diff --git a/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js b/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js
index df2d23d74dcb59d3d284ac794055c0dafa27e8fd..6378bf5e9119352e223b978cce49593eaf63cc09 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js
+++ b/packages/assembler/lib/produce-assembly-file.js
@@ -371,57 +371,70 @@ function mergeAsciiDoc (
       if (~line.indexOf('xref:')) {
         // Q: should we allow : as first character of target?
         line = line.replace(/(?<![\\+])xref:((?:\.\/)?[\p{Alpha}0-9_/.{#].*?)\[(|.*?[^\\])\]/gu, (m, target, text) => {
-          let pagePart, fragment, targetPage
+          let relativePart, fragment, targetResource, isPage
           const hashIdx = target.indexOf('#')
+          const dollarIdx = target.indexOf('$')
           if (~hashIdx) {
-            pagePart = target.slice(0, hashIdx)
+            relativePart = target.slice(0, hashIdx)
             fragment = target.slice(hashIdx + 1)
-            // TODO: for now, assume .adoc; in the future, consider other file extensions
-            if (pagePart && !pagePart.endsWith('.adoc')) pagePart += '.adoc'
-          } else if (target.endsWith('.adoc')) {
-            pagePart = target
+          } else if (~dollarIdx || target.endsWith('.adoc')) {
+            relativePart = target
             fragment = ''
           } else {
             fragment = target
           }
-          if (!pagePart) {
+          if (!relativePart) {
             // Q: should we validate the internal ID here?
             return text && ~text.indexOf('=')
               ? `xref:${idPrefix}${fragment}[${text}]`
               : `<<${idPrefix}${fragment}${text ? ',' + text.replace(/\\]/g, ']') : ''}>>`
           }
-          if (~pagePart.indexOf('@') || /:.*:/.test(pagePart)) {
-            if (siteUrl && (targetPage = contentCatalog.resolvePage(pagePart, page.src)) && targetPage.out) {
-              text ||= targetPage.asciidoc?.xreftext || target
-              return `${siteUrl}${targetPage.pub.url}${fragment && '#' + fragment}[${text}]`
+          if (~dollarIdx) {
+            if (relativePart.slice(dollarIdx).startsWith('$./')) {
+              relativePart = relativePart.slice(0, dollarIdx + 1) + topicPrefix + relativePart.slice(dollarIdx + 3)
             }
-            // TODO: handle unresolved page better
+            if ((isPage = /\bpage\$/.test(relativePart))) relativePart = relativePart.replace('page$', '')
+          } else {
+            isPage = true
+            if (relativePart.startsWith('./')) relativePart = topicPrefix + relativePart.slice(2)
+            if (~hashIdx && !relativePart.endsWith('.adoc')) relativePart += '.adoc'
+          }
+          if (!isPage || ~relativePart.indexOf('@') || /:.*:/.test(relativePart)) {
+            if (siteUrl && (targetResource = contentCatalog.resolveResource(relativePart, page.src, 'page'))?.out) {
+              text ||= targetResource.asciidoc?.xreftext || target
+              return `${siteUrl}${targetResource.pub.url}${fragment && '#' + fragment}[${text}]`
+            }
+            // TODO: handle unresolved resource better
             return m
           }
           let targetModule
-          const colonIdx = pagePart.indexOf(':')
+          const colonIdx = relativePart.indexOf(':')
           if (~colonIdx) {
-            targetModule = pagePart.slice(0, colonIdx)
-            pagePart = pagePart.slice(colonIdx + 1)
+            targetModule = relativePart.slice(0, colonIdx)
+            relativePart = relativePart.slice(colonIdx + 1)
+            if (relativePart.startsWith('./')) relativePart = topicPrefix + relativePart.slice(2)
           } else {
             targetModule = module_
           }
-          if (pagePart.startsWith('./')) pagePart = topicPrefix + pagePart.slice(2)
-          const pageResourceRef = targetModule === 'ROOT' ? pagePart : `${targetModule}:${pagePart}`
-          if (!(targetPage = pagesInOutline.get(pageResourceRef))) {
-            if (siteUrl && (targetPage = contentCatalog.resolvePage(pageResourceRef, page.src)) && targetPage.out) {
-              text ||= targetPage.asciidoc?.xreftext || target
-              return `${siteUrl}${targetPage.pub.url}${fragment && '#' + fragment}[${text}]`
+          const pageResourceRef = targetModule === 'ROOT' ? relativePart : `${targetModule}:${relativePart}`
+          if (!(targetResource = pagesInOutline.get(pageResourceRef))) {
+            if (
+              siteUrl &&
+              (targetResource = contentCatalog.resolvePage(pageResourceRef, page.src)) &&
+              targetResource.out
+            ) {
+              text ||= targetResource.asciidoc?.xreftext || target
+              return `${siteUrl}${targetResource.pub.url}${fragment && '#' + fragment}[${text}]`
             }
             // TODO: handle unresolved page better
             return m
           }
-          if (targetModule !== 'ROOT') pagePart = `${targetModule}${idCoordinateSeparator}${pagePart}`
-          pagePart = pagePart.replace(/\.adoc$/, '').replace(/[/.]/g, '-')
+          if (targetModule !== 'ROOT') relativePart = `${targetModule}${idCoordinateSeparator}${relativePart}`
+          relativePart = relativePart.replace(/\.adoc$/, '').replace(/[/.]/g, '-')
           const refid = fragment
-            ? `${pagePart}${idScopeSeparator}${fragment}`
-            : pagePart + (ReservedIdNames.includes(pagePart) ? idScopeSeparator : '')
-          return `<<${refid}${text && text !== targetPage.title ? ',' + text.replace(/\\]/g, ']') : ''}>>`
+            ? `${relativePart}${idScopeSeparator}${fragment}`
+            : relativePart + (ReservedIdNames.includes(relativePart) ? idScopeSeparator : '')
+          return `<<${refid}${text && text !== targetResource.title ? ',' + text.replace(/\\]/g, ']') : ''}>>`
         })
       }
       if (~line.indexOf('link:{attachmentsdir}/')) {
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/data.yml b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/data.yml
index d37f917725bb4b484b1df54b46629ebee943b22c..5e1eaf29b688645ffa7b46d2295bb06e0d5771d8 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/data.yml
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/data.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ files:
 - relative: intro.adoc
   family: partial
   contents: |-
-    contents
+    Download the xref:attachment$form.pdf[Form Title].
 - relative: form.pdf
   family: attachment
 assembler:
diff --git a/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/expects/index.adoc b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/expects/index.adoc
index 866ad402c678dbf883662ea8658224c5c9a2ccc7..61c08a145f725394231064d07352f6cb9408445e 100644
--- a/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/expects/index.adoc
+++ b/packages/assembler/test/scenarios/attachment-reference/expects/index.adoc
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 [#the-page]
 == The Page Title
 
-contents
+Download the https://docs.example.org/the-component/1.0/_attachments/form.pdf[Form Title].
 
 :!sectids:
 == https://docs.example.org/the-component/1.0/_attachments/form.pdf[Form Title]