diff --git a/lib/rdoc/markdown.kpeg b/lib/rdoc/markdown.kpeg
index 0e15a604f4..7ca3eb9e59 100644
--- a/lib/rdoc/markdown.kpeg
+++ b/lib/rdoc/markdown.kpeg
@@ -1234,10 +1234,12 @@ InlineNote = &{ notes? }
              @StartList:a
              ( !"]" Inline:l { a << l } )+
              "]"
-             { ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]
-               @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a
+             { if @note_order
+                 ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]
+                 @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a
 
-               note_for ref
+                 note_for ref
+               end
              }
 
 Notes = ( Note | SkipBlock )*
diff --git a/lib/rdoc/markdown.rb b/lib/rdoc/markdown.rb
index c01cab0096..e9e2912df1 100644
--- a/lib/rdoc/markdown.rb
+++ b/lib/rdoc/markdown.rb
@@ -15476,7 +15476,7 @@ def _Note
     return _tmp
   end
 
-  # InlineNote = &{ notes? } "^[" @StartList:a (!"]" Inline:l { a << l })+ "]" { ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]                @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a                 note_for ref              }
+  # InlineNote = &{ notes? } "^[" @StartList:a (!"]" Inline:l { a << l })+ "]" { if @note_order                  ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]                  @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a                   note_for ref                end              }
   def _InlineNote
 
     _save = self.pos
@@ -15567,10 +15567,12 @@ def _InlineNote
         self.pos = _save
         break
       end
-      @result = begin;  ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]
-               @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a
+      @result = begin;  if @note_order
+                 ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]
+                 @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a
 
-               note_for ref
+                 note_for ref
+               end
              ; end
       _tmp = true
       unless _tmp
@@ -16841,7 +16843,7 @@ def _DefinitionListDefinition
   Rules[:_NoteReference] = rule_info("NoteReference", "&{ notes? } RawNoteReference:ref { note_for ref }")
   Rules[:_RawNoteReference] = rule_info("RawNoteReference", "\"[^\" < (!@Newline !\"]\" .)+ > \"]\" { text }")
   Rules[:_Note] = rule_info("Note", "&{ notes? } @NonindentSpace RawNoteReference:ref \":\" @Sp @StartList:a RawNoteBlock:i { a.concat i } (&Indent RawNoteBlock:i { a.concat i })* { @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a                    nil                 }")
-  Rules[:_InlineNote] = rule_info("InlineNote", "&{ notes? } \"^[\" @StartList:a (!\"]\" Inline:l { a << l })+ \"]\" { ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]                @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a                 note_for ref              }")
+  Rules[:_InlineNote] = rule_info("InlineNote", "&{ notes? } \"^[\" @StartList:a (!\"]\" Inline:l { a << l })+ \"]\" { if @note_order                  ref = [:inline, @note_order.length]                  @footnotes[ref] = paragraph a                   note_for ref                end              }")
   Rules[:_Notes] = rule_info("Notes", "(Note | SkipBlock)*")
   Rules[:_RawNoteBlock] = rule_info("RawNoteBlock", "@StartList:a (!@BlankLine !RawNoteReference OptionallyIndentedLine:l { a << l })+ < @BlankLine* > { a << text } { a }")
   Rules[:_CodeFence] = rule_info("CodeFence", "&{ github? } Ticks3 (@Sp StrChunk:format)? @Sp @Newline? < ((!\"`\" Nonspacechar)+ | !Ticks3 /`+/ | Spacechar | @Newline)+ > Ticks3 @Sp @Newline* { verbatim = RDoc::Markup::Verbatim.new text               verbatim.format = format.intern if format.instance_of?(String)               verbatim             }")
diff --git a/test/rdoc/rdoc_markdown_test.rb b/test/rdoc/rdoc_markdown_test.rb
index 646f12a999..f2542f5157 100644
--- a/test/rdoc/rdoc_markdown_test.rb
+++ b/test/rdoc/rdoc_markdown_test.rb
@@ -1002,6 +1002,12 @@ def test_parse_note_inline
     assert_equal expected, doc
   end
 
+  def test_parse_note_inline_in_reference_label
+    @parser.notes = true
+
+    assert_kind_of RDoc::Markup::Document, parse("[foo ^[note]]: /url\n")
+  end
+
   def test_parse_note_no_notes
     @parser.notes = false