diff --git a/src/markdown/empty-keys.ts b/src/markdown/empty-keys.ts
index b59008d..4bbbf97 100644
--- a/src/markdown/empty-keys.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/empty-keys.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ export function spellsEmpty(value: DirectiveValue | undefined): boolean {
   return value?.spelling === emptyValue
 }
 
-export function readEmptyKeys(attributes: DirectiveAttributes, keys: readonly EmptyKey[]): Read<EmptyKeysRead> {
+// `held` is whether the directive spells an attribute outside {attrs}: an argument or a content slot.
+export function readEmptyKeys(type: string, attributes: DirectiveAttributes, keys: readonly EmptyKey[], held: boolean): Read<EmptyKeysRead> {
   const rest = new Map(attributes)
   const empty = new Set<EmptyKey>()
   for (const key of keys) {
@@ -26,5 +27,6 @@ export function readEmptyKeys(attributes: DirectiveAttributes, keys: readonly Em
     empty.add(key)
     rest.delete(key)
   }
+  if (empty.has('attrs') && (held || [...rest.keys()].some((key) => key !== 'marks'))) return { fault: unsupportedNodeShape(`${type} spells attrs=empty beside an attribute it holds`) }
   return { value: { empty, rest } }
 }
diff --git a/src/markdown/parse/directive-marks.ts b/src/markdown/parse/directive-marks.ts
index 5d42ecd..22e5c7a 100644
--- a/src/markdown/parse/directive-marks.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/parse/directive-marks.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,11 @@ export function readDirectiveMark(name: string, attributes: DirectiveAttributes,
   if (spelling === undefined) return undefined
   const markdown = markdownForm(spelling)
   if (markdown !== undefined) return failure('unsupported-node-shape', `${name} is spelled ${markdown}, never as a directive`, path)
-  const empty = readEmptyKeys(attributes, ['attrs'])
+  const empty = readEmptyKeys(name, attributes, ['attrs'], false)
   if (empty.fault !== undefined) return faulted(empty.fault, path)
   const attrs = readVocabulary(name, empty.value.rest, spelling.attributes, undefined, path)
   if (!attrs.ok) return attrs
-  if (empty.value.empty.has('attrs')) return Object.keys(attrs.value).length === 0 ? success({ attrs: {}, type: name }) : failure('unsupported-node-shape', `${name} spells attrs=empty beside an attribute it holds`, path)
+  if (empty.value.empty.has('attrs')) return success({ attrs: {}, type: name })
   return success(Object.keys(attrs.value).length === 0 ? { type: name } : { attrs: attrs.value, type: name })
 }
 
diff --git a/src/markdown/parse/directive-nodes.ts b/src/markdown/parse/directive-nodes.ts
index 3aab5db..63e1e56 100644
--- a/src/markdown/parse/directive-nodes.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/parse/directive-nodes.ts
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@ import { slotLineEndingFault } from '../directive-syntax.ts'
 import { textBreakName } from '../text-break.ts'
 import { textDirectiveName } from '../text-directive.ts'
 
-// `emptyContent` is whether the directive spells content=empty, which holds no body.
-export type BlockDirectiveNode = { contentModel: BlockNodeModel['contentModel']; emptyContent: boolean; node: AdfNode }
+export type BlockDirectiveNode = { contentModel: BlockNodeModel['contentModel']; node: AdfNode }
 
 export function readBlockDirectiveNode(
   name: string,
@@ -33,7 +32,7 @@ export function readBlockDirectiveNode(
   if (model === undefined) return faulted(inlineSpellingFault(name) ?? unknownDirectiveFault(name), path)
   const argumentKey = blockArgument(name)
   const spelled = attributes.get(marksAttribute)
-  const empty = readEmptyKeys(attributes, spellsEmpty(spelled) ? ['attrs', 'content', 'marks'] : ['attrs', 'content'])
+  const empty = readEmptyKeys(name, attributes, spellsEmpty(spelled) ? ['attrs', 'content', 'marks'] : ['attrs', 'content'], argument !== undefined)
   if (empty.fault !== undefined) return faulted(empty.fault, path)
   const { rest } = empty.value
   rest.delete(marksAttribute)
@@ -46,9 +45,7 @@ export function readBlockDirectiveNode(
   }
   const marks: Result<AdfMark[] | undefined> = spelled === undefined || spellsEmpty(spelled) ? success(undefined) : readMarks(name, spelled, path)
   if (!marks.ok) return marks
-  const node = namedNode(name, attrs.value, marks.value, empty.value.empty, path)
-  if (!node.ok) return node
-  return success({ contentModel: model.contentModel, emptyContent: empty.value.empty.has('content'), node: node.value })
+  return success({ contentModel: model.contentModel, node: namedNode(name, attrs.value, marks.value, empty.value.empty) })
 }
 
 export function readInlineDirectiveNode(
@@ -62,7 +59,7 @@ export function readInlineDirectiveNode(
   const slot = model.textAttribute
   if (slot === undefined && content !== undefined) return failure('unsupported-node-shape', `${name} takes no content: this one holds some`, path)
   const elsewhere: Elsewhere | undefined = slot === undefined ? undefined : { key: slot, slot: 'content' }
-  const empty = readEmptyKeys(attributes, ['attrs', 'content', 'marks'])
+  const empty = readEmptyKeys(name, attributes, ['attrs', 'content', 'marks'], slot !== undefined && content !== undefined)
   if (empty.fault !== undefined) return faulted(empty.fault, path)
   const attrs = readVocabulary(name, empty.value.rest, model.attributes, elsewhere, path)
   if (!attrs.ok) return attrs
@@ -75,7 +72,7 @@ export function readInlineDirectiveNode(
     if (spans !== undefined) return faulted(spans, path)
     attrs.value[slot] = text
   }
-  return namedNode(name, attrs.value, undefined, empty.value.empty, path)
+  return success(namedNode(name, attrs.value, undefined, empty.value.empty))
 }
 
 // A name the other position spells names that spelling, never the code a later MINOR may fill (docs/decisions.md §Which code a cause takes).
@@ -109,11 +106,9 @@ function readMarks(type: string, spelled: DirectiveValue, path: ConvertErrorPath
   return success(marks)
 }
 
-function namedNode(type: string, attrs: AdfAttributes, marks: readonly AdfMark[] | undefined, empty: ReadonlySet<EmptyKey>, path: ConvertErrorPath): Result<AdfNode> {
-  const held = Object.keys(attrs).length > 0
-  if (held && empty.has('attrs')) return failure('unsupported-node-shape', `${type} spells attrs=empty beside an attribute it holds`, path)
-  const node: AdfNode = held || empty.has('attrs') ? { attrs, type } : { type }
+function namedNode(type: string, attrs: AdfAttributes, marks: readonly AdfMark[] | undefined, empty: ReadonlySet<EmptyKey>): AdfNode {
+  const node: AdfNode = Object.keys(attrs).length > 0 || empty.has('attrs') ? { attrs, type } : { type }
   if (empty.has('content')) node.content = []
   if (marks !== undefined || empty.has('marks')) node.marks = [...(marks ?? [])]
-  return success(node)
+  return node
 }
diff --git a/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.ts b/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.ts
index 55c42f0..7521fbc 100644
--- a/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/parse/markdown-to-adf.ts
@@ -229,9 +229,10 @@ function directiveNode(block: DirectiveBlock, reading: Reading, path: ConvertErr
 }
 
 function directiveBody(read: BlockDirectiveNode, blocks: Block[] | undefined, reading: Reading, path: ConvertErrorPath, depth: number): Result<AdfNode> {
-  const { contentModel, emptyContent, node } = read
+  const { contentModel, node } = read
   if (blocks === undefined) return success(node)
-  if (emptyContent) return blocks.length === 0 ? success(node) : failure('unsupported-node-shape', `${node.type} spells content=empty, which holds no body: this one holds one`, path)
+  // A directive builds a content key only from content=empty, which holds no body.
+  if (node.content !== undefined) return blocks.length === 0 ? success(node) : failure('unsupported-node-shape', `${node.type} spells content=empty, which holds no body: this one holds one`, path)
   if (contentModel === 'code') return codeDirectiveNode(node, blocks, path)
   if (contentModel === 'inline') return inlineBodyNode(node, blocks, reading, path)
   return containerNode(node, blocks, reading, path, depth)