diff --git a/packages/highlight/src/__tests__/highlighter.test.ts b/packages/highlight/src/__tests__/highlighter.test.ts
index 386b0c6364..c245d42da1 100644
--- a/packages/highlight/src/__tests__/highlighter.test.ts
+++ b/packages/highlight/src/__tests__/highlighter.test.ts
@@ -144,6 +144,19 @@ const title = "Hello";
     );
   });
 
+  it("keeps an Astro expression open through nested template strings", () => {
+    const code = "<p>{`a ${`}`} b`}</p>";
+
+    const tokens = highlightCode(code, "Nested.astro").flat();
+
+    expect(tokens).toEqual(
+      expect.arrayContaining([
+        { text: "`}`", style: "string" },
+        { text: " b`", style: "string" },
+      ]),
+    );
+  });
+
   it("highlights Vue SFCs across script, template, and style", () => {
     const code = [
       '<script lang="ts">',
diff --git a/packages/highlight/src/astro/parser.ts b/packages/highlight/src/astro/parser.ts
index 444235488f..202c921252 100644
--- a/packages/highlight/src/astro/parser.ts
+++ b/packages/highlight/src/astro/parser.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
 import { parser as cssParser } from "@lezer/css";
 import { parser as htmlParser } from "@lezer/html";
 import { parser as jsParser } from "@lezer/javascript";
+import { findClosingBrace } from "../js-scanner.js";
 
 interface Range {
   from: number;
@@ -23,88 +24,11 @@ interface Range {
 const jsxParser = jsParser.configure({ dialect: "ts jsx" });
 const typescriptParser = jsParser.configure({ dialect: "ts" });
 
-function isSpace(code: number): boolean {
-  return code === 32 || code === 9 || code === 10 || code === 13;
-}
-
-function isRegexStart(text: string, position: number): boolean {
-  let previous = position - 1;
-  while (previous >= 0 && isSpace(text.charCodeAt(previous))) previous--;
-  if (previous < 0) return true;
-
-  const character = text[previous];
-  if (/[)\]}<"'`\d]/.test(character)) return false;
-  const code = text.charCodeAt(previous);
-  if (code === 62) return previous > 0 && text.charCodeAt(previous - 1) === 61;
-  if (!/[A-Za-z_$]/.test(character)) return true;
-
-  let start = previous;
-  while (start >= 0 && /[A-Za-z0-9_$]/.test(text[start])) start--;
-  const keyword = text.slice(start + 1, previous + 1);
-  return /^(return|typeof|instanceof|in|of|new|void|delete|yield|await|case|do|else|throw|extends|assert|with)$/.test(
-    keyword,
-  );
-}
-
-function skipQuotedText(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  const quote = text.charCodeAt(opening);
-  for (let position = opening + 1; position < text.length; position++) {
-    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
-    if (code === 92) position++;
-    else if (code === quote) return position;
-  }
-  return text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipLineComment(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  const newline = text.indexOf("\n", opening + 2);
-  return newline >= 0 ? newline : text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipBlockComment(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  const closing = text.indexOf("*/", opening + 2);
-  return closing >= 0 ? closing + 1 : text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipRegex(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  let isInCharacterClass = false;
-  for (let position = opening + 1; position < text.length; position++) {
-    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
-    if (code === 10 || code === 13) return position;
-    if (code === 92) position++;
-    else if (isInCharacterClass && code === 93) isInCharacterClass = false;
-    else if (!isInCharacterClass && code === 91) isInCharacterClass = true;
-    else if (!isInCharacterClass && code === 47) return position;
-  }
-  return text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function findClosingBrace(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  let depth = 0;
-  for (let position = opening; position < text.length; position++) {
-    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
-    if (code === 47 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 47) {
-      position = skipLineComment(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 47 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 42) {
-      position = skipBlockComment(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 47 && isRegexStart(text, position)) {
-      position = skipRegex(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 34 || code === 39 || code === 96) {
-      position = skipQuotedText(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 123) {
-      depth++;
-    } else if (code === 125 && --depth === 0) {
-      return position;
-    }
-  }
-  return -1;
-}
-
 function findExpressions(text: string): Range[] {
   const ranges: Range[] = [];
   for (let position = 0; position < text.length; position++) {
     if (text.charCodeAt(position) !== 123) continue;
-    const closing = findClosingBrace(text, position);
+    const closing = findClosingBrace(text, position + 1);
     if (closing < 0) break;
     ranges.push({ from: position, to: closing });
     position = closing;
diff --git a/packages/highlight/src/js-scanner.ts b/packages/highlight/src/js-scanner.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fb7f70ed77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/highlight/src/js-scanner.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+// Scans JavaScript embedded in a template (Astro `{ }` expressions, Vue `{{ }}`
+// interpolations) for the brace that closes it, without parsing the code.
+
+function isSpace(code: number): boolean {
+  return code === 32 || code === 9 || code === 10 || code === 13;
+}
+
+function isRegexStart(text: string, position: number): boolean {
+  let previous = position - 1;
+  while (previous >= 0 && isSpace(text.charCodeAt(previous))) previous--;
+  if (previous < 0) return true;
+
+  const character = text[previous];
+  if (/[)\]}<"'`\d]/.test(character)) return false;
+  const code = text.charCodeAt(previous);
+  if (code === 62) return previous > 0 && text.charCodeAt(previous - 1) === 61;
+  if (!/[A-Za-z_$]/.test(character)) return true;
+
+  let start = previous;
+  while (start >= 0 && /[A-Za-z0-9_$]/.test(text[start])) start--;
+  const keyword = text.slice(start + 1, previous + 1);
+  return /^(return|typeof|instanceof|in|of|new|void|delete|yield|await|case|do|else|throw|extends|assert|with)$/.test(
+    keyword,
+  );
+}
+
+// Template strings nested deeper than this are treated as running to the end.
+const MAX_TEMPLATE_NESTING = 32;
+
+function skipQuotedText(text: string, opening: number, nesting = 0): number {
+  const quote = text.charCodeAt(opening);
+  for (let position = opening + 1; position < text.length; position++) {
+    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
+    if (code === 92) position++;
+    else if (code === quote) return position;
+    else if (quote === 96 && code === 36 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 123) {
+      position = skipTemplateSubstitution(text, position + 2, nesting);
+    }
+  }
+  return text.length - 1;
+}
+
+function skipTemplateSubstitution(text: string, start: number, nesting: number): number {
+  if (nesting >= MAX_TEMPLATE_NESTING) return text.length - 1;
+  const closing = findClosingBrace(text, start, () => true, nesting + 1);
+  return closing >= 0 ? closing : text.length - 1;
+}
+
+function skipLineComment(text: string, opening: number): number {
+  const newline = text.indexOf("\n", opening + 2);
+  return newline >= 0 ? newline : text.length - 1;
+}
+
+function skipBlockComment(text: string, opening: number): number {
+  const closing = text.indexOf("*/", opening + 2);
+  return closing >= 0 ? closing + 1 : text.length - 1;
+}
+
+function skipRegex(text: string, opening: number): number {
+  let isInCharacterClass = false;
+  for (let position = opening + 1; position < text.length; position++) {
+    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
+    if (code === 10 || code === 13) return position;
+    if (code === 92) position++;
+    else if (isInCharacterClass && code === 93) isInCharacterClass = false;
+    else if (!isInCharacterClass && code === 91) isInCharacterClass = true;
+    else if (!isInCharacterClass && code === 47) return position;
+  }
+  return text.length - 1;
+}
+
+// Finds the first `}` outside nested braces, strings, comments, and regexes
+// for which `isEnd` holds.
+export function findClosingBrace(
+  text: string,
+  start: number,
+  isEnd: (position: number) => boolean = () => true,
+  nesting = 0,
+): number {
+  let depth = 0;
+  for (let position = start; position < text.length; position++) {
+    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
+    if (code === 47 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 47) {
+      position = skipLineComment(text, position);
+    } else if (code === 47 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 42) {
+      position = skipBlockComment(text, position);
+    } else if (code === 47 && isRegexStart(text, position)) {
+      position = skipRegex(text, position);
+    } else if (code === 34 || code === 39 || code === 96) {
+      position = skipQuotedText(text, position, nesting);
+    } else if (code === 123) {
+      depth++;
+    } else if (code === 125 && depth === 0) {
+      if (isEnd(position)) return position;
+    } else if (code === 125) {
+      depth--;
+    }
+  }
+  return -1;
+}
diff --git a/packages/highlight/src/vue/parser.ts b/packages/highlight/src/vue/parser.ts
index 05010665ca..5c54825b61 100644
--- a/packages/highlight/src/vue/parser.ts
+++ b/packages/highlight/src/vue/parser.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
 import { parser as cssParser } from "@lezer/css";
 import { parser as htmlParser } from "@lezer/html";
 import { parser as jsParser } from "@lezer/javascript";
+import { findClosingBrace } from "../js-scanner.js";
 
 interface Range {
   from: number;
@@ -17,104 +18,6 @@ interface Range {
 const typescriptParser = jsParser.configure({ dialect: "ts" });
 const expressionParser = jsParser.configure({ top: "SingleExpression" });
 
-function isSpace(code: number): boolean {
-  return code === 32 || code === 9 || code === 10 || code === 13;
-}
-
-function isRegexStart(text: string, position: number): boolean {
-  let previous = position - 1;
-  while (previous >= 0 && isSpace(text.charCodeAt(previous))) previous--;
-  if (previous < 0) return true;
-
-  const character = text[previous];
-  if (/[)\]}<"'`\d]/.test(character)) return false;
-  const code = text.charCodeAt(previous);
-  if (code === 62) return previous > 0 && text.charCodeAt(previous - 1) === 61;
-  if (!/[A-Za-z_$]/.test(character)) return true;
-
-  let start = previous;
-  while (start >= 0 && /[A-Za-z0-9_$]/.test(text[start])) start--;
-  const keyword = text.slice(start + 1, previous + 1);
-  return /^(return|typeof|instanceof|in|of|new|void|delete|yield|await|case|do|else|throw|extends|assert|with)$/.test(
-    keyword,
-  );
-}
-
-// Template strings nested deeper than this are treated as running to the end.
-const MAX_TEMPLATE_NESTING = 32;
-
-function skipQuotedText(text: string, opening: number, nesting = 0): number {
-  const quote = text.charCodeAt(opening);
-  for (let position = opening + 1; position < text.length; position++) {
-    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
-    if (code === 92) position++;
-    else if (code === quote) return position;
-    else if (quote === 96 && code === 36 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 123) {
-      position = skipTemplateSubstitution(text, position + 2, nesting);
-    }
-  }
-  return text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipTemplateSubstitution(text: string, start: number, nesting: number): number {
-  if (nesting >= MAX_TEMPLATE_NESTING) return text.length - 1;
-  const closing = findClosingBrace(text, start, () => true, nesting + 1);
-  return closing >= 0 ? closing : text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipLineComment(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  const newline = text.indexOf("\n", opening + 2);
-  return newline >= 0 ? newline : text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipBlockComment(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  const closing = text.indexOf("*/", opening + 2);
-  return closing >= 0 ? closing + 1 : text.length - 1;
-}
-
-function skipRegex(text: string, opening: number): number {
-  let isInCharacterClass = false;
-  for (let position = opening + 1; position < text.length; position++) {
-    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
-    if (code === 10 || code === 13) return position;
-    if (code === 92) position++;
-    else if (isInCharacterClass && code === 93) isInCharacterClass = false;
-    else if (!isInCharacterClass && code === 91) isInCharacterClass = true;
-    else if (!isInCharacterClass && code === 47) return position;
-  }
-  return text.length - 1;
-}
-
-// Finds the first `}` outside nested braces, strings, comments, and regexes
-// for which `isEnd` holds.
-function findClosingBrace(
-  text: string,
-  start: number,
-  isEnd: (position: number) => boolean,
-  nesting = 0,
-): number {
-  let depth = 0;
-  for (let position = start; position < text.length; position++) {
-    const code = text.charCodeAt(position);
-    if (code === 47 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 47) {
-      position = skipLineComment(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 47 && text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 42) {
-      position = skipBlockComment(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 47 && isRegexStart(text, position)) {
-      position = skipRegex(text, position);
-    } else if (code === 34 || code === 39 || code === 96) {
-      position = skipQuotedText(text, position, nesting);
-    } else if (code === 123) {
-      depth++;
-    } else if (code === 125 && depth === 0) {
-      if (isEnd(position)) return position;
-    } else if (code === 125) {
-      depth--;
-    }
-  }
-  return -1;
-}
-
 function findInterpolationEnd(text: string, start: number): number {
   return findClosingBrace(text, start, (position) => text.charCodeAt(position + 1) === 125);
 }