diff --git a/CHANGELOG.adoc b/CHANGELOG.adoc
index e0bfe90795638bd16c0fa35332a78b4bab82f36a..8499dd0d39be16fff78608a5bb2325e74910d1fd 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.adoc
+++ b/CHANGELOG.adoc
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@
 This document provides a summary of all notable changes to Antora Assembler by release.
 For a detailed view of what's changed, refer to the {url-repo}/commits[commit history] of this project.
 
+== Unreleased
+
+=== Fixed
+
+* preserve empty line in multiline attribute entry that follows line with value continuation (#130)
+
 == 1.0.0-beta.9 (2025-10-14)
 
 === Changed
diff --git a/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js b/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js
index d9d8d6938576d706432278ea5169a3d0b6e217aa..ce4525012161d47e0dd5e268cae569f48bfb21c9 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js
+++ b/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js
@@ -666,12 +666,8 @@ function processDocumentHeader (doc, lines, buffer, ignoreLines) {
     }
     const line = lines[idx]
     if (open === ':' || open === '-:') {
-      if (line) {
-        if (open === ':') buffer.push(line)
-        if (!line.endsWith(' \\')) open = undefined
-      } else {
-        open = undefined
-      }
+      if (open === ':') buffer.push(line)
+      if (!line || !line.endsWith(' \\')) open = undefined
     } else if (line) {
       const chr0 = line.charAt()
       let attributeEntryMatch
@@ -687,7 +683,7 @@ function processDocumentHeader (doc, lines, buffer, ignoreLines) {
       } else if (chr0 === ':' && ~line.indexOf(':', 2) && (attributeEntryMatch = line.match(AttributeEntryRx))) {
         const attributeName = attributeEntryMatch[1].replace('!', '')
         if (DiscardAttributes.includes(attributeName)) {
-          if (line.endsWith(' \\')) open = '-:'
+          if (line.endsWith(' \\')) open = '-:' // disallow value continuation
         } else {
           if (line.endsWith(' \\')) open = ':'
           buffer.push(line)
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/produce-assembly-files-test.js b/packages/assembler/test/produce-assembly-files-test.js
index 5327dece586843491a36de5b62e295bd5c4d22e4..8a146901bde6ad6e22190266df5f838a4a961a01 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/test/produce-assembly-files-test.js
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/produce-assembly-files-test.js
@@ -314,6 +314,10 @@ describe('produceAssemblyFiles()', () => {
     await runScenario('process-lines-around-doctitle', __dirname)
   })
 
+  it('should preserve multiline attribute entries', async () => {
+    await runScenario('preserve-multiline-attribute-entries', __dirname)
+  })
+
   it('should promote value of assembly-style attribute to block style on section for page', async () => {
     await runScenario('assembly-style', __dirname)
   })
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/preserve-multiline-attribute-entries/data.yml b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/preserve-multiline-attribute-entries/data.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..a602252c539f16aec1dba6a551af106429be4014
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/preserve-multiline-attribute-entries/data.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+name: the-component
+version: '1.0'
+title: The Component
+navigation:
+  items:
+  - content: xref:the-page.adoc[]
+files:
+- relative: the-page.adoc
+  contents: |-
+    = The Page Title
+    :bars: fizz + \
+    buzz + \
+    rat-a-tat
+    :references: foo \
+    bar \
+
+    :revised-date: 2025-01-01
+
+    contents
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/preserve-multiline-attribute-entries/expects/index.adoc b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/preserve-multiline-attribute-entries/expects/index.adoc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1429e2c039d519e86004cc1e4460cf9e25c64faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/preserve-multiline-attribute-entries/expects/index.adoc
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+= The Component
+:revnumber: 1.0
+:doctype: book
+:underscore: _
+:page-component-name: the-component
+:page-component-version: 1.0
+:page-version: {page-component-version}
+:page-component-display-version: 1.0
+:page-component-title: The Component
+
+:docname: the-page
+:page-module: ROOT
+:page-relative-src-path: the-page.adoc
+:page-origin-url: https://github.com/acme/the-component
+:page-origin-start-path:
+:page-origin-refname: v1.0
+:page-origin-reftype: branch
+:page-origin-refhash: a00000000000000000000000000000000000000z
+:bars: fizz + \
+buzz + \
+rat-a-tat
+:references: foo \
+bar \
+
+:revised-date: 2025-01-01
+[#the-page]
+== The Page Title
+
+contents
+
+:!bars:
+:!references:
+:!revised-date: