diff --git a/include/tree_sitter/parser.h b/include/tree_sitter/parser.h
index e3df0c34..f90259ad 100644
--- a/include/tree_sitter/parser.h
+++ b/include/tree_sitter/parser.h
@@ -268,34 +268,45 @@ static ts_lr_parser * ts_lr_parser_make() {
     result->stack = ts_stack_make();
     return result;
 }
-    
-static size_t ts_lr_parser_breakdown_stack(ts_lr_parser *parser, ts_input_edit *edit) {
-    if (parser->stack.size == 0) return 0;
-    
-    ts_tree *node = ts_stack_top_node(&parser->stack);
-    size_t left_position = 0;
-    size_t right_position = node->offset + node->size;
-    size_t child_count;
-    ts_tree ** children = ts_tree_children(node, &child_count);
 
-    while (right_position > edit->position || children) {
-        parser->stack.size--;
-        ts_tree *child;
-        for (size_t i = 0; i < child_count; i++) {
-            child = children[i];
-            right_position = left_position + child->offset + child->size;
-            ts_tree_retain(child);
-            state_id parse_state = ts_parse_actions[ts_stack_top_state(&parser->stack)][child->symbol].data.to_state;
-            ts_stack_push(&parser->stack, parse_state, child);
-            if (right_position >= edit->position) break;
-            left_position = right_position;
-        }
-        ts_tree_release(node);
-        node = child;
-        children = ts_tree_children(node, &child_count);
-    }
+static size_t ts_lr_parser_breakdown_stack(ts_lr_parser *parser, ts_input_edit *edit) {
+    if (!edit) return 0;
+
+    ts_tree *node;
+    size_t position;
     
-    return right_position;
+    for (;;) {
+        node = ts_stack_top_node(&parser->stack);
+        if (!node) break;
+
+        position = 0;
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < parser->stack.size; i++) {
+            ts_tree *node = parser->stack.entries[i].node;
+            position += node->offset + node->size;
+        }
+        
+        size_t child_count = 0;
+        ts_tree **children = ts_tree_children(node, &child_count);
+
+        if (position <= edit->position && !children) break;
+
+        parser->stack.size--;
+        position -= (node->offset + node->size);
+
+        for (size_t i = 0; i < child_count && position < edit->position; i++) {
+            ts_tree *child = children[i];
+
+            state_id state = ts_stack_top_state(&parser->stack);
+            state_id next_state = ts_parse_actions[state][child->symbol].data.to_state;
+            ts_stack_push(&parser->stack, next_state, child);
+            ts_tree_retain(child);
+            position += child->offset + child->size;
+        }
+
+        ts_tree_release(node);
+    }
+
+    return position;
 }
 
 static void ts_lr_parser_initialize(ts_lr_parser *parser, ts_input input, ts_input_edit *edit) {
diff --git a/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc b/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
index 7eae8984..7643a302 100644
--- a/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
+++ b/spec/runtime/parser_spec.cc
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ describe("incremental parsing", [&]() {
         })));
     });
 
-    describe("modifying the input", [&]() {
+    describe("modifying the end of the input", [&]() {
         before_each([&]() {
             size_t position(string("{ \"key\": [1, 2]").length());
             string inserted_text(", \"key2\": 4");
@@ -69,6 +69,39 @@ describe("incremental parsing", [&]() {
             AssertThat(reader->strings_read[1], Equals(", \"key2\": 4 }"));
         });
     });
+
+    describe("modifying the beginning of the input", [&]() {
+        before_each([&]() {
+            size_t position(string("{ ").length());
+            string inserted_text("\"key2\": 4, ");
+
+            reader->content.insert(position, inserted_text);
+            ts_document_edit(doc, {
+                .position = position,
+                .bytes_removed = 0,
+                .bytes_inserted = inserted_text.length()
+            });
+        });
+
+        it("2 updates the parse tree", [&]() {
+            AssertThat(string(ts_document_string(doc)), Equals(
+                "(value "
+                    "(object "
+                        "(string) "
+                        "(value (number)) "
+                        "(string) "
+                        "(value (array "
+                            "(value (number)) "
+                            "(value (number))))))"
+            ));
+        });
+
+        it_skip("re-reads only the changed portion of the input", [&]() {
+            AssertThat(reader->strings_read.size(), Equals<size_t>(2));
+            AssertThat(reader->strings_read[1], Equals("\"key2\": 4, "));
+        });
+    });
+
 });
 
 END_TEST
diff --git a/src/compiler/generate_code/c_code.cc b/src/compiler/generate_code/c_code.cc
index ffa33e8d..7b76dbff 100644
--- a/src/compiler/generate_code/c_code.cc
+++ b/src/compiler/generate_code/c_code.cc
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ namespace tree_sitter {
                 body += _default("LEX_PANIC();");
                 return _switch("LEX_STATE()", body);
             }
-            
+
             string symbol_count() {
                 return "#define TS_SYMBOL_COUNT " + to_string(parse_table.symbols.size());
             }
diff --git a/src/runtime/tree.c b/src/runtime/tree.c
index 37f223f3..87629b1c 100644
--- a/src/runtime/tree.c
+++ b/src/runtime/tree.c
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ int ts_tree_equals(const ts_tree *node1, const ts_tree *node2) {
 }
 
 ts_tree ** ts_tree_children(const ts_tree *tree, size_t *count) {
-    if (tree->symbol == ts_builtin_sym_error) {
+    if (!tree || tree->symbol == ts_builtin_sym_error) {
         if (count) *count = 0;
         return NULL;
     }
@@ -82,13 +82,13 @@ ts_tree ** ts_tree_children(const ts_tree *tree, size_t *count) {
 static size_t tree_write_to_string(const ts_tree *tree, const char **symbol_names, char *string, size_t limit, int is_beginning) {
     char *cursor = string;
     char **destination = (limit > 0) ? &cursor : &string;
-    
+
     if (!tree)
         return snprintf(*destination, limit, "(NULL)");
 
     if (!tree->is_hidden && !is_beginning)
         cursor += snprintf(*destination, limit, " ");
-        
+
     if (tree->symbol == ts_builtin_sym_error) {
         cursor += snprintf(*destination, limit, "(ERROR)");
         return cursor - string;
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ static size_t tree_write_to_string(const ts_tree *tree, const char **symbol_name
 
     if (!tree->is_hidden)
         cursor += snprintf(*destination, limit, ")");
-    
+
     return cursor - string;
 }