diff --git a/src/info.ts b/src/info.ts
index e2a340a92..f3e0b417e 100644
--- a/src/info.ts
+++ b/src/info.ts
@@ -33,14 +33,21 @@ export function parseInfo(input: string): Info {
   let attributeName: string | undefined;
   let attributeNameStart: number | undefined;
   let attributeValueStart: number | undefined;
+  let tagStart = 0;
   const attributes = {};
-  for (let i = 0, n = input.length; i <= n; ++i) {
+
+  // Skip leading whitespace
+  while (tagStart < input.length && isSpaceCode(input.charCodeAt(tagStart))) {
+    tagStart++;
+  }
+
+  for (let i = tagStart, n = input.length; i <= n; ++i) {
     const code = input.charCodeAt(i); // note: inclusive upper bound; code may be NaN!
     switch (state) {
       case STATE_TAG_NAME: {
         if (isSpaceCode(code) || isNaN(code)) {
           state = STATE_BEFORE_ATTRIBUTE_NAME;
-          tag = lower(input, 0, i);
+          tag = lower(input, tagStart, i);
         }
         break;
       }
diff --git a/test/input/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md b/test/input/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..404a36df6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/input/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Fenced code with space after backticks
+
+This should work according to CommonMark but currently fails:
+
+``` sql
+SELECT 1 + 2 AS result;
+```
+
+This works without the space:
+
+```sql
+SELECT 3 + 4 AS result;
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/output/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.html b/test/output/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0d39e5ef4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.html
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+<h1 id="fenced-code-with-space-after-backticks" tabindex="-1">Fenced code with space after backticks</h1>
+<p>This should work according to CommonMark but currently fails:</p>
+<div class="observablehq observablehq--block"><!--:853e4a25:--></div>
+<p>This works without the space:</p>
+<div class="observablehq observablehq--block"><!--:5472e671:--></div>
diff --git a/test/output/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md.json b/test/output/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..06f8f2ed9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md.json
@@ -0,0 +1,306 @@
+{
+  "data": {},
+  "title": "Fenced code with space after backticks",
+  "style": null,
+  "code": [
+    {
+      "id": "853e4a25",
+      "node": {
+        "body": {
+          "type": "Program",
+          "start": 0,
+          "end": 75,
+          "body": [
+            {
+              "type": "ExpressionStatement",
+              "start": 0,
+              "end": 75,
+              "expression": {
+                "type": "CallExpression",
+                "start": 0,
+                "end": 74,
+                "callee": {
+                  "type": "Identifier",
+                  "start": 0,
+                  "end": 7,
+                  "name": "display"
+                },
+                "arguments": [
+                  {
+                    "type": "CallExpression",
+                    "start": 8,
+                    "end": 73,
+                    "callee": {
+                      "type": "MemberExpression",
+                      "start": 8,
+                      "end": 20,
+                      "object": {
+                        "type": "Identifier",
+                        "start": 8,
+                        "end": 14,
+                        "name": "Inputs"
+                      },
+                      "property": {
+                        "type": "Identifier",
+                        "start": 15,
+                        "end": 20,
+                        "name": "table"
+                      },
+                      "computed": false,
+                      "optional": false
+                    },
+                    "arguments": [
+                      {
+                        "type": "AwaitExpression",
+                        "start": 21,
+                        "end": 55,
+                        "argument": {
+                          "type": "TaggedTemplateExpression",
+                          "start": 27,
+                          "end": 55,
+                          "tag": {
+                            "type": "Identifier",
+                            "start": 27,
+                            "end": 30,
+                            "name": "sql"
+                          },
+                          "quasi": {
+                            "type": "TemplateLiteral",
+                            "start": 30,
+                            "end": 55,
+                            "expressions": [],
+                            "quasis": [
+                              {
+                                "type": "TemplateElement",
+                                "start": 31,
+                                "end": 54,
+                                "value": {
+                                  "raw": "SELECT 1 + 2 AS result;",
+                                  "cooked": "SELECT 1 + 2 AS result;"
+                                },
+                                "tail": true
+                              }
+                            ]
+                          }
+                        }
+                      },
+                      {
+                        "type": "ObjectExpression",
+                        "start": 57,
+                        "end": 72,
+                        "properties": [
+                          {
+                            "type": "Property",
+                            "start": 58,
+                            "end": 71,
+                            "method": false,
+                            "shorthand": false,
+                            "computed": false,
+                            "key": {
+                              "type": "Identifier",
+                              "start": 58,
+                              "end": 64,
+                              "name": "select"
+                            },
+                            "value": {
+                              "type": "Literal",
+                              "start": 66,
+                              "end": 71,
+                              "value": false,
+                              "raw": "false"
+                            },
+                            "kind": "init"
+                          }
+                        ]
+                      }
+                    ],
+                    "optional": false
+                  }
+                ],
+                "optional": false
+              }
+            }
+          ],
+          "sourceType": "module"
+        },
+        "declarations": [],
+        "references": [
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 0,
+            "end": 7,
+            "name": "display"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 8,
+            "end": 14,
+            "name": "Inputs"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 27,
+            "end": 30,
+            "name": "sql"
+          }
+        ],
+        "files": [],
+        "imports": [],
+        "expression": false,
+        "async": true,
+        "input": "display(Inputs.table(await sql`SELECT 1 + 2 AS result;`, {select: false}));"
+      },
+      "mode": "block"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "5472e671",
+      "node": {
+        "body": {
+          "type": "Program",
+          "start": 0,
+          "end": 75,
+          "body": [
+            {
+              "type": "ExpressionStatement",
+              "start": 0,
+              "end": 75,
+              "expression": {
+                "type": "CallExpression",
+                "start": 0,
+                "end": 74,
+                "callee": {
+                  "type": "Identifier",
+                  "start": 0,
+                  "end": 7,
+                  "name": "display"
+                },
+                "arguments": [
+                  {
+                    "type": "CallExpression",
+                    "start": 8,
+                    "end": 73,
+                    "callee": {
+                      "type": "MemberExpression",
+                      "start": 8,
+                      "end": 20,
+                      "object": {
+                        "type": "Identifier",
+                        "start": 8,
+                        "end": 14,
+                        "name": "Inputs"
+                      },
+                      "property": {
+                        "type": "Identifier",
+                        "start": 15,
+                        "end": 20,
+                        "name": "table"
+                      },
+                      "computed": false,
+                      "optional": false
+                    },
+                    "arguments": [
+                      {
+                        "type": "AwaitExpression",
+                        "start": 21,
+                        "end": 55,
+                        "argument": {
+                          "type": "TaggedTemplateExpression",
+                          "start": 27,
+                          "end": 55,
+                          "tag": {
+                            "type": "Identifier",
+                            "start": 27,
+                            "end": 30,
+                            "name": "sql"
+                          },
+                          "quasi": {
+                            "type": "TemplateLiteral",
+                            "start": 30,
+                            "end": 55,
+                            "expressions": [],
+                            "quasis": [
+                              {
+                                "type": "TemplateElement",
+                                "start": 31,
+                                "end": 54,
+                                "value": {
+                                  "raw": "SELECT 3 + 4 AS result;",
+                                  "cooked": "SELECT 3 + 4 AS result;"
+                                },
+                                "tail": true
+                              }
+                            ]
+                          }
+                        }
+                      },
+                      {
+                        "type": "ObjectExpression",
+                        "start": 57,
+                        "end": 72,
+                        "properties": [
+                          {
+                            "type": "Property",
+                            "start": 58,
+                            "end": 71,
+                            "method": false,
+                            "shorthand": false,
+                            "computed": false,
+                            "key": {
+                              "type": "Identifier",
+                              "start": 58,
+                              "end": 64,
+                              "name": "select"
+                            },
+                            "value": {
+                              "type": "Literal",
+                              "start": 66,
+                              "end": 71,
+                              "value": false,
+                              "raw": "false"
+                            },
+                            "kind": "init"
+                          }
+                        ]
+                      }
+                    ],
+                    "optional": false
+                  }
+                ],
+                "optional": false
+              }
+            }
+          ],
+          "sourceType": "module"
+        },
+        "declarations": [],
+        "references": [
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 0,
+            "end": 7,
+            "name": "display"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 8,
+            "end": 14,
+            "name": "Inputs"
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "Identifier",
+            "start": 27,
+            "end": 30,
+            "name": "sql"
+          }
+        ],
+        "files": [],
+        "imports": [],
+        "expression": false,
+        "async": true,
+        "input": "display(Inputs.table(await sql`SELECT 3 + 4 AS result;`, {select: false}));"
+      },
+      "mode": "block"
+    }
+  ],
+  "path": "fenced-code-space-after-backticks.md"
+}
\ No newline at end of file