diff --git a/pkg/gui/main_panels.go b/pkg/gui/main_panels.go
index 4a3a42491..566993a0f 100644
--- a/pkg/gui/main_panels.go
+++ b/pkg/gui/main_panels.go
@@ -162,10 +162,19 @@ func (gui *Gui) clampDiffSelectionToContent(view *gocui.View) {
 }
 
 // clearMainView empties a pane that is being given nothing to show, selection and all.
+//
+// An emptied pane is showing nothing, so it also goes back to the top and stops
+// claiming the render it was showing: whatever it is given next is content the user
+// hasn't seen there, and is shown from the top like any other.
 func (gui *Gui) clearMainView(mainContext types.Context) {
-	mainContext.GetView().Clear()
+	view := mainContext.GetView()
+	view.Clear()
+	view.SetOrigin(0, 0)
 	mainContext.SetHasSelectableContent(false)
 	gui.State.ContextMgr.UpdateSelectionHighlights()
+	if manager := gui.getViewBufferManagerForView(view); manager != nil {
+		manager.ForgetRenderedContent()
+	}
 }
 
 // updateDiffSelectionVisibility works out whether a main pane holds anything for a
diff --git a/pkg/integration/tests/file/pane_shown_again_starts_at_the_top.go b/pkg/integration/tests/file/pane_shown_again_starts_at_the_top.go
index 1219543f8..3fc38c584 100644
--- a/pkg/integration/tests/file/pane_shown_again_starts_at_the_top.go
+++ b/pkg/integration/tests/file/pane_shown_again_starts_at_the_top.go
@@ -56,9 +56,6 @@ var PaneShownAgainStartsAtTheTop = NewIntegrationTest(NewIntegrationTestArgs{
 		t.Views().Secondary().
 			IsVisible().
 			Content(Contains("+LINE40")).
-			/* EXPECTED:
 			OriginY(0)
-			ACTUAL: */
-			OriginYAtLeast(1)
 	},
 })
diff --git a/pkg/tasks/tasks.go b/pkg/tasks/tasks.go
index 427fd894f..cbabc868f 100644
--- a/pkg/tasks/tasks.go
+++ b/pkg/tasks/tasks.go
@@ -251,6 +251,17 @@ func (self *ViewBufferManager) GetTaskKey() string {
 	return self.taskKey
 }
 
+// ForgetRenderedContent records that the view no longer shows the render whose key it
+// is holding, because it has been emptied. The key says what the view is showing, and
+// the next task is compared against it to tell whether that task renders something
+// new. A view with nothing in it is showing nothing, so whatever comes next is new.
+func (self *ViewBufferManager) ForgetRenderedContent() {
+	self.taskIDMutex.Lock()
+	defer self.taskIDMutex.Unlock()
+
+	self.taskKey = ""
+}
+
 func NewViewBufferManager(
 	log *logrus.Entry,
 	writer io.Writer,
diff --git a/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go b/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go
index 4aa3a39d7..31c9a09d3 100644
--- a/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go
+++ b/pkg/tasks/tasks_test.go
@@ -610,6 +610,50 @@ func TestKeepScrollPositionForNextTask(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.EqualValues(t, 0, beforeStartCount.Load())
 }
 
+// A view that has been emptied is showing nothing, so the render it was showing is no
+// longer the one to compare the next task against: running the same command again is
+// putting content into the view that isn't there any more, and starts from the top.
+func TestForgetRenderedContent(t *testing.T) {
+	resetOrigin, getResetOriginCallCount := getCounter()
+
+	manager := NewViewBufferManager(
+		utils.NewDummyLog(),
+		io.Discard,
+		func() {}, // beforeStart
+		func() {}, // refreshView
+		func() {}, // onEndOfInput
+		resetOrigin,
+		func() {}, // beginRender
+		func() {}, // swapInRender
+		func() gocui.Task { return gocui.NewFakeTask() },
+		// no UI thread in the test; run the view mutations inline
+		func(f func()) error { f(); return nil },
+	)
+
+	runTaskToCompletion := func(key string) {
+		start := func() (Cmd, io.Reader) {
+			// not actually starting this because it's not necessary
+			return ExecCmd{Cmd: exec.Command("blah")}, &BlankLineReader{totalLinesToYield: 3}
+		}
+		done := make(chan struct{})
+		_ = manager.NewTask(
+			manager.NewCmdTask(start, "", LinesToRead{100, 50, nil}, func() { close(done) }), key)
+		<-done
+	}
+
+	runTaskToCompletion("cmd1")
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, getResetOriginCallCount())
+
+	// Rendering the same command's output again leaves the view where it is, that being
+	// what it already shows.
+	runTaskToCompletion("cmd1")
+	assert.Equal(t, 1, getResetOriginCallCount())
+
+	manager.ForgetRenderedContent()
+	runTaskToCompletion("cmd1")
+	assert.Equal(t, 2, getResetOriginCallCount(), "an emptied view is shown its content afresh")
+}
+
 func TestNewCmdTaskRefresh(t *testing.T) {
 	type scenario struct {
 		name                        string