diff --git a/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.browser.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.browser.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ec5991464c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.browser.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+import "@blocknote/core/style.css";
+
+import { BlockNoteEditor, BlockNoteSchema } from "@blocknote/core";
+import { TextSelection } from "@tiptap/pm/state";
+import { flushSync } from "react-dom";
+import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
+import { expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
+import { userEvent } from "vite-plus/test/browser";
+
+import { BlockNoteViewRaw } from "../editor/BlockNoteView.js";
+import { createReactInlineContentSpec } from "./ReactInlineContentSpec.js";
+
+const tag = createReactInlineContentSpec(
+  { type: "tag", propSchema: {}, content: "styled" },
+  {
+    render: ({ contentRef }) => (
+      <span>
+        #
+        <span
+          data-test="tag-content"
+          ref={contentRef}
+          style={{ display: "inline-block", minWidth: 50, minHeight: 20 }}
+        />
+      </span>
+    ),
+  },
+);
+const schema = BlockNoteSchema.create().extend({
+  inlineContentSpecs: { tag },
+});
+
+it.each([
+  { name: "initial content", initial: true, text: "seed" },
+  { name: "an inserted empty tag", initial: false, text: "" },
+  { name: "an inserted tag with text", initial: false, text: "seed" },
+])(
+  "keeps $name connected to the document (#2142)",
+  async ({ initial, text }) => {
+    const editor = BlockNoteEditor.create({
+      schema,
+      trailingBlock: false,
+      initialContent: [
+        {
+          id: "paragraph",
+          type: "paragraph",
+          content: initial ? [{ type: "tag", content: text }] : [],
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    const host = document.createElement("div");
+    document.body.append(host);
+    const root = createRoot(host);
+
+    try {
+      flushSync(() => {
+        root.render(
+          <BlockNoteViewRaw
+            editor={editor}
+            formattingToolbar={false}
+            linkToolbar={false}
+            sideMenu={false}
+            slashMenu={false}
+          />,
+        );
+      });
+
+      if (!initial) {
+        editor.insertInlineContent([{ type: "tag", content: text }]);
+      }
+
+      const editable = await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        const element = host.querySelector<HTMLElement>(
+          '[data-test="tag-content"]',
+        );
+        expect(element).not.toBeNull();
+        expect(element?.textContent).toBe(text);
+        return element!;
+      });
+
+      editor.transact((tr) => {
+        tr.doc.descendants((node, pos) => {
+          if (node.type.name === "tag") {
+            tr.setSelection(
+              TextSelection.create(tr.doc, pos + 1 + text.length),
+            );
+            return false;
+          }
+          return undefined;
+        });
+      });
+      editor.focus();
+
+      if (text === "") {
+        // Match the report: click the visible empty input before typing into it.
+        await userEvent.click(editable);
+      }
+
+      const selection = window.getSelection();
+      const inputContext = JSON.stringify({
+        parent: editor.prosemirrorState.selection.$from.parent.type.name,
+        anchor: selection?.anchorNode?.parentElement?.outerHTML,
+        anchorOffset: selection?.anchorOffset,
+        content: editable.outerHTML,
+        rect: editable.getBoundingClientRect().toJSON(),
+      });
+
+      // Both keyboard input and native edits must reach ProseMirror through this
+      // node view's content DOM, so editor.document matches the visible text.
+      if (text === "") {
+        await userEvent.keyboard("added");
+      } else {
+        document.execCommand("insertText", false, "added");
+      }
+
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        expect(
+          host.querySelector('[data-test="tag-content"]')?.textContent,
+          `${inputContext}; after input: ${host.innerHTML}; document: ${JSON.stringify(editor.document)}`,
+        ).toBe(`${text}added`);
+        expect(editor.document[0].content).toEqual([
+          {
+            type: "tag",
+            props: {},
+            content: [{ type: "text", text: `${text}added`, styles: {} }],
+          },
+        ]);
+      });
+    } finally {
+      root.unmount();
+      editor._tiptapEditor.destroy();
+      host.remove();
+    }
+  },
+);
diff --git a/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4ca5568b6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+import { BlockNoteEditor, BlockNoteSchema } from "@blocknote/core";
+import { flushSync } from "react-dom";
+import { createRoot } from "react-dom/client";
+import { expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
+
+import { BlockNoteViewRaw } from "../editor/BlockNoteView.js";
+import { createReactInlineContentSpec } from "./ReactInlineContentSpec.js";
+
+function createSchema(content: "styled" | "plain") {
+  const config =
+    content === "styled"
+      ? ({ type: "tag", propSchema: {}, content: "styled" } as const)
+      : ({ type: "tag", propSchema: {}, content: "plain" } as const);
+  const tag = createReactInlineContentSpec(config, {
+    render: ({ contentRef }) => (
+      <span>
+        #<span data-test="tag-content" ref={contentRef} />
+      </span>
+    ),
+  });
+  return BlockNoteSchema.create().extend({
+    inlineContentSpecs: { tag },
+  });
+}
+
+it.each(["styled", "plain"] as const)(
+  "renders inserted %s inline content inside its contentRef element (#2142)",
+  async (content) => {
+    const editor = BlockNoteEditor.create({
+      schema: createSchema(content),
+      trailingBlock: false,
+      initialContent: [{ id: "paragraph", type: "paragraph" }],
+    });
+    const host = document.createElement("div");
+    document.body.append(host);
+    const root = createRoot(host);
+
+    try {
+      flushSync(() => {
+        root.render(
+          <BlockNoteViewRaw
+            editor={editor}
+            formattingToolbar={false}
+            linkToolbar={false}
+            sideMenu={false}
+            slashMenu={false}
+          />,
+        );
+      });
+      editor.insertInlineContent([{ type: "tag", content: "seed" }]);
+
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        expect(
+          host.querySelector('[data-test="tag-content"]')?.textContent,
+          host.innerHTML,
+        ).toBe("seed");
+      });
+    } finally {
+      root.unmount();
+      editor._tiptapEditor.destroy();
+      host.remove();
+    }
+  },
+);
diff --git a/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.tsx b/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.tsx
index 863d5421a3..ef91283ef5 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/schema/ReactInlineContentSpec.tsx
@@ -226,6 +226,10 @@ export function createReactInlineContentSpec<
                   contentRef={(element) => {
                     ref(element);
                     if (element) {
+                      // The initial React ref runs before TipTap creates the
+                      // content DOM. Mark its target so the node view can attach
+                      // the content there once its constructor resumes.
+                      element.dataset.nodeViewContent = "";
                       element.dataset.editable = "";
                     }
                   }}