diff --git a/client/client.ts b/client/client.ts
index 8541f5e5..5c1dda6e 100644
--- a/client/client.ts
+++ b/client/client.ts
@@ -312,7 +312,12 @@ export class Client {
       await this.mq.send("indexQueue", name);
     });
 
-    const space = new Space(this.eventedSpacePrimitives, this.eventHook);
+    const space = new Space(
+      this.eventedSpacePrimitives,
+      this.eventHook,
+      (name, page) =>
+        this.clientSystem.localSyscall("index.resolveAnchor", [name, page]),
+    );
 
     this.space = space;
 
diff --git a/client/markdown_renderer/inline.ts b/client/markdown_renderer/inline.ts
index 6d0ca988..10216791 100644
--- a/client/markdown_renderer/inline.ts
+++ b/client/markdown_renderer/inline.ts
@@ -334,7 +334,9 @@ export async function readTransclusionContent(
   }
 
   const ref = parseToRef(transclusion.url);
-  if (!ref || !isMarkdownPath(ref.path)) {
+  // Anchor refs (e.g. $name or Page$name) have an empty or page-only path;
+  // allow them through since readRef handles them via the anchorResolver.
+  if (!ref || (ref.details?.type !== "anchor" && !isMarkdownPath(ref.path))) {
     throw Error(
       `Couldn't transclude markdown, invalid path: ${transclusion.url}`,
     );
diff --git a/client/space.test.ts b/client/space.test.ts
index 1ad624ac..6929b8cc 100644
--- a/client/space.test.ts
+++ b/client/space.test.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
-import { expect, test } from "vitest";
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
 import { sleep } from "@silverbulletmd/silverbullet/lib/async";
 import { MemoryKvPrimitives } from "./data/memory_kv_primitives.ts";
 import { EventHook } from "./plugos/hooks/event.ts";
 import { Space } from "./space.ts";
 import { DataStoreSpacePrimitives } from "./spaces/datastore_space_primitives.ts";
 import { parseToRef } from "@silverbulletmd/silverbullet/lib/ref";
+import { createMockSystem } from "../plug-api/system_mock.ts";
+import { indexMarkdown } from "../plugs/index/indexer.ts";
+import { resolveAnchor } from "../plugs/index/api.ts";
+import type { PageMeta } from "@silverbulletmd/silverbullet/type/index";
 
 const testPage = `
 Some paragraph
@@ -75,3 +79,97 @@ test("readRef checks", async () => {
     offset: subItemPos,
   });
 });
+
+// Helper to create a pageMeta for tests
+const makeMeta = (name: string): PageMeta => ({
+  ref: name,
+  tag: "page",
+  name,
+  perm: "rw",
+  lastModified: "",
+  created: "",
+});
+
+/**
+ * Indexes a page's markdown into the mock system index.
+ */
+async function indexPage(text: string, name: string): Promise<void> {
+  const objects = await indexMarkdown(text, makeMeta(name));
+  await (globalThis as any).syscall("index.indexObjects", name, objects);
+}
+
+describe("readRef anchor variant", () => {
+  test("readRef resolves bare anchor $pete", async () => {
+    createMockSystem();
+    const kv = new MemoryKvPrimitives();
+    const eventHook = new EventHook();
+    const pageContent = "Anchored para $pete here.";
+    const space = new Space(
+      new DataStoreSpacePrimitives(kv),
+      eventHook,
+      (name, page) => resolveAnchor(name, page),
+    );
+    await sleep(1);
+    await space.writePage("Other", pageContent);
+    await indexPage(pageContent, "Other");
+
+    const result = await space.readRef(parseToRef("$pete")!);
+    expect(result.text).toBe("Anchored para $pete here.");
+  });
+
+  test("readRef resolves page-qualified anchor Other$pete", async () => {
+    createMockSystem();
+    const kv = new MemoryKvPrimitives();
+    const eventHook = new EventHook();
+    const pageContent = "Anchored para $pete here.";
+    const space = new Space(
+      new DataStoreSpacePrimitives(kv),
+      eventHook,
+      (name, page) => resolveAnchor(name, page),
+    );
+    await sleep(1);
+    await space.writePage("Other", pageContent);
+    await indexPage(pageContent, "Other");
+
+    const result = await space.readRef(parseToRef("Other$pete")!);
+    expect(result.text).toBe("Anchored para $pete here.");
+  });
+
+  test("readRef throws on missing anchor", async () => {
+    createMockSystem();
+    const kv = new MemoryKvPrimitives();
+    const eventHook = new EventHook();
+    const space = new Space(
+      new DataStoreSpacePrimitives(kv),
+      eventHook,
+      (name, page) => resolveAnchor(name, page),
+    );
+    await sleep(1);
+    await indexPage("Normal paragraph.\n", "SomePage");
+
+    await expect(space.readRef(parseToRef("$nope")!)).rejects.toThrow(
+      /Anchor not found/,
+    );
+  });
+
+  test("readRef throws on duplicate anchor", async () => {
+    createMockSystem();
+    const kv = new MemoryKvPrimitives();
+    const eventHook = new EventHook();
+    const space = new Space(
+      new DataStoreSpacePrimitives(kv),
+      eventHook,
+      (name, page) => resolveAnchor(name, page),
+    );
+    await sleep(1);
+    // Define $pete on two different pages so the resolver returns duplicate
+    await space.writePage("PageA", "First $pete anchor.");
+    await space.writePage("PageB", "Second $pete anchor.");
+    await indexPage("First $pete anchor.", "PageA");
+    await indexPage("Second $pete anchor.", "PageB");
+
+    await expect(space.readRef(parseToRef("$pete")!)).rejects.toThrow(
+      /Duplicate anchor/,
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/client/space.ts b/client/space.ts
index 77a500fa..e34589fd 100644
--- a/client/space.ts
+++ b/client/space.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,12 @@ import {
   renderToText,
   traverseTree,
 } from "@silverbulletmd/silverbullet/lib/tree";
+import type { ResolveAnchorResult } from "../plugs/index/types.ts";
+
+export type AnchorResolver = (
+  name: string,
+  page?: string,
+) => Promise<ResolveAnchorResult>;
 
 const pageWatchInterval = 3000; // + jitter
 
@@ -42,6 +48,7 @@ export class Space {
   constructor(
     readonly spacePrimitives: SpacePrimitives,
     eventHook: EventHook,
+    private anchorResolver?: AnchorResolver,
   ) {
     eventHook.addLocalListener("file:deleted", (fileName: string) => {
       if (this.watchedFiles.has(fileName)) {
@@ -79,6 +86,31 @@ export class Space {
   }
 
   async readRef(ref: Ref): Promise<{ offset: number; text: string }> {
+    if (ref.details?.type === "anchor") {
+      if (!this.anchorResolver) {
+        throw new Error("Anchor resolver not configured");
+      }
+      const anchorName = ref.details.name;
+      const filterPage = ref.path
+        ? ref.path.endsWith(".md") ? ref.path.slice(0, -3) : ref.path
+        : undefined;
+      const result = await this.anchorResolver(anchorName, filterPage);
+      if (!result.ok) {
+        if (result.reason === "missing") {
+          throw new Error(`Anchor not found: $${anchorName}`);
+        }
+        const pages = result.hits.map((h) => h.page).join(", ");
+        throw new Error(`Duplicate anchor $${anchorName} on pages: ${pages}`);
+      }
+      const pageText = (await this.readPage(result.page)).text;
+      // Page-level anchors don't have a meaningful range — return the
+      // whole page (matches the behaviour for refs with no details).
+      if (result.hostTag === "page") {
+        return { offset: 0, text: pageText };
+      }
+      const [from, to] = result.range;
+      return { offset: from, text: pageText.slice(from, to) };
+    }
     if (!ref.path.endsWith(".md")) {
       throw new Error("Not supported");
     }