diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 7f14dd4..df7f76c 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ name = "codemp_client"
 crate-type = ["cdylib"]
 
 [dependencies]
-codemp = { git = "ssh://git@github.com/codewithotherpeopleandchangenamelater/codemp.git", tag="v0.5.0"}
+codemp = { git = "ssh://git@github.com/codewithotherpeopleandchangenamelater/codemp.git", tag="v0.5.1"}
 pyo3 = { version = "0.20", features = ["extension-module"] }
 pyo3-asyncio = { version = "0.20", features = ["tokio-runtime"] }
 tokio = "1.29.1"
diff --git a/bindings/codemp_client.cpython-38-darwin.so.REMOVED.git-id b/bindings/codemp_client.cpython-38-darwin.so.REMOVED.git-id
index b93438c..5c4edd1 100644
--- a/bindings/codemp_client.cpython-38-darwin.so.REMOVED.git-id
+++ b/bindings/codemp_client.cpython-38-darwin.so.REMOVED.git-id
@@ -1 +1 @@
-55ed2ebf31cde48dafa1993cd5227bbe01669172
\ No newline at end of file
+ef547495939b20dc50fcf0505d8ebd77dc3721f1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/plugin.py b/plugin.py
index 7713a4a..b259af7 100644
--- a/plugin.py
+++ b/plugin.py
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ import sublime_plugin
 
 # import Codemp.codemp_client as codemp
 from Codemp.src.codemp_client import *
+
+# we import the PyTextChange type to be able to access its @classmethods: from_diff and index_to_rowcol
+# PyTextChange instances are not meant to be created from python, but only received immutable from codemp.
+from Codemp.bindings.codemp_client import PyTextChange
+
 import Codemp.ext.sublime_asyncio as sublime_asyncio
 import asyncio
 import os
@@ -272,6 +277,10 @@ class CodempSublimeBuffer():
 			while text_change := await self.controller.recv():
 				# In case a change arrives to a background buffer, just apply it. We are not listening on it.
 				# Otherwise, interrupt the listening to avoid echoing back the change just received.
+				if text_change.is_empty():
+					status_log("change is empty. skipping.")
+					continue
+
 				active = is_active(self.view)
 				if active:
 					safe_listener_detach(_txt_change_listener)
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 7bb8215..2f30211 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use codemp::errors::Error as CodempError;
 use pyo3::{
     prelude::*,
     exceptions::{PyConnectionError, PyRuntimeError, PyBaseException}, 
-    types::PyString,
+    types::{PyString, PyType},
 };
 
 struct PyCodempError(CodempError);
@@ -324,21 +324,60 @@ impl From<CodempCursorEvent> for PyCursorEvent {
     }
 }
 
-#[pyclass]
-struct PyTextChange {
-    #[pyo3(get, set)]
-    start_incl: usize,
-    
-    #[pyo3(get, set)]
-    end_excl: usize,
+// TODO: change the python text change to hold a wrapper to the original text change, with helper getter
+// and setters for unpacking the span, instead of a flattened version of text change.
 
-    #[pyo3(get, set)]
-    content: String
-}
+#[pyclass]
+struct PyTextChange(CodempTextChange);
 
 impl From<CodempTextChange> for PyTextChange {
     fn from(value: CodempTextChange) -> Self {
-        PyTextChange { start_incl: value.span.start, end_excl: value.span.end, content: value.content }
+        PyTextChange(value)
+    }
+}
+
+#[pymethods]
+impl PyTextChange {
+
+    #[getter]
+    fn start_incl(&self) -> PyResult<usize> {
+        Ok(self.0.span.start)
+    }
+
+    #[getter]
+    fn end_excl(&self) -> PyResult<usize> {
+        Ok(self.0.span.end)
+    }
+
+    #[getter]
+    fn content(&self) -> PyResult<String> {
+        Ok(self.0.content.clone())
+    }
+
+    fn is_deletion(&self) -> bool {
+        self.0.is_deletion()
+    }
+
+    fn is_addition(&self) -> bool {
+        self.0.is_addition()
+    }
+
+    fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        self.0.is_empty()
+    }
+
+    fn apply(&self, txt: &str) -> String {
+        self.0.apply(txt)
+    }
+
+    #[classmethod]
+    fn from_diff(_cls: &PyType, before: &str, after: &str) -> PyTextChange {
+        PyTextChange(CodempTextChange::from_diff(before, after))
+    }
+
+    #[classmethod]
+    fn index_to_rowcol(_cls: &PyType, txt: &str, index: usize) -> (i32, i32) {
+        CodempTextChange::index_to_rowcol(txt, index).into()
     }
 }