diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/CppCompiler.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/CppCompiler.scala
index c7dcc0a13..09be52792 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/CppCompiler.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/CppCompiler.scala
@@ -912,7 +912,7 @@ class CppCompiler(
     outSrc.puts(s"return ${nonOwningPointer(instName, attrType)};")
 
   override def instanceCalculate(instName: Identifier, dataType: DataType, value: Ast.expr): Unit = {
-    if (config.readStoresPos)
+    if (attrDebugNeeded(instName))
       attrDebugStart(instName, dataType, None, NoRepeat)
     val valExpr = expression(value)
     val isOwningInExpr = dataType match {
diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaCompiler.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaCompiler.scala
index 585475fa7..3a5faac8a 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaCompiler.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaCompiler.scala
@@ -308,10 +308,7 @@ class JavaCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
 
   override def attrDebugStart(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, ios: Option[String], rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
     ios.foreach { (io) =>
-      val name = attrId match {
-        case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => return
-        case _ => idToStr(attrId)
-      }
+      val name = idToStr(attrId)
       rep match {
         case NoRepeat =>
           out.puts("_attrStart.put(\"" + name + "\", " + io + ".pos());")
@@ -322,10 +319,7 @@ class JavaCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
   }
 
   override def attrDebugEnd(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: String, rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
-    val name = attrId match {
-      case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => return
-      case _ => idToStr(attrId)
-    }
+    val name = idToStr(attrId)
     rep match {
       case NoRepeat =>
         out.puts("_attrEnd.put(\"" + name + "\", " + io + ".pos());")
diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaScriptCompiler.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaScriptCompiler.scala
index cf7cbaf0c..b3286138a 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaScriptCompiler.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/JavaScriptCompiler.scala
@@ -260,9 +260,6 @@ class JavaScriptCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
     out.puts(s"$io.alignToByte();")
 
   override def attrDebugStart(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: Option[String], rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
-    if (!attrDebugNeeded(attrId))
-      return
-
     val debugName = attrDebugName(attrId, rep, false)
 
     val ioProps = io match {
@@ -279,8 +276,6 @@ class JavaScriptCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
   }
 
   override def attrDebugEnd(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: String, rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
-    if (!attrDebugNeeded(attrId))
-      return
     val debugName = attrDebugName(attrId, rep, true)
 
     out.puts(s"$debugName.end = $io.pos;")
@@ -580,12 +575,6 @@ class JavaScriptCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
     out.puts("}")
   }
 
-  private
-  def attrDebugNeeded(attrId: Identifier) = attrId match {
-    case _: NamedIdentifier | _: NumberedIdentifier | _: InstanceIdentifier => true
-    case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => false
-  }
-
   def attrDebugName(attrId: Identifier, rep: RepeatSpec, end: Boolean) = {
     val arrIndexExpr = rep match {
       case NoRepeat => ""
diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/PythonCompiler.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/PythonCompiler.scala
index 2d5c1044b..6bb20f03a 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/PythonCompiler.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/PythonCompiler.scala
@@ -271,10 +271,7 @@ class PythonCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
 
   override def attrDebugStart(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, ios: Option[String], rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
     ios.foreach { (io) =>
-      val name = attrId match {
-        case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => return
-        case _ => idToStr(attrId)
-      }
+      val name = idToStr(attrId)
       rep match {
         case NoRepeat =>
           out.puts(s"self._debug['$name']['start'] = $io.pos()")
@@ -291,10 +288,7 @@ class PythonCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
   }
 
   override def attrDebugEnd(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: String, rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
-    val name = attrId match {
-      case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => return
-      case _ => idToStr(attrId)
-    }
+    val name = idToStr(attrId)
     rep match {
       case NoRepeat =>
         out.puts(s"self._debug['$name']['end'] = $io.pos()")
diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/RubyCompiler.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/RubyCompiler.scala
index 25f957d61..ac2736270 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/RubyCompiler.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/RubyCompiler.scala
@@ -243,10 +243,7 @@ class RubyCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
 
   override def attrDebugStart(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, ios: Option[String], rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
     ios.foreach { (io) =>
-      val name = attrId match {
-        case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => return
-        case _ => idToStr(attrId)
-      }
+      val name = idToStr(attrId)
       rep match {
         case NoRepeat =>
           out.puts(s"(@_debug['$name'] ||= {})[:start] = $io.pos")
@@ -259,10 +256,7 @@ class RubyCompiler(typeProvider: ClassTypeProvider, config: RuntimeConfig)
   }
 
   override def attrDebugEnd(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: String, rep: RepeatSpec): Unit = {
-    val name = attrId match {
-      case _: RawIdentifier | _: SpecialIdentifier => return
-      case _ => idToStr(attrId)
-    }
+    val name = idToStr(attrId)
     rep match {
       case NoRepeat =>
         out.puts(s"(@_debug['$name'] ||= {})[:end] = $io.pos")
diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/CommonReads.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/CommonReads.scala
index 899585e67..04893b030 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/CommonReads.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/CommonReads.scala
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ trait CommonReads extends LanguageCompiler {
         normalIO
     }
 
-    if (config.readStoresPos)
+    if (attrDebugNeeded(id))
       attrDebugStart(id, attr.dataType, Some(io), NoRepeat)
 
     defEndian match {
@@ -107,9 +107,11 @@ trait CommonReads extends LanguageCompiler {
     }
   }
 
-  def attrDebugStart(attrName: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: Option[String], repeat: RepeatSpec): Unit = {}
+  def attrDebugStart(attrId: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: Option[String], repeat: RepeatSpec): Unit = {}
   def attrDebugEnd(attrName: Identifier, attrType: DataType, io: String, repeat: RepeatSpec): Unit = {}
 
+  def attrDebugNeeded(attrId: Identifier): Boolean = false
+
   /**
     * Runs all validation procedures requested for an attribute.
     * @param attr attribute to run validations for
diff --git a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/EveryReadIsExpression.scala b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/EveryReadIsExpression.scala
index 5259812b4..1bc427c6f 100644
--- a/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/EveryReadIsExpression.scala
+++ b/shared/src/main/scala/io/kaitai/struct/languages/components/EveryReadIsExpression.scala
@@ -31,8 +31,9 @@ trait EveryReadIsExpression
     assignTypeOpt: Option[DataType] = None
   ): Unit = {
     val assignType = assignTypeOpt.getOrElse(dataType)
+    val needsDebug = attrDebugNeeded(id) && rep != NoRepeat
 
-    if (config.readStoresPos && rep != NoRepeat)
+    if (needsDebug)
       attrDebugStart(id, dataType, Some(io), rep)
 
     dataType match {
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ trait EveryReadIsExpression
         handleAssignment(id, expr, rep, isRaw)
     }
 
-    if (config.readStoresPos && rep != NoRepeat)
+    if (needsDebug)
       attrDebugEnd(id, dataType, io, rep)
   }
 
@@ -250,8 +251,18 @@ trait EveryReadIsExpression
   def userTypeDebugRead(id: String, dataType: DataType, assignType: DataType): Unit = ???
 
   def instanceCalculate(instName: Identifier, dataType: DataType, value: Ast.expr): Unit = {
-    if (config.readStoresPos)
+    if (attrDebugNeeded(instName))
       attrDebugStart(instName, dataType, None, NoRepeat)
     handleAssignmentSimple(instName, expression(value))
   }
+
+  override def attrDebugNeeded(attrId: Identifier): Boolean = {
+    if (!config.readStoresPos)
+      return false
+
+    attrId match {
+      case _: NamedIdentifier | _: NumberedIdentifier | _: InstanceIdentifier => true
+      case _ => super.attrDebugNeeded(attrId)
+    }
+  }
 }