diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7843b590..9c8bb7d4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@
                     },
                     "description": "Arguments for clangd server."
                 },
+                "clangd.autoStart": {
+                    "type": "boolean",
+                    "default": true,
+                    "description": "Start clangd language server automatically when opening a file or project.",
+                    "scope": "resource"
+                },
                 "clangd.trace": {
                     "type": "string",
                     "description": "Names a file that clangd should log a performance trace to, in chrome trace-viewer JSON format."
@@ -179,6 +185,11 @@
                 "category": "clangd",
                 "title": "Restart language server"
             },
+            {
+                "command": "clangd.stop",
+                "category": "clangd",
+                "title": "Stop language server"
+            },
             {
                 "command": "clangd.typeHierarchy",
                 "category": "clangd",
diff --git a/src/extension.ts b/src/extension.ts
index 6d2b596a..d6e60c9c 100644
--- a/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/extension.ts
@@ -23,9 +23,16 @@ export async function activate(context: vscode.ExtensionContext) {
         await clangdContext.activate(context.globalStoragePath, outputChannel,
                                      context.workspaceState);
       }));
+  context.subscriptions.push(
+      vscode.commands.registerCommand('clangd.stop', async () => {
+        await clangdContext.dispose();
+      }));
 
-  await clangdContext.activate(context.globalStoragePath, outputChannel,
-                               context.workspaceState);
+  const autoStart = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration('clangd').get('autoStart');
+  if (autoStart) {
+    await clangdContext.activate(context.globalStoragePath, outputChannel,
+                                 context.workspaceState);
+  }
 
   const shouldCheck = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration('clangd').get(
       'detectExtensionConflicts');