diff --git a/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-02.js b/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-02.js
index 94c561e2efb..85c52e1b524 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-02.js
+++ b/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-02.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
    http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ */
 
 /**
- * Tests that creating, collpasing and expanding variables in the
+ * Tests that creating, collapsing and expanding variables in the
  * variables view works as expected.
  */
 
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ function test() {
 
     ok(testScope,
       "Should have created a scope.");
-    is(duplVar, null,
+    is(duplVar, testVar,
       "Shouldn't be able to duplicate variables in the same scope.");
 
     ok(testVar,
diff --git a/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-01.js b/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-01.js
index 9c6f28bd7c2..6aed9a15a68 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-01.js
+++ b/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-01.js
@@ -96,8 +96,9 @@ function testVariablesAndPropertiesFiltering() {
   }
 
   function firstFilter() {
+    let expanded = once(gVariables, "fetched");
     typeText(gSearchBox, "constructor");
-    testFiltered();
+    return expanded.then(testFiltered);
   }
 
   function secondFilter() {
@@ -128,13 +129,13 @@ function testVariablesAndPropertiesFiltering() {
     is(constr2Var.expanded, false,
       "The constr2Var should not be expanded.");
 
+    let expanded = once(gVariables, "fetched");
     clearText(gSearchBox);
     typeText(gSearchBox, "constructor");
-    testFiltered();
+    expanded.then(testFiltered);
   }
 
-  firstFilter();
-  secondFilter();
+  firstFilter().then(secondFilter);
 }
 
 function prepareVariablesAndProperties() {
diff --git a/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-02.js b/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-02.js
index ccb74fbd3f6..5bb55e1c48b 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-02.js
+++ b/browser/devtools/debugger/test/browser_dbg_variables-view-filter-02.js
@@ -103,8 +103,9 @@ function testVariablesAndPropertiesFiltering() {
   }
 
   function firstFilter() {
+    let expanded = once(gVariables, "fetched");
     typeText(gSearchBox, "\"Function\"");
-    testFiltered();
+    return expanded.then(testFiltered);
   }
 
   function secondFilter() {
@@ -136,12 +137,12 @@ function testVariablesAndPropertiesFiltering() {
       "The constr2Var should not be expanded.");
 
     backspaceText(gSearchBox, 10);
+    let expanded = once(gVariables, "fetched");
     typeText(gSearchBox, "\"Function\"");
-    testFiltered();
+    expanded.then(testFiltered);
   }
 
-  firstFilter();
-  secondFilter();
+  firstFilter().then(secondFilter);
 }
 
 function prepareVariablesAndProperties() {
diff --git a/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesView.jsm b/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesView.jsm
index 03a6e5821d1..31495ffbe12 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesView.jsm
+++ b/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesView.jsm
@@ -550,11 +550,22 @@ VariablesView.prototype = {
    */
   _doSearch: function(aToken) {
     if (this.controller.supportsSearch()) {
-      this.empty();
-      let scope = this.addScope(aToken);
-      scope.expanded = true; // Expand the scope by default.
-      scope.locked = true; // Prevent collapsing the scope.
+      // Retrieve the main Scope in which we add attributes
+      let scope = this._store[0]._store.get("");
+      if (!aToken) {
+        // Prune the view from old previous content
+        // so that we delete the intermediate search results
+        // we created in previous searches
+        for (let property of scope._store.values()) {
+          property.remove();
+        }
+      }
+      // Retrieve new attributes eventually hidden in splits
       this.controller.performSearch(scope, aToken);
+      // Filter already displayed attributes
+      if (aToken) {
+        scope._performSearch(aToken.toLowerCase());
+      }
       return;
     }
     for (let scope of this._store) {
@@ -1288,7 +1299,7 @@ Scope.prototype = {
    */
   addItem: function(aName = "", aDescriptor = {}, aRelaxed = false) {
     if (this._store.has(aName) && !aRelaxed) {
-      return null;
+      return this._store.get(aName);
     }
 
     let child = this._createChild(aName, aDescriptor);
diff --git a/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesViewController.jsm b/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesViewController.jsm
index 670d16ea929..4f030d902f8 100644
--- a/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesViewController.jsm
+++ b/browser/devtools/shared/widgets/VariablesViewController.jsm
@@ -637,7 +637,10 @@ VariablesViewController.prototype = {
    *        The query string
    */
   performSearch: function(aScope, aToken) {
-    this._populateFromObjectWithIterator(aScope, this.objectActor, aToken);
+    this._populateFromObjectWithIterator(aScope, this.objectActor, aToken)
+        .then(() => {
+          this.view.emit("fetched", "search", aScope);
+        });
   },
 
   /**