diff --git a/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.test.ts b/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.test.ts
index e9ae8a4730..615fd6c66c 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.test.ts
@@ -196,6 +196,14 @@ describe("htmlDocument helpers", () => {
     );
   });
 
+  it("puts markup before the outer </template>, past a nested one and a commented one", () => {
+    const sub =
+      "<template id=t><div><template><i></i></template></div></template>\n<!-- </template> -->";
+    expect(insertBeforeCloseTag(sub, "template", "X")).toBe(
+      "<template id=t><div><template><i></i></template></div>X</template>\n<!-- </template> -->",
+    );
+  });
+
   it("ends a comment at --!>, but not on its own opening dashes", () => {
     expect(insertBeforeCloseTag("<head><!-- a --!></head>", "head", "X")).toBe(
       "<head><!-- a --!>X</head>",
diff --git a/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.ts b/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.ts
index f18c994dd8..cf98279623 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/compiler/htmlDocument.ts
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ function inlineScriptTags(scripts: readonly string[]): string {
 
 const RAW_TEXT_TAGS = ["script", "style", "title", "textarea"] as const;
 
-type DocumentTag = "<head" | "</head" | "<body" | "</body";
+type DocumentTag = "<head" | "</head" | "<body" | "</body" | "</template";
 const COMMENT_END = /--!?>/g;
 
 function* markupStarts(lowered: string): Generator<number> {
@@ -290,15 +290,25 @@ function findRawTextClose(lowered: string, name: string, from: number): number {
   return -1;
 }
 
+function findOuterTemplateClose(html: string): number {
+  const lowered = lowerAscii(html);
+  let depth = 0;
+  for (const open of markupStarts(lowered)) {
+    if (isTagAt(lowered, open, "<template")) depth++;
+    else if (isTagAt(lowered, open, "</template") && --depth === 0) return open;
+  }
+  return -1;
+}
+
 function insertBeforeDocumentTag(html: string, tag: DocumentTag, markup: string): string | null {
-  const at = findDocumentTag(html, tag);
+  const at = tag === "</template" ? findOuterTemplateClose(html) : findDocumentTag(html, tag);
   return at === -1 ? null : html.slice(0, at) + markup + html.slice(at);
 }
 
-/** Insert markup just before the document's own `</head>` or `</body>`; null when it has none. */
+/** Insert markup before the document's own `</head>`, `</body>` or `</template>`; null if it has none. */
 export function insertBeforeCloseTag(
   html: string,
-  name: "head" | "body",
+  name: "head" | "body" | "template",
   markup: string,
 ): string | null {
   return insertBeforeDocumentTag(html, `</${name}`, markup);
diff --git a/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.test.ts b/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.test.ts
index ae52f71629..02196dc552 100644
--- a/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.test.ts
+++ b/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.test.ts
@@ -1721,6 +1721,49 @@ const tl = gsap.timeline({ paused: true });
     expect(html.indexOf('tl.set("#card"')).toBeGreaterThan(declaration);
   });
 
+  async function addFirstAnimation(sub: string): Promise<string> {
+    const projectDir = createProjectDir();
+    const app = new Hono();
+    registerFileRoutes(app, createAdapter(projectDir));
+    mkdirSync(join(projectDir, "compositions"), { recursive: true });
+    writeHtml(projectDir, "compositions/sub.html", sub);
+    const res = await app.request(
+      "http://localhost/projects/demo/gsap-mutations/compositions/sub.html",
+      {
+        method: "POST",
+        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
+        body: JSON.stringify({
+          type: "add",
+          targetSelector: "#card",
+          method: "to",
+          position: 0,
+          properties: { opacity: 0 },
+        }),
+      },
+    );
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    return readFileSync(join(projectDir, "compositions/sub.html"), "utf-8");
+  }
+
+  it("a first animation in a sub-composition file lands inside its template", async () => {
+    const html = await addFirstAnimation(
+      '<template id="sub-template"><div data-composition-id="sub"><div id="card"></div></div></template>\n',
+    );
+    const close = html.indexOf("</template>");
+    expect(html.indexOf('window.__timelines["sub"]')).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(html.lastIndexOf("<script")).toBeLessThan(close);
+    expect(html.slice(close).trim()).toBe("</template>");
+    expect(html).not.toContain("<body");
+  });
+
+  it("a first animation in a <body> file lands before </body>, outside its template", async () => {
+    const html = await addFirstAnimation(
+      '<body><template><div data-composition-id="sub"><div id="card"></div></div></template></body>\n',
+    );
+    expect(html.indexOf("<script")).toBeGreaterThan(html.indexOf("</template>"));
+    expect(html.lastIndexOf("</script>")).toBeLessThan(html.indexOf("</body>"));
+  });
+
   it("consolidate-position-writes leaves exactly one position write per selector", async () => {
     const projectDir = createProjectDir();
     const CORRUPTED = `<!DOCTYPE html><html><body><script data-hyperframes-gsap>
diff --git a/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.ts b/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.ts
index b01bd21c72..238d5a1e18 100644
--- a/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.ts
+++ b/packages/studio-server/src/routes/files.ts
@@ -1319,7 +1319,10 @@ async function prepareGsapMutationScript(
       `window.__timelines["${compId}"] = tl;`,
       "</script>",
     ].join("\n");
-    html = insertBeforeCloseTag(html, "body", `${bootstrap}\n`) ?? `${html}\n${bootstrap}`;
+    html =
+      insertBeforeCloseTag(html, "body", `${bootstrap}\n`) ??
+      insertBeforeCloseTag(html, "template", `${bootstrap}\n`) ??
+      `${html}\n${bootstrap}`;
     block = extractGsapScriptBlock(html);
   }
   if (