diff --git a/src/cloud/components/Editor/index.tsx b/src/cloud/components/Editor/index.tsx
index 639530cb0a..bc5b0d8358 100644
--- a/src/cloud/components/Editor/index.tsx
+++ b/src/cloud/components/Editor/index.tsx
@@ -102,7 +102,8 @@ import { useLocalSnapshot } from '../../lib/stores/localSnapshots'
 import SyncStatus from '../Topbar/SyncStatus'
 import {
   CodeMirrorEditorModeHints,
-  getModeSuggestions,
+  getCodeBlockHintContext,
+  getCodeBlockModeSuggestions,
 } from '../../lib/editor/CodeMirror'
 import { scrollEditorToLine } from '../../lib/hooks/editor/docEditor'
 
@@ -361,18 +362,23 @@ const Editor = ({
     const cursorsEqual =
       currentCursor.ch == previousCursor.ch &&
       currentCursor.line == previousCursor.line
+    const codeBlockHintContext = getCodeBlockHintContext(
+      currentLine,
+      cursorColumn
+    )
     if (
       !cm.state.completeActive &&
-      // user has started with '```x' and is waiting for options
-      currentLine.startsWith('```') &&
-      currentLine.length >= 4 &&
-      cursorColumn >= 3 &&
+      codeBlockHintContext != null &&
       !cursorsEqual
     ) {
-      const inputWord = currentLine.substring(3)
-      const modeSuggestions = getModeSuggestions(inputWord)
+      const modeSuggestions = getCodeBlockModeSuggestions(
+        codeBlockHintContext.language,
+        codeBlockHintContext.fenceMarker
+      )
       const isOnlySuggestion =
-        modeSuggestions.length == 1 && modeSuggestions[0].text == inputWord
+        codeBlockHintContext.language.length > 0 &&
+        modeSuggestions.length == 1 &&
+        modeSuggestions[0].text == codeBlockHintContext.language
       if (!isOnlySuggestion) {
         cm.showHint()
       }
diff --git a/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.spec.ts b/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a6388f87a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+jest.mock('codemirror', () => ({
+  Pos: (line: number, ch: number) => ({ line, ch }),
+}))
+jest.mock('codemirror/addon/runmode/runmode', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/mode/markdown/markdown', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/mode/javascript/javascript', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/mode/css/css', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/mode/diff/diff', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/lib/codemirror.css', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/addon/edit/continuelist', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/keymap/vim', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/addon/hint/show-hint', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/addon/hint/show-hint.css', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/keymap/sublime', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/keymap/emacs', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('codemirror/addon/scroll/scrollpastend', () => undefined)
+jest.mock('../../../design/lib/codemirror/util', () => ({
+  loadMode: jest.fn(),
+}))
+
+import {
+  getCodeBlockHintContext,
+  getCodeBlockModeSuggestions,
+} from './CodeMirror'
+
+describe('CodeMirror code block mode hints', () => {
+  test('detects backtick and tilde code fences', () => {
+    expect(getCodeBlockHintContext('```', 3)).toEqual({
+      fenceMarker: '```',
+      language: '',
+    })
+    expect(getCodeBlockHintContext('~~~js', 5)).toEqual({
+      fenceMarker: '~~~',
+      language: 'js',
+    })
+  })
+
+  test('offers a plain code block option before initial language hints', () => {
+    const suggestions = getCodeBlockModeSuggestions('', '```')
+
+    expect(suggestions[0].text).toEqual('')
+    expect(suggestions[0].displayText).toEqual('Plain code block')
+    expect(suggestions.map((suggestion) => suggestion.text)).toContain('js')
+    expect(suggestions.map((suggestion) => suggestion.text)).toContain('python')
+  })
+
+  test('selected language hint completes the code block', () => {
+    const jsSuggestion = getCodeBlockModeSuggestions('j', '```').find(
+      (suggestion) => suggestion.text === 'js'
+    )
+    const cm = {
+      replaceRange: jest.fn(),
+      setCursor: jest.fn(),
+    }
+
+    expect(jsSuggestion).toBeDefined()
+    jsSuggestion!.hint!(
+      cm as any,
+      {
+        from: { line: 4, ch: 0 },
+        to: { line: 4, ch: 4 },
+        list: [],
+      },
+      jsSuggestion!
+    )
+
+    expect(cm.replaceRange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      '```js\n\n```',
+      { line: 4, ch: 0 },
+      { line: 4, ch: 4 },
+      'complete'
+    )
+    expect(cm.setCursor).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ line: 5, ch: 0 })
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.ts b/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.ts
index 530b3ffbb5..d5135b08ca 100644
--- a/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.ts
+++ b/src/cloud/lib/editor/CodeMirror.ts
@@ -240,6 +240,51 @@ for (const [key, suggestions] of Object.entries(supportedModeSuggestions)) {
   })
 }
 
+const initialModeSuggestions = [
+  'js',
+  'ts',
+  'python',
+  'shell',
+  'css',
+  'html',
+  'sql',
+  'go',
+  'rust',
+  'java',
+]
+
+function getAllModeSuggestions(
+  suggestionModes: SuggestionModeType = improvedModeSuggestions
+) {
+  return Object.values(suggestionModes).reduce(
+    (result, suggestions) => result.concat(suggestions),
+    []
+  )
+}
+
+export function getInitialModeSuggestions(
+  suggestionModes: SuggestionModeType = improvedModeSuggestions
+): CodeMirror.Hint[] {
+  const suggestions = getAllModeSuggestions(suggestionModes)
+  const initialSuggestions: CodeMirror.Hint[] = []
+
+  initialModeSuggestions.forEach((autocomplete) => {
+    const suggestion = suggestions.find(
+      (modeSuggestion) => modeSuggestion.autocomplete === autocomplete
+    )
+    if (suggestion == null) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    initialSuggestions.push({
+      text: suggestion.autocomplete,
+      displayText: suggestion.displayText,
+    })
+  })
+
+  return initialSuggestions
+}
+
 export function getModeSuggestions(
   word: string,
   suggestionModes: SuggestionModeType = improvedModeSuggestions
@@ -283,11 +328,89 @@ export function getModeSuggestions(
   return []
 }
 
+export function getCodeBlockHintContext(line: string, cursorColumn: number) {
+  const fenceMarker = line.startsWith('```')
+    ? '```'
+    : line.startsWith('~~~')
+    ? '~~~'
+    : null
+  if (fenceMarker == null || cursorColumn < fenceMarker.length) {
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const language = line.slice(fenceMarker.length).toLowerCase()
+  if (!/^[\w#+-]*$/.test(language)) {
+    return null
+  }
+
+  return {
+    fenceMarker,
+    language,
+  }
+}
+
+function buildCodeBlockHint(
+  fenceMarker: string,
+  suggestion: CodeMirror.Hint
+): CodeMirror.Hint {
+  return {
+    ...suggestion,
+    hint: (cm, data, selectedSuggestion) => {
+      const language = selectedSuggestion.text
+      cm.replaceRange(
+        `${fenceMarker}${language}\n\n${fenceMarker}`,
+        data.from,
+        data.to,
+        'complete'
+      )
+      cm.setCursor(CodeMirror.Pos(data.from.line + 1, 0))
+    },
+  }
+}
+
+export function getCodeBlockModeSuggestions(
+  language: string,
+  fenceMarker: string
+) {
+  const modeSuggestions =
+    language.length === 0
+      ? [
+          {
+            text: '',
+            displayText: 'Plain code block',
+          },
+          ...getInitialModeSuggestions(),
+        ]
+      : getModeSuggestions(language)
+
+  return modeSuggestions.map((suggestion) => {
+    return buildCodeBlockHint(fenceMarker, suggestion)
+  })
+}
+
 export function CodeMirrorEditorModeHints(cm: CodeMirror.Editor) {
   return new Promise(function (accept) {
     setTimeout(function () {
       const cursor = cm.getCursor(),
         line = cm.getLine(cursor.line)
+
+      const codeBlockHintContext = getCodeBlockHintContext(line, cursor.ch)
+      if (codeBlockHintContext != null) {
+        const suggestions = getCodeBlockModeSuggestions(
+          codeBlockHintContext.language,
+          codeBlockHintContext.fenceMarker
+        )
+        if (suggestions.length == 0) {
+          return accept(null)
+        }
+
+        return accept({
+          list: suggestions,
+          from: CodeMirror.Pos(cursor.line, 0),
+          to: CodeMirror.Pos(cursor.line, line.length),
+        })
+      }
+
       let start = cursor.ch
       let end = cursor.ch
       while (start && /\w/.test(line.charAt(start - 1))) --start