diff --git a/Civi/API/Provider/MagicFunctionProvider.php b/Civi/API/Provider/MagicFunctionProvider.php
index 207b5991cc49..1b44dd931a47 100644
--- a/Civi/API/Provider/MagicFunctionProvider.php
+++ b/Civi/API/Provider/MagicFunctionProvider.php
@@ -83,7 +83,18 @@ public function invoke($apiRequest) {
       // Unlike normal API implementations, generic implementations require explicit
       // knowledge of the entity and action (as well as $params). Bundle up these bits
       // into a convenient data structure.
+      if ($apiRequest['action'] === 'getsingle') {
+        // strip any api nested parts here as otherwise chaining may happen twice
+        // see https://lab.civicrm.org/dev/core/issues/643
+        // testCreateBAODefaults fails without this.
+        foreach ($apiRequest['params'] as $key => $param) {
+          if ($key !== 'api.has_parent' && substr($key, 0, 4) === 'api.' || substr($key, 0, 4) === 'api_') {
+            unset($apiRequest['params'][$key]);
+          }
+        }
+      }
       $result = $function($apiRequest);
+
     }
     elseif ($apiRequest['function'] && !$apiRequest['is_generic']) {
       $result = $function($apiRequest['params']);
diff --git a/api/v3/Contribution.php b/api/v3/Contribution.php
index a52600f6d820..a5b33bf16fb6 100644
--- a/api/v3/Contribution.php
+++ b/api/v3/Contribution.php
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ function civicrm_api3_contribution_delete($params) {
     return civicrm_api3_create_success(array($contributionID => 1));
   }
   else {
-    return civicrm_api3_create_error('Could not delete contribution');
+    throw new API_Exception('Could not delete contribution');
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/phpunit/api/v3/ContributionTest.php b/tests/phpunit/api/v3/ContributionTest.php
index dd4d79066874..b6df822f75e8 100644
--- a/tests/phpunit/api/v3/ContributionTest.php
+++ b/tests/phpunit/api/v3/ContributionTest.php
@@ -1117,6 +1117,19 @@ public function testCreateBAODefaults() {
     ));
     $this->assertEquals(1, $contribution['contribution_status_id']);
     $this->assertEquals('Check', $contribution['payment_instrument']);
+    $this->callAPISuccessGetCount('Contribution', ['id' => $contribution['id']], 0);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Test that getsingle can be chained with delete.
+   */
+  public function testDeleteChainedGetSingle() {
+    $contribution = $this->callAPISuccess('contribution', 'create', $this->_params);
+    $contribution = $this->callAPISuccess('contribution', 'getsingle', array(
+      'id' => $contribution['id'],
+      'api.contribution.delete' => 1,
+    ));
+    $this->callAPISuccessGetCount('Contribution', ['id' => $contribution['id']], 0);
   }
 
   /**