diff --git a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/highlighter.rs b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/highlighter.rs
index 5e56e791d..3b35ab137 100644
--- a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/highlighter.rs
+++ b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/highlighter.rs
@@ -341,6 +341,29 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Build an inert highlighter that never parses and creates no styles,
+    /// for languages without a grammar.
+    fn build_inert(language: SharedString) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            language,
+            query: None,
+            injections_query: None,
+            locals_pattern_index: 0,
+            highlights_pattern_index: 0,
+            non_local_variable_patterns: Vec::new(),
+            injection_content_capture_index: None,
+            injection_language_capture_index: None,
+            local_scope_capture_index: None,
+            local_def_capture_index: None,
+            local_def_value_capture_index: None,
+            local_ref_capture_index: None,
+            text: Rope::new(),
+            parser: Parser::new(),
+            tree: None,
+            injection_layers: Vec::new(),
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Build the highlighter for the given language.
     ///
     /// https://github.com/tree-sitter/tree-sitter/blob/v0.26.8/crates/highlight/src/highlight.rs#L339
@@ -352,10 +375,14 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
             ));
         };
 
+        // Languages without grammar default to a highlighter that never
+        // parses and creates no styles.
+        let Some(grammar) = config.language.as_ref() else {
+            return Ok(Self::build_inert(config.name.clone()));
+        };
+
         let mut parser = Parser::new();
-        parser
-            .set_language(&config.language)
-            .context("parse set_language")?;
+        parser.set_language(grammar).context("parse set_language")?;
 
         // Concatenate the query strings, keeping track of the start offset of each section.
         let mut query_source = String::new();
@@ -367,7 +394,7 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
 
         // Construct a single query by concatenating the three query strings, but record the
         // range of pattern indices that belong to each individual string.
-        let mut query = Query::new(&config.language, &query_source).context("new query")?;
+        let mut query = Query::new(grammar, &query_source).context("new query")?;
 
         let mut locals_pattern_index = 0;
         let mut highlights_pattern_index = 0;
@@ -384,9 +411,7 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
         }
 
         let injections_query = if !config.injections.is_empty() {
-            Query::new(&config.language, &config.injections)
-                .ok()
-                .map(Arc::new)
+            Query::new(grammar, &config.injections).ok().map(Arc::new)
         } else {
             None
         };
@@ -505,6 +530,12 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
             return true;
         }
 
+        // If there's no grammar for the language, just update the text.
+        if self.parser.language().is_none() {
+            self.text = text.clone();
+            return true;
+        }
+
         let edit = edit.unwrap_or(InputEdit {
             start_byte: 0,
             old_end_byte: 0,
@@ -638,7 +669,7 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
                 return Some((config.name, query.clone()));
             }
 
-            let query = match Query::new(&config.language, &config.highlights) {
+            let query = match Query::new(config.language.as_ref()?, &config.highlights) {
                 Ok(query) => Arc::new(query),
                 Err(error) => {
                     tracing::error!(
@@ -808,7 +839,7 @@ impl SyntaxHighlighter {
         }
         let config = LanguageRegistry::singleton().language(language_name)?;
         let mut parser = Parser::new();
-        parser.set_language(&config.language).ok()?;
+        parser.set_language(config.language.as_ref()?).ok()?;
         parser.set_included_ranges(&ranges).ok()?;
         let parse_start = Instant::now();
         let mut timed_out = false;
@@ -1250,6 +1281,24 @@ mod tests {
         style
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_plain_text_never_parses() {
+        // "text" has no grammar, the highlighter shouldn't parse.
+        let mut highlighter = SyntaxHighlighter::new("text");
+        let rope = Rope::from("hello {\"a\": 1}\nworld");
+        assert!(highlighter.update(None, &rope, None));
+        assert!(highlighter.tree().is_none());
+        assert_eq!(highlighter.text().to_string(), rope.to_string());
+
+        let styles = highlighter.styles(&(0..rope.len()), &HighlightTheme::default_dark());
+        assert_eq!(styles, vec![(0..rope.len(), HighlightStyle::default())]);
+
+        // Unregistered languages fall back to plain text.
+        let mut highlighter = SyntaxHighlighter::new("no-such-language");
+        assert!(highlighter.update(None, &rope, None));
+        assert!(highlighter.tree().is_none());
+    }
+
     #[cfg(feature = "tree-sitter-languages")]
     fn has_highlight_covering(
         highlights: &[HighlightItem],
diff --git a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/languages.rs b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/languages.rs
index 12aa219a9..ae35f5886 100644
--- a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/languages.rs
+++ b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/languages.rs
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ impl Language {
     /// (language, query, injection, locals)
     pub(super) fn config(&self) -> LanguageConfig {
         let (language, query, injection, locals) = match self {
-            Self::Plain => (tree_sitter_json::LANGUAGE, "", "", ""),
+            Self::Plain => return LanguageConfig::plain(self.name()),
             Self::Json => (
                 tree_sitter_json::LANGUAGE,
                 include_str!("languages/json/highlights.scm"),
diff --git a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/registry.rs b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/registry.rs
index f03368d2d..8e9c83022 100644
--- a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/registry.rs
+++ b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/registry.rs
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ pub(super) const HIGHLIGHT_NAMES: [&str; 41] = [
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub struct LanguageConfig {
     pub name: SharedString,
-    pub language: tree_sitter::Language,
+    pub language: Option<tree_sitter::Language>,
     pub injection_languages: Vec<SharedString>,
     pub highlights: SharedString,
     pub injections: SharedString,
@@ -78,13 +78,30 @@ impl LanguageConfig {
     ) -> Self {
         Self {
             name: name.into(),
-            language,
+            language: Some(language),
             injection_languages,
             highlights: SharedString::from(highlights.to_string()),
             injections: SharedString::from(injections.to_string()),
             locals: SharedString::from(locals.to_string()),
         }
     }
+
+    /// A plain text language without a grammar, it will never be parsed.
+    pub fn plain(name: impl Into<SharedString>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            name: name.into(),
+            language: None,
+            injection_languages: vec![],
+            highlights: SharedString::default(),
+            injections: SharedString::default(),
+            locals: SharedString::default(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Whether this language has a grammar to parse with.
+    pub fn has_grammar(&self) -> bool {
+        self.language.is_some()
+    }
 }
 
 /// Theme for Tree-sitter Highlight
diff --git a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/wasm_stub.rs b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/wasm_stub.rs
index fa0b0d127..2d4898e47 100644
--- a/crates/ui/src/highlighter/wasm_stub.rs
+++ b/crates/ui/src/highlighter/wasm_stub.rs
@@ -88,6 +88,12 @@ pub struct LanguageConfig {
     pub name: SharedString,
 }
 
+impl LanguageConfig {
+    pub fn has_grammar(&self) -> bool {
+        false
+    }
+}
+
 // Re-export theme types from registry module (which will be conditionally compiled)
 // For WASM, we create minimal stubs here
 use schemars::JsonSchema;
diff --git a/crates/ui/src/input/mode.rs b/crates/ui/src/input/mode.rs
index 45ea4cafc..aa5063cc6 100644
--- a/crates/ui/src/input/mode.rs
+++ b/crates/ui/src/input/mode.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ use ropey::Rope;
 
 use super::display_map::DisplayMap;
 use crate::highlighter::DiagnosticSet;
+use crate::highlighter::LanguageRegistry;
 use crate::highlighter::SyntaxHighlighter;
 use crate::input::{InputEdit, RopeExt as _, TabSize};
 
@@ -245,6 +246,14 @@ impl InputMode {
 
                 let mut highlighter_ref = highlighter.borrow_mut();
                 if highlighter_ref.is_none() {
+                    // Do not create a highlighter if the language has no grammar.
+                    let has_grammar = LanguageRegistry::singleton()
+                        .language(language)
+                        .is_some_and(|config| config.has_grammar());
+                    if !has_grammar {
+                        return None;
+                    }
+
                     let new_highlighter = SyntaxHighlighter::new(language);
                     highlighter_ref.replace(new_highlighter);
                 }
diff --git a/crates/ui/src/input/state.rs b/crates/ui/src/input/state.rs
index 00becc10e..3fc772faf 100644
--- a/crates/ui/src/input/state.rs
+++ b/crates/ui/src/input/state.rs
@@ -2727,9 +2727,12 @@ impl InputState {
                     let Some(config) = LanguageRegistry::singleton().language(&language) else {
                         return None;
                     };
+                    let Some(grammar) = config.language.as_ref() else {
+                        return None;
+                    };
 
                     let mut parser = tree_sitter::Parser::new();
-                    if parser.set_language(&config.language).is_err() {
+                    if parser.set_language(grammar).is_err() {
                         return None;
                     }