diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
index d41f711670..2a9675aef8 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/mongo_livedata_tests.js
@@ -2976,3 +2976,52 @@ testAsyncMulti("mongo-livedata - undefined find options", [
     test.equal(result, self.doc);
   }
 ]);
+
+// Regression test for #2274.
+Meteor.isServer && testAsyncMulti("mongo-livedata - observe limit bug", [
+  function (test, expect) {
+    var self = this;
+    self.coll = new Meteor.Collection(Random.id());
+    var state = {};
+    var callbacks = {
+      changed: function (newDoc) {
+        state[newDoc._id] = newDoc;
+      },
+      added: function (newDoc) {
+        state[newDoc._id] = newDoc;
+      },
+      removed: function (oldDoc) {
+        delete state[oldDoc._id];
+      }
+    };
+    self.observe = self.coll.find(
+      {}, {limit: 1, sort: {sortField: -1}}).observe(callbacks);
+
+    // Insert some documents.
+    runInFence(function () {
+      self.id0 = self.coll.insert({sortField: 0, toDelete: true});
+      self.id1 = self.coll.insert({sortField: 1, toDelete: true});
+      self.id2 = self.coll.insert({sortField: 2, toDelete: true});
+    });
+    test.equal(_.keys(state), [self.id2]);
+
+    // Mutate the one in the unpublished buffer and the one below the
+    // buffer. Before the fix for #2274, this left the observe state machine in
+    // a broken state where the buffer was empty but it wasn't try to re-fill
+    // it.
+    runInFence(function () {
+      self.coll.update({_id: {$ne: self.id2}},
+                       {$set: {toDelete: false}},
+                       {multi: 1});
+    });
+    test.equal(_.keys(state), [self.id2]);
+
+    // Now remove the one published document. This should slide up id1 from the
+    // buffer, but this didn't work before the #2274 fix.
+    runInFence(function () {
+      self.coll.remove({toDelete: true});
+    });
+    test.equal(_.keys(state), [self.id1]);
+  }
+]);
+
diff --git a/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js b/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js
index dd1bb94c1b..ac03d24cb0 100644
--- a/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js
+++ b/packages/mongo-livedata/oplog_observe_driver.js
@@ -389,8 +389,10 @@ _.extend(OplogObserveDriver.prototype, {
         }
       } else if (bufferedBefore) {
         oldDoc = self._unpublishedBuffer.get(id);
-        // remove the old version manually so we don't trigger the querying
-        // immediately
+        // remove the old version manually instead of using _removeBuffered so
+        // we don't trigger the querying immediately.  if we end this block with
+        // the buffer empty, we will need to trigger the query poll manually
+        // too.
         self._unpublishedBuffer.remove(id);
 
         var maxPublished = self._published.get(self._published.maxElementId());
@@ -411,6 +413,11 @@ _.extend(OplogObserveDriver.prototype, {
         } else {
           // Throw away from both published set and buffer
           self._safeAppendToBuffer = false;
+          // Normally this check would have been done in _removeBuffered but we
+          // didn't use it, so we need to do it ourself now.
+          if (! self._unpublishedBuffer.size()) {
+            self._needToPollQuery();
+          }
         }
       } else {
         throw new Error("cachedBefore implies either of publishedBefore or bufferedBefore is true.");