diff --git a/src/vs/platform/progress/common/progress.ts b/src/vs/platform/progress/common/progress.ts
index 7d223123221d8badbcfa458e98b3ec24a758a96d..9fbe62637a15092eae19bb609a6bb26b37fa7f42 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/progress/common/progress.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/progress/common/progress.ts
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ export interface IProgressService2 {
 
 	_serviceBrand: any;
 
-	withWindowProgress(task: (progress: IProgress<string>) => TPromise<any>): void;
+	withWindowProgress(title: string, task: (progress: IProgress<string>) => TPromise<any>): void;
 
 	withViewletProgress(viewletId: string, task: (progress: IProgress<number>) => TPromise<any>): void;
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
index 58357e25af928ef694af9e416f01ae2faee20e8c..b079e68d109345d3bacb299b6d855863582dc7d0 100644
--- a/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/vscode.proposed.d.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ declare module 'vscode' {
 		 *
 		 * @param task A function callback that represents a long running operation.
 		 */
-		export function withWindowProgress<R>(task: (progress: Progress<string>, token: CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R>;
+		export function withWindowProgress<R>(title: string, task: (progress: Progress<string>, token: CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R>;
 
 		export function withScmProgress<R>(task: (progress: Progress<number>) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R>;
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
index 2f9a3b3cc426d265b67469884b911c683940c376..fe24d01158c2f4f82f264d4a83c514a3896a9c1c 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.api.impl.ts
@@ -308,10 +308,10 @@ export function createApiFactory(initData: IInitData, threadService: IThreadServ
 			setStatusBarMessage(text: string, timeoutOrThenable?: number | Thenable<any>): vscode.Disposable {
 				return extHostStatusBar.setStatusBarMessage(text, timeoutOrThenable);
 			},
-			withWindowProgress: proposedApiFunction(extension, <R>(task: (progress: vscode.Progress<string>, token: vscode.CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> => {
-				return extHostProgress.withWindowProgress(extension, task);
+			withWindowProgress: proposedApiFunction(extension, <R>(title: string, task: (progress: vscode.Progress<string>, token: vscode.CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> => {
+				return extHostProgress.withWindowProgress(extension, title, task);
 			}),
-			withScmProgress: proposedApiFunction(extension, (task: (progress: vscode.Progress<number>) => Thenable<any>) => {
+			withScmProgress: proposedApiFunction(extension, <R>(task: (progress: vscode.Progress<number>) => Thenable<R>) => {
 				return extHostProgress.withScmProgress(extension, task);
 			}),
 			createOutputChannel(name: string): vscode.OutputChannel {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts
index be1ff89665312229527ed428f7d50f5b91140524..6b9ea8b2260de256acdff5e262258fbf28eeacac 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.protocol.ts
@@ -186,7 +186,9 @@ export abstract class MainThreadOutputServiceShape {
 }
 
 export abstract class MainThreadProgressShape {
-	$progressStart(handle: number, extensionId: string, location: string): void { throw ni(); }
+
+	$startWindow(handle: number, title: string): void { throw ni(); };
+	$startScm(handle: number): void { throw ni(); };
 	$progressReport(handle: number, message: string): void { throw ni(); }
 	$progressEnd(handle: number): void { throw ni(); }
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostProgress.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostProgress.ts
index 63f5f6f791bf9297193eb78d32fafc91aacb6583..3d0b2b42e1a5703c2f0e2d788d305709475167cb 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostProgress.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHostProgress.ts
@@ -17,18 +17,20 @@ export class ExtHostProgress {
 		this._proxy = proxy;
 	}
 
-	withWindowProgress<R>(extension: IExtensionDescription, task: (progress: Progress<string>, token: CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> {
-		return this._withProgress(extension, 'window', task);
+	withWindowProgress<R>(extension: IExtensionDescription, title: string, task: (progress: Progress<string>, token: CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> {
+		const handle = this._handles++;
+		this._proxy.$startWindow(handle, title);
+		return this._withProgress(handle, task);
 	}
 
 	withScmProgress<R>(extension: IExtensionDescription, task: (progress: Progress<number>) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> {
-		return this._withProgress(extension, 'scm', task);
+		const handle = this._handles++;
+		this._proxy.$startScm(handle);
+		return this._withProgress(handle, task);
 	}
 
-	private _withProgress<R>(extension: IExtensionDescription, type: string, task: (progress: Progress<any>, token: CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> {
-		const handle = this._handles++;
+	private _withProgress<R>(handle: number, task: (progress: Progress<any>, token: CancellationToken) => Thenable<R>): Thenable<R> {
 
-		this._proxy.$progressStart(handle, extension.id, type);
 		const progress = {
 			report: (message: string) => {
 				this._proxy.$progressReport(handle, message);
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadProgress.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadProgress.ts
index 5d35ba4ef854f59dfdf484d57a6f8bf829832d34..10f91b4720f76a802e8d433caea212eb98472c0f 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadProgress.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/mainThreadProgress.ts
@@ -21,23 +21,22 @@ export class MainThreadProgress extends MainThreadProgressShape {
 	}
 
 
-	$progressStart(handle: number, extensionId: string, where: string): void {
+	$startWindow(handle: number, title: string): void {
+		const task = this._createTask(handle);
+		this._progressService.withWindowProgress(title, task);
+	}
+
+	$startScm(handle: number): void {
+		const task = this._createTask(handle);
+		this._progressService.withViewletProgress('workbench.view.scm', task);
+	}
 
-		const task = (progress: IProgress<any>) => {
+	private _createTask(handle: number) {
+		return (progress: IProgress<any>) => {
 			return new TPromise<any>(resolve => {
 				this.progress.set(handle, { resolve, progress });
 			});
 		};
-
-		switch (where) {
-			case 'window':
-				this._progressService.withWindowProgress(task);
-				break;
-			case 'scm':
-				this._progressService.withViewletProgress('workbench.view.scm', task);
-				break;
-		}
-
 	}
 
 	$progressReport(handle: number, message: any): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/progress/browser/progressService2.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/progress/browser/progressService2.ts
index 415002927d7e2dd1f42d82800085421e67095e38..e8268fa469ef00f1530a23f3ea352c60632ae58c 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/progress/browser/progressService2.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/progress/browser/progressService2.ts
@@ -48,12 +48,17 @@ class WindowProgressItem implements IStatusbarItem {
 	}
 }
 
+interface IWindowProgressTask {
+	title: string;
+	progress: Progress<string>;
+}
+
 
 export class ProgressService2 implements IProgressService2 {
 
 	_serviceBrand: any;
 
-	private _stack: Progress<string>[] = [];
+	private _stack: IWindowProgressTask[] = [];
 
 	constructor(
 		@IActivityBarService private _activityBar: IActivityBarService,
@@ -62,15 +67,19 @@ export class ProgressService2 implements IProgressService2 {
 		//
 	}
 
-	withWindowProgress(task: (progress: IProgress<string>) => TPromise<any>): void {
+	withWindowProgress(title: string, callback: (progress: IProgress<string>) => TPromise<any>): void {
+
+		const task = {
+			progress: new Progress<string>(() => this._updateProgress()),
+			title
+		};
 
-		const progress = new Progress<string>(() => this._updateProgress());
-		this._stack.unshift(progress);
+		this._stack.unshift(task);
 
-		const promise = task(progress);
+		const promise = callback(task.progress);
 
 		always(promise, () => {
-			const idx = this._stack.indexOf(progress);
+			const idx = this._stack.indexOf(task);
 			this._stack.splice(idx, 1);
 			this._updateProgress();
 		});
@@ -80,8 +89,9 @@ export class ProgressService2 implements IProgressService2 {
 		if (this._stack.length === 0) {
 			WindowProgressItem.Instance.hide();
 		} else {
+			const {title, progress} = this._stack[0];
+			WindowProgressItem.Instance.text = progress.value || title;
 			WindowProgressItem.Instance.show();
-			WindowProgressItem.Instance.text = this._stack[0].value;
 		}
 	}