diff --git a/src/vs/base/common/event.ts b/src/vs/base/common/event.ts
index 699793d593f..359c6c7820b 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/common/event.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/common/event.ts
@@ -606,6 +606,51 @@ export class Emitter<T> {
 	}
 }
 
+export class PauseableEmitter<T> extends Emitter<T> {
+
+	private _isPaused = 0;
+	private _eventQueue = new LinkedList<T>();
+	private _mergeFn?: (input: T[]) => T;
+
+	constructor(options?: EmitterOptions & { merge?: (input: T[]) => T }) {
+		super(options);
+		this._mergeFn = options && options.merge;
+	}
+
+	pause(): void {
+		this._isPaused++;
+	}
+
+	resume(): void {
+		if (this._isPaused !== 0 && --this._isPaused === 0) {
+			if (this._mergeFn) {
+				// use the merge function to create a single composite
+				// event. make a copy in case firing pauses this emitter
+				const events = this._eventQueue.toArray();
+				this._eventQueue.clear();
+				super.fire(this._mergeFn(events));
+
+			} else {
+				// no merging, fire each event individually and test
+				// that this emitter isn't paused halfway through
+				while (!this._isPaused && this._eventQueue.size !== 0) {
+					super.fire(this._eventQueue.shift()!);
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	fire(event: T): void {
+		if (this._listeners) {
+			if (this._isPaused !== 0) {
+				this._eventQueue.push(event);
+			} else {
+				super.fire(event);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 export interface IWaitUntil {
 	waitUntil(thenable: Promise<any>): void;
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/base/test/common/event.test.ts b/src/vs/base/test/common/event.test.ts
index a08f0aa538c..577ca0eff3f 100644
--- a/src/vs/base/test/common/event.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/base/test/common/event.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  *  Licensed under the MIT License. See License.txt in the project root for license information.
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 import * as assert from 'assert';
-import { Event, Emitter, EventBufferer, EventMultiplexer, AsyncEmitter, IWaitUntil } from 'vs/base/common/event';
+import { Event, Emitter, EventBufferer, EventMultiplexer, AsyncEmitter, IWaitUntil, PauseableEmitter } from 'vs/base/common/event';
 import { IDisposable } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
 import * as Errors from 'vs/base/common/errors';
 import { timeout } from 'vs/base/common/async';
@@ -331,6 +331,133 @@ suite('AsyncEmitter', function () {
 	});
 });
 
+suite('PausableEmitter', function () {
+
+	test('basic', function () {
+		const data: number[] = [];
+		const emitter = new PauseableEmitter<number>();
+
+		emitter.event(e => data.push(e));
+		emitter.fire(1);
+		emitter.fire(2);
+
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+	});
+
+	test('pause/resume - no merge', function () {
+		const data: number[] = [];
+		const emitter = new PauseableEmitter<number>();
+
+		emitter.event(e => data.push(e));
+		emitter.fire(1);
+		emitter.fire(2);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.pause();
+		emitter.fire(3);
+		emitter.fire(4);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 3, 4]);
+		emitter.fire(5);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);
+	});
+
+	test('pause/resume - merge', function () {
+		const data: number[] = [];
+		const emitter = new PauseableEmitter<number>({ merge: (a) => a.reduce((p, c) => p + c, 0) });
+
+		emitter.event(e => data.push(e));
+		emitter.fire(1);
+		emitter.fire(2);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.pause();
+		emitter.fire(3);
+		emitter.fire(4);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 7]);
+
+		emitter.fire(5);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 7, 5]);
+	});
+
+	test('double pause/resume', function () {
+		const data: number[] = [];
+		const emitter = new PauseableEmitter<number>();
+
+		emitter.event(e => data.push(e));
+		emitter.fire(1);
+		emitter.fire(2);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.pause();
+		emitter.pause();
+		emitter.fire(3);
+		emitter.fire(4);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 3, 4]);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 3, 4]);
+	});
+
+	test('resume, no pause', function () {
+		const data: number[] = [];
+		const emitter = new PauseableEmitter<number>();
+
+		emitter.event(e => data.push(e));
+		emitter.fire(1);
+		emitter.fire(2);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2]);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		emitter.fire(3);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 2, 3]);
+	});
+
+	test('nested pause', function () {
+		const data: number[] = [];
+		const emitter = new PauseableEmitter<number>();
+
+		let once = true;
+		emitter.event(e => {
+			data.push(e);
+
+			if (once) {
+				emitter.pause();
+				once = false;
+			}
+		});
+		emitter.event(e => {
+			data.push(e);
+		});
+
+		emitter.pause();
+		emitter.fire(1);
+		emitter.fire(2);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, []);
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 1]); // paused after first event
+
+		emitter.resume();
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 1, 2, 2]); // remaing event delivered
+
+		emitter.fire(3);
+		assert.deepEqual(data, [1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3]);
+
+	});
+});
+
 suite('Event utils', () => {
 
 	suite('EventBufferer', () => {
@@ -777,4 +904,5 @@ suite('Event utils', () => {
 
 		listener.dispose();
 	});
+
 });