diff --git a/packages/common/src/types/TextEditor.ts b/packages/common/src/types/TextEditor.ts
index 6eb46fb015..2dfd2576bd 100644
--- a/packages/common/src/types/TextEditor.ts
+++ b/packages/common/src/types/TextEditor.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export interface TextEditor {
   /**
    * The selections in this text editor.
    */
-  readonly selections: Selection[];
+  get selections(): Selection[];
 
   /**
    * Text editor options.
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ export interface TextEditor {
 }
 
 export interface EditableTextEditor extends TextEditor {
-  selections: Selection[];
+  setSelections(selections: Selection[]): Promise<void>;
 
   options: TextEditorOptions;
 
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/BringMoveSwap.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/BringMoveSwap.ts
index 16fb9c939a..1984e5f51f 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/BringMoveSwap.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/BringMoveSwap.ts
@@ -209,7 +209,10 @@ abstract class BringMoveSwap {
           // NB: We set the selections here because we don't trust vscode to
           // properly move the cursor on a bring. Sometimes it will smear an
           // empty selection
-          setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editableEditor, cursorSelections);
+          await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+            editableEditor,
+            cursorSelections,
+          );
 
           const marks = [
             ...this.getMarks(sourceEdits, updatedSourceEditSelections),
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/CallbackAction.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/CallbackAction.ts
index e3b0810292..6a51ba6002 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/CallbackAction.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/CallbackAction.ts
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export class CallbackAction {
       // very end. This code can run on multiple editors in the course of
       // one command, so we want to avoid focusing the editor multiple
       // times.
-      setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+      await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
         editableEditor,
         updatedOriginalSelections,
       );
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Deselect.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Deselect.ts
index 7534e77de0..2767efc9c9 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Deselect.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Deselect.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export default class Deselect implements SimpleAction {
         throw new SelectionRequiredError();
       }
 
-      setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+      await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
         ide().getEditableTextEditor(editor),
         newSelections,
       );
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/GenerateSnippet/GenerateSnippet.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/GenerateSnippet/GenerateSnippet.ts
index e41a35de4b..ad072f7f3f 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/GenerateSnippet/GenerateSnippet.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/GenerateSnippet/GenerateSnippet.ts
@@ -222,7 +222,9 @@ export default class GenerateSnippet {
 
     if (isTesting()) {
       // If we're testing, we just overwrite the current document
-      editableEditor.selections = [editor.document.range.toSelection(false)];
+      await editableEditor.setSelections([
+        editor.document.range.toSelection(false),
+      ]);
     } else {
       // Otherwise, we create and open a new document for the snippet in the
       // user snippets dir
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertCopy.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertCopy.ts
index d9caad1366..d8a59af84f 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertCopy.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertCopy.ts
@@ -86,7 +86,10 @@ class InsertCopy implements SimpleAction {
       ([edit, selection]) => edit!.updateRange(selection!),
     );
 
-    setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editableEditor, updatedEditorSelections);
+    await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+      editableEditor,
+      updatedEditorSelections,
+    );
     const primarySelection = editor.selections[0];
 
     if (
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertEmptyLines.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertEmptyLines.ts
index 109673a9a4..b15b8fec42 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertEmptyLines.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/InsertEmptyLines.ts
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ class InsertEmptyLines implements SimpleAction {
             ],
           );
 
-        setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+        await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
           editableEditor,
           updatedCursorSelections,
         );
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/PasteFromClipboard.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/PasteFromClipboard.ts
index d260696e9b..8c1c24854d 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/PasteFromClipboard.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/PasteFromClipboard.ts
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export class PasteFromClipboard {
     // Reset cursors on the editor where the edits took place.
     // NB: We don't focus the editor here because we want to focus the original
     // editor, not the one where the edits took place
-    setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editor, updatedCursorSelections);
+    await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editor, updatedCursorSelections);
 
     // If necessary focus back original editor
     if (originalEditor != null && !originalEditor.isActive) {
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Wrap.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Wrap.ts
index 53f320b436..bd008e3655 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Wrap.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/actions/Wrap.ts
@@ -111,7 +111,10 @@ export default class Wrap {
           ],
         );
 
-        setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editableEditor, cursorSelections);
+        await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+          editableEditor,
+          cursorSelections,
+        );
 
         await ide().flashRanges(
           delimiterSelections.map((selection) => ({
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/util/setSelectionsAndFocusEditor.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/util/setSelectionsAndFocusEditor.ts
index 2f7f845261..2d5c30e7c4 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/util/setSelectionsAndFocusEditor.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/util/setSelectionsAndFocusEditor.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ export async function setSelectionsAndFocusEditor(
   selections: Selection[],
   revealRange: boolean = true,
 ) {
-  setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editor, selections);
+  await setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(editor, selections);
 
   if (revealRange) {
     await editor.revealRange(editor.selections[0]);
@@ -20,13 +20,15 @@ export async function setSelectionsAndFocusEditor(
   await editor.focus();
 }
 
-export function setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
+export async function setSelectionsWithoutFocusingEditor(
   editor: EditableTextEditor,
   selections: Selection[],
 ) {
-  editor.selections = uniqWithHash(
-    selections,
-    (a, b) => a.isEqual(b),
-    (s) => s.concise(),
+  await editor.setSelections(
+    uniqWithHash(
+      selections,
+      (a, b) => a.isEqual(b),
+      (s) => s.concise(),
+    ),
   );
 }
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeInsertSnippets.ts b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeInsertSnippets.ts
index c58994f9d6..6bcde2e58b 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeInsertSnippets.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeInsertSnippets.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ export async function vscodeInsertSnippet(
   ranges: Range[] | undefined,
 ): Promise<void> {
   if (ranges != null) {
-    editor.selections = ranges.map((range) => range.toSelection(false));
+    editor.setSelections(ranges.map((range) => range.toSelection(false)));
   }
 
   await editor.focus();
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeTextEditorImpl.ts b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeTextEditorImpl.ts
index 15733f6969..710e0b8c15 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeTextEditorImpl.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-vscode/src/ide/vscode/VscodeTextEditorImpl.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ export class VscodeTextEditorImpl implements EditableTextEditor {
     return this.editor.selections.map(fromVscodeSelection);
   }
 
-  set selections(selections: Selection[]) {
+  async setSelections(selections: Selection[]): Promise<void> {
     this.editor.selections = selections.map(toVscodeSelection);
   }