diff --git a/src/app.js b/src/app.js
index 7f4850614d..dd63f92233 100644
--- a/src/app.js
+++ b/src/app.js
@@ -277,6 +277,8 @@ var run = function () {
     return false
   })
 
+  editor.event.register('sessionSwitched', updateFiles)
+
   function switchToFile (file) {
     editor.setCacheFile(file)
     updateFiles()
@@ -573,7 +575,9 @@ var run = function () {
     compileTimeout = window.setTimeout(runCompiler, 300)
   }
 
-  editor.onChangeSetup(editorOnChange)
+  editor.event.register('contentChanged', editorOnChange)
+  // in order to save the file when switching
+  editor.event.register('sessionSwitched', editorOnChange)
 
   $('#compile').click(function () {
     runCompiler()
diff --git a/src/app/debugger.js b/src/app/debugger.js
index 6a604b9e9b..923facd599 100644
--- a/src/app/debugger.js
+++ b/src/app/debugger.js
@@ -26,10 +26,9 @@ function Debugger (id, editor, compiler, executionContextEvent, switchToFile, of
     self.removeCurrentMarker()
   })
 
-  this.editor.onChangeSetup(function () {
-    if (arguments.length > 0) { // if arguments.length === 0 this is a session change, we don't want to stop debugging in that case
-      self.debugger.unLoad()
-    }
+  // unload if a file has changed (but not if tabs were switched)
+  editor.event.register('contentChanged', function () {
+    self.debugger.unLoad()
   })
 
   // register selected code item, highlight the corresponding source location
diff --git a/src/app/editor.js b/src/app/editor.js
index ae1f6afea2..7db3a0fb51 100644
--- a/src/app/editor.js
+++ b/src/app/editor.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 /* global FileReader */
 'use strict'
 
+var EventManager = require('../lib/eventManager')
 var examples = require('./example-contracts')
 
 var ace = require('brace')
@@ -11,6 +12,8 @@ function Editor (doNotLoadStorage, storage) {
 
   var editor = ace.edit('input')
   document.getElementById('input').editor = editor // required to access the editor during tests
+  var event = new EventManager()
+  this.event = event
   var sessions = {}
   var sourceAnnotations = []
 
@@ -146,14 +149,6 @@ function Editor (doNotLoadStorage, storage) {
     editor.getSession().setAnnotations(sourceAnnotations)
   }
 
-  this.onChangeSetup = function (onChange) {
-    editor.getSession().on('change', onChange)
-    editor.on('changeSession', function () {
-      editor.getSession().on('change', onChange)
-      onChange()
-    })
-  }
-
   this.handleErrorClick = function (errLine, errCol) {
     editor.focus()
     editor.gotoLine(errLine + 1, errCol - 1, true)
@@ -169,6 +164,13 @@ function Editor (doNotLoadStorage, storage) {
   }
 
   // Do setup on initialisation here
+  editor.on('changeSession', function () {
+    event.trigger('sessionSwitched', [])
+
+    editor.getSession().on('change', function () {
+      event.trigger('contentChanged', [])
+    })
+  })
 
   // Unmap ctrl-t & ctrl-f
   editor.commands.bindKeys({ 'ctrl-t': null })