diff --git a/src/readline_callbacks.cc b/src/readline_callbacks.cc
index e4b2223a9b..2353ef93cd 100644
--- a/src/readline_callbacks.cc
+++ b/src/readline_callbacks.cc
@@ -760,11 +760,12 @@ rl_sql_change(textinput_curses& rc, bool is_req)
                 if (!is_req && attr_iter->sa_type == &SQL_HEX_LIT_ATTR
                     && attr_iter->sa_range.length() == 2)
                 {
-                } else if (is_req
-                           || (attr_iter->sa_type != &SQL_NUMBER_ATTR
-                               && attr_iter->sa_type != &SQL_HEX_LIT_ATTR)
-                           || rc.tc_popup_type
-                               == textinput_curses::popup_type_t::completion)
+                } else if (attr_iter->sa_type != &SQL_GARBAGE_ATTR
+                           && (is_req
+                               || (attr_iter->sa_type != &SQL_NUMBER_ATTR
+                                   && attr_iter->sa_type != &SQL_HEX_LIT_ATTR)
+                               || rc.tc_popup_type
+                                   == textinput_curses::popup_type_t::completion))
                 {
                     auto to_complete_sf
                         = anno_line.to_string_fragment(attr_iter);
diff --git a/test/test_sql_anno.sh b/test/test_sql_anno.sh
index 93244ea470..3d4c25c172 100644
--- a/test/test_sql_anno.sh
+++ b/test/test_sql_anno.sh
@@ -124,3 +124,8 @@ take 10
 run_cap_test ./drive_sql_anno "SELECT * FROM customers LIMIT 1"
 
 run_cap_test ./drive_sql_anno "SELECT * FROM customers FULL JOIN all_logs pg_stmt_log ON (pg_stmt_log.log_text LIKE '%STATEMENT:%') LIMIT 1"
+
+# the trailing ';' must be annotated as garbage so that the SQL completion
+# trigger in rl_sql_change() does not offer suggestions at the statement
+# terminator (see #1751)
+run_cap_test ./drive_sql_anno "SELECT * FROM caddy_log WHERE 1=1;"