diff --git a/drift_dev/CHANGELOG.md b/drift_dev/CHANGELOG.md
index b904ae0a1..fa82b8c37 100644
--- a/drift_dev/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/drift_dev/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
   JSON type to nullable column.
 - Fix missing outputs for drift files only consisting of imports in modular
   generation mode.
+- Allow generating manager references across different files in modular
+  generation mode.
 
 ## 2.24.0
 
diff --git a/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/resolver/file_analysis.dart b/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/resolver/file_analysis.dart
index d6bf60a55..df2070a98 100644
--- a/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/resolver/file_analysis.dart
+++ b/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/resolver/file_analysis.dart
@@ -22,6 +22,13 @@ class FileAnalyzer {
     final knownTypes = await driver.knownTypes;
     final typeMapping = await driver.typeMapping;
 
+    for (final file in driver.cache.crawl(state).toList()) {
+      await driver.resolveElements(file.ownUri);
+
+      result.allAvailableElements
+          .addAll(file.analysis.values.map((e) => e.result).whereType());
+    }
+
     if (state.extension == '.dart') {
       for (final elementAnalysis in state.analysis.values) {
         final element = elementAnalysis.result;
diff --git a/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/results/file_results.dart b/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/results/file_results.dart
index c2b51bbfa..cf386c232 100644
--- a/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/results/file_results.dart
+++ b/drift_dev/lib/src/analysis/results/file_results.dart
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ import 'query.dart';
 class FileAnalysisResult {
   final List<DriftAnalysisError> analysisErrors = [];
 
+  /// All elements either declared in this file or transitively imported.
+  final List<DriftElement> allAvailableElements = [];
+
   final Map<DriftElementId, SqlQuery> resolvedQueries = {};
   final Map<DriftElementId, ResolvedDatabaseAccessor> resolvedDatabases = {};
 }
diff --git a/drift_dev/lib/src/backends/build/drift_builder.dart b/drift_dev/lib/src/backends/build/drift_builder.dart
index 00ed30f31..967884c15 100644
--- a/drift_dev/lib/src/backends/build/drift_builder.dart
+++ b/drift_dev/lib/src/backends/build/drift_builder.dart
@@ -393,6 +393,16 @@ class _DriftBuildRun {
     ModularAccessorWriter(writer.child(), entrypointState, driver).write();
 
     if (options.generateManager) {
+      final all = entrypointState.fileAnalysis?.allAvailableElements
+              .whereType<DriftTable>() ??
+          const Iterable.empty();
+
+      for (final element in all) {
+        if (element.id.libraryUri != entrypointState.ownUri) {
+          managerWriter.addTableWithoutGeneration(element);
+        }
+      }
+
       managerWriter.writeTableManagers();
     }
   }
diff --git a/drift_dev/lib/src/writer/manager/database_manager_writer.dart b/drift_dev/lib/src/writer/manager/database_manager_writer.dart
index dbe9e965f..a7d566853 100644
--- a/drift_dev/lib/src/writer/manager/database_manager_writer.dart
+++ b/drift_dev/lib/src/writer/manager/database_manager_writer.dart
@@ -10,10 +10,14 @@ part 'table_manager_writer.dart';
 class DatabaseManagerWriter {
   final Scope _scope;
   final String _dbClassName;
-  final List<DriftTable> _addedTables;
+  final List<DriftTable> _addedTables = [];
+
+  /// Tables which may be referenced in added tables, but for which no code
+  /// should be generated.
+  final List<DriftTable> _additionalTables = [];
 
   /// Class used to write a manager for a database
-  DatabaseManagerWriter(this._scope, this._dbClassName) : _addedTables = [];
+  DatabaseManagerWriter(this._scope, this._dbClassName);
 
   _ManagerCodeTemplates get _templates => _ManagerCodeTemplates(_scope);
 
@@ -24,15 +28,23 @@ class DatabaseManagerWriter {
     _addedTables.add(table);
   }
 
+  /// Add a table for which no code should be generated by this manager writer.
+  ///
+  /// This is useful to track external tables in modular code generation mode.
+  void addTableWithoutGeneration(DriftTable table) {
+    _additionalTables.add(table);
+  }
+
   /// Write a table manager for each table.
   void writeTableManagers() {
     final leaf = _scope.leaf();
     for (var table in _addedTables) {
-      final otherTables = _addedTables
-          .whereNot(
-            (otherTable) => otherTable.equals(table),
-          )
-          .toList();
+      final otherTables = [
+        for (final other in _addedTables)
+          if (other != table) other,
+        ..._additionalTables,
+      ];
+
       _TableManagerWriter(
               table: table,
               scope: _scope,
diff --git a/drift_dev/test/backends/build/build_integration_test.dart b/drift_dev/test/backends/build/build_integration_test.dart
index 2034b354d..d1fdc995f 100644
--- a/drift_dev/test/backends/build/build_integration_test.dart
+++ b/drift_dev/test/backends/build/build_integration_test.dart
@@ -1298,4 +1298,44 @@ second: SELECT 2;
       'a|lib/src/second.drift.dart': anything,
     }, build.dartOutputs, build.writer);
   });
+
+  test('generates manager references for tables in different files', () async {
+    final build = await emulateDriftBuild(
+      inputs: {
+        'a|lib/users.dart': '''
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart';
+
+import 'groups.dart';
+
+class Users extends Table {
+  late final id = integer().autoIncrement()();
+  late final name = text()();
+}
+''',
+        'a|lib/groups.dart': '''
+import 'package:drift/drift.dart';
+
+import 'users.dart';
+
+class Groups extends Table {
+  late final id = integer().autoIncrement()();
+  late final name = text()();
+  @ReferenceName('administeredGroups')
+  late final admin = integer().nullable().references(Users, #id)();
+  @ReferenceName('ownedGroups')
+  late final owner = integer().references(Users, #id)();
+}
+''',
+      },
+      modularBuild: true,
+      logger: loggerThat(neverEmits(anything)),
+    );
+
+    checkOutputs({
+      'a|lib/users.drift.dart': decodedMatches(
+        allOf(contains('ownedGroups'), contains('administeredGroups')),
+      ),
+      'a|lib/groups.drift.dart': anything,
+    }, build.dartOutputs, build.writer);
+  });
 }
diff --git a/examples/modular/lib/src/posts.drift.dart b/examples/modular/lib/src/posts.drift.dart
index 602fdff26..dc9b92844 100644
--- a/examples/modular/lib/src/posts.drift.dart
+++ b/examples/modular/lib/src/posts.drift.dart
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ class $PostsTableManager extends i0.RootTableManager<
               getPrefetchedDataCallback: (items) async {
                 return [
                   if (likesRefs)
-                    await i0.$_getPrefetchedData(
+                    await i0.$_getPrefetchedData<i1.Post, i1.Posts, i1.Like>(
                         currentTable: table,
                         referencedTable:
                             i1.$PostsReferences._likesRefsTable(db),