diff --git a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
index eb38cba953..a13f29cbab 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
+++ b/src/components/structures/RoomView.js
@@ -523,7 +523,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
     onRoomStateMember: function(ev, state, member) {
         if (member.roomId === this.props.roomId) {
             // a member state changed in this room, refresh the tab complete list
-            this._updateTabCompleteList(this.state.room);
+            this._updateTabCompleteList();
 
             var room = MatrixClientPeg.get().getRoom(this.props.roomId);
             if (!room) return;
@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
             roomView.addEventListener('dragend', this.onDragLeaveOrEnd);
         }
 
-        this._updateTabCompleteList(this.state.room);
+        this._updateTabCompleteList();
 
         // XXX: EVIL HACK to autofocus inviting on empty rooms.
         // We use the setTimeout to avoid racing with focus_composer.
@@ -620,12 +620,12 @@ module.exports = React.createClass({
         }
     },
 
-    _updateTabCompleteList: new rate_limited_func(function(room) {
-        if (!room || !this.tabComplete) {
+    _updateTabCompleteList: new rate_limited_func(function() {
+        if (!this.state.room || !this.tabComplete) {
             return;
         }
         this.tabComplete.setCompletionList(
-            MemberEntry.fromMemberList(room.getJoinedMembers()).concat(
+            MemberEntry.fromMemberList(this.state.room.getJoinedMembers()).concat(
                 CommandEntry.fromCommands(SlashCommands.getCommandList())
             )
         );
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/SearchableEntityList.js b/src/components/views/rooms/SearchableEntityList.js
index acd20f3984..c91e058e4c 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/SearchableEntityList.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/SearchableEntityList.js
@@ -81,6 +81,8 @@ var SearchableEntityList = React.createClass({
         var q = ev.target.value;
         this.setState({
             query: q,
+            // reset truncation if they back out the entire text
+            truncateAt: (q.length === 0 ? this.props.truncateAt : this.state.truncateAt),
             results: this.getSearchResults(q, this.props.entities)
         }, () => {
             // invoke the callback AFTER we've flushed the new state. We need to