diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index 8fa841965..65019fbfa 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
     "@babel/core": "^7.20.12",
     "@lingui/babel-plugin-extract-messages": "3.17.1",
     "@lingui/conf": "3.17.1",
+    "@lingui/message-id": "3.17.1",
     "@lingui/core": "3.17.1",
     "@messageformat/parser": "^5.0.0",
     "babel-plugin-macros": "^3.0.1",
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/api/__snapshots__/catalog.test.ts.snap b/packages/cli/src/api/__snapshots__/catalog.test.ts.snap
index 8a199800b..903c09490 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/api/__snapshots__/catalog.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/cli/src/api/__snapshots__/catalog.test.ts.snap
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ Object {
 exports[`Catalog collect should extract messages from source files 1`] = `
 Object {
   Component A: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
     message: undefined,
     origin: Array [
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ Object {
     ],
   },
   Component B: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
     message: undefined,
     origin: Array [
@@ -37,6 +39,7 @@ Object {
     ],
   },
   Hello World: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [
       Comment A,
       Comment A again,
@@ -59,6 +62,7 @@ Object {
     ],
   },
   custom.id: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
     message: Message with id,
     origin: Array [
@@ -74,6 +78,7 @@ Object {
 exports[`Catalog collect should extract only files passed on options 1`] = `
 Object {
   Component A: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
     message: undefined,
     origin: Array [
@@ -84,6 +89,7 @@ Object {
     ],
   },
   Hello World: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [
       Comment A,
       Comment A again,
@@ -106,6 +112,7 @@ Object {
     ],
   },
   custom.id: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
     message: Message with id,
     origin: Array [
@@ -122,75 +129,82 @@ exports[`Catalog collect should support Flow syntax if enabled 1`] = `Object {}`
 
 exports[`Catalog collect should support JSX and Typescript 1`] = `
 Object {
-  Description: Object {
-    extractedComments: Array [
-      description,
-    ],
-    message: undefined,
+  ID Some: Object {
+    context: undefined,
+    extractedComments: Array [],
+    message: Message with id some,
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        6,
+        11,
       ],
     ],
   },
-  Hi, my name is {name}: Object {
+  MHrjPM: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
-    message: undefined,
+    message: Title,
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        17,
+        19,
       ],
     ],
   },
-  ID Some: Object {
-    extractedComments: Array [],
-    message: Message with id some,
+  Nu4oKW: Object {
+    context: undefined,
+    extractedComments: Array [
+      description,
+    ],
+    message: Description,
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        11,
+        6,
       ],
     ],
   },
-  Message: Object {
+  YikuIL: Object {
+    context: Context1,
     extractedComments: Array [],
-    message: undefined,
+    message: Some message,
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        4,
+        18,
       ],
     ],
   },
-  Some message: Object {
+  esnaQO: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
-    message: undefined,
+    message: {count, plural, one {# book} other {# books}},
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        18,
+        21,
       ],
     ],
   },
-  Title: Object {
+  stjtW+: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
-    message: undefined,
+    message: Hi, my name is {name},
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        19,
+        17,
       ],
     ],
   },
-  {count, plural, one {# book} other {# books}}: Object {
+  xDAtGP: Object {
+    context: undefined,
     extractedComments: Array [],
-    message: undefined,
+    message: Message,
     origin: Array [
       Array [
         collect-typescript-jsx/macro.tsx,
-        21,
+        4,
       ],
     ],
   },
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/api/formats/__snapshots__/po.test.ts.snap b/packages/cli/src/api/formats/__snapshots__/po.test.ts.snap
index 5f772447c..1f916f86a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/api/formats/__snapshots__/po.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/cli/src/api/formats/__snapshots__/po.test.ts.snap
@@ -162,6 +162,15 @@ msgstr "Static message"
 msgid "withOrigin"
 msgstr "Message with origin"
 
+msgctxt "my context"
+msgid "withContext"
+msgstr "Message with context"
+
+#, generated-id
+msgctxt "my context"
+msgid "with generated id"
+msgstr ""
+
 #: src/App.js:4
 #: src/Component.js:2
 msgid "withMultipleOrigins"
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.test.ts
index 5f7958d2f..68a5a320f 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.test.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,15 @@ describe("pofile format", () => {
         translation: "Message with origin",
         origin: [["src/App.js", 4]],
       },
+      withContext: {
+        translation: "Message with context",
+        context: "my context",
+      },
+      Dgzql1: {
+        message: "with generated id",
+        translation: "",
+        context: "my context",
+      },
       withMultipleOrigins: {
         translation: "Message with multiple origin",
         origin: [
@@ -97,6 +106,30 @@ describe("pofile format", () => {
     expect(actual).toMatchSnapshot()
   })
 
+  it("should serialize and deserialize messages with generated id", () => {
+    mockFs({
+      locale: {
+        en: mockFs.directory(),
+      },
+    })
+
+    const catalog: CatalogType = {
+      // with generated id
+      Dgzql1: {
+        message: "with generated id",
+        translation: "",
+        context: "my context",
+      },
+    }
+
+    const filename = path.join("locale", "en", "messages.po")
+    format.write(filename, catalog, { origins: true, locale: "en" })
+
+    const actual = format.read(filename)
+    mockFs.restore()
+    expect(actual).toMatchObject(catalog)
+  })
+
   it("should correct badly used comments", () => {
     const po = PO.parse(`
       #. First description
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.ts b/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.ts
index beb3f7433..655893c23 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/api/formats/po.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,13 @@ import PO from "pofile"
 import { joinOrigin, splitOrigin, writeFileIfChanged } from "../utils"
 import { CatalogType, MessageType } from "../catalog"
 import { CatalogFormatOptionsInternal, CatalogFormatter } from "."
+import { generateMessageId } from "@lingui/message-id"
 
 type POItem = InstanceType<typeof PO.Item>
 
+function isGeneratedId(id: string, message: MessageType): boolean {
+  return id === generateMessageId(message.message, message.context)
+}
 function getCreateHeaders(language = "no"): PO["headers"] {
   return {
     "POT-Creation-Date": formatDate(new Date(), "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mmxxxx"),
@@ -28,17 +32,34 @@ export const serialize = (
     const message = catalog[id]
 
     const item = new PO.Item()
-    item.msgid = id
-    item.msgstr = [message.translation]
-    item.comments = message.comments || []
 
-    // The extractedComments array may be modified in this method, so create a new array with the message's elements.
-    // Destructuring `undefined` is forbidden, so fallback to `[]` if the message has no extracted comments.
-    item.extractedComments = [...(message.extractedComments ?? [])]
+    // The extractedComments array may be modified in this method,
+    // so create a new array with the message's elements.
+    item.extractedComments = [...(message.extractedComments || [])]
+
+    item.flags = (message.flags || []).reduce<Record<string, boolean>>(
+      (acc, flag) => {
+        acc[flag] = true
+        return acc
+      },
+      {}
+    )
+
+    if (isGeneratedId(id, message)) {
+      item.msgid = message.message
+      item.flags["generated-id"] = true
+      // item.extractedComments.push(`lingui_id: ${id}`)
+    } else {
+      item.msgid = id
+    }
 
     if (message.context) {
       item.msgctxt = message.context
     }
+
+    item.msgstr = [message.translation]
+    item.comments = message.comments || []
+
     if (options.origins !== false) {
       if (message.origin && options.lineNumbers === false) {
         item.references = message.origin.map(([path]) => path)
@@ -47,12 +68,6 @@ export const serialize = (
       }
     }
     item.obsolete = message.obsolete
-    item.flags = message.flags
-      ? message.flags.reduce<Record<string, boolean>>((acc, flag) => {
-          acc[flag] = true
-          return acc
-        }, {})
-      : {}
 
     return postProcessItem ? postProcessItem(item, message, id) : item
   })
@@ -65,7 +80,7 @@ export function deserialize(
   return items.reduce<CatalogType>((catalog, item) => {
     onItem(item)
 
-    catalog[item.msgid] = {
+    const message: MessageType = {
       translation: item.msgstr[0],
       extractedComments: item.extractedComments || [],
       comments: item.comments || [],
@@ -75,6 +90,15 @@ export function deserialize(
       flags: Object.keys(item.flags).map((flag) => flag.trim()),
     }
 
+    let id = item.msgid
+
+    // if generated id, recreate it
+    if (item.flags["generated-id"]) {
+      id = generateMessageId(item.msgid, item.msgctxt)
+      message.message = item.msgid
+    }
+
+    catalog[id] = message
     return catalog
   }, {})
 }