diff --git a/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/lib/resolver.ts b/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/lib/resolver.ts
index e1ae8935595..ed9b7e2b3c0 100644
--- a/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/lib/resolver.ts
+++ b/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/lib/resolver.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE,
   EMBER_MODULE_UNIFICATION,
 } from '@ember/canary-features';
+import { isTemplateOnlyComponent } from '@ember/component/template-only';
 import { assert } from '@ember/debug';
 import { _instrumentStart } from '@ember/instrumentation';
 import {
@@ -449,7 +450,14 @@ export default class RuntimeResolver implements IRuntimeResolver<OwnedTemplateMe
 
     let definition: Option<ComponentDefinition> = null;
 
-    if (pair.component === null && ENV._TEMPLATE_ONLY_GLIMMER_COMPONENTS) {
+    if (pair.component === null) {
+      if (ENV._TEMPLATE_ONLY_GLIMMER_COMPONENTS) {
+        definition = new TemplateOnlyComponentDefinition(layout!);
+      }
+    } else if (
+      EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE &&
+      isTemplateOnlyComponent(pair.component.class)
+    ) {
       definition = new TemplateOnlyComponentDefinition(layout!);
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/tests/integration/components/template-only-components-test.js b/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/tests/integration/components/template-only-components-test.js
index f35044b16d2..049b4ba37cf 100644
--- a/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/tests/integration/components/template-only-components-test.js
+++ b/packages/@ember/-internals/glimmer/tests/integration/components/template-only-components-test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 import { moduleFor, RenderingTestCase, classes, runTask } from 'internal-test-helpers';
+import { EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE } from '@ember/canary-features';
 
 import { ENV } from '@ember/-internals/environment';
+import { setComponentTemplate } from '@ember/-internals/glimmer';
+import templateOnly from '@ember/component/template-only';
+import { compile } from 'ember-template-compiler';
 
 class TemplateOnlyComponentsTest extends RenderingTestCase {
   registerComponent(name, template) {
@@ -247,3 +251,49 @@ moduleFor(
     }
   }
 );
+
+if (EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE) {
+  moduleFor(
+    'Components test: template-only components (using `templateOnlyComponent()`)',
+    class extends RenderingTestCase {
+      ['@test it can render a component']() {
+        this.registerComponent('foo-bar', { ComponentClass: templateOnly(), template: 'hello' });
+
+        this.render('{{foo-bar}}');
+
+        this.assertInnerHTML('hello');
+
+        this.assertStableRerender();
+      }
+
+      ['@test it can render a component when template was not registered']() {
+        let ComponentClass = templateOnly();
+        setComponentTemplate(compile('hello'), ComponentClass);
+
+        this.registerComponent('foo-bar', { ComponentClass });
+
+        this.render('{{foo-bar}}');
+
+        this.assertInnerHTML('hello');
+
+        this.assertStableRerender();
+      }
+
+      ['@test setComponentTemplate takes precedence over registered layout']() {
+        let ComponentClass = templateOnly();
+        setComponentTemplate(compile('hello'), ComponentClass);
+
+        this.registerComponent('foo-bar', {
+          ComponentClass,
+          template: 'this should not be rendered',
+        });
+
+        this.render('{{foo-bar}}');
+
+        this.assertInnerHTML('hello');
+
+        this.assertStableRerender();
+      }
+    }
+  );
+}
diff --git a/packages/@ember/component/index.ts b/packages/@ember/component/index.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4a85c81bf0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@ember/component/index.ts
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+export { Component } from '@ember/-internals/glimmer';
diff --git a/packages/@ember/component/template-only.ts b/packages/@ember/component/template-only.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1700d5687c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@ember/component/template-only.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+// This is only exported for types, don't use this class directly
+export class TemplateOnlyComponent {
+  constructor(public moduleName: string) {}
+
+  toString(): string {
+    return '@ember/component/template-only';
+  }
+}
+
+export default function templateOnlyComponent(moduleName: string): TemplateOnlyComponent {
+  return new TemplateOnlyComponent(moduleName);
+}
+
+export function isTemplateOnlyComponent(component: unknown): component is TemplateOnlyComponent {
+  return component instanceof TemplateOnlyComponent;
+}
diff --git a/packages/ember/index.js b/packages/ember/index.js
index c42f51f7c2e..e92318ed02e 100644
--- a/packages/ember/index.js
+++ b/packages/ember/index.js
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ import Engine from '@ember/engine';
 import EngineInstance from '@ember/engine/instance';
 import { assign, merge } from '@ember/polyfills';
 import { LOGGER, EMBER_EXTEND_PROTOTYPES, JQUERY_INTEGRATION } from '@ember/deprecated-features';
-
+import templateOnlyComponent from '@ember/component/template-only';
 // ****@ember/-internals/environment****
 
 const Ember = (typeof context.imports.Ember === 'object' && context.imports.Ember) || {};
@@ -540,6 +540,7 @@ Ember._modifierManagerCapabilties = modifierCapabilties;
 if (EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE) {
   Ember._getComponentTemplate = getComponentTemplate;
   Ember._setComponentTemplate = setComponentTemplate;
+  Ember._templateOnlyComponent = templateOnlyComponent;
 }
 Ember.Handlebars = {
   template,
diff --git a/packages/ember/tests/reexports_test.js b/packages/ember/tests/reexports_test.js
index 54b5dac153e..d2873650453 100644
--- a/packages/ember/tests/reexports_test.js
+++ b/packages/ember/tests/reexports_test.js
@@ -232,6 +232,9 @@ let allExports = [
   EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE
     ? ['_getComponentTemplate', '@ember/-internals/glimmer', 'getComponentTemplate']
     : null,
+  EMBER_GLIMMER_SET_COMPONENT_TEMPLATE
+    ? ['_templateOnlyComponent', '@ember/component/template-only', 'default']
+    : null,
 
   // @ember/-internals/runtime
   ['A', '@ember/-internals/runtime'],