diff --git a/src/content.ts b/src/content.ts
index c96f8bde..57646300 100644
--- a/src/content.ts
+++ b/src/content.ts
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ config.getAsync("modeindicator").then(mode => {
             dom.isTextEditable(document.activeElement) &&
             !["input", "ignore"].includes(mode)
         ) {
-            statusIndicator.textContent = "insert"
+            result = "insert"
             // this doesn't work; statusIndicator.style is full of empty string
             // statusIndicator.style.borderColor = "green !important"
             // need to fix loss of focus by click: doesn't do anything here.
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ config.getAsync("modeindicator").then(mode => {
             mode === "insert" &&
             !dom.isTextEditable(document.activeElement)
         ) {
-            statusIndicator.textContent = "normal"
+            result = "normal"
             // statusIndicator.style.borderColor = "lightgray !important"
         } else {
             result = mode
diff --git a/src/content/controller_content.ts b/src/content/controller_content.ts
index 1dc9376e..2fceac9e 100644
--- a/src/content/controller_content.ts
+++ b/src/content/controller_content.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ function* ParserController() {
 
     while (true) {
         let exstr = ""
+        let previousSuffix = null
         let keyEvents: KeyEventLike[] = []
         try {
             while (true) {
@@ -145,6 +146,12 @@ function* ParserController() {
                     contentState.mode = "normal"
                 }
 
+                const newMode = contentState.mode
+                if (newMode !== currentMode) {
+                    keyEvents = []
+                    previousSuffix = null
+                }
+
                 // Accumulate key events. The parser will cut this
                 // down whenever it's not a valid prefix of a known
                 // binding, so it can't grow indefinitely unless you
@@ -175,14 +182,18 @@ function* ParserController() {
                 } else {
                     keyEvents = response.keys
                     // show current keyEvents as a suffix of the contentState
-                    contentState.suffix = keyEvents
+                    const suffix = keyEvents
                         .map(x => PrintableKey(x))
                         .join("")
-                    logger.debug("suffix: ", contentState.suffix)
+                    if (previousSuffix !== suffix) {
+                        contentState.suffix = suffix
+                        previousSuffix = suffix
+                    }
+                    logger.debug("suffix: ", suffix)
                 }
             }
-            controller.acceptExCmd(exstr)
             contentState.suffix = ""
+            controller.acceptExCmd(exstr)
         } catch (e) {
             // Rumsfeldian errors are caught here
             logger.error("An error occurred in the content controller: ", e)