diff --git a/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/renderer.py b/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/renderer.py
index 757243fcc7..0bb288a9f2 100644
--- a/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/renderer.py
+++ b/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/renderer.py
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ def figure_data(self, plot, fmt='html', **kwargs):
                 comms_target = str(uuid.uuid4())
                 doc.last_comms_target = comms_target
                 div = notebook_div(plot.state, comms_target)
+            plot.document = doc
             return div
         else:
             return notebook_div(plot.state)
diff --git a/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/widgets.py b/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/widgets.py
index 3ba97c8ff7..27bffb21f2 100644
--- a/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/widgets.py
+++ b/holoviews/plotting/bokeh/widgets.py
@@ -46,11 +46,12 @@ def _plot_figure(self, idx, fig_format='json'):
         if self.embed or fig_format == 'html' or bokeh_lt_011:
             return self.renderer.html(self.plot, fig_format)
         else:
-            doc = state.document
+            doc = self.plot.document
 
             if hasattr(doc, 'last_comms_handle'):
                 handle = doc.last_comms_handle
             else:
+                doc.add_root(self.plot.state)
                 handle = _CommsHandle(get_comms(doc.last_comms_target),
                                       doc, doc.to_json())
                 doc.last_comms_handle = handle
@@ -61,6 +62,7 @@ def _plot_figure(self, idx, fig_format='json'):
             else:
                 msg = Document._compute_patch_between_json(handle.json, to_json)
             handle._json = to_json
+            print msg
             handle.comms.send(json.dumps(msg))