diff --git a/examples/circlegraph/src/di.config.ts b/examples/circlegraph/src/di.config.ts
index ced7dcbc..0fac292d 100644
--- a/examples/circlegraph/src/di.config.ts
+++ b/examples/circlegraph/src/di.config.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import {
     defaultModule, TYPES, configureViewerOptions, SGraphView, PolylineEdgeView, ConsoleLogger,
     LogLevel, WebSocketDiagramServer, boundsModule, moveModule, selectModule, undoRedoModule, viewportModule,
     LocalModelSource, exportModule, CircularNode, configureModelElement, SGraph, SEdge, updateModule,
-    graphModule, routingModule
+    graphModule, routingModule, modelSourceModule
 } from "../../../src";
 import { CircleNodeView } from "./views";
 
@@ -44,6 +44,6 @@ export default (useWebsocket: boolean) => {
 
     const container = new Container();
     container.load(defaultModule, selectModule, moveModule, boundsModule, undoRedoModule, viewportModule,
-        exportModule, updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, circlegraphModule);
+        exportModule, updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, modelSourceModule, circlegraphModule);
     return container;
 };
diff --git a/examples/classdiagram/src/di.config.ts b/examples/classdiagram/src/di.config.ts
index 94d1d7c2..54066fdc 100644
--- a/examples/classdiagram/src/di.config.ts
+++ b/examples/classdiagram/src/di.config.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {
     viewportModule, hoverModule, LocalModelSource, HtmlRootView, PreRenderedView, exportModule, expandModule,
     fadeModule, ExpandButtonView, buttonModule, edgeEditModule, SRoutingHandleView, PreRenderedElement,
     HtmlRoot, SGraph, configureModelElement, SLabel, SCompartment, SEdge, SButton, SRoutingHandle,
-    edgeLayoutModule, updateModule, graphModule, routingModule
+    edgeLayoutModule, updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, modelSourceModule
 } from "../../../src";
 import { ClassNodeView, IconView} from "./views";
 import { PopupModelProvider } from "./popup";
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ export default (useWebsocket: boolean, containerId: string) => {
     const container = new Container();
     container.load(defaultModule, selectModule, moveModule, boundsModule, undoRedoModule,
         viewportModule, fadeModule, hoverModule, exportModule, expandModule, buttonModule,
-        updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, edgeEditModule, edgeLayoutModule, classDiagramModule);
+        updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, edgeEditModule, edgeLayoutModule,
+        modelSourceModule, classDiagramModule);
     return container;
 };
diff --git a/examples/mindmap/src/di.config.ts b/examples/mindmap/src/di.config.ts
index df184412..ebbeb555 100644
--- a/examples/mindmap/src/di.config.ts
+++ b/examples/mindmap/src/di.config.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import {
     LogLevel, WebSocketDiagramServer, boundsModule, moveModule, selectModule, undoRedoModule,
     viewportModule, hoverModule, LocalModelSource, HtmlRootView, PreRenderedView, exportModule,
     expandModule, fadeModule, buttonModule, PreRenderedElement, SNode, SLabel, HtmlRoot,
-    configureModelElement, configureCommand, graphModule, updateModule, routingModule
+    configureModelElement, configureCommand, graphModule, updateModule, routingModule, modelSourceModule
 } from "../../../src";
 import { MindmapNodeView, PopupButtonView } from "./views";
 import { PopupButtonMouseListener, AddElementCommand, PopupModelProvider } from "./popup";
@@ -56,6 +56,6 @@ export default (useWebsocket: boolean, containerId: string) => {
     const container = new Container();
     container.load(defaultModule, selectModule, moveModule, boundsModule, undoRedoModule,
         viewportModule, fadeModule, hoverModule, exportModule, expandModule, buttonModule,
-        updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, mindmapModule);
+        updateModule, graphModule, routingModule, modelSourceModule, mindmapModule);
     return container;
 };
diff --git a/examples/multicore/src/di.config.ts b/examples/multicore/src/di.config.ts
index 555669e4..c8cbe828 100644
--- a/examples/multicore/src/di.config.ts
+++ b/examples/multicore/src/di.config.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import {
     SCompartmentView, SLabelView, defaultModule, TYPES, configureViewerOptions,
     ConsoleLogger, LogLevel, WebSocketDiagramServer, boundsModule, selectModule, viewportModule,
     moveModule, fadeModule, hoverModule, LocalModelSource, HtmlRootView, PreRenderedView,
-    exportModule, SvgExporter, configureView, graphModule, updateModule
+    exportModule, SvgExporter, configureView, graphModule, updateModule, modelSourceModule
 } from '../../../src';
 import { ChipModelFactory } from "./chipmodel-factory";
 import { ProcessorView, CoreView, CrossbarView, ChannelView, SimpleCoreView } from "./views";
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ export default (useWebsocket: boolean) => {
 
     const container = new Container();
     container.load(defaultModule, boundsModule, selectModule, moveModule, viewportModule, fadeModule,
-        exportModule, hoverModule, graphModule, updateModule, multicoreModule);
+        exportModule, hoverModule, graphModule, updateModule, modelSourceModule, multicoreModule);
 
     return container;
 };
diff --git a/examples/svg/src/di.config.ts b/examples/svg/src/di.config.ts
index 5779268e..369ca494 100644
--- a/examples/svg/src/di.config.ts
+++ b/examples/svg/src/di.config.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ import { Container, ContainerModule } from "inversify";
 import {
     defaultModule, TYPES, ConsoleLogger, LogLevel, boundsModule, moveModule, selectModule,
     undoRedoModule, viewportModule, hoverModule, LocalModelSource, PreRenderedView, SvgViewportView,
-    exportModule, ViewportRootElement, ShapedPreRenderedElement, configureModelElement
+    exportModule, ViewportRootElement, ShapedPreRenderedElement, configureModelElement,
+    modelSourceModule
 } from "../../../src";
 
 export default () => {
@@ -35,6 +36,6 @@ export default () => {
 
     const container = new Container();
     container.load(defaultModule, selectModule, moveModule, boundsModule, undoRedoModule, viewportModule,
-        hoverModule, exportModule, svgModule);
+        hoverModule, exportModule, modelSourceModule, svgModule);
     return container;
 };
diff --git a/src/features/move/move.ts b/src/features/move/move.ts
index 4599b174..ec75e9e0 100644
--- a/src/features/move/move.ts
+++ b/src/features/move/move.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ import { isSelectable } from "../select/model";
 import { SelectAction, SelectAllAction } from "../select/select";
 import { isViewport } from "../viewport/model";
 import { isLocateable, isMoveable, Locateable } from './model';
+import { CommitModelAction } from "../../model-source/commit-model";
 
 export class MoveAction implements Action {
     kind = MoveCommand.KIND;
@@ -497,6 +498,7 @@ export class MoveMouseListener extends MouseListener {
                 result.push(new DeleteElementAction(deleteIds));
             }
         }
+        result.push(new CommitModelAction());
         this.hasDragged = false;
         this.lastDragPosition = undefined;
         return result;
diff --git a/src/model-source/commit-model.ts b/src/model-source/commit-model.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..27ce55b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/model-source/commit-model.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+/********************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2019 TypeFox and others.
+ *
+ * This program and the accompanying materials are made available under the
+ * terms of the Eclipse Public License v. 2.0 which is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-2.0.
+ *
+ * This Source Code may also be made available under the following Secondary
+ * Licenses when the conditions for such availability set forth in the Eclipse
+ * Public License v. 2.0 are satisfied: GNU General Public License, version 2
+ * with the GNU Classpath Exception which is available at
+ * https://www.gnu.org/software/classpath/license.html.
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: EPL-2.0 OR GPL-2.0 WITH Classpath-exception-2.0
+ ********************************************************************************/
+
+import { injectable, inject } from "inversify";
+import { Command, CommandExecutionContext, CommandResult } from "../base/commands/command";
+import { TYPES } from "../base/types";
+import { ModelSource } from "./model-source";
+import { SModelRootSchema } from "../base/model/smodel";
+import { IModelFactory } from "../base/model/smodel-factory";
+
+/**
+ * Commit the current SModel back to the model source.
+ *
+ * The SModel (AKA internal model) contains a lot of dirty/transitional state, such
+ * as intermediate move postions or handles. When a user interaction that spans multiple
+ * commands finishes, it fires a CommitModelAction to write the final changes back to
+ * the model source.
+ */
+export class CommitModelAction {
+    kind = CommitModelCommand.KIND;
+}
+
+@injectable()
+export class CommitModelCommand extends Command {
+    static KIND = 'commitModel';
+
+    @inject(TYPES.IModelFactory) modelFactory: IModelFactory;
+    @inject(TYPES.ModelSource) modelSource: ModelSource;
+
+    originalModel: SModelRootSchema;
+    newModel: SModelRootSchema;
+
+    constructor(@inject(TYPES.Action) action: CommitModelAction) {
+        super();
+    }
+
+    execute(context: CommandExecutionContext): CommandResult {
+        this.newModel = this.modelFactory.createSchema(context.root);
+        this.originalModel = this.modelSource.commitModel(this.newModel);
+        return context.root;
+    }
+
+    undo(context: CommandExecutionContext): CommandResult {
+        this.modelSource.commitModel(this.originalModel);
+        return context.root;
+    }
+
+    redo(context: CommandExecutionContext): CommandResult {
+        this.modelSource.commitModel(this.newModel);
+        return context.root;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/model-source/di.config.ts b/src/model-source/di.config.ts
index 58f75872..15d3241d 100644
--- a/src/model-source/di.config.ts
+++ b/src/model-source/di.config.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 import { ContainerModule } from "inversify";
 import { TYPES } from "../base/types";
 import { ModelSource } from "./model-source";
+import { configureCommand } from "../base/commands/command-registration";
+import { CommitModelCommand } from "./commit-model";
 
 /**
  * This container module does NOT provide any binding for TYPES.ModelSource because that needs to be
@@ -31,6 +33,7 @@ const modelSourceModule = new ContainerModule((bind, _unbind, isBound) => {
             });
         };
     });
+    configureCommand({bind, isBound}, CommitModelCommand);
 });
 
 export default modelSourceModule;
diff --git a/src/model-source/diagram-server.ts b/src/model-source/diagram-server.ts
index d73be574..3d2f3528 100644
--- a/src/model-source/diagram-server.ts
+++ b/src/model-source/diagram-server.ts
@@ -219,4 +219,10 @@ export abstract class DiagramServer extends ModelSource {
     protected handleServerStateAction(action: ServerStatusAction): boolean {
         return false;
     }
+
+    commitModel(newRoot: SModelRootSchema): SModelRootSchema {
+        const previousRoot = this.currentRoot;
+        this.currentRoot = newRoot;
+        return previousRoot;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/model-source/local-model-source.ts b/src/model-source/local-model-source.ts
index ee7b0e6a..5a5980c6 100644
--- a/src/model-source/local-model-source.ts
+++ b/src/model-source/local-model-source.ts
@@ -107,6 +107,12 @@ export class LocalModelSource extends ModelSource {
         return this.submitModel(newRoot, false);
     }
 
+    commitModel(newRoot: SModelRootSchema): SModelRootSchema {
+        const previousRoot = this.currentRoot;
+        this.currentRoot = newRoot;
+        return previousRoot;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Apply an incremental update to the model with an animation showing the transition to
      * the new state. If `newRoot` is undefined, the current root is submitted; in that case
diff --git a/src/model-source/model-source.ts b/src/model-source/model-source.ts
index 80032150..5d059770 100644
--- a/src/model-source/model-source.ts
+++ b/src/model-source/model-source.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import { RequestModelAction } from "../base/features/set-model";
 import { TYPES } from "../base/types";
 import { ViewerOptions } from "../base/views/viewer-options";
 import { ExportSvgAction } from '../features/export/svg-exporter';
+import { SModelRootSchema } from "../base/model/smodel";
 
 /**
  * A model source is serving the model to the event cycle. It represents
@@ -58,4 +59,15 @@ export abstract class ModelSource implements IActionHandler {
     }
 
     abstract handle(action: Action): ICommand | Action | void;
+
+    /**
+     * Commit changes from the internal SModel back to the currentModel.
+     *
+     * Does not have any side effects such as triggering layout or bounds computation,
+     * as the internal model is already current. See <code>CommitModelAction</code>
+     * for details.
+     * @param newRoot the new model.
+     * @return the previous model.
+     */
+    abstract commitModel(newRoot: SModelRootSchema): SModelRootSchema;
 }