diff --git a/src/formatter/ExpressionFormatter.ts b/src/formatter/ExpressionFormatter.ts
index a306e22fd1..8f93be365f 100644
--- a/src/formatter/ExpressionFormatter.ts
+++ b/src/formatter/ExpressionFormatter.ts
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ export default class ExpressionFormatter {
   }
 
   private formatBlockComment(node: BlockCommentNode | DisableCommentNode) {
-    if (node.type === NodeType.block_comment && this.isMultilineBlockComment(node)) {
+    if (node.type === NodeType.block_comment && this.isStandaloneBlockComment(node)) {
       this.splitBlockComment(node.text).forEach(line => {
         this.layout.add(WS.NEWLINE, WS.INDENT, line);
       });
@@ -388,8 +388,17 @@ export default class ExpressionFormatter {
     }
   }
 
-  private isMultilineBlockComment(node: BlockCommentNode): boolean {
-    return isMultiline(node.text) || isMultiline(node.precedingWhitespace || '');
+  private isStandaloneBlockComment(node: BlockCommentNode): boolean {
+    return (
+      isMultiline(node.text) ||
+      isMultiline(node.precedingWhitespace || '') ||
+      // The comment is the first thing on its line in the output being built
+      // (e.g. a comment leading the first item of a clause body, which the
+      // formatter always places on a fresh line). Keeping it inline here would
+      // make formatting non-idempotent, since reformatting would then see a
+      // newline before the comment and move it onto its own line.
+      this.layout.isAtStartOfLine()
+    );
   }
 
   private isDocComment(comment: string): boolean {
diff --git a/src/formatter/Layout.ts b/src/formatter/Layout.ts
index 37b38f6d0d..b08684865f 100644
--- a/src/formatter/Layout.ts
+++ b/src/formatter/Layout.ts
@@ -111,6 +111,22 @@ export default class Layout {
     return this.items;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * True when some content has already been added and nothing but indentation
+   * has been emitted since the last newline, meaning the next token would be
+   * placed at the start of a fresh (non-first) line.
+   */
+  public isAtStartOfLine(): boolean {
+    for (let i = this.items.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+      const item = this.items[i];
+      if (item === WS.SINGLE_INDENT) {
+        continue;
+      }
+      return item === WS.NEWLINE || item === WS.MANDATORY_NEWLINE;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
   private itemToString(item: LayoutItem): string {
     switch (item) {
       case WS.SPACE:
diff --git a/test/features/comments.ts b/test/features/comments.ts
index 3cb57070ec..b0e7a6f02a 100644
--- a/test/features/comments.ts
+++ b/test/features/comments.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,33 @@ export default function supportsComments(format: FormatFn, opts: CommentsConfig
     expect(format(sql)).toBe(sql);
   });
 
+  it('moves a leading block comment of a clause item onto its own line', () => {
+    const result = format('SELECT /* comment */ foo FROM tbl');
+    expect(result).toBe(dedent`
+      SELECT
+        /* comment */
+        foo
+      FROM
+        tbl
+    `);
+    // Formatting must be idempotent: re-formatting the result must not change it.
+    expect(format(result)).toBe(result);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps block comments in various clause positions idempotent', () => {
+    // The fix should generalize beyond a comment right after SELECT: comments
+    // after a keyword, between items, and in UPDATE/SET must all be stable
+    // under re-formatting.
+    for (const sql of [
+      'SELECT foo /* c */, /* c */ bar FROM /* c */ tbl1 JOIN /* c */ tbl2',
+      'UPDATE /* c */ tbl SET /* c */ x = 10',
+      'SELECT /* c */ a, b FROM t WHERE /* c */ x = 1',
+    ]) {
+      const once = format(sql);
+      expect(format(once)).toBe(once);
+    }
+  });
+
   it('formats tricky line comments', () => {
     expect(format('SELECT a--comment, here\nFROM b--comment')).toBe(dedent`
       SELECT