diff --git a/lib/ace/incremental_search.js b/lib/ace/incremental_search.js
index d1b8083f..0faee1d9 100644
--- a/lib/ace/incremental_search.js
+++ b/lib/ace/incremental_search.js
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ define(function(require, exports, module) {
 var oop = require("./lib/oop");
 var Range = require("./range").Range;
 var Search = require("./search").Search;
+var ISearchKbd = require("./commands/incremental_search_commands").IncrementalSearchKeyboardHandler;
 
 /**
  * @class IncrementalSearch
@@ -46,40 +47,42 @@ var Search = require("./search").Search;
  *
  **/
 
+
 /**
  *
  *
- * Creates a new `IncrementalSearch` object. Options:
+ * Creates a new `IncrementalSearch` object.
  *
  * @constructor
  **/
 function IncrementalSearch() {
     this.$options = {wrap: false, skipCurrent: false};
-    this.$keyboardHandler = this;
+    this.$keyboardHandler = new ISearchKbd(this);
 }
 
 oop.inherits(IncrementalSearch, Search);
 
 ;(function() {
 
-    var iSearch = this;
-
-    iSearch.activate = function(editor, backwards) {
+    this.activate = function(editor, backwards) {
         this.$editor = editor;
-        var pos = editor.getCursorPosition();
-        this.$startPos = this.$currentPos = pos;
-        this.installKeyboardHandler(editor);
+        this.$startPos = this.$currentPos = editor.getCursorPosition();
         this.$options.needle = '';
         this.$options.backwards = backwards;
+        editor.keyBinding.addKeyboardHandler(this.$keyboardHandler);
+        // -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
+        var msg = this.$options.backwards ? 'reverse-' : '';
+        msg += 'isearch: ' + this.$options.needle;
+        this.message(msg);
     }
 
-    iSearch.deactivate = function(reset) {
+    this.deactivate = function(reset) {
         this.cancelSearch(reset);
-        this.uninstallKeyboardHandler(this.$editor);
-        delete this.$editor;
+        this.$editor.keyBinding.removeKeyboardHandler(this.$keyboardHandler);
+        this.message('');
     }
 
-    iSearch.cancelSearch = function(reset) {
+    this.cancelSearch = function(reset) {
         var e = this.$editor;
         this.$prevNeedle = this.$options.needle;
         this.$options.needle = '';
@@ -88,16 +91,18 @@ oop.inherits(IncrementalSearch, Search);
             this.$currentPos = this.$startPos;
         }
         e.session.highlight(null);
-        this.$editor.renderer.updateBackMarkers(); // force highlight layer redraw
+        e.renderer.updateBackMarkers(); // force highlight layer redraw
         return Range.fromPoints(this.$currentPos, this.$currentPos);
     }
 
-    iSearch.highlightAndFindWithNeedle = function(moveToNext, needleUpdateFunc) {
+    this.highlightAndFindWithNeedle = function(moveToNext, needleUpdateFunc) {
         if (!this.$editor) return null;
         var options = this.$options;
 
         // get search term
-        if (needleUpdateFunc) options.needle = needleUpdateFunc(options.needle || '') || '';
+        if (needleUpdateFunc) {
+            options.needle = needleUpdateFunc.call(this, options.needle || '') || '';
+        }
         if (options.needle.length === 0) return this.cancelSearch(true);
 
         // try to find the next occurence and enable  highlighting marker
@@ -113,10 +118,11 @@ oop.inherits(IncrementalSearch, Search);
             session.highlight(options.re);
             this.$editor.renderer.updateBackMarkers();
         }
-        console.log("searching %s from [%s/%s]: %s",
-                    options.backwards ? 'backwards' : 'forwards',
-                    options.start.row, options.start.column,
-                    found ? found.toString() : 'found nothing');
+
+        var msg = options.backwards ? 'reverse-' : '';
+        msg += 'isearch: ' + options.needle;
+        if (!found) msg += ' (not found)';
+        this.message(msg);
 
         return found;
     }
@@ -127,64 +133,32 @@ oop.inherits(IncrementalSearch, Search);
         });
     }
 
-    iSearch.removeChar = function(c) {
+    this.removeChar = function(c) {
         return this.highlightAndFindWithNeedle(false, function(needle) {
             return needle.length > 0 ? needle.substring(0, needle.length-1) : needle;
         });
     }
 
-    iSearch.next = function(backwards) {
+    this.next = function(options) {
         // try to find the next occurence of whatever we have searched for
-        // earlier
-        this.$options.backwards = backwards;
+        // earlier.
+        // options = {[backwards: BOOL], [useCurrentOrPrevSearch: BOOL]}
+        options = options || {};
+        this.$options.backwards = !!options.backwards;
         this.$currentPos = this.$editor.getCursorPosition();
-        return this.highlightAndFindWithNeedle(true);
+        return this.highlightAndFindWithNeedle(true, function(needle) {
+            return options.useCurrentOrPrevSearch && needle.length === 0 ?
+                this.$prevNeedle || '' : needle;
+        });
     }
 
-    iSearch.installKeyboardHandler = function(editor) {
-        editor.keyBinding.addKeyboardHandler(this.$keyboardHandler);
-    }
-
-    iSearch.uninstallKeyboardHandler = function(editor) {
-        editor.keyBinding.removeKeyboardHandler(this.$keyboardHandler);
-    }
-
-    iSearch.message = function(msg) {
-        console.log(msg);
-        if (this.commandLine)
-            this.commandLine.setValue(msg, 1);
-    }
-
-    iSearch.handleKeyboard = function(data, hashId, key, keyCode) {
-        this.message("data: " + data + ", hashId: " + hashId + ", key: " + key + ", keyCode: " + keyCode);
-        var stop = {command: 'null'}, result = stop;
-
-        console.log(this.$options.needle);
-        if (hashId === 0) {
-            if (key === 'backspace') { this.removeChar(); result = stop; }
-            if (key === 'return') { this.deactivate(); this.message(''); return stop; }
-            if (key === 'esc') { this.deactivate(true); this.message(''); return stop; }
-            if (key === 'space') { this.addChar(" "); result = stop; }
-            if (key.length === 1) { this.addChar(key); result = stop; }
+    this.message = function(msg) {
+        var cmdLine = this.$editor && this.$editor.cmdLine;
+        if (cmdLine) {
+            cmdLine.setValue(msg, 1);
+        } else {
+            console.log(msg);
         }
-
-        if (hashId === 1) {
-            if (key === 's' || key === 'r') {
-                if (this.$options.needle.length === 0)
-                    this.$options.needle = this.$prevNeedle || '';
-                this.next(key === 'r');
-                result = stop;
-            }
-            if (key === 'g') { this.deactivate(true); this.message(''); return stop; }
-            // let others handle but don't deactivate iSearch
-            // stop.passEvent = true;
-            // return stop;
-        }
-
-        this.message((this.$options.backwards ? 'reverse-' : '') + 'isearch: ' + this.$options.needle);
-        // this.deactivate();
-
-        return result;
     }
 
 
diff --git a/lib/ace/incremental_search_test.js b/lib/ace/incremental_search_test.js
index ccabc051..4d064f75 100644
--- a/lib/ace/incremental_search_test.js
+++ b/lib/ace/incremental_search_test.js
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ module.exports = {
         range = iSearch.next(); // nothing to find
         testRanges("", [range], "range");
 
-        range = iSearch.next(true); // backwards
+        range = iSearch.next({backwards: true}); // backwards
         testRanges("Range: [1/5] -> [1/3]", [range], "range");
     },
 
@@ -147,9 +147,20 @@ module.exports = {
         testRanges("Range: [0/3] -> [0/5]", [range], "range");
         assert.position(editor.getCursorPosition(), 0, 5);
 
-        range = iSearch.next(true);
+        range = iSearch.next({backwards: true});
         testRanges("Range: [0/5] -> [0/3]", [range], "range");
         assert.position(editor.getCursorPosition(), 0, 3);
+    },
+
+    "test: reuse prev search via option" : function() {
+        iSearch.activate(editor);
+        iSearch.addChar('1'); iSearch.addChar('2');;
+        assert.position(editor.getCursorPosition(), 0, 5);
+        iSearch.deactivate();
+
+        iSearch.activate(editor);
+        iSearch.next({backwards: false, useCurrentOrPrevSearch: true});
+        assert.position(editor.getCursorPosition(), 1, 5);
     }
 
 };