diff --git a/src/vs/editor/node/languageConfiguration.ts b/src/vs/editor/node/languageConfiguration.ts
index eaf20caa26177..02e20dc20da98 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/node/languageConfiguration.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/node/languageConfiguration.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import { LanguageConfigurationRegistry } from 'vs/editor/common/modes/languageCo
 import { Extensions, IJSONContributionRegistry } from 'vs/platform/jsonschemas/common/jsonContributionRegistry';
 import { Registry } from 'vs/platform/platform';
 import { IJSONSchema } from 'vs/base/common/jsonSchema';
+import { MainProcessTextMateSyntax } from 'vs/editor/node/textMate/TMSyntax';
 
 type CharacterPair = [string, string];
 
@@ -32,31 +33,28 @@ interface ILanguageConfiguration {
 export class LanguageConfigurationFileHandler {
 
 	private _modeService: IModeService;
+	private _done: { [modeId: string]: boolean; };
 
 	constructor(
+		tmSyntax: MainProcessTextMateSyntax,
 		@IModeService modeService: IModeService
 	) {
 		this._modeService = modeService;
+		this._done = Object.create(null);
 
-		this._handleModes(this._modeService.getRegisteredModes());
-		this._modeService.onDidAddModes((modes) => this._handleModes(modes));
+		// Listen for hints that a language configuration is needed/usefull and then load it once
+		this._modeService.onDidCreateMode((mode) => this._loadConfigurationsForMode(mode.getId()));
+		tmSyntax.onDidEncounterLanguage((language) => this._loadConfigurationsForMode(language));
 	}
 
-	private _handleModes(modes: string[]): void {
-		modes.forEach(modeId => this._handleMode(modeId));
-	}
-
-	private _handleMode(modeId: string): void {
-		let disposable = this._modeService.onDidCreateMode((mode) => {
-			if (mode.getId() !== modeId) {
-				return;
-			}
-
-			let configurationFiles = this._modeService.getConfigurationFiles(modeId);
-			configurationFiles.forEach((configFilePath) => this._handleConfigFile(modeId, configFilePath));
+	private _loadConfigurationsForMode(modeId: string): void {
+		if (this._done[modeId]) {
+			return;
+		}
+		this._done[modeId] = true;
 
-			disposable.dispose();
-		});
+		let configurationFiles = this._modeService.getConfigurationFiles(modeId);
+		configurationFiles.forEach((configFilePath) => this._handleConfigFile(modeId, configFilePath));
 	}
 
 	private _handleConfigFile(modeId: string, configFilePath: string): void {
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/node/textMate/TMSyntax.ts b/src/vs/editor/node/textMate/TMSyntax.ts
index f02db32f4aad8..96f738fb8a6cb 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/node/textMate/TMSyntax.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/node/textMate/TMSyntax.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import * as nls from 'vs/nls';
 import { onUnexpectedError } from 'vs/base/common/errors';
 import * as paths from 'vs/base/common/paths';
 import * as strings from 'vs/base/common/strings';
+import Event, { Emitter } from 'vs/base/common/event';
 import { IExtensionMessageCollector, ExtensionsRegistry } from 'vs/platform/extensions/common/extensionsRegistry';
 import { ILineTokens, ITokenizationSupport, TokenizationRegistry } from 'vs/editor/common/modes';
 import { TMState } from 'vs/editor/common/modes/TMState';
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@ export interface ITMSyntaxExtensionPoint {
 	injectTo: string[];
 }
 
-// @martin TS(2.0.2) - Type IJsonSchema has no defined property require. Keeping semantic using any cast
+// TODO@Martin TS(2.0.2) - Type IJsonSchema has no defined property require. Keeping semantic using any cast
 let grammarsExtPoint = ExtensionsRegistry.registerExtensionPoint<ITMSyntaxExtensionPoint[]>('grammars', <any>{
 	description: nls.localize('vscode.extension.contributes.grammars', 'Contributes textmate tokenizers.'),
 	type: 'array',
@@ -61,11 +62,16 @@ export class TMScopeRegistry {
 
 	private _scopeNameToFilePath: { [scopeName: string]: string; };
 	private _scopeNameToLanguage: { [scopeName: string]: string; };
+	private _encounteredLanguages: { [language: string]: boolean; };
 	private _cachedScopesRegex: RegExp;
 
+	private _onDidEncounterLanguage: Emitter<string> = new Emitter<string>();
+	public onDidEncounterLanguage: Event<string> = this._onDidEncounterLanguage.event;
+
 	constructor() {
 		this._scopeNameToFilePath = Object.create(null);
 		this._scopeNameToLanguage = Object.create(null);
+		this._encounteredLanguages = Object.create(null);
 		this._cachedScopesRegex = null;
 	}
 
@@ -111,7 +117,13 @@ export class TMScopeRegistry {
 			return null;
 		}
 
-		return this._scopeNameToLanguage[m[1]] || null;
+		let language = this._scopeNameToLanguage[m[1]] || null;
+		if (language && !this._encounteredLanguages[language]) {
+			this._encounteredLanguages[language] = true;
+			this._onDidEncounterLanguage.fire(language);
+		}
+
+		return language;
 	}
 }
 
@@ -121,11 +133,14 @@ export class MainProcessTextMateSyntax {
 	private _scopeRegistry: TMScopeRegistry;
 	private _injections: { [scopeName: string]: string[]; };
 
+	public onDidEncounterLanguage: Event<string>;
+
 	constructor(
 		@IModeService modeService: IModeService
 	) {
 		this._modeService = modeService;
 		this._scopeRegistry = new TMScopeRegistry();
+		this.onDidEncounterLanguage = this._scopeRegistry.onDidEncounterLanguage;
 		this._injections = {};
 
 		this._grammarRegistry = new Registry({
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.contribution.ts b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.contribution.ts
index 0c08d17a79612..084e049ff3d8e 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.contribution.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/api/node/extHost.contribution.ts
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ export class ExtHostContribution implements IWorkbenchContribution {
 		col.finish(true, this.threadService);
 
 		// Other interested parties
-		create(MainProcessTextMateSyntax);
+		let tmSyntax = create(MainProcessTextMateSyntax);
 		create(MainProcessTextMateSnippet);
 		create(JSONValidationExtensionPoint);
-		create(LanguageConfigurationFileHandler);
+		this.instantiationService.createInstance(LanguageConfigurationFileHandler, tmSyntax);
 		create(MainThreadFileSystemEventService);
 		create(SaveParticipant);
 	}