diff --git a/src/buffer_utils.cc b/src/buffer_utils.cc
index 6de07c71..21ec7092 100644
--- a/src/buffer_utils.cc
+++ b/src/buffer_utils.cc
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ Buffer* create_fifo_buffer(String name, int fd, Buffer::Flags flags, bool scroll
             m_buffer.flags() &= ~(Buffer::Flags::Fifo | Buffer::Flags::NoUndo);
         }
 
-        void read_fifo() const
+        void read_fifo()
         {
             kak_assert(m_buffer.flags() & Buffer::Flags::Fifo);
 
@@ -234,20 +234,21 @@ Buffer* create_fifo_buffer(String name, int fd, Buffer::Flags flags, bool scroll
                     }
 
                     auto pos = m_buffer.back_coord();
-                    const bool prevent_scrolling = pos == BufferCoord{0,0} and not m_scroll;
-                    if (prevent_scrolling)
+                    const bool is_first = pos == BufferCoord{0,0};
+                    if (not m_scroll and (is_first or m_had_trailing_newline))
                         pos = m_buffer.next(pos);
 
-                    m_buffer.insert(pos, StringView(data, data+count));
+                    pos = m_buffer.insert(pos, StringView(data, data+count)).end;
 
-                    if (prevent_scrolling)
+                    bool have_trailing_newline = (data[count-1] == '\n');
+                    if (not m_scroll)
                     {
-                        m_buffer.erase({0,0}, m_buffer.next({0,0}));
-                        // in the other case, the buffer will have automatically
-                        // inserted a \n to guarantee its invariant.
-                        if (data[count-1] == '\n')
-                            m_buffer.insert(m_buffer.end_coord(), "\n");
+                        if (is_first)
+                            m_buffer.erase({0,0}, m_buffer.next({0,0}));
+                        else if (not m_had_trailing_newline and have_trailing_newline)
+                            m_buffer.erase(pos, m_buffer.next(pos));
                     }
+                    m_had_trailing_newline = have_trailing_newline;
                 }
                 while (++loop < max_loop  and fd_readable(fifo));
             }
@@ -263,6 +264,7 @@ Buffer* create_fifo_buffer(String name, int fd, Buffer::Flags flags, bool scroll
 
         Buffer& m_buffer;
         bool m_scroll;
+        bool m_had_trailing_newline;
     };
 
     buffer->values()[fifo_watcher_id] = Value(Meta::Type<FifoWatcher>{}, fd, *buffer, scroll);
diff --git a/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/cmd b/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/cmd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9a2627d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/cmd
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+:nop %sh{mkfifo fifo}; edit -fifo fifo *fifo*<ret>
diff --git a/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/out b/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/out
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e0ee5094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/out
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* line1
+* line2
+2049
diff --git a/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/script b/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/script
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..10fe9340
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/commands/edit-fifo-noscroll/script
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+ui_out -ignore 7
+exec 5>fifo
+ui_out '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "refresh", "params": [true] }'
+
+echo '* line1' >&5
+ui_out '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "draw", "params": [[[{ "face": { "fg": "black", "bg": "white", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "*" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": " line1\u000a" }]], { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, { "fg": "blue", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }] }'
+ui_out -ignore 2
+
+echo '* line2' >&5
+ui_out '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "draw", "params": [[[{ "face": { "fg": "black", "bg": "white", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "*" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": " line1\u000a" }], [{ "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "* line2\u000a" }]], { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, { "fg": "blue", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }] }'
+ui_out -ignore 2
+
+dd if=/dev/zero bs=2049 count=1 2>/dev/null | sed s/././g >&5
+ui_out -ignore 3
+ui_in '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "keys", "params": [ "gjxH|wc -c<ret>" ] }'
+ui_out -ignore 6
+
+exec 5>&-
+ui_out '{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "draw_status", "params": [[], [{ "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "*fifo* 3:4 " }, { "face": { "fg": "black", "bg": "yellow", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "[scratch]" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": " " }, { "face": { "fg": "blue", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "1 sel" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": " - client0@[kak-tests]" }], { "fg": "cyan", "bg": "default", "underline": "default", "attributes": [] }] }'