diff --git a/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/features/documentHighlight.ts b/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/features/documentHighlight.ts
index 8d6e9e26ce3..970a265f218 100644
--- a/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/features/documentHighlight.ts
+++ b/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/features/documentHighlight.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 import * as vscode from 'vscode';
 import * as Proto from '../protocol';
 import { ITypeScriptServiceClient } from '../typescriptService';
+import { flatten } from '../utils/arrays';
 import * as typeConverters from '../utils/typeConverters';
 
 class TypeScriptDocumentHighlightProvider implements vscode.DocumentHighlightProvider {
@@ -23,22 +24,27 @@ class TypeScriptDocumentHighlightProvider implements vscode.DocumentHighlightPro
 			return [];
 		}
 
-		const args = typeConverters.Position.toFileLocationRequestArgs(file, position);
-		const response = await this.client.execute('references', args, token);
+		const args = {
+			...typeConverters.Position.toFileLocationRequestArgs(file, position),
+			filesToSearch: [file]
+		};
+		const response = await this.client.execute('documentHighlights', args, token);
 		if (response.type !== 'response' || !response.body) {
 			return [];
 		}
 
-		return response.body.refs
-			.filter(ref => ref.file === file)
-			.map(documentHighlightFromReference);
+		return flatten(
+			response.body
+				.filter(highlight => highlight.file === file)
+				.map(convertDocumentHighlight));
 	}
 }
 
-function documentHighlightFromReference(reference: Proto.ReferencesResponseItem): vscode.DocumentHighlight {
-	return new vscode.DocumentHighlight(
-		typeConverters.Range.fromTextSpan(reference),
-		reference.isWriteAccess ? vscode.DocumentHighlightKind.Write : vscode.DocumentHighlightKind.Read);
+function convertDocumentHighlight(highlight: Proto.DocumentHighlightsItem): ReadonlyArray<vscode.DocumentHighlight> {
+	return highlight.highlightSpans.map(span =>
+		new vscode.DocumentHighlight(
+			typeConverters.Range.fromTextSpan(span),
+			span.kind === 'writtenReference' ? vscode.DocumentHighlightKind.Write : vscode.DocumentHighlightKind.Read));
 }
 
 export function register(
diff --git a/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/typescriptService.ts b/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/typescriptService.ts
index a81024f0063..874cb020a94 100644
--- a/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/typescriptService.ts
+++ b/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/typescriptService.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ interface TypeScriptRequestTypes {
 	'definition': [Proto.FileLocationRequestArgs, Proto.DefinitionResponse];
 	'definitionAndBoundSpan': [Proto.FileLocationRequestArgs, Proto.DefinitionInfoAndBoundSpanReponse];
 	'docCommentTemplate': [Proto.FileLocationRequestArgs, Proto.DocCommandTemplateResponse];
+	'documentHighlights': [Proto.DocumentHighlightsRequestArgs, Proto.DocumentHighlightsResponse];
 	'format': [Proto.FormatRequestArgs, Proto.FormatResponse];
 	'formatonkey': [Proto.FormatOnKeyRequestArgs, Proto.FormatResponse];
 	'getApplicableRefactors': [Proto.GetApplicableRefactorsRequestArgs, Proto.GetApplicableRefactorsResponse];