diff --git a/common/content/commandline.js b/common/content/commandline.js
index be38d08f..856652ec 100644
--- a/common/content/commandline.js
+++ b/common/content/commandline.js
@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ var CommandLine = Module("commandline", {
                 if (params.pop)
                     commandline.leave();
             },
-            mainMode: this.currentExtendedMode
+            keyModes: [this.currentExtendedMode]
         });
 
         this._keepCommand = false;
diff --git a/common/content/events.js b/common/content/events.js
index 3dbe77e9..dccdd66e 100644
--- a/common/content/events.js
+++ b/common/content/events.js
@@ -959,7 +959,7 @@ var Events = Module("events", {
                 if (overrideMode)
                     processors = [Events.KeyProcessor(overrideMode, mode.extended)];
                 else {
-                    let keyModes = array(mode.params.keyModes || []).concat([mode.params.mainMode, mode.main]).compact();
+                    let keyModes = array([mode.params.keyModes, mode.main, mode.main.allBases]).flatten().compact();
 
                     let hives = mappings.hives.slice(event.noremap ? -1 : 0);
 
@@ -972,7 +972,7 @@ var Events = Module("events", {
                                 input.preExecute = mode.params.preExecute;
                             if (mode.params.postExecute)
                                 input.postExecute = mode.params.postExecute;
-                            if (mode.params.onEvent && i == processors.length - 1)
+                            if (mode.params.onEvent && input.hive === mappings.builtinHive)
                                 input.fallthrough = function (event) {
                                     // Bloody hell.
                                     if (events.toString(event) === "<C-h>")
diff --git a/common/content/modes.js b/common/content/modes.js
index 965eb4b6..a2ce5612 100644
--- a/common/content/modes.js
+++ b/common/content/modes.js
@@ -35,12 +35,19 @@ var Modes = Module("modes", {
 
         this.boundProperties = {};
 
-        // main modes, only one should ever be active
+        this.addMode("BASE", {
+            char: "b",
+            description: "The base mode for most other modes"
+        });
         this.addMode("NORMAL", {
             char: "n",
             description: "Active when nothing is focused",
             display: function () null
         });
+        this.addMode("INPUT", {
+            char: "I",
+            description: "The base mode for input modes, including Insert and Command Line"
+        });
         this.addMode("INSERT", {
             char: "i",
             description: "Active when an input element is focused",
@@ -101,12 +108,14 @@ var Modes = Module("modes", {
         });
         this.addMode("PASS_THROUGH", {
             description: "All keys but <C-v> are ignored by " + config.appName,
+            bases: [],
             hidden: true
         });
 
         this.addMode("QUOTE", {
             hidden: true,
             description: "The next key sequence is ignored by " + config.appName + ", unless in Pass Through mode",
+            bases: [],
             display: function () modes.getStack(1).main == modes.PASS_THROUGH
                 ? (modes.getStack(2).main.display() || modes.getStack(2).main.name) + " (next)"
                 : "PASS THROUGH (next)"
@@ -151,7 +160,8 @@ var Modes = Module("modes", {
             input: true
         });
         this.addMode("IGNORE", { hidden: true }, {
-            onEvent: function (event) false
+            onEvent: function (event) false,
+            bases: []
         });
 
         this.push(this.NORMAL, 0, {
@@ -387,6 +397,21 @@ var Modes = Module("modes", {
             }, options);
         },
 
+        isinstance: function (obj)
+            this.allBases.indexOf(obj >= 0) || callable(obj) && this instanceof obj,
+
+        allBases: Class.memoize(function () {
+            let seen = {}, res = [], queue = this.bases;
+            for (let mode in array.iterValues(queue))
+                if (!set.add(seen, mode)) {
+                    res.push(mode);
+                    queue.push.apply(queue, mode.bases);
+                }
+            return res;
+        }),
+
+        get bases() this.input ? [modes.INPUT] : [modes.BASE],
+
         get toStringParams() [this.name],
 
         valueOf: function () this.id,
diff --git a/common/modules/base.jsm b/common/modules/base.jsm
index 868a3e46..5cdae2b1 100644
--- a/common/modules/base.jsm
+++ b/common/modules/base.jsm
@@ -417,12 +417,19 @@ var isinstance_types = {
     number: Number
 };
 function isinstance(targ, src) {
+    if (targ == null)
+        return false;
+
     src = Array.concat(src);
     for (var i = 0; i < src.length; i++) {
         if (typeof src[i] === "string") {
             if (objproto.toString.call(targ) === "[object " + src[i] + "]")
                 return true;
         }
+        else if ("isinstance" in targ) {
+            if (targ.isinstance(src[i]))
+                return true;
+        }
         else {
             if (targ instanceof src[i])
                 return true;
@@ -1317,8 +1324,7 @@ var array = Class("array", Array, {
      * @returns {Iterator(Object)}
      */
     iterValues: function iterValues(ary) {
-        let length = ary.length;
-        for (let i = 0; i < length; i++)
+        for (let i = 0; i < ary.length; i++)
             yield ary[i];
     },