diff --git a/content/base/src/nsGenericDOMDataNode.cpp b/content/base/src/nsGenericDOMDataNode.cpp
index 322b80105f8..43df0c8c23f 100644
--- a/content/base/src/nsGenericDOMDataNode.cpp
+++ b/content/base/src/nsGenericDOMDataNode.cpp
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ nsGenericDOMDataNode::UnbindFromTree(PRBool aDeep, PRBool aNullParent)
     // Notify XBL- & nsIAnonymousContentCreator-generated
     // anonymous content that the document is changing.
     // This is needed to update the insertion point.
-    document->BindingManager()->RemovedFromDocument(this, document);
+    document->BindingManager()->ChangeDocumentFor(this, document, nsnull);
   }
 
   mParentPtrBits = aNullParent ? 0 : mParentPtrBits & ~PARENT_BIT_INDOCUMENT;
diff --git a/content/base/src/nsGenericElement.cpp b/content/base/src/nsGenericElement.cpp
index 652a64c6401..c8872746278 100644
--- a/content/base/src/nsGenericElement.cpp
+++ b/content/base/src/nsGenericElement.cpp
@@ -2969,7 +2969,7 @@ nsGenericElement::UnbindFromTree(PRBool aDeep, PRBool aNullParent)
   if (document) {
     // Notify XBL- & nsIAnonymousContentCreator-generated
     // anonymous content that the document is changing.
-    document->BindingManager()->RemovedFromDocument(this, document);
+    document->BindingManager()->ChangeDocumentFor(this, document, nsnull);
 
     document->ClearBoxObjectFor(this);
   }
@@ -3766,7 +3766,7 @@ nsGenericElement::DestroyContent()
 {
   nsIDocument *document = GetOwnerDoc();
   if (document) {
-    document->BindingManager()->RemovedFromDocument(this, document);
+    document->BindingManager()->ChangeDocumentFor(this, document, nsnull);
     document->ClearBoxObjectFor(this);
   }
 
@@ -4327,8 +4327,9 @@ NS_IMPL_CYCLE_COLLECTION_UNLINK_BEGIN(nsGenericElement)
 
   {
     nsIDocument *doc;
-    if (!tmp->GetNodeParent() && (doc = tmp->GetOwnerDoc())) {
-      doc->BindingManager()->RemovedFromDocument(tmp, doc);
+    if (!tmp->GetNodeParent() && (doc = tmp->GetOwnerDoc()) &&
+        tmp->HasFlag(NODE_MAY_BE_IN_BINDING_MNGR)) {
+      doc->BindingManager()->ChangeDocumentFor(tmp, doc, nsnull);
     }
   }
 NS_IMPL_CYCLE_COLLECTION_UNLINK_END
diff --git a/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.cpp b/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.cpp
index 5a06be1ecf6..c8ae5bc500f 100644
--- a/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.cpp
+++ b/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.cpp
@@ -621,11 +621,17 @@ nsBindingManager::SetWrappedJS(nsIContent* aContent, nsIXPConnectWrappedJS* aWra
   return SetOrRemoveObject(mWrapperTable, aContent, aWrappedJS);
 }
 
-void
-nsBindingManager::RemovedFromDocumentInternal(nsIContent* aContent,
-                                              nsIDocument* aOldDocument)
+nsresult
+nsBindingManager::ChangeDocumentFor(nsIContent* aContent, nsIDocument* aOldDocument,
+                                    nsIDocument* aNewDocument)
 {
+  // XXXbz this code is pretty broken, since moving from one document
+  // to another always passes through a null document!
   NS_PRECONDITION(aOldDocument != nsnull, "no old document");
+  NS_PRECONDITION(!aNewDocument,
+                  "Changing to a non-null new document not supported yet");
+  if (! aOldDocument)
+    return NS_ERROR_NULL_POINTER;
 
   // Hold a ref to the binding so it won't die when we remove it from our
   // table.
@@ -644,14 +650,18 @@ nsBindingManager::RemovedFromDocumentInternal(nsIContent* aContent,
   }
 
   if (binding) {
-    binding->ChangeDocument(aOldDocument, nsnull);
+    binding->ChangeDocument(aOldDocument, aNewDocument);
     SetBinding(aContent, nsnull);
+    if (aNewDocument)
+      aNewDocument->BindingManager()->SetBinding(aContent, binding);
   }
 
   // Clear out insertion parents and content lists.
   SetInsertionParent(aContent, nsnull);
   SetContentListFor(aContent, nsnull);
   SetAnonymousNodesFor(aContent, nsnull);
+
+  return NS_OK;
 }
 
 nsIAtom*
diff --git a/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.h b/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.h
index c71ba37cde4..31bb3bfb831 100644
--- a/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.h
+++ b/content/xbl/src/nsBindingManager.h
@@ -84,22 +84,21 @@ public:
 
   /**
    * Notify the binding manager that an element
-   * has been removed from its document,
+   * has been moved from one document to another,
    * so that it can update any bindings or
    * nsIAnonymousContentCreator-created anonymous
    * content that may depend on the document.
    * @param aContent the element that's being moved
    * @param aOldDocument the old document in which the
-   *   content resided.
+   *   content resided. May be null if the the content
+   *   was not in any document.
+   * @param aNewDocument the document in which the
+   *   content will reside. May be null if the content
+   *   will not reside in any document, or if the
+   *   content is being destroyed.
    */
-  void RemovedFromDocument(nsIContent* aContent, nsIDocument* aOldDocument)
-  {
-    if (aContent->HasFlag(NODE_MAY_BE_IN_BINDING_MNGR)) {
-      RemovedFromDocumentInternal(aContent, aOldDocument);
-    }
-  }
-  void RemovedFromDocumentInternal(nsIContent* aContent,
-                                   nsIDocument* aOldDocument);
+  nsresult ChangeDocumentFor(nsIContent* aContent, nsIDocument* aOldDocument,
+                             nsIDocument* aNewDocument);
 
   nsIAtom* ResolveTag(nsIContent* aContent, PRInt32* aNameSpaceID);