diff --git a/topiary-core/src/comments.rs b/topiary-core/src/comments.rs
index a97c71fc..fefccecd 100644
--- a/topiary-core/src/comments.rs
+++ b/topiary-core/src/comments.rs
@@ -63,10 +63,10 @@ fn is_comment(node: &Node) -> bool {
     node.is_extra() && node.kind().to_string().contains("comment")
 }
 
-fn find_comments<'a>(node: Node<'a>, input: &str, comments: &'a mut Vec<(Node<'a>, Commented)>) -> FormatterResult<()> {
+fn find_comments<'a>(node: Node<'a>, input: &str, comments: & mut Vec<AnchoredComment<'a>>) -> FormatterResult<()> {
     if is_comment(&node) {
-        let commented_section = find_anchor(&node, input)?;
-        comments.push((node, commented_section));
+        let commented = find_anchor(&node, input)?;
+        comments.push(AnchoredComment{comment: node, commented});
         Ok(())
     } else {
         let mut walker = node.walk();
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ fn find_comments<'a>(node: Node<'a>, input: &str, comments: &'a mut Vec<(Node<'a
 
 /// The section of code to which a comment refers. We also remember whether the comment
 /// is positioned before or after the section.
+#[derive(Debug)]
 pub enum Commented {
     /// The code section is before the comment, as in:
     /// ```
@@ -100,6 +101,19 @@ pub enum Commented {
     CommentedAfter(InputSection),
 }
 
+impl Diff<InputSection, FormatterError> for Commented {
+    fn substract(self: &mut Self, other: &InputSection) -> FormatterResult<()> {
+        match self {
+            Commented::CommentedBefore(section) => {
+                section.substract(other)
+            },
+            Commented::CommentedAfter(section) => {
+                section.substract(other)
+            },
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 fn next_non_comment<'tree>(node: Node<'tree>) -> Option<Node<'tree>> {
     let mut temp_node: Node<'tree> = node;
     loop {
@@ -170,9 +184,9 @@ fn find_anchor<'tree>(
         })?;
     if prefix.trim_start() == "" {
         if let Some(anchor) = next_non_comment(node.clone()) {
-            return Ok(Commented::CommentedAfter(anchor.into()));
+            return Ok(Commented::CommentedAfter((&anchor).into()));
         } else if let Some(anchor) = previous_non_comment(node.clone()) {
-            return Ok(Commented::CommentedBefore(anchor.into()));
+            return Ok(Commented::CommentedBefore((&anchor).into()));
         } else {
             return Err(FormatterError::Internal(
                 format!("Could find no anchor for comment {node:?}",),
@@ -193,10 +207,15 @@ fn find_anchor<'tree>(
     }
 }
 
-pub struct SeparatedInput<'a> {
+struct AnchoredComment<'a>{
+    comment: Node<'a>,
+    commented: Commented,
+}
+
+pub struct SeparatedInput<'a>{
     pub input_tree: Tree,
     pub input_string: String,
-    pub comments: Vec<(&'a Node<'a>, Commented)>,
+    pub comments: Vec<AnchoredComment<'a>>,
 }
 
 // TODO: store comments instead of discarding them
@@ -204,37 +223,40 @@ pub fn extract_comments<'a>(
     tree: Tree,
     input: &str,
     grammar: &Language,
-) -> FormatterResult<(Tree, String)> {
-    let mut comments: Vec<(Node, Commented)> = Vec::new();
+) -> FormatterResult<(Tree, String, Vec<AnchoredComment<'a>>)> {
+    let mut anchors: Vec<AnchoredComment> = Vec::new();
     let mut new_input: String = input.to_string();
     let mut new_tree: Tree = tree;
-    find_comments(new_tree.root_node(), input, &mut comments);
-    comments.sort_by_key(|(node, _)| node.start_byte());
-    comments.reverse();
+    find_comments(new_tree.root_node(), input, &mut anchors)?;
+    anchors.sort_by_key(|AnchoredComment { comment, .. }| comment.start_byte());
     let mut edits: Vec<InputEdit> = Vec::new();
-    for (node, anchor) in comments {
-        match anchor {
-            Commented::CommentedBefore(anchor) => {
-                log::warn!("Commented section precedes comment {:?}:\n{anchor:?}", &node)
-            }
-            Commented::CommentedAfter(anchor) => {
-                log::warn!("Commented section follows comment {:?}:\n{anchor:?}", &node)
-            }
-        }
-        new_input.replace_range((node.start_byte() as usize)..(node.end_byte() as usize), "");
+    // for each (comment, anchor) pair in reverse order, we:
+    // 1) remove the comment from the input,
+    // 2) register an InputEdit to modify the tree,
+    // 3) edit the following anchors to account for the removed comment.
+    for index in (0..anchors.len()).rev() {
+        let AnchoredComment{comment, ..} = &anchors[index];
+        // 1)
+        new_input.replace_range((comment.start_byte() as usize)..(comment.end_byte() as usize), "");
+        // 2)
         let edit = InputEdit::new(
-            node.start_byte(),
-            node.end_byte(),
-            node.start_byte(),
-            &node.start_position(),
-            &node.end_position(),
-            &node.start_position(),
+            comment.start_byte(),
+            comment.end_byte(),
+            comment.start_byte(),
+            &comment.start_position(),
+            &comment.end_position(),
+            &comment.start_position(),
         );
         edits.push(edit);
+        // 3)
+        for following_index in index..anchors.len() {
+            let AnchoredComment { commented: mut following_anchor, .. } = &anchors[following_index];
+            following_anchor.substract(&comment.into());
+        }
     }
     for edit in edits {
         new_tree.edit(&edit);
     }
     new_tree = reparse(new_tree, new_input.as_str(), grammar)?;
-    Ok((new_tree, new_input))
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+    Ok((new_tree, new_input, anchors))
+}
diff --git a/topiary-core/src/types.rs b/topiary-core/src/types.rs
index af163c1b..f7e97c18 100644
--- a/topiary-core/src/types.rs
+++ b/topiary-core/src/types.rs
@@ -38,8 +38,8 @@ pub struct InputSection {
     pub end: Position,
 }
 
-impl From<Node<'_>> for InputSection {
-    fn from(value: Node) -> Self {
+impl From<&Node<'_>> for InputSection {
+    fn from(value: &Node) -> Self {
         InputSection {
             start: value.start_position().into(),
             end: value.end_position().into(),