diff --git a/cli/file_watcher.rs b/cli/file_watcher.rs
index 1f0107f49f..1730e6472c 100644
--- a/cli/file_watcher.rs
+++ b/cli/file_watcher.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 // Copyright 2018-2020 the Deno authors. All rights reserved. MIT license.
 
 use crate::colors;
+use core::task::{Context, Poll};
 use deno_core::error::AnyError;
-use deno_core::futures::stream::StreamExt;
+use deno_core::futures::stream::{Stream, StreamExt};
 use deno_core::futures::Future;
 use notify::event::Event as NotifyEvent;
 use notify::event::EventKind;
@@ -13,12 +14,51 @@ use notify::RecursiveMode;
 use notify::Watcher;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::pin::Pin;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::time::Duration;
 use tokio::select;
-use tokio::sync::mpsc;
+use tokio::time::{interval, Interval};
+
+const DEBOUNCE_INTERVAL_MS: Duration = Duration::from_millis(200);
 
 // TODO(bartlomieju): rename
 type WatchFuture = Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = Result<(), AnyError>>>>;
 
+struct Debounce {
+  interval: Interval,
+  event_detected: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+}
+
+impl Debounce {
+  fn new() -> Self {
+    Self {
+      interval: interval(DEBOUNCE_INTERVAL_MS),
+      event_detected: Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false)),
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+impl Stream for Debounce {
+  type Item = ();
+
+  /// Note that this never returns `Poll::Ready(None)`, which means that file watcher will be alive
+  /// until the Deno process is terminated.
+  fn poll_next(
+    self: Pin<&mut Self>,
+    cx: &mut Context,
+  ) -> Poll<Option<Self::Item>> {
+    let inner = self.get_mut();
+    if inner.event_detected.load(Ordering::Relaxed) {
+      inner.event_detected.store(false, Ordering::Relaxed);
+      Poll::Ready(Some(()))
+    } else {
+      let _ = inner.interval.poll_tick(cx);
+      Poll::Pending
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 async fn error_handler(watch_future: WatchFuture) {
   let result = watch_future.await;
   if let Err(err) = result {
@@ -28,52 +68,59 @@ async fn error_handler(watch_future: WatchFuture) {
 }
 
 pub async fn watch_func<F>(
-  watch_paths: &[PathBuf],
+  paths: &[PathBuf],
   closure: F,
 ) -> Result<(), AnyError>
 where
   F: Fn() -> WatchFuture,
 {
+  let mut debounce = Debounce::new();
+  // This binding is required for the watcher to work properly without being dropped.
+  let _watcher = new_watcher(paths, &debounce)?;
+
   loop {
     let func = error_handler(closure());
     let mut is_file_changed = false;
     select! {
-      _ = file_watcher(watch_paths) => {
-          is_file_changed = true;
-          info!(
-            "{} File change detected! Restarting!",
-            colors::intense_blue("Watcher")
-          );
-        },
-      _ = func => { },
-    };
+      _ = debounce.next() => {
+        is_file_changed = true;
+        info!(
+          "{} File change detected! Restarting!",
+          colors::intense_blue("Watcher"),
+        );
+      },
+      _ = func => {},
+    }
     if !is_file_changed {
       info!(
         "{} Process terminated! Restarting on file change...",
-        colors::intense_blue("Watcher")
+        colors::intense_blue("Watcher"),
       );
-      file_watcher(watch_paths).await?;
+      debounce.next().await;
       info!(
         "{} File change detected! Restarting!",
-        colors::intense_blue("Watcher")
+        colors::intense_blue("Watcher"),
       );
     }
   }
 }
 
-pub async fn file_watcher(paths: &[PathBuf]) -> Result<(), AnyError> {
-  let (sender, mut receiver) =
-    mpsc::channel::<Result<NotifyEvent, AnyError>>(16);
-  let sender = std::sync::Mutex::new(sender);
+fn new_watcher(
+  paths: &[PathBuf],
+  debounce: &Debounce,
+) -> Result<RecommendedWatcher, AnyError> {
+  let event_detected = Arc::clone(&debounce.event_detected);
 
-  let mut watcher: RecommendedWatcher =
-    Watcher::new_immediate(move |res: Result<NotifyEvent, NotifyError>| {
-      let res2 = res.map_err(AnyError::from);
-      let mut sender = sender.lock().unwrap();
-      // Ignore result, if send failed it means that watcher was already closed,
-      // but not all messages have been flushed.
-      let _ = sender.try_send(res2);
-    })?;
+  let mut watcher: RecommendedWatcher = Watcher::new_immediate(
+    move |res: Result<NotifyEvent, NotifyError>| {
+      if let Ok(event) = res {
+        if matches!(event.kind, EventKind::Create(_) | EventKind::Modify(_) | EventKind::Remove(_))
+        {
+          event_detected.store(true, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        }
+      }
+    },
+  )?;
 
   watcher.configure(Config::PreciseEvents(true)).unwrap();
 
@@ -81,14 +128,5 @@ pub async fn file_watcher(paths: &[PathBuf]) -> Result<(), AnyError> {
     watcher.watch(path, RecursiveMode::NonRecursive)?;
   }
 
-  while let Some(result) = receiver.next().await {
-    let event = result?;
-    match event.kind {
-      EventKind::Create(_) => break,
-      EventKind::Modify(_) => break,
-      EventKind::Remove(_) => break,
-      _ => continue,
-    }
-  }
-  Ok(())
+  Ok(watcher)
 }
diff --git a/cli/tests/integration_tests.rs b/cli/tests/integration_tests.rs
index f7b4c345ac..0bba369fe7 100644
--- a/cli/tests/integration_tests.rs
+++ b/cli/tests/integration_tests.rs
@@ -1210,6 +1210,9 @@ fn run_watch() {
   std::fs::write(&file_to_watch, "console.log('Hello world2');")
     .expect("error writing file");
 
+  // Events from the file watcher is "debounced", so we need to wait for the next execution to start
+  std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_secs(1));
+
   assert!(stderr_lines.next().unwrap().contains("Restarting"));
   assert!(stdout_lines.next().unwrap().contains("Hello world2"));
   assert!(stderr_lines.next().unwrap().contains("Process terminated"));