diff --git a/site/docs/extensions/auto-identifiers.md b/site/docs/extensions/auto-identifiers.md
index f3aaea7..888fda5 100644
--- a/site/docs/extensions/auto-identifiers.md
+++ b/site/docs/extensions/auto-identifiers.md
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ You can then link to it:
 See [Getting Started](#getting-started).
 ```
 
+With the default `AutoLink` option, `[Getting Started]` also links to the heading.
+These implicit heading references do not resolve inside another still-open link or
+image bracket. For example, `[Read [Getting Started]](/guide)` links the entire
+label `Read [Getting Started]` to `/guide`. Explicit reference definitions such as
+`[Getting Started]: /guide` retain normal CommonMark reference-link behavior.
+
 ## ID generation rules
 
 1. Convert to lowercase
diff --git a/src/Markdig.Tests/TestAutoLinks.cs b/src/Markdig.Tests/TestAutoLinks.cs
index 005c3d1..ac5c2bd 100644
--- a/src/Markdig.Tests/TestAutoLinks.cs
+++ b/src/Markdig.Tests/TestAutoLinks.cs
@@ -21,4 +21,60 @@ public class TestAutoLinks
 
         Assert.That(html, Is.EqualTo(expected).IgnoreWhiteSpace);
     }
+
+    // https://github.com/xoofx/markdig/issues/668
+    // A heading's implicit reference must not resolve inside another still-open
+    // link bracket, which would break the outer link.
+    [Test]
+    public void TestAutoIdentifierHeadingLinkDoesNotHijackNestedLinkLabel()
+    {
+        var markdown = "# Testing Markdown\n\n" +
+                        "### Header\n\n" +
+                        "[Testing [Header]](https://www.bing.com)\n\n" +
+                        "[Testing [test]](https://www.google.com)\n";
+        var expected = "<h1 id=\"testing-markdown\">Testing Markdown</h1>\n" +
+                        "<h3 id=\"header\">Header</h3>\n" +
+                        "<p><a href=\"https://www.bing.com\">Testing [Header]</a></p>\n" +
+                        "<p><a href=\"https://www.google.com\">Testing [test]</a></p>";
+
+        var pipeline = new MarkdownPipelineBuilder()
+            .UseAutoLinks()
+            .UseAutoIdentifiers()
+            .Build();
+        var html = Markdown.ToHtml(markdown, pipeline);
+
+        Assert.That(html, Is.EqualTo(expected).IgnoreWhiteSpace);
+    }
+
+    [TestCase("[Header]", "<a href=\"#header\">Header</a>")]
+    [TestCase("[Header][]", "<a href=\"#header\">Header</a>")]
+    [TestCase("[label][Header]", "<a href=\"#header\">label</a>")]
+    [TestCase("[Testing [Header]](/target)", "<a href=\"/target\">Testing [Header]</a>")]
+    [TestCase("[Testing [Header][]](/target)", "<a href=\"/target\">Testing [Header][]</a>")]
+    [TestCase("[Testing [label][Header]](/target)", "<a href=\"/target\">Testing [label][Header]</a>")]
+    [TestCase("![Testing [Header]](/image.png)", "<img src=\"/image.png\" alt=\"Testing [Header]\" />")]
+    public void TestAutoIdentifierReferenceResolution(string markdown, string expected)
+    {
+        foreach (var trackTrivia in new[] { false, true })
+        {
+            var builder = new MarkdownPipelineBuilder().UseAutoLinks().UseAutoIdentifiers();
+            if (trackTrivia)
+            {
+                builder.EnableTrackTrivia();
+            }
+
+            var html = Markdown.ToHtml("# Header\n\n" + markdown, builder.Build());
+
+            Assert.That(html, Is.EqualTo("<h1 id=\"header\">Header</h1>\n<p>" + expected + "</p>").IgnoreWhiteSpace, $"TrackTrivia: {trackTrivia}");
+        }
+    }
+
+    [Test]
+    public void TestExplicitReferenceStillResolvesInsideOpenLink()
+    {
+        var pipeline = new MarkdownPipelineBuilder().UseAutoLinks().UseAutoIdentifiers().Build();
+        var html = Markdown.ToHtml("[Header]: /explicit\n\n# Header\n\n[Testing [Header]](/target)", pipeline);
+
+        Assert.That(html, Is.EqualTo("<h1 id=\"header\">Header</h1>\n<p>[Testing <a href=\"/explicit\">Header</a>](/target)</p>").IgnoreWhiteSpace);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/Markdig/Extensions/AutoIdentifiers/HeadingLinkReferenceDefinition.cs b/src/Markdig/Extensions/AutoIdentifiers/HeadingLinkReferenceDefinition.cs
index 32562cc..13a2566 100644
--- a/src/Markdig/Extensions/AutoIdentifiers/HeadingLinkReferenceDefinition.cs
+++ b/src/Markdig/Extensions/AutoIdentifiers/HeadingLinkReferenceDefinition.cs
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@ public class HeadingLinkReferenceDefinition : LinkReferenceDefinition
     public HeadingLinkReferenceDefinition(HeadingBlock headling)
     {
         Heading = headling;
+        // Created implicitly, so it must not resolve inside another still-open
+        // link bracket, e.g. [Some text [Heading]](url).
+        AllowResolutionInsideOpenLink = false;
     }
 
     /// <summary>
diff --git a/src/Markdig/Parsers/Inlines/LinkInlineParser.cs b/src/Markdig/Parsers/Inlines/LinkInlineParser.cs
index 83ac5db..0701ae4 100644
--- a/src/Markdig/Parsers/Inlines/LinkInlineParser.cs
+++ b/src/Markdig/Parsers/Inlines/LinkInlineParser.cs
@@ -150,6 +150,13 @@ public class LinkInlineParser : InlineParser
             return false;
         }
 
+        // An implicit definition must not hijack a bracket nested inside a
+        // still-open link, which would break the outer one.
+        if (!linkRef.AllowResolutionInsideOpenLink && HasActiveAncestorLink(parent))
+        {
+            return false;
+        }
+
         Inline? link = null;
         // Try to use a callback directly defined on the LinkReferenceDefinition
         if (linkRef.CreateLinkInline != null)
@@ -430,6 +437,24 @@ public class LinkInlineParser : InlineParser
         }
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Determines whether the delimiter is nested inside another link/image
+    /// delimiter that may still resolve.
+    /// </summary>
+    private static bool HasActiveAncestorLink(LinkDelimiterInline delimiter)
+    {
+        var inline = delimiter.Parent;
+        while (inline != null)
+        {
+            if (inline is LinkDelimiterInline { IsActive: true })
+            {
+                return true;
+            }
+            inline = inline.Parent;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private static void MarkParentAsInactive(Inline? inline)
     {
         while (inline != null)
diff --git a/src/Markdig/Polyfills/IsExternalInit.cs b/src/Markdig/Polyfills/IsExternalInit.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac7213e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Markdig/Polyfills/IsExternalInit.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// Copyright (c) Alexandre Mutel. All rights reserved.
+// This file is licensed under the BSD-Clause 2 license.
+// See the license.txt file in the project root for more information.
+
+#if !NET5_0_OR_GREATER
+namespace System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
+
+// Required by the compiler for init-only properties on older target frameworks.
+internal static class IsExternalInit
+{
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/src/Markdig/Syntax/LinkReferenceDefinition.cs b/src/Markdig/Syntax/LinkReferenceDefinition.cs
index 056d91d..64c84d9 100644
--- a/src/Markdig/Syntax/LinkReferenceDefinition.cs
+++ b/src/Markdig/Syntax/LinkReferenceDefinition.cs
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ public class LinkReferenceDefinition : LeafBlock
     public LinkReferenceDefinition() : base(null)
     {
         IsOpen = false;
+        AllowResolutionInsideOpenLink = true;
     }
 
     /// <summary>
@@ -136,6 +137,16 @@ public class LinkReferenceDefinition : LeafBlock
     /// </remarks>
     public CreateLinkInlineDelegate? CreateLinkInline { get; set; }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Gets whether this definition may resolve into a link while its label is
+    /// nested inside another still-open link or image bracket.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// <c>true</c> for user-authored definitions, preserving CommonMark's "links
+    /// cannot contain links". Implicitly generated ones can initialize it to <c>false</c>.
+    /// </remarks>
+    internal bool AllowResolutionInsideOpenLink { get; private protected init; }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Tries to the parse the specified text into a definition.
     /// </summary>
@@ -241,4 +252,4 @@ public class LinkReferenceDefinition : LeafBlock
         public StringSlice UnescapedTitle;
         public char TitleEnclosingCharacter;
     }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}