diff --git a/src/apps/cursorless-vscode-e2e/suite/keyboard/basic.test.ts b/src/apps/cursorless-vscode-e2e/suite/keyboard/basic.test.ts
index 9a3b8a5365..78a34116e0 100644
--- a/src/apps/cursorless-vscode-e2e/suite/keyboard/basic.test.ts
+++ b/src/apps/cursorless-vscode-e2e/suite/keyboard/basic.test.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,14 @@ import { endToEndTestSetup, sleepWithBackoff } from "../../endToEndTestSetup";
 suite("Basic keyboard test", async function () {
   endToEndTestSetup(this);
 
+  this.afterEach(async () => {
+    await vscode.commands.executeCommand("cursorless.keyboard.modal.modeOff");
+  });
+
   test("Don't take keyboard control on startup", () => checkKeyboardStartup());
   test("Basic keyboard test", () => basic());
+  test("Check that entering and leaving mode is no-op", () =>
+    enterAndLeaveIsNoOp());
 });
 
 async function checkKeyboardStartup() {
@@ -48,6 +54,21 @@ async function basic() {
   assert.equal(editor.document.getText().trim(), "a");
 }
 
+async function enterAndLeaveIsNoOp() {
+  const editor = await openNewEditor("hello");
+
+  const originalSelection = new vscode.Selection(0, 0, 0, 0);
+  editor.selection = originalSelection;
+
+  await vscode.commands.executeCommand("cursorless.keyboard.modal.modeOn");
+
+  assert.isTrue(editor.selection.isEqual(originalSelection));
+
+  await vscode.commands.executeCommand("cursorless.keyboard.modal.modeOff");
+
+  assert.isTrue(editor.selection.isEqual(originalSelection));
+}
+
 async function typeText(text: string) {
   for (const char of text) {
     vscode.commands.executeCommand("type", { text: char });
diff --git a/src/keyboard/KeyboardCommandsTargeted.ts b/src/keyboard/KeyboardCommandsTargeted.ts
index 4e9e6b3faa..938ef7c238 100644
--- a/src/keyboard/KeyboardCommandsTargeted.ts
+++ b/src/keyboard/KeyboardCommandsTargeted.ts
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ export default class KeyboardCommandsTargeted {
   targetSelection = () =>
     executeCursorlessCommand({
       action: {
-        name: "setSelection",
+        name: "highlight",
       },
       targets: [
         {
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ export default class KeyboardCommandsTargeted {
           mark: {
             type: "cursor",
           },
+          modifiers: [{ type: "toRawSelection" }],
         },
       ],
     });