diff --git a/Lib/ufo2ft/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter.py b/Lib/ufo2ft/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter.py
index 16df5b4d..1acf65d1 100644
--- a/Lib/ufo2ft/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter.py
+++ b/Lib/ufo2ft/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter.py
@@ -649,6 +649,9 @@ def _makeMarkToBaseAttachments(self):
                     # skip '_1', '_2', etc. suffixed anchors for this lookup
                     # type; these will be are added in the mark2liga lookup
                     continue
+                if anchor.isContextual:
+                    # skip contextual anchors. They are handled separately.
+                    continue
                 assert not anchor.isMark
                 baseMarks.append(anchor)
             if not baseMarks:
@@ -669,6 +672,9 @@ def _makeMarkToMarkAttachments(self):
                 # skip anchors for which no mark class is defined
                 if anchor.markClass is None or anchor.isMark:
                     continue
+                if anchor.isContextual:
+                    # skip contextual anchors. They are handled separately.
+                    continue
                 if anchor.number is not None:
                     self.log.warning(
                         "invalid ligature anchor '%s' in mark glyph '%s'; " "skipped",
@@ -700,6 +706,9 @@ def _makeMarkToLigaAttachments(self):
                 if number is None:
                     # we handled these in the mark2base lookup
                     continue
+                if anchor.isContextual:
+                    # skip contextual anchors. They are handled separately.
+                    continue
                 # unnamed anchors with only a number suffix "_1", "_2", etc.
                 # are understood as the ligature component having <anchor NULL>
                 if not anchor.key:
diff --git a/tests/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter_test.py b/tests/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter_test.py
index 47c50920..a0566792 100644
--- a/tests/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter_test.py
+++ b/tests/featureWriters/markFeatureWriter_test.py
@@ -1818,7 +1818,6 @@ def test_contextual_anchors_no_mark_feature(self, testufo):
 
             lookup mark2base {
                 pos base a
-                    <anchor 200 200> mark @MC_top
                     <anchor 100 200> mark @MC_top;
             } mark2base;