diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/codelens/codelensController.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/codelens/codelensController.ts
index 27b9955d08a598816ca6b3ba0964e1ad2573e283..9f36b69170538cf14ac4952cde122f05595d0433 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/codelens/codelensController.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/codelens/codelensController.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 
 import { CancelablePromise, RunOnceScheduler, createCancelablePromise, disposableTimeout } from 'vs/base/common/async';
 import { onUnexpectedError, onUnexpectedExternalError } from 'vs/base/common/errors';
-import { toDisposable, DisposableStore, MutableDisposable } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
+import { toDisposable, DisposableStore, dispose } from 'vs/base/common/lifecycle';
 import { StableEditorScrollState } from 'vs/editor/browser/core/editorState';
 import * as editorBrowser from 'vs/editor/browser/editorBrowser';
 import { registerEditorContribution } from 'vs/editor/browser/editorExtensions';
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ export class CodeLensContribution implements editorCommon.IEditorContribution {
 	private readonly _localToDispose = new DisposableStore();
 	private _lenses: CodeLensWidget[] = [];
 	private _currentFindCodeLensSymbolsPromise: CancelablePromise<CodeLensModel> | undefined;
-	private readonly _currentCodeLensModel = new MutableDisposable<CodeLensModel>();
+	private _oldCodeLensModels = new DisposableStore();
+	private _currentCodeLensModel: CodeLensModel | undefined;
 	private _modelChangeCounter: number = 0;
 	private _currentResolveCodeLensSymbolsPromise: CancelablePromise<any> | undefined;
 	private _detectVisibleLenses: RunOnceScheduler;
@@ -57,7 +58,8 @@ export class CodeLensContribution implements editorCommon.IEditorContribution {
 	dispose(): void {
 		this._localDispose();
 		this._globalToDispose.dispose();
-		this._currentCodeLensModel.dispose();
+		this._oldCodeLensModels.dispose();
+		dispose(this._currentCodeLensModel);
 	}
 
 	private _localDispose(): void {
@@ -71,7 +73,8 @@ export class CodeLensContribution implements editorCommon.IEditorContribution {
 			this._currentResolveCodeLensSymbolsPromise = undefined;
 		}
 		this._localToDispose.clear();
-		this._currentCodeLensModel.clear();
+		this._oldCodeLensModels.clear();
+		dispose(this._currentCodeLensModel);
 	}
 
 	getId(): string {
@@ -132,7 +135,10 @@ export class CodeLensContribution implements editorCommon.IEditorContribution {
 
 			this._currentFindCodeLensSymbolsPromise.then(result => {
 				if (counterValue === this._modelChangeCounter) { // only the last one wins
-					this._currentCodeLensModel.value = result;
+					if (this._currentCodeLensModel) {
+						this._oldCodeLensModels.add(this._currentCodeLensModel);
+					}
+					this._currentCodeLensModel = result;
 
 					// cache model to reduce flicker
 					this._codeLensCache.put(model, result);
@@ -342,16 +348,20 @@ export class CodeLensContribution implements editorCommon.IEditorContribution {
 				});
 
 				return Promise.all(promises).then(() => {
-					lenses[i].updateCommands(resolvedSymbols);
+					if (!token.isCancellationRequested) {
+						lenses[i].updateCommands(resolvedSymbols);
+					}
 				});
 			});
 
 			return Promise.all(promises);
 		});
 
-		this._currentResolveCodeLensSymbolsPromise.catch(err => {
-			onUnexpectedError(err);
-		}).finally(() => {
+		this._currentResolveCodeLensSymbolsPromise.then(() => {
+			this._oldCodeLensModels.clear(); // dispose old models once we have updated the UI with the current model
+			this._currentResolveCodeLensSymbolsPromise = undefined;
+		}, err => {
+			onUnexpectedError(err); // can also be cancellation!
 			this._currentResolveCodeLensSymbolsPromise = undefined;
 		});
 	}