diff --git a/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee b/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee
index 2bdc18d68..46ec5debc 100644
--- a/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/edit-session-spec.coffee
@@ -523,6 +523,31 @@ describe "EditSession", ->
            editSession.selectWord()
            expect(editSession.getSelectedText()).toBe ''
 
+    describe ".setSelectedBufferRanges(ranges)", ->
+      it "clears existing selections and creates selections for each of the given ranges", ->
+        editSession.setSelectedBufferRanges([[[2, 2], [3, 3]], [[4, 4], [5, 5]]])
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[2, 2], [3, 3]], [[4, 4], [5, 5]]]
+
+        editSession.setSelectedBufferRanges([[[5, 5], [6, 6]]])
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[5, 5], [6, 6]]]
+
+      it "merges intersecting selections", ->
+        editSession.setSelectedBufferRanges([[[2, 2], [3, 3]], [[3, 0], [5, 5]]])
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[2, 2], [5, 5]]]
+
+      it "removes folds that contain the selections", ->
+        editSession.setSelectedBufferRange([[0,0], [0,0]])
+        editSession.createFold(1, 4)
+        editSession.createFold(2, 3)
+        editSession.createFold(6, 8)
+        editSession.createFold(10, 11)
+
+        editSession.setSelectedBufferRanges([[[2, 2], [3, 3]], [[6, 6], [7, 7]]])
+        expect(editSession.lineForScreenRow(1).fold).toBeUndefined()
+        expect(editSession.lineForScreenRow(2).fold).toBeUndefined()
+        expect(editSession.lineForScreenRow(6).fold).toBeUndefined()
+        expect(editSession.lineForScreenRow(10).fold).toBeDefined()
+
     describe "when the cursor is moved while there is a selection", ->
       makeSelection = -> selection.setBufferRange [[1, 2], [1, 5]]
 
@@ -1243,20 +1268,17 @@ describe "EditSession", ->
 
         selections = editSession.getSelections()
         expect(buffer.lineForRow(1)).toBe '  var = function( {'
-        expect(selections[0].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 6], [1, 6]]
-        expect(selections[1].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 17], [1, 17]]
+
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[1, 6], [1, 6]], [[1, 17], [1, 17]]]
 
         editSession.undo()
-        expect(selections[0].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 6], [1, 6]]
-        expect(selections[1].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 18], [1, 18]]
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[1, 6], [1, 6]], [[1, 18], [1, 18]]]
 
         editSession.undo()
-        expect(selections[0].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 6], [1, 10]]
-        expect(selections[1].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 22], [1, 27]]
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[1, 6], [1, 10]], [[1, 22], [1, 27]]]
 
         editSession.redo()
-        expect(selections[0].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 6], [1, 6]]
-        expect(selections[1].getBufferRange()).toEqual [[1, 18], [1, 18]]
+        expect(editSession.getSelectedBufferRanges()).toEqual [[[1, 6], [1, 6]], [[1, 18], [1, 18]]]
 
       it "restores selected ranges even when the change occurred in another edit session", ->
         otherEditSession = fixturesProject.open(editSession.getPath())
diff --git a/src/app/edit-session.coffee b/src/app/edit-session.coffee
index 53d4a265c..91bfefee4 100644
--- a/src/app/edit-session.coffee
+++ b/src/app/edit-session.coffee
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ DisplayBuffer = require 'display-buffer'
 Cursor = require 'cursor'
 Selection = require 'selection'
 EventEmitter = require 'event-emitter'
+Range = require 'range'
 AnchorRange = require 'anchor-range'
 _ = require 'underscore'
 
@@ -309,13 +310,14 @@ class EditSession
     @getLastSelection().setBufferRange(bufferRange, options)
 
   setSelectedBufferRanges: (bufferRanges, options) ->
-    selections = @getSelections()
+    throw new Error("Passed an empty array to setSelectedBufferRanges") unless bufferRanges.length
+    selection.destroy() for selection in @getSelections()
     for bufferRange, i in bufferRanges
-      if selections[i]
-        selections[i].setBufferRange(bufferRange, options)
-      else
+      bufferRange = Range.fromObject(bufferRange)
+      for row in [bufferRange.start.row..bufferRange.end.row]
+        @destroyFoldsContainingBufferRow(row)
         @addSelectionForBufferRange(bufferRange, options)
-    @mergeIntersectingSelections()
+    @mergeIntersectingSelections(options)
 
   removeSelection: (selection) ->
     _.remove(@selections, selection)