diff --git a/browser/components/preferences/in-content/search.js b/browser/components/preferences/in-content/search.js
index a622518978d9..f25f65c48ba5 100644
--- a/browser/components/preferences/in-content/search.js
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/in-content/search.js
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
 Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm");
-Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/PlacesUtils.jsm");
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "PlacesUtils",
+                                  "resource://gre/modules/PlacesUtils.jsm");
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "Task",
+                                  "resource://gre/modules/Task.jsm");
 
 const ENGINE_FLAVOR = "text/x-moz-search-engine";
 
@@ -191,19 +194,13 @@ var gSearchPane = {
     document.getElementById("engineList").focus();
   },
 
-  editKeyword: function(aEngine, aNewKeyword) {
+  editKeyword: Task.async(function* (aEngine, aNewKeyword) {
     if (aNewKeyword) {
-      let bduplicate = false;
       let eduplicate = false;
       let dupName = "";
 
-      try {
-        let bmserv =
-          Components.classes["@mozilla.org/browser/nav-bookmarks-service;1"]
-                    .getService(Components.interfaces.nsINavBookmarksService);
-        if (bmserv.getURIForKeyword(aNewKeyword))
-          bduplicate = true;
-      } catch(ex) {}
+      // Check for duplicates in Places keywords.
+      let bduplicate = !!(yield PlacesUtils.keywords.fetch(aNewKeyword));
 
       // Check for duplicates in changes we haven't committed yet
       let engines = gEngineView._engineStore.engines;
@@ -231,7 +228,7 @@ var gSearchPane = {
     gEngineView._engineStore.changeEngine(aEngine, "alias", aNewKeyword);
     gEngineView.invalidate();
     return true;
-  },
+  }),
 
   saveOneClickEnginesList: function () {
     let hiddenList = [];
@@ -519,11 +516,11 @@ EngineView.prototype = {
   },
   setCellText: function(index, column, value) {
     if (column.id == "engineKeyword") {
-      if (!gSearchPane.editKeyword(this._engineStore.engines[index], value)) {
-        setTimeout(() => {
+      gSearchPane.editKeyword(this._engineStore.engines[index], value)
+                 .then(valid => {
+        if (!valid)
           document.getElementById("engineList").startEditing(index, column);
-        }, 0);
-      }
+      });
     }
   },
   performAction: function(action) { },
diff --git a/browser/components/preferences/search.js b/browser/components/preferences/search.js
index 9af4068c2702..78e216e6ff45 100644
--- a/browser/components/preferences/search.js
+++ b/browser/components/preferences/search.js
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
 Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm");
-Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/PlacesUtils.jsm");
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "PlacesUtils",
+                                  "resource://gre/modules/PlacesUtils.jsm");
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "Task",
+                                  "resource://gre/modules/Task.jsm");
 
 const ENGINE_FLAVOR = "text/x-moz-search-engine";
 
@@ -123,19 +126,13 @@ var gSearchPane = {
     document.getElementById("engineList").focus();
   },
 
-  editKeyword: function(aEngine, aNewKeyword) {
+  editKeyword: Task.async(function* (aEngine, aNewKeyword) {
     if (aNewKeyword) {
-      let bduplicate = false;
       let eduplicate = false;
       let dupName = "";
 
-      try {
-        let bmserv =
-          Components.classes["@mozilla.org/browser/nav-bookmarks-service;1"]
-                    .getService(Components.interfaces.nsINavBookmarksService);
-        if (bmserv.getURIForKeyword(aNewKeyword))
-          bduplicate = true;
-      } catch(ex) {}
+      // Check for duplicates in Places keywords.
+      let bduplicate = !!(yield PlacesUtils.keywords.fetch(aNewKeyword));
 
       // Check for duplicates in changes we haven't committed yet
       let engines = gEngineView._engineStore.engines;
@@ -163,7 +160,7 @@ var gSearchPane = {
     gEngineView._engineStore.changeEngine(aEngine, "alias", aNewKeyword);
     gEngineView.invalidate();
     return true;
-  },
+  }),
 
   saveOneClickEnginesList: function () {
     let hiddenList = [];
@@ -534,11 +531,11 @@ EngineView.prototype = {
   },
   setCellText: function(index, column, value) {
     if (column.id == "engineKeyword") {
-      if (!gSearchPane.editKeyword(this._engineStore.engines[index], value)) {
-        setTimeout(() => {
+      gSearchPane.editKeyword(this._engineStore.engines[index], value)
+                 .then(valid => {
+        if (!valid)
           document.getElementById("engineList").startEditing(index, column);
-        }, 0);
-      }
+      });
     }
   },
   performAction: function(action) { },
diff --git a/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.js b/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.js
index 92b6d59b7789..e6c22fee0b10 100644
--- a/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.js
+++ b/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.js
@@ -2,7 +2,12 @@
  * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
  * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
+Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm");
 Components.utils.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm");
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "PlacesUtils",
+                                  "resource://gre/modules/PlacesUtils.jsm");
+XPCOMUtils.defineLazyModuleGetter(this, "Task",
+                                  "resource://gre/modules/Task.jsm");
 
 const Ci = Components.interfaces;
 const Cc = Components.classes;
@@ -105,7 +110,7 @@ var gEngineManagerDialog = {
     document.getElementById("engineList").focus();
   },
 
-  editKeyword: function engineManager_editKeyword() {
+  editKeyword: Task.async(function* () {
     var selectedEngine = gEngineView.selectedEngine;
     if (!selectedEngine)
       return;
@@ -121,12 +126,8 @@ var gEngineManagerDialog = {
       var dupName = "";
 
       if (alias.value != "") {
-        try {
-          let bmserv = Cc["@mozilla.org/browser/nav-bookmarks-service;1"].
-                       getService(Ci.nsINavBookmarksService);
-          if (bmserv.getURIForKeyword(alias.value))
-            bduplicate = true;
-        } catch(ex) {}
+        // Check for duplicates in Places keywords.
+        bduplicate = !!(yield PlacesUtils.keywords.fetch(alias.value));
 
         // Check for duplicates in changes we haven't committed yet
         let engines = gEngineView._engineStore.engines;
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ var gEngineManagerDialog = {
         break;
       }
     }
-  },
+  }),
 
   onSelect: function engineManager_onSelect() {
     // Buttons only work if an engine is selected and it's not the last engine,
diff --git a/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.xul b/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.xul
index 50181c066e04..1152ef8db383 100644
--- a/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.xul
+++ b/browser/components/search/content/engineManager.xul
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
              oncommand="gEngineManagerDialog.bump(-1);"
              disabled="true"/>
     <command id="cmd_editkeyword"
-             oncommand="gEngineManagerDialog.editKeyword();"
+             oncommand="gEngineManagerDialog.editKeyword().catch(Components.utils.reportError);"
              disabled="true"/>
   </commandset>