diff --git a/lib/client.js b/lib/client.js
index c4aee6fe2..9fc843730 100644
--- a/lib/client.js
+++ b/lib/client.js
@@ -1792,7 +1792,8 @@ MatrixClient.prototype.paginateEventTimeline = function(eventTimeline, opts) {
         ).then(function(res) {
             var token = res.end;
             var matrixEvents = utils.map(res.chunk, self.getEventMapper());
-            room.addEventsToTimeline(matrixEvents, backwards, eventTimeline, token);
+            eventTimeline.getTimelineSet()
+                .addEventsToTimeline(matrixEvents, backwards, eventTimeline, token);
 
             // if we've hit the end of the timeline, we need to stop trying to
             // paginate. We need to keep the 'forwards' token though, to make sure
diff --git a/lib/models/room.js b/lib/models/room.js
index 61c809366..1af9cd18a 100644
--- a/lib/models/room.js
+++ b/lib/models/room.js
@@ -389,12 +389,10 @@ Room.prototype.getCanonicalAlias = function() {
  */
 Room.prototype.addEventsToTimeline = function(events, toStartOfTimeline,
                                               timeline, paginationToken) {
-    for (var i = 0; i < this._timelineSets.length; i++) {
-        this._timelineSets[i].addEventsToTimeline(
-            events, toStartOfTimeline,
-            timeline, paginationToken
-        );
-    }
+    timeline.getTimelineSet().addEventsToTimeline(
+        events, toStartOfTimeline,
+        timeline, paginationToken
+    );
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/sync.js b/lib/sync.js
index f4823c81c..27b17dc98 100644
--- a/lib/sync.js
+++ b/lib/sync.js
@@ -808,8 +808,12 @@ SyncApi.prototype._processSyncResponse = function(syncToken, data) {
         accountDataEvents.forEach(function(e) { client.emit("event", e); });
     });
 
-    // update the notification timeline, if appropriate
-    if (this._notifEvents.length) {
+    // update the notification timeline, if appropriate.
+    // we only do this for live events, as otherwise we can't order them sanely
+    // in the timeline relative to ones paginated in by /notifications.
+    // XXX: we could fix this by making EventTimeline support chronological
+    // ordering... but it doesn't, right now.
+    if (syncToken && this._notifEvents.length) {
         this._notifEvents.sort(function(a, b) {
             return a.getTs() - b.getTs();
         });