diff --git a/spec/app/window-spec.coffee b/spec/app/window-spec.coffee
index 825eefb4c..ff82cc5fa 100644
--- a/spec/app/window-spec.coffee
+++ b/spec/app/window-spec.coffee
@@ -109,3 +109,9 @@ describe "Window", ->
       shutdown()
 
       expect(editor1.getBuffer().subscriptionCount()).toBe 0
+
+    it "only serializes window state the first time it is called", ->
+      deactivateSpy = spyOn(atom, "setRootViewStateForPath").andCallThrough()
+      window.shutdown()
+      window.shutdown()
+      expect(atom.setRootViewStateForPath.callCount).toBe 1
diff --git a/src/app/window.coffee b/src/app/window.coffee
index 59135f8e2..b181d4f0a 100644
--- a/src/app/window.coffee
+++ b/src/app/window.coffee
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ require 'underscore-extensions'
 require 'space-pen-extensions'
 
 deserializers = {}
+wasShutdown = false
 
 windowAdditions =
   rootViewParentSelector: 'body'
@@ -68,6 +69,8 @@ windowAdditions =
     $(rootViewParentSelector).append(rootView)
 
   shutdown: ->
+    return if wasShutdown
+    wasShutdown = true
     atom.setWindowState('pathToOpen', project.getPath())
     atom.setRootViewStateForPath project.getPath(),
       project: project.serialize()