diff --git a/cli/src/tests/query_test.rs b/cli/src/tests/query_test.rs
index 5c37a9ab..2ac178fc 100644
--- a/cli/src/tests/query_test.rs
+++ b/cli/src/tests/query_test.rs
@@ -31,9 +31,10 @@ fn test_query_errors_on_invalid_syntax() {
             Err(QueryError::Syntax(24))
         );
 
+        // Return an error at the beginning of an unterminated string.
         assert_eq!(
-            Query::new(language, "(if_statement condition:)"),
-            Err(QueryError::Syntax(24))
+            Query::new(language, r#"(identifier) "h "#),
+            Err(QueryError::Syntax(13))
         );
     });
 }
diff --git a/lib/src/query.c b/lib/src/query.c
index ea01cf24..10d409ed 100644
--- a/lib/src/query.c
+++ b/lib/src/query.c
@@ -398,7 +398,12 @@ static TSQueryError ts_query_parse_pattern(
 
     // Parse the string content
     const char *string_content = stream->input;
-    while (stream->next && stream->next != '"') stream_advance(stream);
+    while (stream->next != '"') {
+      if (!stream_advance(stream)) {
+        stream_reset(stream, string_content - 1);
+        return TSQueryErrorSyntax;
+      }
+    }
     uint32_t length = stream->input - string_content;
 
     // Add a step for the node