-tmbundle', sync: true)
       buffer = project.bufferForPath('sample-with-tabs.coffee')
-      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(buffer)
+      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer({buffer})
       tokenizedBuffer.setVisible(true)
 
     afterEach ->
@@ -311,7 +319,7 @@ describe "TokenizedBuffer", ->
         fullyTokenize(tokenizedBuffer)
 
       it "renders each tab as its own atomic token with a value of size tabLength", ->
-        tabAsSpaces = _.multiplyString(' ', tokenizedBuffer.tabLength)
+        tabAsSpaces = _.multiplyString(' ', tokenizedBuffer.getTabLength())
         screenLine0 = tokenizedBuffer.lineForScreenRow(0)
         expect(screenLine0.text).toBe "# Econ 101#{tabAsSpaces}"
         { tokens } = screenLine0
@@ -332,7 +340,7 @@ describe "TokenizedBuffer", ->
         'abc\uD835\uDF97def'
         //\uD835\uDF97xyz
       """
-      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(buffer)
+      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer({buffer})
       tokenizedBuffer.setVisible(true)
       fullyTokenize(tokenizedBuffer)
 
@@ -369,7 +377,7 @@ describe "TokenizedBuffer", ->
       atom.activatePackage('ruby-on-rails-tmbundle', sync: true)
 
       buffer = project.bufferForPath(null, "<div class='name'><%= User.find(2).full_name %></div>")
-      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(buffer)
+      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer({buffer})
       tokenizedBuffer.setGrammar(syntax.selectGrammar('test.erb'))
       tokenizedBuffer.setVisible(true)
       fullyTokenize(tokenizedBuffer)
@@ -389,7 +397,7 @@ describe "TokenizedBuffer", ->
 
     it "returns the correct token (regression)", ->
       buffer = project.bufferForPath('sample.js')
-      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(buffer)
+      tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer({buffer})
       tokenizedBuffer.setVisible(true)
       fullyTokenize(tokenizedBuffer)
       expect(tokenizedBuffer.tokenForPosition([1,0]).scopes).toEqual ["source.js"]
diff --git a/src/app/display-buffer.coffee b/src/app/display-buffer.coffee
index 1fb0c6adf..ffd3b60b7 100644
--- a/src/app/display-buffer.coffee
+++ b/src/app/display-buffer.coffee
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class DisplayBuffer
 
   constructor: (@buffer, options={}) ->
     @id = guid.create().toString()
-    @tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(@buffer, options)
+    @tokenizedBuffer = new TokenizedBuffer(_.defaults({@buffer}, options))
     @softWrapColumn = options.softWrapColumn ? Infinity
     @markers = {}
     @foldsByMarkerId = {}
diff --git a/src/app/tokenized-buffer.coffee b/src/app/tokenized-buffer.coffee
index aebcd8d8e..e4e28a10a 100644
--- a/src/app/tokenized-buffer.coffee
+++ b/src/app/tokenized-buffer.coffee
@@ -3,17 +3,15 @@ TokenizedLine = require 'tokenized-line'
 EventEmitter = require 'event-emitter'
 Subscriber = require 'subscriber'
 Token = require 'token'
-{Point, Range} = require 'telepath'
+telepath = require 'telepath'
+{Point, Range} = telepath
 
 ### Internal ###
 
 module.exports =
 class TokenizedBuffer
-  @idCounter: 1
-
   grammar: null
   currentGrammarScore: null
-  tabLength: null
   buffer: null
   aceAdaptor: null
   tokenizedLines: null
@@ -21,9 +19,22 @@ class TokenizedBuffer
   invalidRows: null
   visible: false
 
-  constructor: (@buffer, { @tabLength } = {}) ->
-    @tabLength ?= 2
-    @id = @constructor.idCounter++
+  @acceptsDocuments: true
+  registerDeserializer(this)
+
+  @deserialize: (state) ->
+    new this(state)
+
+  constructor: (optionsOrState) ->
+    if optionsOrState instanceof telepath.Document
+      @state = optionsOrState
+      @buffer = project.bufferForId(optionsOrState.get('bufferId'))
+    else
+      { @buffer, tabLength } = optionsOrState
+      @state = telepath.create
+        deserializer: @constructor.name
+        bufferId: @buffer.id
+        tabLength: tabLength ? 2
 
     @subscribe syntax, 'grammar-added grammar-updated', (grammar) =>
       if grammar.injectionSelector?
@@ -33,10 +44,13 @@ class TokenizedBuffer
         @setGrammar(grammar, newScore) if newScore > @currentGrammarScore
 
     @on 'grammar-changed grammar-updated', => @resetTokenizedLines()
-    @subscribe @buffer, "changed.tokenized-buffer#{@id}", (e) => @handleBufferChange(e)
+    @subscribe @buffer, "changed", (e) => @handleBufferChange(e)
 
     @reloadGrammar()
 
+  serialize: -> @state.clone()
+  getState: -> @state
+
   setGrammar: (grammar, score) ->
     return if grammar is @grammar
     @unsubscribe(@grammar) if @grammar
@@ -70,12 +84,13 @@ class TokenizedBuffer
   #
   # Returns a {Number}.
   getTabLength: ->
-    @tabLength
+    @state.get('tabLength')
 
   # Specifies the tab length.
   #
   # tabLength - A {Number} that defines the new tab length.
-  setTabLength: (@tabLength) ->
+  setTabLength: (tabLength) ->
+    @state.set('tabLength', tabLength)
     lastRow = @buffer.getLastRow()
     @tokenizedLines = @buildPlaceholderTokenizedLinesForRows(0, lastRow)
     @invalidateRow(0)
@@ -174,13 +189,15 @@ class TokenizedBuffer
   buildPlaceholderTokenizedLineForRow: (row) ->
     line = @buffer.lineForRow(row)
     tokens = [new Token(value: line, scopes: [@grammar.scopeName])]
-    new TokenizedLine({tokens, @tabLength})
+    tabLength = @getTabLength()
+    new TokenizedLine({tokens, tabLength})
 
   buildTokenizedTokenizedLineForRow: (row, ruleStack) ->
     line = @buffer.lineForRow(row)
     lineEnding = @buffer.lineEndingForRow(row)
+    tabLength = @getTabLength()
     { tokens, ruleStack } = @grammar.tokenizeLine(line, ruleStack, row is 0)
-    new TokenizedLine({tokens, ruleStack, @tabLength, lineEnding})
+    new TokenizedLine({tokens, ruleStack, tabLength, lineEnding})
 
   lineForScreenRow: (row) ->
     @linesForScreenRows(row, row)[0]
@@ -200,7 +217,6 @@ class TokenizedBuffer
 
   destroy: ->
     @unsubscribe()
-    @buffer.off ".tokenized-buffer#{@id}"
 
   iterateTokensInBufferRange: (bufferRange, iterator) ->
     bufferRange = Range.fromObject(bufferRange)