diff --git a/modules/tools/tree-sitter/autoload.el b/modules/tools/tree-sitter/autoload.el
index a4be17ac2..b8f570163 100644
--- a/modules/tools/tree-sitter/autoload.el
+++ b/modules/tools/tree-sitter/autoload.el
@@ -2,8 +2,21 @@
 
 ;;;###autodef (fset 'tree-sitter! #'ignore)
 (defun tree-sitter! ()
-  (interactive)
-  (turn-on-tree-sitter-mode))
+  "Dispatch to turn on tree sitter.
+
+Used as a hook function which turns on `tree-sitter-mode'
+and selectively turn on `tree-sitter-hl-mode'.
+according to `+tree-sitter-hl-enabled-modes'"
+  (turn-on-tree-sitter-mode)
+  ;; conditionally enable `tree-sitter-hl-mode'
+  (let ((mode (bound-and-true-p tree-sitter-hl-mode)))
+    (when-let (mode (if (pcase +tree-sitter-hl-enabled-modes
+                          (`(not . ,modes) (not (memq major-mode modes)))
+                          ((and `(,_ . ,_) modes) (memq major-mode modes))
+                          (bool bool))
+                        (unless mode +1)
+                      (if mode -1)))
+      (tree-sitter-hl-mode mode))))
 
 ;; HACK: Remove and refactor when `use-package' eager macro expansion is solved or `use-package!' is removed
 ;;;###autoload
diff --git a/modules/tools/tree-sitter/config.el b/modules/tools/tree-sitter/config.el
index 78103fa5b..e331d8059 100644
--- a/modules/tools/tree-sitter/config.el
+++ b/modules/tools/tree-sitter/config.el
@@ -1,7 +1,17 @@
 ;;; tools/tree-sitter/config.el -*- lexical-binding: t; -*-
 
+(defvar +tree-sitter-hl-enabled-modes '(not web-mode typescript-tsx-mode)
+  "A list of major modes which should be highlighted by tree-sitter.
+
+If this list begins with `not', then it negates the list.
+If it is t, it is enabled in all modes.
+If nil, it is disabled in all modes")
+
+;;
+;;; Packages
+
 (use-package! tree-sitter
-  :hook (tree-sitter-after-on . tree-sitter-hl-mode)
+  :defer t
   :config
   (require 'tree-sitter-langs)
   ;; This makes every node a link to a section of code