diff --git a/src/Folder/Foldable.php b/src/Folder/Foldable.php
index 533cfbb..2b2dfa8 100644
--- a/src/Folder/Foldable.php
+++ b/src/Folder/Foldable.php
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ protected function setupSlots(): void
 
         foreach ($this->node->children as $child) {
             if ($child instanceof SlotNode) {
+                if (! $this->hasActualContent($child->children)) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
                 $placeholder = 'BLAZE_PLACEHOLDER_' . $this->placeholderIndex++ . '_';
 
                 $this->slotByPlaceholder[$placeholder] = $child;
@@ -121,7 +125,7 @@ protected function setupSlots(): void
         }
 
         // Synthesize a default slot from loose content when there's not an explicit one
-        if ($looseContent && ! isset($slots['slot'])) {
+        if ($this->hasActualContent($looseContent) && ! isset($slots['slot'])) {
             $placeholder = 'BLAZE_PLACEHOLDER_' . $this->placeholderIndex++ . '_';
 
             $defaultSlot = new SlotNode(
@@ -146,6 +150,20 @@ protected function setupSlots(): void
         $this->renderable->children = $slots;
     }
 
+    /**
+    * Determine whether a list of nodes contains anything besides whitespace-only text.
+    */
+    protected function hasActualContent(array $nodes): bool
+    {
+        foreach ($nodes as $node) {
+            if (! $node instanceof TextNode || trim($node->content) !== '') {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Convert [BLAZE_ATTR:...] markers into conditional PHP for dynamic attributes.
      */
diff --git a/tests/Folder/FoldableTest.php b/tests/Folder/FoldableTest.php
index 7def932..6ff77c7 100644
--- a/tests/Folder/FoldableTest.php
+++ b/tests/Folder/FoldableTest.php
@@ -402,3 +402,37 @@
     expect((new Foldable($node, '', app(BladeRenderer::class), app(BladeService::class)))->fold())
         ->toBe('<div></div>');
 });
+
+test('does not synthesize a default slot for whitespace-only loose content', function () {
+    $node = app(Parser::class)->parse('<x-card> </x-card>')[0];
+
+    mock(BladeRenderer::class)
+        ->expects('render')
+        ->once()->withArgs(function (ComponentNode $node) {
+            expect($node->render())->toBe('<x-card></x-card>');
+
+            return true;
+        })
+        ->andReturn('<div></div>');
+
+    $output = (new Foldable($node, '', app(BladeRenderer::class), app(BladeService::class)))->fold();
+
+    expect($output)->toBe('<div></div>');
+});
+
+test('does not synthesize a placeholder for a whitespace-only explicit slot', function () {
+    $node = app(Parser::class)->parse('<x-card><x-slot:footer> </x-slot></x-card>')[0];
+
+    mock(BladeRenderer::class)
+        ->expects('render')
+        ->once()->withArgs(function (ComponentNode $node) {
+            expect($node->render())->toBe('<x-card></x-card>');
+
+            return true;
+        })
+        ->andReturn('<div></div>');
+
+    $output = (new Foldable($node, '', app(BladeRenderer::class), app(BladeService::class)))->fold();
+
+    expect($output)->toBe('<div></div>');
+});