diff --git a/src/Parsoid/index.php b/src/Parsoid/index.php
index 7a65df3e9..9d41c841e 100644
--- a/src/Parsoid/index.php
+++ b/src/Parsoid/index.php
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 
 namespace Parsoid;
 
-use Parsoid\domino as domino;
-
 $ParsoidExtApi = $module->parent->require( './extapi.js' )->versionCheck( '^0.10.0' );
 $temp0 =
 
@@ -111,7 +109,9 @@ Ref::prototype::serialHandler = [
 				// n.b. this is going to drop any diff markers but since
 				// the dom differ doesn't traverse into extension content
 				// none should exist anyways.
-				$html = ContentUtils::ppToXML( $bodyElt, [ 'innerXML' => true ] );
+				DOMDataUtils::visitAndStoreDataAttribs( $bodyElt );
+				$html = ContentUtils::toXML( $bodyElt, [ 'innerXML' => true ] );
+				DOMDataUtils::visitAndLoadDataAttribs( $bodyElt );
 			} else {
 				// Some extra debugging for VisualEditor
 				$extraDebug = '';
@@ -346,11 +346,7 @@ function References( $cite ) {
 	$this->cite = $cite;
 }
 
-$dummyDoc = domino::createDocument();
-
-$createReferences = function ( $env, $body, $refsOpts, $modifyDp, $autoGenerated ) use ( &$dummyDoc, &$DOMUtils, &$DOMDataUtils ) {
-	$doc = ( $body ) ? $body->ownerDocument : $dummyDoc;
-
+$createReferences = function ( $env, $doc, $body, $refsOpts, $modifyDp, $autoGenerated ) use ( &$DOMUtils, &$DOMDataUtils ) {
 	$ol = $doc->createElement( 'ol' );
 	$ol->classList->add( 'mw-references' );
 	$ol->classList->add( 'references' );
@@ -409,7 +405,7 @@ References::prototype::toDOM = function ( $state, $content, $args ) use ( &$Pars
 				], TokenUtils::kvToHash( $args, true )
 			);
 
-			$frag = $createReferences( $state->env, $doc->body, $refsOpts, function ( $dp ) use ( &$state ) {
+			$frag = $createReferences( $state->env, $doc, $doc->body, $refsOpts, function ( $dp ) use ( &$state ) {
 					$dp->src = $state->extToken->getAttribute( 'source' );
 					// Redundant - also present on doc.body.firstChild, but feels cumbersome to use
 					$dp->selfClose = $state->extToken->dataAttribs->selfClose;
@@ -448,7 +444,7 @@ References::prototype::extractRefFromNode = function ( $node, $refsData, $cite,
 	$cDp = DOMDataUtils::getDataParsoid( $c );
 	$refDmw = DOMDataUtils::getDataMw( $c );
 	if ( !$cDp->empty && hasRef( $c ) ) { // nested ref-in-ref
-		$_processRefs( $cite, $refsData, $c );
+		$_processRefs( $env, $cite, $refsData, $c );
 	}
 	DOMDataUtils::visitAndStoreDataAttribs( $c );
 
@@ -626,8 +622,8 @@ References::prototype::insertMissingReferencesIntoDOM = function ( $refsData, $n
 	$env = $refsData->env;
 	$doc = $node->ownerDocument;
 
-	$refsData->refGroups->forEach( function ( $refsValue, $refsGroup ) use ( &$createReferences, &$env, &$node, &$doc, &$refsData ) {
-			$frag = $createReferences( $env, null, [
+	$refsData->refGroups->forEach( function ( $refsValue, $refsGroup ) use ( &$createReferences, &$env, &$doc, &$node, &$refsData ) {
+			$frag = $createReferences( $env, $doc, null, [
 					'group' => $refsGroup,
 					'responsive' => null
 				], function ( $dp ) {
@@ -733,7 +729,7 @@ $_processRefsInReferences = function ( $cite, $refsData, $node, $referencesId,
 	}
 };
 
-$_processRefs = function ( $cite, $refsData, $node ) use ( &$DOMUtils, &$WTUtils, &$DOMDataUtils, &$_processRefsInReferences, &$ContentUtils, &$_processRefs ) {
+$_processRefs = function ( $env, $cite, $refsData, $node ) use ( &$DOMUtils, &$WTUtils, &$DOMDataUtils, &$_processRefsInReferences, &$ContentUtils, &$_processRefs ) {
 	$child = $node->firstChild;
 	while ( $child !== null ) {
 		$nextChild = $child->nextSibling;
@@ -781,13 +777,13 @@ $_processRefs = function ( $cite, $refsData, $node ) use ( &$DOMUtils, &$WTUtils
 					if ( $caption ) {
 						// Extract the caption HTML, build the DOM, process refs,
 						// serialize to HTML, update the caption HTML.
-						$captionDOM = ContentUtils::ppToDOM( $caption );
-						$_processRefs( $cite, $refsData, $captionDOM );
+						$captionDOM = ContentUtils::ppToDOM( $env, $caption );
+						$_processRefs( $env, $cite, $refsData, $captionDOM );
 						$dmw->caption = ContentUtils::ppToXML( $captionDOM, [ 'innerXML' => true ] );
 					}
 				}
 				if ( $child->hasChildNodes() ) {
-					$_processRefs( $cite, $refsData, $child );
+					$_processRefs( $env, $cite, $refsData, $child );
 				}
 			}
 		}
@@ -843,7 +839,7 @@ $Cite = function () {
 Cite::prototype::_wt2htmlPostProcessor = function ( $body, $env, $options, $atTopLevel ) use ( &$_processRefs ) {
 	if ( $atTopLevel ) {
 		$refsData = new ReferencesData( $env );
-		$_processRefs( $this, $refsData, $body );
+		$_processRefs( $env, $this, $refsData, $body );
 		$this->references->insertMissingReferencesIntoDOM( $refsData, $body );
 	}
 };