diff --git a/src/system_database.ts b/src/system_database.ts
index 9a8849db..c4dad0e8 100644
--- a/src/system_database.ts
+++ b/src/system_database.ts
@@ -559,14 +559,13 @@ export class PostgresSystemDatabase implements SystemDatabase {
     const client: PoolClient = await this.pool.connect();
 
     await client.query("BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED");
-    const { rows } = await client.query<operation_outputs>(`SELECT output FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.operation_outputs WHERE workflow_uuid=$1 AND function_id=$2`, [workflowUUID, functionID]);
-    if (rows.length > 0) {
-      await client.query("ROLLBACK");
-      client.release();
-      return;
-    }
-
     try {
+      const { rows } = await client.query<operation_outputs>(`SELECT output FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.operation_outputs WHERE workflow_uuid=$1 AND function_id=$2`, [workflowUUID, functionID]);
+      if (rows.length > 0) {
+        await client.query("ROLLBACK");
+        client.release();
+        return;
+      }
       await client.query(
         `INSERT INTO ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.notifications (destination_uuid, topic, message) VALUES ($1, $2, $3);`,
         [destinationUUID, topic, DBOSJSON.stringify(message)]
@@ -576,7 +575,7 @@ export class PostgresSystemDatabase implements SystemDatabase {
       client.release();
       const err: DatabaseError = error as DatabaseError;
       if (err.code === "23503") {
-        // Foreign key constraint violation
+        // Foreign key constraint violation (only expected for the INSERT query)
         throw new DBOSNonExistentWorkflowError(`Sent to non-existent destination workflow UUID: ${destinationUUID}`);
       } else {
         throw err;
@@ -584,8 +583,11 @@ export class PostgresSystemDatabase implements SystemDatabase {
     }
 
     await this.recordNotificationOutput(client, workflowUUID, functionID, undefined);
-    await client.query("COMMIT");
-    client.release();
+    try {
+      await client.query("COMMIT");
+    } finally {
+      client.release();
+    }
   }
 
   async recv<T>(
@@ -631,56 +633,78 @@ export class PostgresSystemDatabase implements SystemDatabase {
     }
 
     // Transactionally consume and return the message if it's in the DB, otherwise return null.
+    let message: T | null = null;
     const client = await this.pool.connect();
-    await client.query(`BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED`);
-    const finalRecvRows = (await client.query<notifications>(
-      `WITH oldest_entry AS (
+    try {
+      await client.query(`BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED`);
+      const finalRecvRows = (await client.query<notifications>(
+        `WITH oldest_entry AS (
         SELECT destination_uuid, topic, message, created_at_epoch_ms
         FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.notifications
         WHERE destination_uuid = $1
           AND topic = $2
         ORDER BY created_at_epoch_ms ASC
         LIMIT 1
-      )
-
-      DELETE FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.notifications
-      USING oldest_entry
-      WHERE notifications.destination_uuid = oldest_entry.destination_uuid
-        AND notifications.topic = oldest_entry.topic
-        AND notifications.created_at_epoch_ms = oldest_entry.created_at_epoch_ms
-      RETURNING notifications.*;`,
-      [workflowUUID, topic])).rows;
-    let message: T | null = null;
-    if (finalRecvRows.length > 0) {
-      message = DBOSJSON.parse(finalRecvRows[0].message) as T;
+       )
+
+        DELETE FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.notifications
+        USING oldest_entry
+        WHERE notifications.destination_uuid = oldest_entry.destination_uuid
+          AND notifications.topic = oldest_entry.topic
+          AND notifications.created_at_epoch_ms = oldest_entry.created_at_epoch_ms
+        RETURNING notifications.*;`,
+        [workflowUUID, topic])).rows;
+      if (finalRecvRows.length > 0) {
+        message = DBOSJSON.parse(finalRecvRows[0].message) as T;
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.logger.error(e);
+      await client.query(`ROLLBACK`);
+      client.release();
+      throw e;
     }
+
     await this.recordNotificationOutput(client, workflowUUID, functionID, message);
-    await client.query(`COMMIT`);
-    client.release();
+    try {
+      await client.query(`COMMIT`);
+    } finally {
+      client.release();
+    }
     return message;
   }
 
   async setEvent<T>(workflowUUID: string, functionID: number, key: string, message: T): Promise<void> {
     const client: PoolClient = await this.pool.connect();
 
-    await client.query("BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED");
-    let { rows } = await client.query<operation_outputs>(`SELECT output FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.operation_outputs WHERE workflow_uuid=$1 AND function_id=$2`, [workflowUUID, functionID]);
-    if (rows.length > 0) {
-      await client.query("ROLLBACK");
+    try {
+      await client.query("BEGIN ISOLATION LEVEL READ COMMITTED");
+      let { rows } = await client.query<operation_outputs>(`SELECT output FROM ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.operation_outputs WHERE workflow_uuid=$1 AND function_id=$2`, [workflowUUID, functionID]);
+      if (rows.length > 0) {
+        await client.query("ROLLBACK");
+        client.release();
+        return;
+      }
+      ({ rows } = await client.query(
+        `INSERT INTO ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.workflow_events (workflow_uuid, key, value)
+         VALUES ($1, $2, $3)
+         ON CONFLICT (workflow_uuid, key)
+         DO UPDATE SET value = $3
+         RETURNING workflow_uuid;`,
+        [workflowUUID, key, DBOSJSON.stringify(message)]
+      ));
+    } catch (e) {
+      this.logger.error(e);
+      await client.query(`ROLLBACK`);
       client.release();
-      return;
+      throw e;
     }
-    ({ rows } = await client.query(
-      `INSERT INTO ${DBOSExecutor.systemDBSchemaName}.workflow_events (workflow_uuid, key, value)
-       VALUES ($1, $2, $3)
-       ON CONFLICT (workflow_uuid, key)
-       DO UPDATE SET value = $3
-       RETURNING workflow_uuid;`,
-      [workflowUUID, key, DBOSJSON.stringify(message)]
-    ));
+
     await this.recordNotificationOutput(client, workflowUUID, functionID, undefined);
-    await client.query("COMMIT");
-    client.release();
+    try {
+      await client.query("COMMIT");
+    } finally {
+      client.release();
+    }
   }
 
   async getEvent<T>(