diff --git a/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/package.json b/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/package.json
--- a/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/package.json
+++ b/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/package.json
@@ -89,6 +89,11 @@
                 "clangd.trace": {
                     "type": "string",
                     "description": "Names a file that clangd should log a performance trace to, in chrome trace-viewer JSON format."
+                },
+                "clangd.semanticHighlighting": {
+                    "type": "boolean",
+                    "default": "false",
+                    "description": "Enable semantic highlighting in clangd"
                 }
             }
         },
diff --git a/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/extension.ts b/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/extension.ts
--- a/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/extension.ts
+++ b/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/extension.ts
@@ -110,7 +110,8 @@
   const clangdClient = new ClangdLanguageClient('Clang Language Server',
                                                 serverOptions, clientOptions);
   const semanticHighlightingFeature =
-      new semanticHighlighting.SemanticHighlightingFeature();
+      new semanticHighlighting.SemanticHighlightingFeature(
+          getConfig<boolean>('semanticHighlighting'));
   context.subscriptions.push(
       vscode.Disposable.from(semanticHighlightingFeature));
   clangdClient.registerFeature(semanticHighlightingFeature);
diff --git a/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/semantic-highlighting.ts b/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/semantic-highlighting.ts
--- a/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/semantic-highlighting.ts
+++ b/clang-tools-extra/clangd/clients/clangd-vscode/src/semantic-highlighting.ts
@@ -58,6 +58,10 @@
   highlighter: Highlighter;
   // Any disposables that should be cleaned up when clangd crashes.
   private subscriptions: vscode.Disposable[] = [];
+  // Whether the semantic highlighting feature is enabled in the extension.
+  private enable: boolean;
+
+  constructor(enable: boolean) { this.enable = enable; }
   fillClientCapabilities(capabilities: vscodelc.ClientCapabilities) {
     // Extend the ClientCapabilities type and add semantic highlighting
     // capability to the object.
@@ -65,7 +69,7 @@
         {semanticHighlightingCapabilities?: {semanticHighlighting : boolean}} =
         capabilities.textDocument;
     textDocumentCapabilities.semanticHighlightingCapabilities = {
-      semanticHighlighting : true,
+      semanticHighlighting : this.enable,
     };
   }