diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/app/SpringSymbolIndex.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/app/SpringSymbolIndex.java
index 9630ede41..05b75530f 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/app/SpringSymbolIndex.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/app/SpringSymbolIndex.java
@@ -672,8 +672,6 @@ public class SpringSymbolIndex implements InitializingBean {
 			
 			try {
 				log.debug("updateItem {}. {},  {}, {}", project.getElementName(), updatedDoc.getDocURI(), updatedDoc.getLastModified(), indexer);
-				removeSymbolsByDoc(project, updatedDoc.getDocURI());
-
 				indexer.updateFile(project, updatedDoc);
 			} catch (Exception e) {
 				log.error("{}", e);
@@ -691,7 +689,6 @@ public class SpringSymbolIndex implements InitializingBean {
 			try {
 				for (UpdatedDoc doc : updatedDoc) {
 					log.debug("updateItem {}. {},  {}, {}", project.getElementName(), doc.getDocURI(), doc.getLastModified(), indexer);
-					removeSymbolsByDoc(project, doc.getDocURI());
 				}
 
 				indexer.updateFiles(project, updatedDoc);
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerJava.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerJava.java
index f81ca0fac..4bdeee6fc 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerJava.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerJava.java
@@ -144,7 +144,8 @@ public class SpringIndexerJava implements SpringIndexer {
 	public void updateFile(IJavaProject project, UpdatedDoc updatedDoc) throws Exception {
 		SymbolCacheKey cacheKey = getCacheKey(project);
 		if (updatedDoc != null && shouldProcessDocument(project, updatedDoc.getDocURI())
-				&& hasNewerModificationTimestamp(cacheKey, updatedDoc.getDocURI(), updatedDoc.getLastModified())) {
+				&& isCacheOutdated(cacheKey, updatedDoc.getDocURI(), updatedDoc.getLastModified())) {
+			this.symbolHandler.removeSymbols(project, updatedDoc.getDocURI());
 			scanFile(project, updatedDoc);
 		}
 	}
@@ -153,6 +154,11 @@ public class SpringIndexerJava implements SpringIndexer {
 	public void updateFiles(IJavaProject project, UpdatedDoc[] updatedDocs) throws Exception {
 		if (updatedDocs != null) {
 			UpdatedDoc[] docs = filterDocuments(project, updatedDocs);
+
+			for (UpdatedDoc updatedDoc : docs) {
+				this.symbolHandler.removeSymbols(project, updatedDoc.getDocURI());
+			}
+
 			scanFiles(project, docs);
 		}
 	}
@@ -160,7 +166,7 @@ public class SpringIndexerJava implements SpringIndexer {
 	private UpdatedDoc[] filterDocuments(IJavaProject project, UpdatedDoc[] updatedDocs) {
 		SymbolCacheKey cacheKey = getCacheKey(project);
 		return Arrays.stream(updatedDocs).filter(doc -> shouldProcessDocument(project, doc.getDocURI()))
-				.filter(doc -> hasNewerModificationTimestamp(cacheKey, doc.getDocURI(), doc.getLastModified())).toArray(UpdatedDoc[]::new);
+				.filter(doc -> isCacheOutdated(cacheKey, doc.getDocURI(), doc.getLastModified())).toArray(UpdatedDoc[]::new);
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -181,7 +187,7 @@ public class SpringIndexerJava implements SpringIndexer {
 				.isPresent();
 	}
 	
-	private boolean hasNewerModificationTimestamp(SymbolCacheKey cacheKey, String docURI, long modifiedTimestamp) {
+	private boolean isCacheOutdated(SymbolCacheKey cacheKey, String docURI, long modifiedTimestamp) {
 		long cachedModificationTImestamp = this.cache.getModificationTimestamp(cacheKey, UriUtil.toFileString(docURI));
 		return modifiedTimestamp > cachedModificationTImestamp;
 	}
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerXML.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerXML.java
index 02eb0e88f..110b73ff8 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerXML.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/main/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/SpringIndexerXML.java
@@ -141,6 +141,8 @@ public class SpringIndexerXML implements SpringIndexer {
 	@Override
 	public void updateFile(IJavaProject project, UpdatedDoc updatedDoc) throws Exception {
 
+		this.symbolHandler.removeSymbols(project, updatedDoc.getDocURI());
+
 		List<CachedSymbol> generatedSymbols = new ArrayList<CachedSymbol>();
 		String docURI = updatedDoc.getDocURI();
 
@@ -162,6 +164,8 @@ public class SpringIndexerXML implements SpringIndexer {
 		
 		for (UpdatedDoc updatedDoc : updatedDocs) {
 			String docURI = updatedDoc.getDocURI();
+			
+			this.symbolHandler.removeSymbols(project, docURI);
 
 			scanFile(project, updatedDoc.getContent().get(), docURI, updatedDoc.getLastModified(), generatedSymbols);
 	
diff --git a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/test/SpringIndexerMultipleFilesTest.java b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/test/SpringIndexerMultipleFilesTest.java
index a1286a6f0..d6c01a95a 100644
--- a/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/test/SpringIndexerMultipleFilesTest.java
+++ b/headless-services/spring-boot-language-server/src/test/java/org/springframework/ide/vscode/boot/java/utils/test/SpringIndexerMultipleFilesTest.java
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import org.junit.Test;
 import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
-import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Import;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.boot.app.SpringSymbolIndex;
 import org.springframework.ide.vscode.boot.bootiful.BootLanguageServerTest;
@@ -171,6 +170,9 @@ public class SpringIndexerMultipleFilesTest {
 
 		fileScanListener.assertScannedUris();
 		fileScanListener.assertScannedUri(unchangedDocURI, 0);
+		
+		List<? extends SymbolInformation> symbols = indexer.getSymbols(unchangedDocURI);
+		assertEquals(2, symbols.size());
 	}
 
 	@Test
@@ -203,6 +205,9 @@ public class SpringIndexerMultipleFilesTest {
 			assertTrue(containsSymbol(symbols1, "@/mapping1-CHANGED", doc1URI, 6, 1, 6, 36));
 			assertTrue(containsSymbol(symbols1, "@/mapping2", doc1URI, 11, 1, 11, 28));
 			
+			List<? extends SymbolInformation> symbols2 = indexer.getSymbols(doc2URI);
+			assertEquals(3, symbols2.size());
+
 			List<? extends SymbolInformation> symbols3 = indexer.getSymbols(doc3URI);
 			assertTrue(containsSymbol(symbols3, "@/classlevel-CHANGED/mapping-subpackage", doc3URI, 7, 1, 7, 38));