diff --git a/src/autocomplete/RoomProvider.js b/src/autocomplete/RoomProvider.js
index 7f0e8f47d2..1934f572fb 100644
--- a/src/autocomplete/RoomProvider.js
+++ b/src/autocomplete/RoomProvider.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export default class RoomProvider extends AutocompleteProvider {
                     ),
                     range,
                 };
-            }).slice(0, 4);
+            }).filter(completion => !!completion.completion && completion.completion.length > 0).slice(0, 4);
         }
         return completions;
     }
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/Autocomplete.js b/src/components/views/rooms/Autocomplete.js
index 278405c743..8a32883404 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/Autocomplete.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/Autocomplete.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import flatMap from 'lodash/flatMap';
 import isEqual from 'lodash/isEqual';
 import sdk from '../../../index';
 import type {Completion, SelectionRange} from '../../../autocomplete/Autocompleter';
+import Q from 'q';
 
 import {getCompletions} from '../../../autocomplete/Autocompleter';
 
@@ -140,12 +141,15 @@ export default class Autocomplete extends React.Component {
     }
 
     forceComplete() {
+        const done = Q.defer();
         this.setState({
             forceComplete: true,
         }, () => {
-            this.complete(this.props.query, this.props.selection);
-            setTimeout(() => this.onDownArrow(), 50); // FIXME HACK
+            this.complete(this.props.query, this.props.selection).then(() => {
+                done.resolve();
+            });
         });
+        return done.promise;
     }
 
     /** called from MessageComposerInput
diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposerInput.js b/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposerInput.js
index be13cca549..c6c0ce9621 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposerInput.js
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/MessageComposerInput.js
@@ -595,7 +595,9 @@ export default class MessageComposerInput extends React.Component {
         e.preventDefault(); // we *never* want tab's default to happen, but we do want up/down sometimes
         const didTab = await (e.shiftKey ? this.onUpArrow : this.onDownArrow)(e);
         if (!didTab && this.autocomplete) {
-            this.autocomplete.forceComplete();
+            this.autocomplete.forceComplete().then(() => {
+                this.onDownArrow(e);
+            });
         }
     }