diff --git a/app/gui/src/project-view/util/ast/__tests__/abstract.test.ts b/app/gui/src/project-view/util/ast/__tests__/abstract.test.ts
index ec3305bc0d2b..ecc768e54336 100644
--- a/app/gui/src/project-view/util/ast/__tests__/abstract.test.ts
+++ b/app/gui/src/project-view/util/ast/__tests__/abstract.test.ts
@@ -673,6 +673,30 @@ describe('Code edit', () => {
     expect(after['func 123 arg2'].id).toBe(before['func arg1 arg2'].id)
   })
 
+  test('syncToCode does not create unneeded AST nodes', () => {
+    const beforeRoot = Ast.parseModule('main = func 1 2\n')
+    beforeRoot.module.setRoot(beforeRoot)
+    const edit = beforeRoot.module.edit()
+    const newCode = 'main = func 10 2\n'
+    let changes: Record<string, number> | undefined = undefined
+    edit.observe(
+      (update) =>
+        (changes = {
+          added: update.nodesAdded.size,
+          deleted: update.nodesDeleted.size,
+          updated: update.nodesUpdated.size,
+        }),
+    )
+    edit.syncToCode(newCode)
+    expect(edit.root()?.code()).toBe(newCode)
+    expect(edit.root()?.id).toBe(beforeRoot.id)
+    expect(changes).toEqual({
+      added: 0,
+      deleted: 0,
+      updated: 1,
+    })
+  })
+
   test('Insert argument names', () => {
     const beforeRoot = Ast.parseExpression('func arg1 arg2')
     assertDefined(beforeRoot)
diff --git a/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/mutableModule.ts b/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/mutableModule.ts
index cfa4ca5fdbf2..748b7e56b7ed 100644
--- a/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/mutableModule.ts
+++ b/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/mutableModule.ts
@@ -180,6 +180,19 @@ export class MutableModule implements Module {
     return materializeMutable(this, fields) as Owned<Mutable<typeof ast>>
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Copy the node into the module *without copying children*. The returned object, and the module containing it, may be
+   * in an invalid state until the callee has ensured all references are resolvable, e.g. by recursing into children.
+   * @internal
+   */
+  splice<T extends Ast>(ast: T): Owned<Mutable<T>> {
+    assert(ast.module !== this)
+    const fields = ast.fields.clone() as any
+    this.nodes.set(ast.id, fields)
+    fields.set('parent', undefined)
+    return materializeMutable(this, fields) as Owned<Mutable<typeof ast>>
+  }
+
   /** TODO: Add docs */
   static Transient() {
     return new this(new Y.Doc())
diff --git a/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/parse.ts b/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/parse.ts
index b25071f7cbe9..134aff9ba2cd 100644
--- a/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/parse.ts
+++ b/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/parse.ts
@@ -536,12 +536,12 @@ export function setExternalIds(edit: MutableModule, spans: SpanMap, ids: IdMap):
  * context.
  */
 export function parseInSameContext(
-  module: MutableModule,
   code: string,
   ast: Ast,
+  module?: MutableModule,
 ): { root: Owned; spans: SpanMap } {
   const rawParsed = rawParseInContext(code, getParseContext(ast))
-  return abstract(module, rawParsed, code)
+  return abstract(module ?? MutableModule.Transient(), rawParsed, code)
 }
 
 type ParseContext = 'module' | 'block' | 'expression' | 'statement'
diff --git a/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/syncToCode.ts b/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/syncToCode.ts
index e67afb70a3c7..77c5feb376d2 100644
--- a/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/syncToCode.ts
+++ b/app/ydoc-shared/src/ast/syncToCode.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@ import {
   type AstId,
   MutableAssignment,
   type MutableAst,
-  type Owned,
   rewriteRefs,
   syncFields,
   syncNodeMetadata,
@@ -175,38 +174,36 @@ export function applyTextEditsToAst(
 ) {
   const printed = printWithSpans(ast)
   const code = applyTextEdits(printed.code, textEdits)
-  ast.module.transact(() => {
-    const parsed = parseInSameContext(ast.module, code, ast)
-    const toSync = calculateCorrespondence(
-      ast,
-      printed.info.nodes,
-      parsed.root,
-      parsed.spans.nodes,
-      textEdits,
-      code,
-    )
-    syncTree(ast, parsed.root, toSync, ast.module, metadataSource)
-  })
+  const parsed = parseInSameContext(code, ast)
+  const toSync = calculateCorrespondence(
+    ast,
+    printed.info.nodes,
+    parsed.root,
+    parsed.spans.nodes,
+    textEdits,
+    code,
+  )
+  ast.module.transact(() => syncTree(ast, parsed.root, toSync, ast.module, metadataSource))
 }
 
 /** Replace `target` with `newContent`, reusing nodes according to the correspondence in `toSync`. */
 function syncTree(
   target: MutableAst,
-  newContent: Owned,
+  newContent: Ast,
   toSync: Map<AstId, Ast>,
   edit: MutableModule,
   metadataSource: Module,
 ) {
   const newIdToEquivalent = new Map<AstId, AstId>()
   for (const [beforeId, after] of toSync) newIdToEquivalent.set(after.id, beforeId)
-  const childReplacerFor = (parentId: AstId) => (id: AstId) => {
+  const childSplicerFor = (parentId: AstId) => (id: AstId) => {
     const original = newIdToEquivalent.get(id)
     if (original) {
       const replacement = edit.get(original)
       if (replacement.parentId !== parentId) replacement.fields.set('parent', parentId)
       return original
     } else {
-      const child = edit.get(id)
+      const child = edit.splice(newContent.module.get(id)!)
       if (child.parentId !== parentId) child.fields.set('parent', parentId)
     }
   }
@@ -215,12 +212,16 @@ function syncTree(
   const parent = edit.get(parentId)
   const targetSyncEquivalent = toSync.get(target.id)
   const syncRoot = targetSyncEquivalent?.id === newContent.id ? targetSyncEquivalent : undefined
-  if (!syncRoot) {
-    parent.replaceChild(target.id, newContent)
-    newContent.fields.set('metadata', target.fields.get('metadata').clone())
+  let newRoot: MutableAst
+  if (syncRoot) {
+    newRoot = target
+  } else {
+    const spliced = edit.splice(newContent)
+    parent.replaceChild(target.id, spliced)
+    newRoot = spliced
+    newRoot.fields.set('metadata', target.fields.get('metadata').clone())
     target.fields.get('metadata').set('externalId', newExternalId())
   }
-  const newRoot = syncRoot ? target : newContent
   newRoot.visitRecursive(ast => {
     const syncFieldsFrom = toSync.get(ast.id)
     const editAst = edit.getVersion(ast)
@@ -229,7 +230,7 @@ function syncTree(
         ast instanceof Assignment ?
           metadataSource.get(ast.fields.get('expression').node)
         : undefined
-      syncFields(edit.getVersion(ast), syncFieldsFrom, childReplacerFor(ast.id))
+      syncFields(editAst, syncFieldsFrom, childSplicerFor(ast.id))
       if (editAst instanceof MutableAssignment && originalAssignmentExpression) {
         if (editAst.expression.externalId !== originalAssignmentExpression.externalId)
           editAst.expression.setExternalId(originalAssignmentExpression.externalId)
@@ -239,7 +240,7 @@ function syncTree(
         )
       }
     } else {
-      rewriteRefs(editAst, childReplacerFor(ast.id))
+      rewriteRefs(editAst, childSplicerFor(ast.id))
     }
     return true
   })