diff --git a/src/datahike/db/utils.cljc b/src/datahike/db/utils.cljc
index 3612cab6..59baebb7 100644
--- a/src/datahike/db/utils.cljc
+++ b/src/datahike/db/utils.cljc
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@
 
 (defn attr-has-ref? [db attr]
   (and (not (nil? attr))
-       (not (ds/is-system-keyword? attr))
+       (not (ds/built-in-attribute? attr))
        (:attribute-refs? (dbi/-config db))))
 
 (defn attr-ref-or-ident [db attr]
diff --git a/src/datahike/schema.cljc b/src/datahike/schema.cljc
index 50cbd82b..1266e67d 100644
--- a/src/datahike/schema.cljc
+++ b/src/datahike/schema.cljc
@@ -214,5 +214,10 @@
          (= "db" (first (clojure.string/split ns #"\.")))
          false)))
 
+(def built-in-attributes #{:db/ident})
+
+(defn built-in-attribute? [x]
+  (contains? built-in-attributes x))
+
 (defn get-user-schema [{:keys [schema] :as db}]
   (into {} (filter #(not (is-system-keyword? (key %))) schema)))
diff --git a/test/datahike/test/attribute_refs/datoms_test.cljc b/test/datahike/test/attribute_refs/datoms_test.cljc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..edcf370a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/datahike/test/attribute_refs/datoms_test.cljc
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+(ns datahike.test.attribute-refs.datoms-test
+  (:require
+   #?(:cljs [cljs.test :as t :refer-macros [is deftest testing]]
+      :clj [clojure.test :as t :refer [is deftest testing]])
+   [datahike.api :as d]
+   [datahike.db :as db :refer [ref-datoms]]
+   [datahike.test.utils :refer [with-connect provide-unique-id
+                                recreate-database]]))
+
+(def cfg
+  {:store {:backend :mem}
+   :keep-history? true
+   :attribute-refs? true
+   :schema-flexibility :write})
+
+(deftest test-datoms-with-components
+  (with-connect [conn (-> cfg
+                          provide-unique-id
+                          recreate-database)]
+    (d/transact conn [{:db/ident :name
+                       :db/cardinality :db.cardinality/one
+                       :db/index true
+                       :db/valueType :db.type/string}
+                      {:db/ident :age
+                       :db/cardinality :db.cardinality/one
+                       :db/valueType :db.type/long}])
+    (d/transact conn [{:name "Alice"
+                       :age 10}])
+    (let [all-datoms (d/datoms @conn {:index :avet :components []})
+          all-tx-inst-datoms (filter (fn [datom]
+                                       (and (= (:e datom)
+                                               (:tx datom))
+                                            (instance? java.util.Date
+                                                       (:v datom))))
+                                     all-datoms)
+          name-datoms (filter (fn [datom] (= "Alice" (:v datom)))
+                              all-datoms)]
+      (is (= 1 (count name-datoms)))
+      (doseq [datom name-datoms]
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :avet
+                 :components [(:a datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :avet
+                 :components [(:a datom)
+                              (:v datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :avet
+                 :components [(:a datom)
+                              (:v datom)
+                              (:e datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :avet
+                 :components [(:a datom)
+                              (:v datom)
+                              (:e datom)
+                              (:tx datom)]}))))
+
+      (is (= 3 (count all-tx-inst-datoms)))
+      (is (= (set all-tx-inst-datoms)
+             (set (d/datoms @conn {:index :avet
+                                   :components [:db/txInstant]}))))
+      (is (= (set all-tx-inst-datoms)
+             (set (d/datoms @conn {:index :aevt
+                                   :components [:db/txInstant]}))))
+      (doseq [datom all-tx-inst-datoms]
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :avet
+                 :components [:db/txInstant
+                              (:v datom)
+                              (:e datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :avet
+                 :components [:db/txInstant
+                              (:v datom)
+                              (:e datom)
+                              (:tx datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :aevt
+                 :components [:db/txInstant
+                              (:e datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :aevt
+                 :components [:db/txInstant
+                              (:e datom)
+                              (:v datom)]})))
+        (is (= [datom]
+               (d/datoms
+                @conn
+                {:index :aevt
+                 :components [:db/txInstant
+                              (:e datom)
+                              (:v datom)
+                              (:tx datom)]})))))))
diff --git a/test/datahike/test/utils.cljc b/test/datahike/test/utils.cljc
index 09645072..354bcc9b 100644
--- a/test/datahike/test/utils.cljc
+++ b/test/datahike/test/utils.cljc
@@ -41,6 +41,24 @@
    :keep-history? true
    :schema-flexibility :read})
 
+(defn recreate-database [cfg]
+  (d/delete-database cfg)
+  (d/create-database cfg)
+  cfg)
+
+(defn with-connect-fn [cfg body-fn]
+  (let [conn (d/connect cfg)]
+    (try
+      (body-fn conn)
+      (finally
+        (d/release conn)))))
+
+(defmacro with-connect [[conn cfg] & body]
+  `(with-connect-fn ~cfg (fn [~conn] ~@body)))
+
+(defn provide-unique-id [cfg]
+  (assoc-in cfg [:store :id] (str (UUID/randomUUID))))
+
 (defn setup-db
   "Setting up a test-db in memory by default.  Deep-merges the passed config into the defaults."
   ([]
@@ -49,9 +67,8 @@
    (setup-db cfg (not (get-in cfg [:store :id]))))
   ([cfg gen-uuid?]
    (let [cfg (cond-> (tools/deep-merge (cfg-template) cfg)
-               gen-uuid? (assoc-in [:store :id] (str (UUID/randomUUID))))]
-     (d/delete-database cfg)
-     (d/create-database cfg)
+               gen-uuid? (provide-unique-id))]
+     (recreate-database cfg)
      (d/connect cfg))))
 
 (defn all-true? [c] (every? true? c))
@@ -59,9 +76,8 @@
 (defn all-eq? [c1 c2] (all-true? (map = c1 c2)))
 
 (defn setup-default-db [config test-data]
-  (let [_ (d/delete-database config)
-        _ (d/create-database config)
-        conn (d/connect config)]
+  (recreate-database config)
+  (let [conn (d/connect config)]
     (d/transact conn test-data)
     conn))