diff --git a/packages/ui/render.js b/packages/ui/render.js
index 35bef5703a..09c656b94a 100644
--- a/packages/ui/render.js
+++ b/packages/ui/render.js
@@ -132,11 +132,13 @@ makeRenderBuffer = function (component, options) {
         throw new Error("Expected 'type' to be Component or function");
       }
     } else if (arg.attrs) {
+      // `{attrs: { name1: string, array, or function, ... }}`
       // attrs object inserts zero or more `name="value"` items
       // into the HTML, and can reactively update them later.
       // You can have multiple attrs objects in a tag, but they
       // can't specify any of the same attributes (i.e. the right
       // thing won't happen).
+      var elemId = null;
       for (var attrName in arg.attrs) {
         if (! ATTRIBUTE_NAME_REGEX.test(attrName))
           throw new Error("Illegal HTML attribute name: " + attrName);
@@ -155,22 +157,29 @@ makeRenderBuffer = function (component, options) {
             initialValue = attrValue();
           });
 
-          var elemId = elementUid++;
-          strs.push('data-meteorui-id', curDataAttrNumber,
-                    '="', elemId, '" ');
-          if (curDataAttrNumber > maxDataAttrNumber) {
-            dataAttrs[curDataAttrNumber-1] =
-            'data-meteorui-id' + curDataAttrNumber;
-            maxDataAttrNumber = curDataAttrNumber;
+          if (! elemId) {
+            elemId = elementUid++;
+            // don't call the `push` helper, go around it
+            strs.push('data-meteorui-id', curDataAttrNumber,
+                      '="', elemId, '" ');
+            if (curDataAttrNumber > maxDataAttrNumber) {
+              dataAttrs[curDataAttrNumber-1] =
+                'data-meteorui-id' + curDataAttrNumber;
+              maxDataAttrNumber = curDataAttrNumber;
+            }
+            curDataAttrNumber++;
+            greaterThanEndsTag = true;
           }
-          curDataAttrNumber++;
-          greaterThanEndsTag = true;
 
-          elementsToWire[elemId] = {
+          var info = (elementsToWire[elemId] ||
+                      (elementsToWire[elemId] = {}));
+
+          info[attrName] = {
             attrName: attrName,
             attrValueFunc: attrValue,
             initialValue: initialValue
           };
+
         } else {
           initialValue = attrValue;
         }
@@ -232,7 +241,7 @@ makeRenderBuffer = function (component, options) {
             if (elemId) {
               var info = elementsToWire[elemId];
               if (info)
-                info.element = n;
+                info._element = n;
               n.removeAttribute(attrName);
             }
           }
@@ -261,47 +270,53 @@ makeRenderBuffer = function (component, options) {
     component._onNextBuilt(function () {
       for (var k in elementsToWire) {
         var infoObj = elementsToWire[k];
-        if (infoObj.element) {
+        if (infoObj._element) {
           // element found during DOM traversal
-          component.autorun(function (c) {
-            // bring infoObj into our closure as `info`.
-            // `infoObj` is not safe to close over because
-            // it's in a for loop, but it is safe during
-            // the first autorun which is inline.
-            if (c.firstRun) {
-              c.info = infoObj;
-              c.curValue = infoObj.initialValue;
-            }
-            var info = c.info;
-            if (component.stage !== Component.BUILT ||
-                ! component.containsElement(info.element)) {
-              c.stop();
-              return;
-            }
-            // capture dependencies of this line:
-            var newValue = info.attrValueFunc();
+          for (var attrName in infoObj) {
+            // XXXX putting _element on the dictionary is not right
+            if (attrName === '_element')
+              continue;
+            component.autorun(function (c) {
+              // note: it's not safe to access `attrName`
+              // and `infoObj` from this closure, except
+              // during firstRun when they have their original
+              // values.
+              if (c.firstRun) {
+                c.element = infoObj._element;
+                c.info = infoObj[attrName];
+                c.curValue = c.info.initialValue;
+              }
+              var info = c.info;
+              if (component.stage !== Component.BUILT ||
+                  ! component.containsElement(c.element)) {
+                c.stop();
+                return;
+              }
+              // capture dependencies of this line:
+              var newValue = info.attrValueFunc();
 
-            var oldValue = c.curValue;
-            if (newValue == null) {
-              if (oldValue != null)
-                info.element.removeAttribute(info.attrName);
-            } else {
-              var newStringValue = stringifyAttrValue(newValue);
-              if (oldValue == null) {
-                info.element.setAttribute(
-                  info.attrName, newStringValue);
+              var oldValue = c.curValue;
+              if (newValue == null) {
+                if (oldValue != null)
+                  c.element.removeAttribute(info.attrName);
               } else {
-                var oldStringValue =
-                      stringifyAttrValue(oldValue);
-                if (newStringValue !== oldStringValue) {
-                  info.element.setAttribute(
+                var newStringValue = stringifyAttrValue(newValue);
+                if (oldValue == null) {
+                  c.element.setAttribute(
                     info.attrName, newStringValue);
+                } else {
+                  var oldStringValue =
+                        stringifyAttrValue(oldValue);
+                  if (newStringValue !== oldStringValue) {
+                    c.element.setAttribute(
+                      info.attrName, newStringValue);
+                  }
                 }
               }
-            }
 
-            c.curValue = newValue;
-          });
+              c.curValue = newValue;
+            });
+          }
         }
       }
       elementsToWire = null;