diff --git a/.yarn/versions/5e6945cc.yml b/.yarn/versions/5e6945cc.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..766dd55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.yarn/versions/5e6945cc.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+releases:
+  "@handlewithcare/react-codemirror": patch
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f2ef2c6..f8f7d9c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -22,12 +22,16 @@ yarn add @handlewithcare/react-codemirror
 - [Overview](#overview)
 - [Usage](#usage)
   - [Dynamic extensions](#dynamic-extensions)
+    - [`useReconfigure`](#usereconfigure)
+    - [`useSyncExtensions`](#usesyncextensions)
+  - [Other hooks](#other-hooks)
 - [API](#api)
   - [`CodeMirror`](#codemirror)
   - [`CodeMirrorEditor`](#codemirroreditor)
   - [`react`](#react)
   - [`useEditorState`](#useeditorstate)
-  - [`useCompartment`](#usecompartment)
+  - [`useReconfigure`](#usereconfigure-1)
+  - [`useSyncExtensions`](#usesyncextensions-1)
   - [`useEditorEventCallback`](#useeditoreventcallback)
   - [`useEditorEffect`](#useeditoreffect)
 - [Looking for someone to collaborate with?](#looking-for-someone-to-collaborate-with)
@@ -84,8 +88,13 @@ sync with the CodeMirror EditorState.
 
 ### Dynamic extensions
 
+#### `useReconfigure`
+
 The `useReconfigure` hook can be used to configure dynamic CodeMirror
-extensions. Here’s an example, using a simple theme switcher:
+extensions. The function returned by `useReconfigure` should only be used in an
+event callback. If you need to keep a compartment in sync with some external
+state, see [`useSyncExtensions`](#usesyncexetensions). Here’s an example with
+`useReconfigure`, using a simple theme switcher:
 
 ```tsx
 // ThemePicker.tsx
@@ -152,6 +161,61 @@ function CodeEditor() {
 }
 ```
 
+#### `useSyncExtensions`
+
+The `useSyncExtensions` hook can be used keep the CodeMirror EditorState's
+extensions in sync with external state. In general, this should be avoided —
+it's better to either derive state _from_ your CodeMirror EditorState or lift
+the EditorState into your global/top-level state and update it at the same time
+as you update other state (like the user's theme). However, sometimes you need
+to have a local EditorState that is derived from state that lives higher up in
+the tree.
+
+The `useSyncExtensions` hook _must_ be used in the component that owns the
+EditorState, otherwise React will throw an error about updating state from
+another component.
+
+```tsx
+function ThemePicker() {
+  const theme = useSelector((state) => state.theme);
+  const dispatch = useDispatch();
+
+  return (
+    <button
+      onClick={() => {
+        dispatch(setTheme(theme === "light" ? "dark" : "light"));
+      }}
+    >
+      Enable {theme === "dark" ? "light" : "dark"} mode
+    </button>
+  );
+}
+
+function Editor() {
+  const [state, setState] = useState(editorState);
+
+  const theme = useSelector((state) => state.theme);
+  const themeExtension = theme === "light" ? [] : oneDark;
+  useSyncExtensions([themeCompartment], [themeExtension], state, setState);
+
+  const dispatchTransactions = useCallback((trs: readonly Transaction[]) => {
+    setState(trs[trs.length - 1].state);
+  }, []);
+
+  return (
+    <CodeMirror
+      state={state}
+      dispatchTransactions={dispatchTransactions}
+      extensions={extensions}
+    >
+      <CodeMirrorEditor />
+    </CodeMirror>
+  );
+}
+```
+
+### Other hooks
+
 The `useEditorEventCallback` hook is a more general purpose hook that allows
 components that are descendants of the `CodeMirror` component to dispatch a
 transaction or otherwise interact with the CodeMirror EditorView in an event
@@ -295,7 +359,7 @@ function useEditorState(): EditorState;
 
 Provides access to the current EditorState value.
 
-### `useCompartment`
+### `useReconfigure`
 
 ```ts
 function useReconfigure(
@@ -334,6 +398,54 @@ export function ThemePicker() {
 }
 ```
 
+### `useSyncExtensions`
+
+```ts
+function useSyncExtensions(
+  compartments: Compartment[],
+  extensions: Extension[],
+  editorState: EditorState,
+  setEditorState: (editorState: EditorState) => void,
+): void;
+```
+
+Keep compartmentalized extensions in sync with external state.
+
+If the state that determines the value of a compartment necessarily lives
+outside the CodeMirror EditorState (say, an app-wide theme picker), this hook
+can be used to keep it in sync with the EditorState.
+
+To avoid state tearing, this hook calls the `setEditorState` argument in the
+render phase. This means that it _must_ be used in the component that owns the
+EditorState. If your EditorState lives in a global state manager, you should not
+use this hook.
+
+Example usage:
+
+```tsx
+function Editor() {
+  const [state, setState] = useState(editorState);
+
+  const theme = useSelector((state) => state.theme);
+  const themeExtension = theme === "light" ? [] : oneDark;
+  useSyncExtensions([themeCompartment], [themeExtension], state, setState);
+
+  const dispatchTransactions = useCallback((trs: readonly Transaction[]) => {
+    setState(trs[trs.length - 1].state);
+  }, []);
+
+  return (
+    <CodeMirror
+      state={state}
+      dispatchTransactions={dispatchTransactions}
+      extensions={extensions}
+    >
+      <CodeMirrorEditor />
+    </CodeMirror>
+  );
+}
+```
+
 ### `useEditorEventCallback`
 
 ```ts
diff --git a/src/hooks/useEditor.ts b/src/hooks/useEditor.ts
index 19bd234..82f30da 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useEditor.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useEditor.ts
@@ -46,36 +46,24 @@ export function useEditor(
 
   const seen = useRef<Set<Transaction>>(new Set(state.field(tracking)));
 
-  function dispatchTransactions(trs: readonly Transaction[], view: EditorView) {
-    if (!options.state) {
-      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
-      setState(trs[trs.length - 1]!.state);
-    }
-
-    if (options.dispatchTransactions) {
-      options.dispatchTransactions(trs, view);
-    }
-  }
-  const dispatchTransactionsRef = useRef(dispatchTransactions);
-
-  const config = {
-    ...options,
-    state,
-    dispatchTransactions: function (
-      trs: readonly Transaction[],
-      view: EditorView,
-    ) {
-      dispatchTransactionsRef.current(trs, view);
-    },
-  };
-
   const [view, setView] = useState<EditorView | null>(null);
 
   const createEditorView = useEffectEvent((parent: HTMLDivElement | null) => {
     if (parent) {
       return new EditorView({
         parent,
-        ...config,
+        ...options,
+        state,
+        dispatchTransactions(trs: readonly Transaction[], view: EditorView) {
+          if (!options.state) {
+            // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+            setState(trs[trs.length - 1]!.state);
+          }
+
+          if (options.dispatchTransactions) {
+            options.dispatchTransactions(trs, view);
+          }
+        },
       });
     }
     return null;
@@ -91,8 +79,6 @@ export function useEditor(
   }, [parent, createEditorView]);
 
   useClientLayoutEffect(() => {
-    dispatchTransactionsRef.current = dispatchTransactions;
-
     const trs = state.field(tracking);
     const newTrs = trs.filter((tr) => !seen.current.has(tr));
 
diff --git a/src/hooks/useReconfigure.ts b/src/hooks/useReconfigure.ts
index 01e00e2..a5447b2 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useReconfigure.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/useReconfigure.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import { useEditorEventCallback } from "./useEditorEventCallback.js";
  *   const state = useEditorState();
  *   const theme = themeCompartment.get(state);
  *   const dark = theme === oneDark;
- *   const reconfigureTheme = useReconfigure(themeCompartment)*;
+ *   const reconfigureTheme = useReconfigure(themeCompartment);
  *
  *   return (
  *     <button
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSyncExtensions.ts b/src/hooks/useSyncExtensions.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b805877
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/hooks/useSyncExtensions.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import {
+  type Compartment,
+  type EditorState,
+  type Extension,
+  type StateEffect,
+} from "@codemirror/state";
+
+function isExtensionArray(extension: Extension): extension is Extension[] {
+  return Array.isArray(extension);
+}
+
+function extensionIsEqual(a: Extension, b: Extension) {
+  if (isExtensionArray(a)) {
+    if (!isExtensionArray(b)) return false;
+
+    if (a.length !== b.length) return false;
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < a.length; i++) {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+      const childA = a[i]!;
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+      const childB = b[i]!;
+
+      if (!extensionIsEqual(childA, childB)) return false;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  return a === b;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Keep compartmentalized extensions in sync with external state.
+ *
+ * If the state that determines the value of a compartment necessarily
+ * lives outside the CodeMirror EditorState (say, an app-wide theme
+ * picker), this hook can be used to keep it in sync with the EditorState.
+ *
+ * To avoid state tearing, this hook calls the `setEditorState` argument
+ * in the render phase. This means that it _must_ be used in the
+ * component that owns the EditorState. If your EditorState lives in a
+ * global state manager, you should not use this hook.
+ *
+ * @example
+ *
+ * ```
+ * function ThemePicker() {
+ *   const theme = useSelector((state) => state.theme)
+ *   const dispatch = useDispatch()
+ *
+ *   return (
+ *     <button
+ *       onClick={() => {
+ *         dispatch(setTheme(theme === "light" ? "dark" : "light"));
+ *       }}
+ *     >
+ *       Enable {theme === "dark" ? "light" : "dark"} mode
+ *     </button>
+ *   );
+ * }
+ *
+ * function Editor() {
+ *   const [state, setState] = useState(editorState);
+ *
+ *   const theme = useSelector((state) => state.theme)
+ *   const themeExtension = theme === "light" ? [] : oneDark
+ *   useSyncExtensions([themeCompartment], [themeExtension], state, setState);
+ *
+ *   const dispatchTransactions = useCallback((trs: readonly Transaction[]) => {
+ *     setState(trs[trs.length - 1].state);
+ *   }, []);
+ *
+ *   return (
+ *     <CodeMirror
+ *       state={state}
+ *       dispatchTransactions={dispatchTransactions}
+ *       extensions={extensions}
+ *     >
+ *       <CodeMirrorEditor />
+ *     </CodeMirror>
+ *   );
+ * }
+ * ```
+ *
+ *
+ */
+export function useSyncExtensions(
+  compartments: Compartment[],
+  extensions: Extension[],
+  editorState: EditorState,
+  setEditorState: (editorState: EditorState) => void,
+) {
+  if (compartments.length !== extensions.length) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Compartments and extensions must have the same length. There should be one extension for each compartment.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  const effects: StateEffect<unknown>[] = [];
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < compartments.length; i++) {
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+    const compartment = compartments[i]!;
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
+    const extension = extensions[i]!;
+
+    const prevExtension = compartment.get(editorState);
+    if (!prevExtension || !extensionIsEqual(extension, prevExtension)) {
+      effects.push(compartment.reconfigure(extension));
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (effects.length) {
+    setEditorState(editorState.update({ effects }).state);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 666dc51..522ec12 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ export { useEditorEffect } from "./hooks/useEditorEffect.js";
 export { useEditorEventCallback } from "./hooks/useEditorEventCallback.js";
 export { useEditorState } from "./hooks/useEditorState.js";
 export { useReconfigure } from "./hooks/useReconfigure.js";
+export { useSyncExtensions } from "./hooks/useSyncExtensions.js";
 import { tracking } from "./extensions/tracking.js";
 
 export const react = [tracking];