The following disclosure provides a system that filters and batches changes to improve communication between an application and an add-in. In some embodiments, the application batches a threshold number of changes made to a section of content. Using a threshold regulates the rate of updates to the add-in. In some embodiments, changes can be filtered based on the type of change (e.g. text changes, style changes, etc.) or the type of input that caused the change (e.g. keyboard input, cut and paste command, etc.). Filtering changes can reduce traffic between the application and the add-in, preventing the add-in from being overwhelmed and improving application responsiveness.