diff --git a/docs/user/checks.rst b/docs/user/checks.rst
index a895e47da577..4a4e251808d2 100644
--- a/docs/user/checks.rst
+++ b/docs/user/checks.rst
@@ -439,6 +439,20 @@ not desired result from changing the translation, but occasionally it is.
 
 Checks that XML tags are replicated between both source and translation.
 
+
+.. _check-md-reflink:
+
+Markdown link references
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Markdown link references does not match source.
+
+.. seealso::
+
+   `Markdown links`_
+
+.. _Markdown links: https://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax#link
+
 Source checks
 -------------
 
diff --git a/weblate/checks/markup.py b/weblate/checks/markup.py
index 1dc3e4e985f6..d41ef970702c 100644
--- a/weblate/checks/markup.py
+++ b/weblate/checks/markup.py
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@
     re.MULTILINE
 )
 
+MD_REFLINK = re.compile(
+    r'^!?\[('
+    r'(?:\[[^^\]]*\]|[^\[\]]|\](?=[^\[]*\]))*'
+    r')\]\s*\[([^^\]]*)\]'
+)
+
 XML_MATCH = re.compile(r'<[^>]+>')
 XML_ENTITY_MATCH = re.compile(r'&#?\w+;')
 
@@ -176,3 +182,28 @@ def check_highlight(self, source, unit):
         for match in XML_ENTITY_MATCH.finditer(source):
             ret.append((match.start(), match.end(), match.group()))
         return ret
+
+
+class MarkdownBaseCheck(TargetCheck):
+    default_disabled = True
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        super(MarkdownBaseCheck, self).__init__()
+        self.enable_string = 'md-text'
+
+
+class MarkdownRefLinkCheck(MarkdownBaseCheck):
+    check_id = 'md-reflink'
+    name = _('Markdown link references')
+    description = _('Markdown link references does not match source')
+
+    def check_single(self, source, target, unit):
+        src_match = MD_REFLINK.findall(source)
+        if not src_match:
+            return False
+        tgt_match = MD_REFLINK.findall(target)
+
+        src_tags = {x[1] for x in src_match}
+        tgt_tags = {x[1] for x in tgt_match}
+
+        return src_tags != tgt_tags
diff --git a/weblate/checks/models.py b/weblate/checks/models.py
index 97294aa657d8..bf6316944d8d 100644
--- a/weblate/checks/models.py
+++ b/weblate/checks/models.py
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ class WeblateChecksConf(AppConf):
         'weblate.checks.chars.ZeroWidthSpaceCheck',
         'weblate.checks.markup.XMLValidityCheck',
         'weblate.checks.markup.XMLTagsCheck',
+        'weblate.checks.markup.MarkdownRefLinkCheck',
         'weblate.checks.source.OptionalPluralCheck',
         'weblate.checks.source.EllipsisCheck',
         'weblate.checks.source.MultipleFailingCheck',
diff --git a/weblate/checks/tests/test_checks.py b/weblate/checks/tests/test_checks.py
index 7bf87a264f45..3e4b33e03282 100644
--- a/weblate/checks/tests/test_checks.py
+++ b/weblate/checks/tests/test_checks.py
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ def setUp(self):
         self.test_good_matching = ('string', 'string', '')
         self.test_good_none = ('string', 'string', '')
         self.test_good_ignore = ()
+        self.test_good_flag = ()
         self.test_failure_1 = ()
         self.test_failure_2 = ()
         self.test_failure_3 = ()
@@ -141,6 +142,17 @@ def test_single_failure_2(self):
     def test_single_failure_3(self):
         self.do_test(True, self.test_failure_3)
 
+    def test_check_good_flag(self):
+        if self.check is None or not self.test_good_flag:
+            return
+        self.assertFalse(
+            self.check.check_target(
+                [self.test_good_flag[0]],
+                [self.test_good_flag[1]],
+                MockUnit(None, self.test_good_flag[2])
+            )
+        )
+
     def test_check_good_matching_singular(self):
         if self.check is None:
             return
diff --git a/weblate/checks/tests/test_markup_checks.py b/weblate/checks/tests/test_markup_checks.py
index fa0cad31d803..1791b8d4839a 100644
--- a/weblate/checks/tests/test_markup_checks.py
+++ b/weblate/checks/tests/test_markup_checks.py
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
     BBCodeCheck,
     XMLTagsCheck,
     XMLValidityCheck,
+    MarkdownRefLinkCheck,
 )
 from weblate.checks.tests.test_checks import CheckTestCase
 
@@ -149,3 +150,14 @@ def test_root(self):
                 ''
             ),
         )
+
+
+class MarkdownRefLinkCheckTest(CheckTestCase):
+    check = MarkdownRefLinkCheck()
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super(MarkdownRefLinkCheckTest, self).setUp()
+        self.test_good_matching = ('[a][a1]', '[b][a1]', 'md-text')
+        self.test_good_none = ('string', 'string', 'md-text')
+        self.test_good_flag = ('[a][a1]', '[b][a2]', '')
+        self.test_failure_1 = ('[a][a1]', '[b][a2]', 'md-text')
diff --git a/weblate/settings_example.py b/weblate/settings_example.py
index e02cac07af47..6a9ba4a9b3a0 100644
--- a/weblate/settings_example.py
+++ b/weblate/settings_example.py
@@ -692,6 +692,7 @@
 #     'weblate.checks.chars.ZeroWidthSpaceCheck',
 #     'weblate.checks.markup.XMLValidityCheck',
 #     'weblate.checks.markup.XMLTagsCheck',
+#     'weblate.checks.markup.MarkdownRefLinkCheck',
 #     'weblate.checks.source.OptionalPluralCheck',
 #     'weblate.checks.source.EllipsisCheck',
 #     'weblate.checks.source.MultipleFailingCheck',