diff --git a/src/Parsoid/References.php b/src/Parsoid/References.php
index 8ccd98eac..b9b96c847 100644
--- a/src/Parsoid/References.php
+++ b/src/Parsoid/References.php
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ use DOMDocument;
 use DOMElement;
 use DOMNode;
 use stdClass;
-use Wikimedia\Assert\Assert;
 use Wikimedia\Parsoid\Core\DomSourceRange;
 use Wikimedia\Parsoid\Ext\DOMDataUtils;
 use Wikimedia\Parsoid\Ext\DOMUtils;
@@ -48,8 +47,8 @@ class References extends ExtensionTagHandler {
 	 * @return DOMElement
 	 */
 	private static function createReferences(
-		ParsoidExtensionAPI $extApi, DOMDocument $doc, ?DOMNode $body, array $refsOpts,
-		?callable $modifyDp, bool $autoGenerated = false
+		ParsoidExtensionAPI $extApi, DOMDocument $doc, ?DOMNode $body,
+		array $refsOpts, ?callable $modifyDp, bool $autoGenerated = false
 	): DOMElement {
 		$ol = $doc->createElement( 'ol' );
 		DOMCompat::getClassList( $ol )->add( 'mw-references' );
@@ -76,14 +75,24 @@ class References extends ExtensionTagHandler {
 		}
 
 		if ( $autoGenerated ) {
+			// FIXME: This is very much trying to copy ExtensionHandler::onDocument
 			DOMUtils::addAttributes( $frag, [
 				'typeof' => 'mw:Extension/references',
 				'about' => $extApi->newAboutId()
 			] );
+			$dataMw = (object)[
+				'name' => 'references',
+				'attrs' => new stdClass,
+			];
+			// Dont emit empty keys
+			if ( $refsOpts['group'] ) {
+				$dataMw->attrs->group = $refsOpts['group'];
+			}
+			DOMDataUtils::setDataMw( $frag, $dataMw );
 		}
 
 		$dp = DOMDataUtils::getDataParsoid( $frag );
-		if ( $refsOpts['group'] ) { // No group for the empty string either
+		if ( $refsOpts['group'] ) {  // No group for the empty string either
 			$dp->group = $refsOpts['group'];
 			$ol->setAttribute( 'data-mw-group', $refsOpts['group'] );
 		}
@@ -270,20 +279,6 @@ class References extends ExtensionTagHandler {
 		$group = $dp->group ?? '';
 		if ( !$isTplWrapper ) {
 			$dataMw = DOMDataUtils::getDataMw( $refsNode );
-			if ( !count( (array)$dataMw ) ) {
-				// FIXME: This can be moved to `insertMissingReferencesIntoDOM`
-				Assert::invariant( $autoGenerated, 'Expected non empty $dataMw or $autoGenerated is true' );
-				$dataMw = (object)[
-					'name' => 'references',
-					'attrs' => new stdClass,
-				];
-				// Dont emit empty keys
-				if ( $group ) {
-					$dataMw->attrs->group = $group;
-				}
-				DOMDataUtils::setDataMw( $refsNode, $dataMw );
-			}
-
 			// Mark this auto-generated so that we can skip this during
 			// html -> wt and so that clients can strip it if necessary.
 			if ( $autoGenerated ) {