diff --git a/doc/langref.html.in b/doc/langref.html.in
index 94c1b79219b1ade2779aba1343ae9e70e1559a87..92c4076322a1d5ac55f44288721a1407b8f98945 100644
--- a/doc/langref.html.in
+++ b/doc/langref.html.in
@@ -8237,7 +8237,7 @@ BUILTINIDENTIFIER <- '@'[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]* skip
 
 AMPERSAND            <- '&'      ![=]      skip
 AMPERSANDEQUAL       <- '&='               skip
-ASTERISK             <- '*'      ![*%=|]   skip
+ASTERISK             <- '*'      ![%=|]    skip
 ASTERISKEQUAL        <- '*='               skip
 ASTERISKPERCENT      <- '*%'     ![=]      skip
 ASTERISKPERCENTEQUAL <- '*%='              skip
diff --git a/lib/std/zig/AstSmith.zig b/lib/std/zig/AstSmith.zig
index 5d6ee9a570e1c12688a96d884b8f8b8118a323a9..87cfc0ccf25a19890d263c9dd8726ec9c209ed2a 100644
--- a/lib/std/zig/AstSmith.zig
+++ b/lib/std/zig/AstSmith.zig
@@ -238,9 +238,6 @@ fn pegToken(a: *AstSmith, tag: Token.Tag) SourceError!void {
 
     switch (lexeme[0]) {
         '_', 'a'...'z', 'A'...'Z', '0'...'9' => try a.preservePegEndOfWord(),
-        '*' => if (a.tokens_len > 0 and a.source_buf[a.source_len - 1] == '*') {
-            try a.addSourceByte(' ');
-        },
         '.' => if (a.tokens_len > 0 and switch (a.source_buf[a.source_len - 1]) {
             '.' => true,
             '0'...'9', 'a'...'z', 'A'...'Z' => a.token_tag_buf[a.tokens_len - 1] == .number_literal,