diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/room_updater.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/room_updater.go
index 42c0c8f2d..7bf0d521f 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/room_updater.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/room_updater.go
@@ -105,14 +105,12 @@ func (u *RoomUpdater) CurrentStateSnapshotNID() types.StateSnapshotNID {
 
 // StorePreviousEvents implements types.RoomRecentEventsUpdater - This must be called from a Writer
 func (u *RoomUpdater) StorePreviousEvents(eventNID types.EventNID, previousEventReferences []gomatrixserverlib.EventReference) error {
-	return u.d.Writer.Do(u.d.DB, u.txn, func(txn *sql.Tx) error {
-		for _, ref := range previousEventReferences {
-			if err := u.d.PrevEventsTable.InsertPreviousEvent(u.ctx, txn, ref.EventID, ref.EventSHA256, eventNID); err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("u.d.PrevEventsTable.InsertPreviousEvent: %w", err)
-			}
+	for _, ref := range previousEventReferences {
+		if err := u.d.PrevEventsTable.InsertPreviousEvent(u.ctx, u.txn, ref.EventID, ref.EventSHA256, eventNID); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("u.d.PrevEventsTable.InsertPreviousEvent: %w", err)
 		}
-		return nil
-	})
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (u *RoomUpdater) Events(
diff --git a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
index ff71fc9f1..c6884c5a8 100644
--- a/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
+++ b/roomserver/storage/shared/storage.go
@@ -680,13 +680,18 @@ func (d *Database) StoreEvent(
 		if roomInfo == nil && len(prevEvents) > 0 {
 			return 0, 0, types.StateAtEvent{}, nil, "", fmt.Errorf("expected room %q to exist", event.RoomID())
 		}
-		updater, err = d.GetRoomUpdater(ctx, roomInfo)
-		if err != nil {
-			return 0, 0, types.StateAtEvent{}, nil, "", fmt.Errorf("GetRoomUpdater: %w", err)
-		}
-		defer sqlutil.EndTransactionWithCheck(updater, &succeeded, &err)
-		if err = updater.StorePreviousEvents(eventNID, prevEvents); err != nil {
-			return 0, 0, types.StateAtEvent{}, nil, "", fmt.Errorf("updater.StorePreviousEvents: %w", err)
+		if err = d.Writer.Do(nil, nil, func(_ *sql.Tx) error {
+			updater, err = d.GetRoomUpdater(ctx, roomInfo)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("GetRoomUpdater: %w", err)
+			}
+			defer sqlutil.EndTransactionWithCheck(updater, &succeeded, &err)
+			if err = updater.StorePreviousEvents(eventNID, prevEvents); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("updater.StorePreviousEvents: %w", err)
+			}
+			return nil
+		}); err != nil {
+			return 0, 0, types.StateAtEvent{}, nil, "", err
 		}
 		succeeded = true
 	}