diff --git a/pd/nw/pdgui.js b/pd/nw/pdgui.js
index 7e90a25941a92a63259b6fee7f4e5af48794c3ab..2e6feb868798a16bc2d15b6a739c15272cf6c0df 100644
--- a/pd/nw/pdgui.js
+++ b/pd/nw/pdgui.js
@@ -6791,6 +6791,21 @@ function gui_canvas_get_overriding_scroll(cid) {
 
 exports.gui_canvas_get_overriding_scroll = gui_canvas_get_overriding_scroll;
 
+/* ico@vt.edu 20200920: this last variant that executes immediately
+   is needed for g_text.c when one displaces a text object and it
+   immediately activates and it falls outside the visible canvas bounds
+   this can trigger the object to have its activated box at an incorrect
+   location due to asynchronous behavior of other getscroll calls. Having
+   it here as a separate call as it may prove useful later in other contexts.
+*/
+
+function gui_canvas_get_immediate_scroll(cid) {
+    //post("gui_canvas_get_immediate_scroll");
+    do_getscroll(cid, 0);
+}
+
+exports.gui_canvas_get_immediate_scroll = gui_canvas_get_immediate_scroll;
+
 function do_optimalzoom(cid, hflag, vflag) {
     // determine an optimal zoom level that makes the entire patch fit within
     // the window
diff --git a/pd/src/g_all_guis.c b/pd/src/g_all_guis.c
index 1af9841ae27d20a162c37aa3e1c1e726efa38d18..dc6fced197c2a4c478c12094d319600571ec44ad 100644
--- a/pd/src/g_all_guis.c
+++ b/pd/src/g_all_guis.c
@@ -1474,6 +1474,17 @@ void scrollbar_update(t_glist *glist)
     canvas_getscroll(canvas);
 }
 
+/* ico@vt.edu 20200920: introduced for situation where getscroll
+needs to occur before the next command, e.g. automate. */
+void scrollbar_synchronous_update(t_glist *glist)
+{
+    // glist_getcanvas is probably not needed but not before we make
+    // sure that there are unneded calls of this kind being made by
+    // non-toplevel objects...
+    gui_vmess("gui_canvas_get_immediate_scroll",
+        "x", glist_getcanvas(glist));
+}
+
 void wb_init(t_widgetbehavior *wb, t_getrectfn gr, t_clickfn cl)
 {
     wb->w_getrectfn = gr;
diff --git a/pd/src/g_all_guis.h b/pd/src/g_all_guis.h
index d7dec83594539e657c83d8ce3079022d9ea03588..813d16604073ef1f84ec17dd31dff6fc66eb3c8a 100644
--- a/pd/src/g_all_guis.h
+++ b/pd/src/g_all_guis.h
@@ -285,6 +285,7 @@ EXTERN const char *iemgui_typeface(t_iemgui *x);
 
 EXTERN void iemgui_class_addmethods(t_class *c);
 EXTERN void scrollbar_update(t_glist *glist);
+EXTERN void scrollbar_synchronous_update(t_glist *glist);
 EXTERN void iemgui_init(t_iemgui *x, t_floatarg f);
 
 EXTERN void iemgui_out_bang(t_iemgui *x, int o, int chk_putin);
diff --git a/pd/src/g_editor.c b/pd/src/g_editor.c
index 50f8d035ca87cdd2b14f98c56e1721c33f68764b..86981dce54045aee7f7507e1a3237fbbdccf00d3 100644
--- a/pd/src/g_editor.c
+++ b/pd/src/g_editor.c
@@ -5216,12 +5216,12 @@ void canvas_mouseup(t_canvas *x,
     {
             /* after motion or resizing, if there's only one text item
                 selected, activate the text */
+        scrollbar_synchronous_update(x);
         if (x->gl_editor->e_selection &&
             !(x->gl_editor->e_selection->sel_next))
         {
             gobj_activate(x->gl_editor->e_selection->sel_what, x, 1);
         }
-        scrollbar_update(x);
     }
     else if (x->gl_editor->e_onmotion == MA_SCROLL)
     {