diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
index 0d746cc85a..725982c94f 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/activity.js
@@ -295,6 +295,8 @@ function reset_jquery() {
     $('#user_presences li.user_sidebar_entry.narrow-filter').last = function () {
         return $('li.user_sidebar_entry[data-user-id="' + user_order[user_count - 1] + '"]');
     };
+
+    buddy_list.container = $('#user_presences');
 }
 
 reset_jquery();
@@ -353,11 +355,25 @@ reset_jquery();
     ]);
 }());
 
+function simulate_list_items(items) {
+    const list = {
+        length: items.length,
+        eq: (i) => items[i],
+    };
+    $('#user_presences').set_find_results('li.user_sidebar_entry', list);
+}
+
+function buddy_list_add(user_id, stub) {
+    const sel = `li.user_sidebar_entry[data-user-id='${user_id}']`;
+    $('#user_presences').set_find_results(sel, stub);
+}
+
 (function test_PM_update_dom_counts() {
     const value = $.create('alice-value');
     const count = $.create('alice-count');
     const pm_key = alice.user_id.toString();
-    const li = $("li.user_sidebar_entry[data-user-id='" + pm_key + "']");
+    const li = $.create('alice stub');
+    buddy_list_add(pm_key, li);
     count.set_find_results('.value', value);
     li.set_find_results('.count', count);
     count.set_parent(li);
@@ -566,78 +582,87 @@ presence.presence_info[zoe.user_id] = { status: activity.ACTIVE };
 (function test_insert_one_user_into_empty_list() {
     const alice_li = $.create('alice list item');
 
-    // These selectors are here to avoid some short-circuit logic.
-    $('#user_presences').set_find_results('[data-user-id="1"]', alice_li);
-
     let appended_html;
     $('#user_presences').append = function (html) {
         appended_html = html;
+        buddy_list_add(alice.user_id, alice_li);
     };
 
-    $.stub_selector('#user_presences li', {
-        toArray: () => [],
-    });
+    var removed;
+    const remove_stub = {
+        remove: () => {
+            removed = true;
+        },
+    };
+    buddy_list_add(alice.user_id, remove_stub);
+
+    simulate_list_items([]);
     activity.insert_user_into_list(alice.user_id);
     assert(appended_html.indexOf('data-user-id="1"') > 0);
     assert(appended_html.indexOf('user_active') > 0);
+    assert(removed);
 }());
 
+reset_jquery();
+
 (function test_insert_fred_after_alice() {
+    const alice_li = $.create('alice list item');
     const fred_li = $.create('fred list item');
 
-    // These selectors are here to avoid some short-circuit logic.
-    $('#user_presences').set_find_results('[data-user-id="2"]', fred_li);
+    alice_li.attr('data-user-id', alice.user_id);
 
     let appended_html;
     $('#user_presences').append = function (html) {
         appended_html = html;
+        buddy_list_add(fred.user_id, fred_li);
     };
 
-    $('<fake html for alice>').attr = function (attr_name) {
-        assert.equal(attr_name, 'data-user-id');
-        return alice.user_id;
-    };
-
-    $.stub_selector('#user_presences li', {
-        toArray: function () {
-            return [
-                '<fake html for alice>',
-            ];
+    var removed;
+    const remove_stub = {
+        remove: () => {
+            removed = true;
         },
-    });
+    };
+    buddy_list_add(fred.user_id, remove_stub);
+
+    simulate_list_items([alice_li]);
+
     activity.insert_user_into_list(fred.user_id);
 
     assert(appended_html.indexOf('data-user-id="2"') > 0);
     assert(appended_html.indexOf('user_active') > 0);
+    assert(removed);
 }());
 
+reset_jquery();
+
 (function test_insert_fred_before_jill() {
     const fred_li = $.create('fred-li');
+    const jill_li = $.create('jill-li');
 
-    // These selectors are here to avoid some short-circuit logic.
-    $('#user_presences').set_find_results('[data-user-id="2"]', fred_li);
+    jill_li.attr('data-user-id', jill.user_id);
 
-    $('<fake-dom-for-jill').attr = function (attr_name) {
-        assert.equal(attr_name, 'data-user-id');
-        return jill.user_id;
-    };
-
-    $.stub_selector('#user_presences li', {
-        toArray: function () {
-            return [
-                '<fake-dom-for-jill',
-            ];
-        },
-    });
-
-    let before_html;
-    $('<fake-dom-for-jill').before = function (html) {
+    var before_html;
+    jill_li.before = function (html) {
         before_html = html;
+        buddy_list_add(fred.user_id, fred_li);
     };
+
+    var removed;
+    const remove_stub = {
+        remove: () => {
+            removed = true;
+        },
+    };
+    buddy_list_add(fred.user_id, remove_stub);
+
+    simulate_list_items([jill_li]);
+
     activity.insert_user_into_list(fred.user_id);
 
     assert(before_html.indexOf('data-user-id="2"') > 0);
     assert(before_html.indexOf('user_active') > 0);
+    assert(removed);
 }());
 
 // Reset jquery here.
@@ -750,6 +775,8 @@ $('.user-list-filter').parent = function () {
     activity.update_huddles = function () {};
 }());
 
+reset_jquery();
+
 (function test_set_user_status() {
     const server_time = 500;
     const info = {
@@ -758,19 +785,25 @@ $('.user-list-filter').parent = function () {
             timestamp: server_time,
         },
     };
-    const alice_li = $.create('alice-li');
 
-    $('#user_presences').set_find_results('[data-user-id="1"]', alice_li);
+    buddy_data.matches_filter = () => true;
 
-    $('#user_presences').append = function () {};
+    const alice_li = $.create('alice stub');
+    buddy_list_add(alice.user_id, alice_li);
+
+    var inserted;
+    buddy_list.insert_or_move = () => {
+        inserted = true;
+    };
 
-    $.stub_selector('#user_presences li', {
-        toArray: () => [],
-    });
     presence.presence_info[alice.user_id] = undefined;
     activity.set_user_status(me.email, info, server_time);
+    assert(!inserted);
+
     assert.equal(presence.presence_info[alice.user_id], undefined);
     activity.set_user_status(alice.email, info, server_time);
+    assert(inserted);
+
     const expected = { status: 'active', mobile: false, last_active: 500 };
     assert.deepEqual(presence.presence_info[alice.user_id], expected);
     activity.set_user_status(alice.email, info, server_time);
diff --git a/static/js/buddy_list.js b/static/js/buddy_list.js
index 404b3e4a1f..9f8ec49d47 100644
--- a/static/js/buddy_list.js
+++ b/static/js/buddy_list.js
@@ -1,16 +1,24 @@
 var buddy_list = (function () {
     var self = {};
 
-    self.populate = function (opts) {
-        var user_info = opts.items;
+    self.container_sel = '#user_presences';
+    self.item_sel = 'li.user_sidebar_entry';
 
+    self.items_to_html = function (opts) {
+        var user_info = opts.items;
         var html = templates.render('user_presence_rows', {users: user_info});
-        $('#user_presences').html(html);
+        return html;
+    };
+
+    self.item_to_html = function (opts) {
+        var html = templates.render('user_presence_row', opts.item);
+        return html;
     };
 
     self.find_li = function (opts) {
         var user_id = opts.key;
-        return $("li.user_sidebar_entry[data-user-id='" + user_id + "']");
+        var sel = self.item_sel + "[data-user-id='" + user_id + "']";
+        return self.container.find(sel);
     };
 
     self.get_key_from_li = function (opts) {
@@ -18,34 +26,54 @@ var buddy_list = (function () {
         return user_id;
     };
 
+    // Try to keep code below this line generic, so that we can
+    // extract a widget.
+
+    self.populate = function (opts) {
+        var html = self.items_to_html({items: opts.items});
+        self.container = $(self.container_sel);
+        self.container.html(html);
+    };
+
+    self.maybe_remove_key = function (opts) {
+        var li = self.find_li({key: opts.key});
+        li.remove();
+    };
+
     self.insert_or_move = function (opts) {
-        var user_id = opts.key;
-        var info = opts.item;
+        var key = opts.key;
+        var item = opts.item;
         var compare_function = opts.compare_function;
 
-        $('#user_presences').find('[data-user-id="' + user_id + '"]').remove();
-        var html = templates.render('user_presence_row', info);
+        self.maybe_remove_key({key: key});
+        var html = self.item_to_html({item: item});
 
-        var items = $('#user_presences li').toArray();
+        var list_items = self.container.find(self.item_sel);
 
         function insert() {
             var i = 0;
 
-            for (i = 0; i < items.length; i += 1) {
-                var li = $(items[i]);
-                var list_user_id = li.attr('data-user-id');
-                if (compare_function(user_id, list_user_id) < 0) {
+            for (i = 0; i < list_items.length; i += 1) {
+                var li = list_items.eq(i);
+
+                var list_key = self.get_key_from_li({li: li});
+
+                if (compare_function(key, list_key) < 0) {
                     li.before(html);
                     return;
                 }
             }
 
-            $('#user_presences').append(html);
+            self.container.append(html);
         }
 
         insert();
     };
 
+    // This is a bit of a hack to make sure we at least have
+    // an empty list to start, before we get the initial payload.
+    self.container = $(self.container_sel);
+
     return self;
 }());