diff --git a/src/app.rs b/src/app.rs
index 8bb86d6b..d4b5c298 100644
--- a/src/app.rs
+++ b/src/app.rs
@@ -374,14 +374,21 @@ impl App {
         Ok(())
     }
 
+    pub async fn delete_identity(&self, commitment: &Hash) -> Result<(), ServerError> {
+        let mut tx = self.database.begin().await?;
+        self.delete_identity_tx(&mut tx, commitment).await?;
+        tx.commit().await?;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
     /// Queues a deletion from the merkle tree.
     ///
     /// # Errors
     ///
     /// Will return `Err` if identity is already queued, not in the tree, or the
     /// queue malfunctions.
-    #[instrument(level = "debug", skip(self))]
-    pub async fn delete_identity(
+    #[instrument(level = "debug", skip(self, tx))]
+    pub async fn delete_identity_tx(
         &self,
         tx: &mut Transaction<'_, Postgres>,
         commitment: &Hash,
@@ -412,11 +419,7 @@ impl App {
         }
 
         // Check if the id is already queued for deletion
-        if self
-            .database
-            .identity_is_queued_for_deletion(commitment)
-            .await?
-        {
+        if tx.identity_is_queued_for_deletion(commitment).await? {
             return Err(ServerError::IdentityQueuedForDeletion);
         }
 
@@ -428,9 +431,7 @@ impl App {
         }
 
         // If the id has not been deleted, insert into the deletions table
-        self.database
-            .insert_new_deletion(leaf_index, commitment)
-            .await?;
+        tx.insert_new_deletion(leaf_index, commitment).await?;
 
         Ok(())
     }
@@ -473,17 +474,21 @@ impl App {
             return Err(ServerError::UnreducedCommitment);
         }
 
-        if self.database.identity_exists(*new_commitment).await? {
+        let mut tx = self.database.begin().await?;
+
+        if tx.identity_exists(*new_commitment).await? {
             return Err(ServerError::DuplicateCommitment);
         }
 
         // Delete the existing id and insert the commitments into the recovery table
-        self.delete_identity(existing_commitment).await?;
+        self.delete_identity_tx(&mut tx, existing_commitment)
+            .await?;
 
-        self.database
-            .insert_new_recovery(existing_commitment, new_commitment)
+        tx.insert_new_recovery(existing_commitment, new_commitment)
             .await?;
 
+        tx.commit().await?;
+
         Ok(())
     }
 
diff --git a/src/database/mod.rs b/src/database/mod.rs
index 77361ee3..762eae4d 100644
--- a/src/database/mod.rs
+++ b/src/database/mod.rs
@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@ impl Database {
         // Create a connection pool
         let pool = PoolOptions::<Postgres>::new()
             .max_connections(config.max_connections)
+            .after_connect(|conn, _| {
+                Box::pin(async move {
+                    conn.execute("SET DEFAULT_TRANSACTION_ISOLATION TO 'SERIALIZABLE'")
+                        .await?;
+                    Ok(())
+                })
+            })
             .connect(config.database.expose())
             .await
             .context("error connecting to database")?;
@@ -188,8 +195,6 @@ impl Database {
         let mined_status = ProcessedStatus::Mined;
 
         let mut tx = self.pool.begin().await?;
-        tx.execute("SET TRANSACTION ISOLATION LEVEL SERIALIZABLE;")
-            .await?;
 
         let root_id = tx.get_id_by_root(root).await?;
 
diff --git a/src/server/error.rs b/src/server/error.rs
index e7b1533e..ed27c8db 100644
--- a/src/server/error.rs
+++ b/src/server/error.rs
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@ pub enum Error {
     NoProversOnIdInsert,
     #[error("Identity Manager had no provers on point of identity deletion.")]
     NoProversOnIdDeletion,
+    #[error(transparent)]
+    Sqlx(#[from] sqlx::Error),
     #[error("The tree is uninitialized. Try again in a few moments.")]
     TreeStateUninitialized,
     #[error(transparent)]