diff --git a/lib/core/editor/querya_code_editor.dart b/lib/core/editor/querya_code_editor.dart
index bf908898..0d0741e6 100644
--- a/lib/core/editor/querya_code_editor.dart
+++ b/lib/core/editor/querya_code_editor.dart
@@ -92,10 +92,18 @@ class _QueryaCodeEditorState extends State<QueryaCodeEditor> {
     widget.onChanged?.call(_effectiveController.text);
   }
 
-  void _syncThemeIfNeeded(QueryaTheme queryaTheme) {
+  void _syncThemeIfNeeded(
+    QueryaTheme queryaTheme, {
+    bool transitioning = false,
+  }) {
     final controller = _effectiveController;
     if (controller is! QueryaHighlightController) return;
 
+    // Mid-animation themes differ on every frame: building highlighters for
+    // them each time is wasted work and pushes real entries out of the pair
+    // cache. The final frame arrives with `transitioning` false (#1358).
+    if (transitioning && _lastEditorTheme != null) return;
+
     final editor = queryaTheme.editor;
     final tokenHash = queryaTheme.tokenColorsHash;
     if (_lastEditorTheme == editor && _lastTokenColorsHash == tokenHash) {
@@ -122,7 +130,10 @@ class _QueryaCodeEditorState extends State<QueryaCodeEditor> {
   @override
   void didChangeDependencies() {
     super.didChangeDependencies();
-    _syncThemeIfNeeded(context.queryaTheme);
+    _syncThemeIfNeeded(
+      context.queryaTheme,
+      transitioning: QueryaThemeScope.isTransitioning(context),
+    );
   }
 
   @override
@@ -139,7 +150,10 @@ class _QueryaCodeEditorState extends State<QueryaCodeEditor> {
       _lastEditorTheme = null;
       _lastTokenColorsHash = 0;
       _attachListener();
-      _syncThemeIfNeeded(context.queryaTheme);
+      _syncThemeIfNeeded(
+        context.queryaTheme,
+        transitioning: QueryaThemeScope.isTransitioning(context),
+      );
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/lib/core/theme/animated_querya_theme.dart b/lib/core/theme/animated_querya_theme.dart
index 25659838..c259df7c 100644
--- a/lib/core/theme/animated_querya_theme.dart
+++ b/lib/core/theme/animated_querya_theme.dart
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ class _AnimatedQueryaThemeState
   Widget build(BuildContext context) {
     return QueryaThemeScope(
       data: _data!.evaluate(animation),
+      // True only while the controller runs: the final frame, and a theme
+      // that never animates, are settled.
+      transitioning: animation.isAnimating,
       child: widget.child,
     );
   }
diff --git a/lib/core/theme/querya_theme_scope.dart b/lib/core/theme/querya_theme_scope.dart
index ddafa900..c05e451f 100644
--- a/lib/core/theme/querya_theme_scope.dart
+++ b/lib/core/theme/querya_theme_scope.dart
@@ -13,10 +13,16 @@ class QueryaThemeScope extends InheritedWidget {
     super.key,
     required this.data,
     required super.child,
+    this.transitioning = false,
   });
 
   final QueryaTheme data;
 
+  /// Whether [data] is an intermediate frame of a theme animation. Consumers
+  /// that are costly to update (syntax highlighters) can wait for the final
+  /// frame instead of following every interpolated colour (#1358).
+  final bool transitioning;
+
   static QueryaTheme of(BuildContext context) {
     final scope =
         context.dependOnInheritedWidgetOfExactType<QueryaThemeScope>();
@@ -28,8 +34,18 @@ class QueryaThemeScope extends InheritedWidget {
     return context.dependOnInheritedWidgetOfExactType<QueryaThemeScope>()?.data;
   }
 
+  /// Whether the theme is mid-animation. Registers a dependency, so the caller
+  /// is rebuilt when the animation ends.
+  static bool isTransitioning(BuildContext context) {
+    return context
+            .dependOnInheritedWidgetOfExactType<QueryaThemeScope>()
+            ?.transitioning ??
+        false;
+  }
+
   @override
-  bool updateShouldNotify(QueryaThemeScope oldWidget) => data != oldWidget.data;
+  bool updateShouldNotify(QueryaThemeScope oldWidget) =>
+      data != oldWidget.data || transitioning != oldWidget.transitioning;
 }
 
 /// Convenient access to [QueryaTheme] tokens and [Theme] / [ColorScheme] from [BuildContext].
diff --git a/test/core/theme/animated_querya_theme_transition_test.dart b/test/core/theme/animated_querya_theme_transition_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..143c092d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/core/theme/animated_querya_theme_transition_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:querya_desktop/core/theme/animated_querya_theme.dart';
+import 'package:querya_desktop/core/theme/querya_theme.dart';
+import 'package:querya_desktop/core/theme/querya_theme_scope.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  group('QueryaThemeScope.transitioning (#1358)', () {
+    testWidgets('is true only while the theme animation runs', (tester) async {
+      var theme = QueryaTheme.darkDefault;
+      var transitioning = false;
+      late StateSetter setOuterState;
+
+      await tester.pumpWidget(
+        StatefulBuilder(
+          builder: (context, setState) {
+            setOuterState = setState;
+            return Directionality(
+              textDirection: TextDirection.ltr,
+              child: AnimatedQueryaTheme(
+                data: theme,
+                duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 200),
+                child: Builder(
+                  builder: (context) {
+                    transitioning = QueryaThemeScope.isTransitioning(context);
+                    return const SizedBox.shrink();
+                  },
+                ),
+              ),
+            );
+          },
+        ),
+      );
+      expect(transitioning, isFalse, reason: 'initial theme is settled');
+
+      setOuterState(() => theme = QueryaTheme.lightDefault);
+      await tester.pump();
+      await tester.pump(const Duration(milliseconds: 100));
+      expect(transitioning, isTrue, reason: 'mid-animation');
+
+      await tester.pumpAndSettle();
+      expect(transitioning, isFalse, reason: 'animation finished');
+    });
+
+    testWidgets('a consumer is rebuilt when the transition ends',
+        (tester) async {
+      var theme = QueryaTheme.darkDefault;
+      final seen = <bool>[];
+      late StateSetter setOuterState;
+
+      await tester.pumpWidget(
+        StatefulBuilder(
+          builder: (context, setState) {
+            setOuterState = setState;
+            return Directionality(
+              textDirection: TextDirection.ltr,
+              child: AnimatedQueryaTheme(
+                data: theme,
+                duration: const Duration(milliseconds: 200),
+                child: Builder(
+                  builder: (context) {
+                    seen.add(QueryaThemeScope.isTransitioning(context));
+                    return const SizedBox.shrink();
+                  },
+                ),
+              ),
+            );
+          },
+        ),
+      );
+
+      setOuterState(() => theme = QueryaTheme.lightDefault);
+      await tester.pumpAndSettle();
+
+      expect(seen.last, isFalse);
+      expect(seen, contains(true));
+    });
+
+    testWidgets('defaults to settled for a plain scope', (tester) async {
+      var transitioning = true;
+      await tester.pumpWidget(
+        Directionality(
+          textDirection: TextDirection.ltr,
+          child: QueryaThemeScope(
+            data: QueryaTheme.darkDefault,
+            child: Builder(
+              builder: (context) {
+                transitioning = QueryaThemeScope.isTransitioning(context);
+                return const SizedBox.shrink();
+              },
+            ),
+          ),
+        ),
+      );
+
+      expect(transitioning, isFalse);
+    });
+  });
+}