diff --git a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/processTargets/modifiers/InstanceStage.ts b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/processTargets/modifiers/InstanceStage.ts
index 279645e2be..ceb17e6c9c 100644
--- a/packages/cursorless-engine/src/processTargets/modifiers/InstanceStage.ts
+++ b/packages/cursorless-engine/src/processTargets/modifiers/InstanceStage.ts
@@ -46,10 +46,8 @@ export default class InstanceStage implements ModifierStage {
   }
 
   private handleEveryScope(target: Target): Target[] {
-    const { editor } = target;
-
     return Array.from(
-      flatmap(this.getEveryRanges(editor), (searchRange) =>
+      flatmap(this.getEveryRanges(target), ([editor, searchRange]) =>
         this.getTargetIterable(target, editor, searchRange, "forward"),
       ),
     );
@@ -59,9 +57,7 @@ export default class InstanceStage implements ModifierStage {
     target: Target,
     { start, length }: OrdinalScopeModifier,
   ): Target[] {
-    const { editor } = target;
-
-    return this.getEveryRanges(editor).flatMap((searchRange) =>
+    return this.getEveryRanges(target).flatMap(([editor, searchRange]) =>
       takeFromOffset(
         this.getTargetIterable(
           target,
@@ -79,13 +75,12 @@ export default class InstanceStage implements ModifierStage {
     target: Target,
     { direction, offset, length }: RelativeScopeModifier,
   ): Target[] {
-    const { editor } = target;
-
     const referenceTargets = this.storedTargets.get("instanceReference") ?? [
       target,
     ];
 
     return referenceTargets.flatMap((referenceTarget) => {
+      const { editor } = referenceTarget;
       const iterationRange =
         direction === "forward"
           ? new Range(
@@ -109,11 +104,14 @@ export default class InstanceStage implements ModifierStage {
     });
   }
 
-  private getEveryRanges(editor: TextEditor): Range[] {
+  private getEveryRanges({
+    editor: targetEditor,
+  }: Target): readonly (readonly [TextEditor, Range])[] {
     return (
       this.storedTargets
         .get("instanceReference")
-        ?.map(({ contentRange }) => contentRange) ?? [editor.document.range]
+        ?.map(({ editor, contentRange }) => [editor, contentRange] as const) ??
+      ([[targetEditor, targetEditor.document.range]] as const)
     );
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/instanceAcrossSplit.vscode.test.ts b/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/instanceAcrossSplit.vscode.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..54b0be801d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cursorless-vscode-e2e/src/suite/instanceAcrossSplit.vscode.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+import {
+  HatStability,
+  Modifier,
+  Range,
+  SpyIDE,
+  asyncSafety,
+} from "@cursorless/common";
+import {
+  getCursorlessApi,
+  openNewEditor,
+  runCursorlessCommand,
+} from "@cursorless/vscode-common";
+import * as assert from "assert";
+import { Selection } from "vscode";
+import { endToEndTestSetup } from "../endToEndTestSetup";
+import { setupFake } from "./setupFake";
+
+// Ensure that the "from" / "instance" work properly when "from"
+// is run in a different editor from "instance"
+suite("Instance across split", async function () {
+  const { getSpy } = endToEndTestSetup(this);
+
+  suiteSetup(async () => {
+    const { ide } = (await getCursorlessApi()).testHelpers!;
+    setupFake(ide, HatStability.stable);
+  });
+
+  test(
+    "Every instance",
+    asyncSafety(() =>
+      runTest(
+        getSpy()!,
+        {
+          type: "everyScope",
+          scopeType: { type: "instance" },
+        },
+        true,
+        "  bbb  ",
+      ),
+    ),
+  );
+  test(
+    "Next instance",
+    asyncSafety(() =>
+      runTest(
+        getSpy()!,
+        {
+          type: "relativeScope",
+          scopeType: { type: "instance" },
+          direction: "forward",
+          length: 1,
+          offset: 1,
+        },
+        false,
+        "  bbb aaa aaa",
+      ),
+    ),
+  );
+  test(
+    "Two instances",
+    asyncSafety(() =>
+      runTest(
+        getSpy()!,
+        {
+          type: "relativeScope",
+          scopeType: { type: "instance" },
+          direction: "forward",
+          length: 2,
+          offset: 0,
+        },
+        false,
+        "  bbb  aaa",
+      ),
+    ),
+  );
+  test(
+    "Second instance",
+    asyncSafety(() =>
+      runTest(
+        getSpy()!,
+        {
+          type: "ordinalScope",
+          scopeType: { type: "instance" },
+          length: 1,
+          start: 1,
+        },
+        true,
+        " aaa bbb  aaa",
+      ),
+    ),
+  );
+});
+
+async function runTest(
+  spyIde: SpyIDE,
+  modifier: Modifier,
+  useWholeFile: boolean,
+  expectedContents: string,
+) {
+  const { hatTokenMap } = (await getCursorlessApi()).testHelpers!;
+
+  const { document: instanceDocument } = await openNewEditor("aaa");
+  /** The editor containing the "instance" */
+  const instanceEditor = spyIde.activeTextEditor!;
+  /** The editor in which "from" is run */
+  const fromEditor = await openNewEditor(" aaa bbb aaa aaa", {
+    openBeside: true,
+  });
+  const { document: fromDocument } = fromEditor;
+  fromEditor.selections = [new Selection(0, 0, 0, 0)];
+
+  await hatTokenMap.allocateHats([
+    {
+      grapheme: "a",
+      hatStyle: "default",
+      hatRange: new Range(0, 0, 0, 1),
+      token: {
+        editor: instanceEditor,
+        offsets: { start: 0, end: 3 },
+        range: new Range(0, 0, 0, 3),
+        text: "aaa",
+      },
+    },
+  ]);
+
+  // "from this" / "from file this", depending on the value of `useWholeFile`
+  await runCursorlessCommand({
+    version: 6,
+    action: {
+      name: "experimental.setInstanceReference",
+      target: {
+        type: "primitive",
+        mark: {
+          type: "cursor",
+        },
+        modifiers: useWholeFile
+          ? [{ type: "containingScope", scopeType: { type: "document" } }]
+          : [],
+      },
+    },
+    usePrePhraseSnapshot: false,
+  });
+
+  // "change <modifier> air", where <modifier> is some kind of "instance"
+  // modifier
+  await runCursorlessCommand({
+    version: 6,
+    action: {
+      name: "clearAndSetSelection",
+      target: {
+        type: "primitive",
+        mark: {
+          type: "decoratedSymbol",
+          symbolColor: "default",
+          character: "a",
+        },
+        modifiers: [modifier],
+      },
+    },
+    usePrePhraseSnapshot: false,
+  });
+
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(instanceDocument.getText(), "aaa");
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(fromDocument.getText(), expectedContents);
+}