diff --git a/addon/index.js b/addon/index.js
index 7d3a8b4..943768f 100644
--- a/addon/index.js
+++ b/addon/index.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ export {
   registerNodeDestructor,
   unregisterNodeDestructor,
 } from "./utils/ref";
-
+import { addPrototypeReference } from "./utils/prototype-reference";
 
 export function nodeFor(context, name) {
   return bucketFor(context).get(name);
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ function maybeReturnCreated(value, createdValues, fn, ctx) {
   if (value === null || value === undefined) {
     return null;
   }
-  if (fn) {
+  if (typeof fn === 'function') {
     if (!createdValues.has(value)) {
       createdValues.set(value, fn.call(ctx, value));
     }
@@ -24,9 +24,14 @@ function maybeReturnCreated(value, createdValues, fn, ctx) {
   }
 }
 
+
+
 export function ref(name, fn) {
-  return function () {
+  return function (klass, objectKey) {
     const createdValues = new WeakMap();
+    if (typeof fn === 'function') {
+      addPrototypeReference(klass, objectKey, name);
+    }
     return {
       get() {
         const value = bucketFor(this).get(name);
@@ -37,8 +42,11 @@ export function ref(name, fn) {
 }
 
 export function globalRef(name, fn) {
-  return function () {
+  return function (klass, objectKey) {
     const createdValues = new WeakMap();
+    if (typeof fn === 'function') {
+      addPrototypeReference(klass, objectKey, name);
+    }
     return {
       get() {
         const value = bucketFor(getOwner(this) || resolveGlobalRef()).get(name);
@@ -49,8 +57,11 @@ export function globalRef(name, fn) {
 }
 
 export function trackedRef(name, fn) {
-  return function () {
+  return function (klass, objectKey) {
     const createdValues = new WeakMap();
+    if (typeof fn === 'function') {
+      addPrototypeReference(klass, objectKey, name);
+    }
     return {
       get() {
         const value = bucketFor(this).getTracked(name);
@@ -61,8 +72,11 @@ export function trackedRef(name, fn) {
 }
 
 export function trackedGlobalRef(name, fn) {
-  return function () {
+  return function (klass, objectKey) {
     const createdValues = new WeakMap();
+    if (typeof fn === 'function') {
+      addPrototypeReference(klass, objectKey, name);
+    }
     return {
       get() {
         const value = bucketFor(getOwner(this) || resolveGlobalRef()).getTracked(name);
diff --git a/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js b/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js
index 8a870ef..129770f 100644
--- a/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js
+++ b/addon/modifiers/create-ref.js
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ import { getOwner } from "@ember/application";
 
 import { action } from "@ember/object";
 import { assert } from "@ember/debug";
-import { setGlobalRef, bucketFor, getNodeDestructors } from "./../utils/ref";
-
+import { setGlobalRef, bucketFor, getNodeDestructors, watchFor } from "./../utils/ref";
+import { getReferencedKeys } from "../utils/prototype-reference";
 export default class RefModifier extends Modifier {
   _key = this.name;
   _ctx = this.ctx;
@@ -98,6 +98,13 @@ export default class RefModifier extends Modifier {
     }
     this._ctx = this.ctx;
     this._key = this.name;
+    watchFor(this.name, this.ctx, () => {
+      const keys = getReferencedKeys(this.ctx, this.name);
+      keys.forEach((keyName) => {
+        // consume keys with callbacks
+        this.ctx[keyName];
+      })
+    });
     bucketFor(this.ctx).add(this.name, this.element);
     if (this.isTracked) {
       this.installMutationObservers();
diff --git a/addon/utils/prototype-reference.js b/addon/utils/prototype-reference.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f016bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/addon/utils/prototype-reference.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+const PrototypeReferences = new WeakMap();
+
+export function addPrototypeReference(klass, objectKey, referenceName) {
+  if (!PrototypeReferences.has(klass)) {
+    PrototypeReferences.set(klass, {});
+  }
+  let obj = PrototypeReferences.get(klass);
+  if (!(referenceName in obj)) {
+    obj[referenceName] = new Set();
+  }
+  obj[referenceName].add(objectKey);
+}
+
+export function getReferencedKeys(klassInstance, referenceName) {
+  let proto = klassInstance;
+  while (proto.__proto__) {
+    proto = proto.__proto__;
+    if (PrototypeReferences.has(proto)) {
+      let maybeData = PrototypeReferences.get(proto);
+      if (referenceName in maybeData) {
+        return Array.from(maybeData[referenceName]);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return [];
+}
diff --git a/tests/dummy/app/controllers/application.js b/tests/dummy/app/controllers/application.js
index 25b5e8a..d303ccb 100644
--- a/tests/dummy/app/controllers/application.js
+++ b/tests/dummy/app/controllers/application.js
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import Controller from '@ember/controller';
-import { trackedRef, registerNodeDestructor } from 'ember-ref-bucket';
+import { trackedRef, registerNodeDestructor, ref } from 'ember-ref-bucket';
 
 class NodeWrapper {
   constructor(node) {
@@ -22,4 +22,9 @@ export default class ApplicationController extends Controller {
   get value() {
     return this.node?.value();
   }
+  @ref('bar', function(node) {
+    const instance = new NodeWrapper(node);
+    registerNodeDestructor(node, () => instance.destroy());
+    return instance;
+  }) barNode;
 }
diff --git a/tests/dummy/app/templates/application.hbs b/tests/dummy/app/templates/application.hbs
index 30eccd3..df85b0a 100644
--- a/tests/dummy/app/templates/application.hbs
+++ b/tests/dummy/app/templates/application.hbs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <h2 id="title" contenteditable {{create-tracked-ref "foo" subtree=true}}><span>Welcome to Ember</span></h2>
 
 {{#let (tracked-ref-to "foo") as |node|}}
-<br />
+<br {{create-ref "bar"}}/>
 Content: {{node.textContent}}
 <br />
 Child nodes: {{node.children.length}}