diff --git a/packages/codemirror-vim-core/test/vim_test.js b/packages/codemirror-vim-core/test/vim_test.js
index 789fc06..10c71a7 100644
--- a/packages/codemirror-vim-core/test/vim_test.js
+++ b/packages/codemirror-vim-core/test/vim_test.js
@@ -1623,6 +1623,14 @@ testEdit('da{_middle_spc', 'a{\n\tbar\n}b', /r/, 'da{', 'ab');
 testEdit('da}_middle_spc', 'a{\n\tbar\n}b', /r/, 'da}', 'ab');
 testEdit('daB_middle_spc', 'a{\n\tbar\n}b', /r/, 'daB', 'ab');
 
+// Cursor before any block: the closing-bracket forms must behave like the
+// opening-bracket forms and pick the first block opened ahead of the cursor,
+// not the first closing bracket in the document (replit/codemirror-vim#264).
+var outsideBlockDoc = 'f(a) {\n  while (x) {\n    y;\n  }\n  z;\n}';
+testEdit('da{_before_block_selects_first_opened_block', outsideBlockDoc, /f/, 'da{', 'f(a) ');
+testEdit('da}_before_block_selects_first_opened_block', outsideBlockDoc, /f/, 'da}', 'f(a) ');
+testEdit('da)_before_block_selects_first_opened_pair', 'x f(a(b)) y', /x/, 'da)', 'x f y');
+
 // open and close on diff lines, open indented less than close
 testEdit('di{_middle_spc', 'a{\n\tbar\n\t}b', /r/, 'di{', 'a{}b');
 testEdit('di}_middle_spc', 'a{\n\tbar\n\t}b', /r/, 'di}', 'a{}b');
diff --git a/packages/codemirror-vim-core/vim.js b/packages/codemirror-vim-core/vim.js
index 3cafa6b..533c7c5 100644
--- a/packages/codemirror-vim-core/vim.js
+++ b/packages/codemirror-vim-core/vim.js
@@ -2614,7 +2614,9 @@ export function initVim(CM) {
         move = true;
         tmp = selectCompanionObject(cm, head, character, inclusive);
         if (!tmp) {
-          var sc = cm.getSearchCursor(new RegExp("\\" + character, "g"), head)
+          // Look ahead for the opening bracket, whichever form was typed.
+          var openChar = ')}]>'.indexOf(character) >= 0 ? mirroredPairs[character] : character;
+          var sc = cm.getSearchCursor(new RegExp("\\" + openChar, "g"), head)
           if (sc.find()) {
             // @ts-ignore
             tmp = selectCompanionObject(cm, sc.from(), character, inclusive);