diff --git a/core/crates/sync/src/manager.rs b/core/crates/sync/src/manager.rs
index 4753cd5d0..ce8e6c39c 100644
--- a/core/crates/sync/src/manager.rs
+++ b/core/crates/sync/src/manager.rs
@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
 use sd_core_prisma_helpers::DevicePubId;
 
-use sd_prisma::prisma::{crdt_operation, device, PrismaClient, SortOrder};
+use sd_prisma::{
+	prisma::{crdt_operation, device, PrismaClient, SortOrder},
+	prisma_sync,
+};
 use sd_sync::{
 	CRDTOperation, CompressedCRDTOperationsPerModel, CompressedCRDTOperationsPerModelPerDevice,
-	OperationFactory,
+	ModelId, OperationFactory,
 };
 
 use std::{
+	collections::BTreeMap,
 	fmt,
 	num::NonZeroU128,
 	sync::{
@@ -135,38 +139,52 @@ impl Manager {
 		&self,
 		CompressedCRDTOperationsPerModelPerDevice(compressed_ops): CompressedCRDTOperationsPerModelPerDevice,
 	) -> Result<(), Error> {
+		// WARN: this order here exists because sync messages MUST be processed in this exact order
+		// due to relationship dependencies between these tables.
+		const INGEST_ORDER: &[ModelId] = &[
+			prisma_sync::device::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::storage_statistics::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::tag::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::location::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::object::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::exif_data::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::file_path::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::label::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::tag_on_object::MODEL_ID,
+			prisma_sync::label_on_object::MODEL_ID,
+		];
+
 		let _lock_guard = self.sync_lock.lock().await;
 
-		// TODO(@fogodev): I'm almost sure that we need to order better which models we process first
-		// due to relations between them. For example, if we process `file_path` before `object`, we
-		// will have issues with foreign keys, as we'll be trying to insert a `file_path` pointing to
-		// a `object` that doesn't exist yet.
+		let mut ops_fut_by_model = INGEST_ORDER
+			.iter()
+			.map(|&model_id| (model_id, vec![]))
+			.collect::<BTreeMap<_, _>>();
 
-		// Each `ops` vec is for an independent record, so we can process them concurrently
-		compressed_ops
-			.into_iter()
-			.flat_map(
-				|(device_pub_id, CompressedCRDTOperationsPerModel(ops_per_model))| {
-					ops_per_model
-						.into_iter()
-						.flat_map(move |(model_id, ops_per_record)| {
-							ops_per_record.into_iter().map(move |(record_id, ops)| {
-								process_crdt_operations(
-									&self.clock,
-									&self.timestamp_per_device,
-									&self.db,
-									device_pub_id.into(),
-									model_id,
-									record_id,
-									ops,
-								)
-							})
-						})
-				},
-			)
-			.collect::<Vec<_>>()
-			.try_join()
-			.await?;
+		for (device_pub_id, CompressedCRDTOperationsPerModel(ops_per_model)) in compressed_ops {
+			for (model_id, ops_per_record) in ops_per_model {
+				for (record_id, ops) in ops_per_record {
+					ops_fut_by_model
+						.get_mut(&model_id)
+						.ok_or(Error::InvalidModelId(model_id))?
+						.push(process_crdt_operations(
+							&self.clock,
+							&self.timestamp_per_device,
+							&self.db,
+							device_pub_id.into(),
+							model_id,
+							record_id,
+							ops,
+						));
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		for model_id in INGEST_ORDER {
+			if let Some(futs) = ops_fut_by_model.remove(model_id) {
+				futs.try_join().await?;
+			}
+		}
 
 		if self.tx.send(SyncEvent::Ingested).is_err() {
 			warn!("failed to send ingested message on `ingest_ops`");