diff --git a/asciidoc/render/attributes.go b/asciidoc/render/attributes.go
index f83713d0..717e6c2c 100644
--- a/asciidoc/render/attributes.go
+++ b/asciidoc/render/attributes.go
@@ -299,6 +299,10 @@ func quoteAttributeValue(val any) (string, error) {
 		return escapeQuotes(val.Value), nil
 	case asciidoc.AttributeReference:
 		return "{" + val.Name() + "}", nil
+	case *asciidoc.Counter:
+		var sb strings.Builder
+		renderCounterText(&sb, val)
+		return sb.String(), nil
 	case asciidoc.Elements:
 		var sb strings.Builder
 		for _, a := range val {
@@ -322,6 +326,8 @@ func renderNakedAttributeValue(cxt Target, val any) (err error) {
 		cxt.WriteRune('{')
 		cxt.WriteString(val.Name())
 		cxt.WriteRune('}')
+	case *asciidoc.Counter:
+		renderCounterText(cxt, val)
 	case asciidoc.Elements:
 		for _, a := range val {
 			err = renderNakedAttributeValue(cxt, a)
diff --git a/asciidoc/render/macro.go b/asciidoc/render/macro.go
index afc18d3b..fc954865 100644
--- a/asciidoc/render/macro.go
+++ b/asciidoc/render/macro.go
@@ -25,16 +25,20 @@ func renderFileInclude(cxt Target, el *asciidoc.FileInclude) (err error) {
 
 func renderCounter(cxt Target, el *asciidoc.Counter) {
 	cxt.StartBlock()
-	cxt.WriteString("{counter")
+	renderCounterText(cxt, el)
+	cxt.EndBlock()
+}
+
+func renderCounterText(tb TextBuffer, el *asciidoc.Counter) {
+	tb.WriteString("{counter")
 	if !el.Display.Visible() {
-		cxt.WriteRune('2')
+		tb.WriteRune('2')
 	}
-	cxt.WriteRune(':')
-	cxt.WriteString(el.Name)
+	tb.WriteRune(':')
+	tb.WriteString(el.Name)
 	if len(el.InitialValue) > 0 {
-		cxt.WriteRune(':')
-		cxt.WriteString(el.InitialValue)
+		tb.WriteRune(':')
+		tb.WriteString(el.InitialValue)
 	}
-	cxt.WriteString("}")
-	cxt.EndBlock()
+	tb.WriteString("}")
 }
diff --git a/asciidoc/render/target.go b/asciidoc/render/target.go
index c37f6633..9dc48b87 100644
--- a/asciidoc/render/target.go
+++ b/asciidoc/render/target.go
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
 package render
 
+type TextBuffer interface {
+	WriteRune(r rune) (int, error)
+	WriteString(s string) (int, error)
+	String() string
+}
+
 type Target interface {
+	TextBuffer
+
 	EnsureNewLine()
-	WriteRune(r rune)
-	WriteString(s string)
-	String() string
 	EnableWrap()
 	DisableWrap()
 	FlushWrap()
diff --git a/asciidoc/render/unwrap.go b/asciidoc/render/unwrap.go
index c61c7706..08faf15e 100644
--- a/asciidoc/render/unwrap.go
+++ b/asciidoc/render/unwrap.go
@@ -18,17 +18,19 @@ func NewUnwrappedTarget(parent context.Context) Target {
 	}
 }
 
-func (o *unwrappedTarget) WriteString(s string) {
+func (o *unwrappedTarget) WriteString(s string) (n int, err error) {
 	rs := []rune(s)
 	if len(rs) > 0 {
 		o.lastRune = rs[len(rs)-1]
-		o.out.WriteString(s)
+		n, err = o.out.WriteString(s)
 	}
+	return
 }
 
-func (o *unwrappedTarget) WriteRune(r rune) {
-	o.out.WriteRune(r)
+func (o *unwrappedTarget) WriteRune(r rune) (n int, err error) {
 	o.lastRune = r
+	n, err = o.out.WriteRune(r)
+	return
 }
 
 func (o *unwrappedTarget) EnsureNewLine() {
diff --git a/asciidoc/render/wrap.go b/asciidoc/render/wrap.go
index 65535606..e905b7e5 100644
--- a/asciidoc/render/wrap.go
+++ b/asciidoc/render/wrap.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func NewWrappedTarget(parent context.Context, wrapLength int) Target {
 	}
 }
 
-func (o *wrappedTarget) WriteString(s string) {
+func (o *wrappedTarget) WriteString(s string) (n int, err error) {
 	if len(s) == 0 {
 		return
 	}
@@ -56,22 +56,24 @@ func (o *wrappedTarget) WriteString(s string) {
 			return
 		}
 		if o.currentBlock != nil {
-			o.currentBlock.WriteString(s)
+			n, err = o.currentBlock.WriteString(s)
 			o.lastBlockRune, _ = utf8.DecodeLastRuneInString(s)
 			return
 		}
 
 	}
-	o.writeWrappedText(s)
+	n = o.writeWrappedText(s)
+	return
 }
 
-func (o *wrappedTarget) writeWrappedText(s string) {
+func (o *wrappedTarget) writeWrappedText(s string) (n int) {
 	for _, r := range s {
-		o.writeRune(r)
+		n += o.writeRune(r)
 	}
+	return
 }
 
-func (o *wrappedTarget) writeRune(r rune) {
+func (o *wrappedTarget) writeRune(r rune) (n int) {
 	index := len(o.out)
 	switch r {
 	case '\r': // We just strip these out as we go
@@ -111,7 +113,7 @@ func (o *wrappedTarget) writeRune(r rune) {
 			o.lastSpace = index
 		}
 	}
-
+	n = utf8.RuneLen(r)
 	o.out = utf8.AppendRune(o.out, r)
 	o.lastRune = r
 	if o.indented {
@@ -130,7 +132,7 @@ func (o *wrappedTarget) writeRune(r rune) {
 	o.lastNewline = o.lastSpace
 	o.lastInsertedNewline = o.lastSpace
 	o.lastSpace = -1
-
+	return
 }
 
 func (o *wrappedTarget) writeBlockText(s string) {
@@ -150,7 +152,7 @@ func (o *wrappedTarget) insertNewLine() {
 	o.lastRune = '\n'
 }
 
-func (o *wrappedTarget) WriteRune(r rune) {
+func (o *wrappedTarget) WriteRune(r rune) (n int, err error) {
 	if o.disableWrapCount > 0 {
 		switch r {
 		case '\r': // We just strip these out as we go
@@ -163,16 +165,18 @@ func (o *wrappedTarget) WriteRune(r rune) {
 				o.lastSpace = len(o.out)
 			}
 		}
+		n = utf8.RuneLen(r)
 		o.out = utf8.AppendRune(o.out, r)
 		o.lastRune = r
 		return
 	}
 	if o.currentBlock != nil {
-		o.currentBlock.WriteRune(r)
+		n, err = o.currentBlock.WriteRune(r)
 		o.lastBlockRune = r
 		return
 	}
-	o.writeRune(r)
+	n = o.writeRune(r)
+	return
 }
 
 func (o *wrappedTarget) EnsureNewLine() {