diff --git a/helix-term/src/commands.rs b/helix-term/src/commands.rs
index 674f6d23..69e335dc 100644
--- a/helix-term/src/commands.rs
+++ b/helix-term/src/commands.rs
@@ -890,12 +890,12 @@ mod cmd {
     }
 
     fn write(editor: &mut Editor, args: &[&str], event: PromptEvent) {
-        let id = editor.view().doc;
-        let doc = &mut editor.documents[id];
+        let (view, doc) = editor.current();
         if doc.path().is_none() {
             editor.set_error("cannot write a buffer without a filename".to_string());
             return;
         }
+        doc.format(view.id); // TODO: merge into save
         tokio::spawn(doc.save());
     }
 
@@ -906,25 +906,7 @@ mod cmd {
     fn format(editor: &mut Editor, args: &[&str], event: PromptEvent) {
         let (view, doc) = editor.current();
 
-        if let Some(language_server) = doc.language_server() {
-            // TODO: await, no blocking
-            let transaction = helix_lsp::block_on(
-                language_server
-                    .text_document_formatting(doc.identifier(), lsp::FormattingOptions::default()),
-            )
-            .map(|edits| {
-                helix_lsp::util::generate_transaction_from_edits(
-                    doc.text(),
-                    edits,
-                    language_server.offset_encoding(),
-                )
-            });
-
-            if let Ok(transaction) = transaction {
-                doc.apply(&transaction, view.id);
-                doc.append_changes_to_history(view.id);
-            }
-        }
+        doc.format(view.id)
     }
 
     pub const COMMAND_LIST: &[Command] = &[
@@ -2277,7 +2259,8 @@ pub fn space_mode(cx: &mut Context) {
                 'v' => vsplit(cx),
                 'w' => {
                     // save current buffer
-                    let doc = cx.doc();
+                    let (view, doc) = cx.current();
+                    doc.format(view.id); // TODO: merge into save
                     tokio::spawn(doc.save());
                 }
                 'c' => {
diff --git a/helix-view/src/document.rs b/helix-view/src/document.rs
index 814777f8..7d912ec0 100644
--- a/helix-view/src/document.rs
+++ b/helix-view/src/document.rs
@@ -116,6 +116,29 @@ impl Document {
         Ok(doc)
     }
 
+    // TODO: remove view_id dependency here
+    pub fn format(&mut self, view_id: ViewId) {
+        if let Some(language_server) = self.language_server() {
+            // TODO: await, no blocking
+            let transaction = helix_lsp::block_on(
+                language_server
+                    .text_document_formatting(self.identifier(), lsp::FormattingOptions::default()),
+            )
+            .map(|edits| {
+                helix_lsp::util::generate_transaction_from_edits(
+                    self.text(),
+                    edits,
+                    language_server.offset_encoding(),
+                )
+            });
+
+            if let Ok(transaction) = transaction {
+                self.apply(&transaction, view_id);
+                self.append_changes_to_history(view_id);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     // TODO: do we need some way of ensuring two save operations on the same doc can't run at once?
     // or is that handled by the OS/async layer
     pub fn save(&mut self) -> impl Future<Output = Result<(), anyhow::Error>> {