diff --git a/src/getchar.c b/src/getchar.c
index c7601ef..4134eb9 100644
--- a/src/getchar.c
+++ b/src/getchar.c
@@ -3056,7 +3056,10 @@
     ++vgetc_busy;
 
     if (advance)
+    {
 	KeyStuffed = FALSE;
+	typebuf_was_empty = FALSE;
+    }
 
     init_typebuf();
     start_stuff();
@@ -3361,6 +3364,10 @@
 #ifdef FEAT_CMDWIN
 		    tc = c;
 #endif
+		    // set a flag to indicate this wasn't a normal char
+		    if (advance)
+			typebuf_was_empty = TRUE;
+
 		    // return from main_loop()
 		    if (pending_exmode_active)
 			exmode_active = EXMODE_NORMAL;
diff --git a/src/globals.h b/src/globals.h
index 21fabdb..99ecefb 100644
--- a/src/globals.h
+++ b/src/globals.h
@@ -1206,6 +1206,10 @@
 		    = {NULL, NULL, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0}
 #endif
 		    ;
+// Flag used to indicate that vgetorpeek() returned a char like Esc when the
+// :normal argument was exhausted.
+EXTERN int	typebuf_was_empty INIT(= FALSE);
+
 EXTERN int	ex_normal_busy INIT(= 0);   // recursiveness of ex_normal()
 #ifdef FEAT_EVAL
 EXTERN int	in_feedkeys INIT(= 0);	    // ex_normal_busy set in feedkeys()
diff --git a/src/normal.c b/src/normal.c
index b1335a0..0ce0d4e 100644
--- a/src/normal.c
+++ b/src/normal.c
@@ -6808,11 +6808,11 @@
 #endif
     }
 #ifdef FEAT_CMDWIN
-    else if (cmdwin_type != 0 && ex_normal_busy)
+    else if (cmdwin_type != 0 && ex_normal_busy && typebuf_was_empty)
     {
 	// When :normal runs out of characters while in the command line window
-	// vgetorpeek() will return ESC.  Exit the cmdline window to break the
-	// loop.
+	// vgetorpeek() will repeatedly return ESC.  Exit the cmdline window to
+	// break the loop.
 	cmdwin_result = K_IGNORE;
 	return;
     }
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index 92b55ee..07b571d 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -732,6 +732,8 @@
 static int included_patches[] =
 {   /* Add new patch number below this line */
 /**/
+    234,
+/**/
     233,
 /**/
     232,