diff --git a/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/AbstractCRUDDAO.java b/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/AbstractCRUDDAO.java
index 6c3db92..973a9d4 100644
--- a/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/AbstractCRUDDAO.java
+++ b/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/AbstractCRUDDAO.java
@@ -330,13 +330,25 @@ public abstract class AbstractCRUDDAO<E extends Identifiable>
         return count;
     }
 
-    public int bulkDelete(String field, Object value) {
+    public int bulkDeleteAndNotUuid(String field, Object value) { return bulkDelete(field, value, true); }
+
+    public int bulkDelete(String field, Object value) { return bulkDelete(field, value, false); }
+
+    public static final String EX_UUID = "__exclude_uuid__";
+
+    private int bulkDelete(String field, Object value, boolean notUuid) {
         final Session session = getHibernateTemplate().getSessionFactory().getCurrentSession();
         final Query query;
+        final String deleteSql = "DELETE FROM " + getEntityClass().getSimpleName() + " WHERE ";
         if (value == null) {
-            query = session.createQuery("DELETE FROM "+getEntityClass().getSimpleName()+" WHERE "+field+" IS NULL");
+            query = session.createQuery(deleteSql + field + " IS NULL");
+
+        } else if (notUuid) {
+            query = session.createQuery(deleteSql + field + " = :" + field + " AND uuid != :" + EX_UUID)
+                    .setParameter(field, value)
+                    .setParameter(EX_UUID, value);
         } else {
-            query = session.createQuery("DELETE FROM "+getEntityClass().getSimpleName()+" WHERE "+field+" = :"+field)
+            query = session.createQuery(deleteSql + field + " = :" + field)
                     .setParameter(field, value);
         }
         final int count = query.executeUpdate();
@@ -432,6 +444,15 @@ public abstract class AbstractCRUDDAO<E extends Identifiable>
         )).addOrder(order), 0, getFinderMaxResults());
     }
 
+    @Transactional(readOnly=true)
+    @Override public List<E> findByFieldEqualAndFieldNotEqual(String eqField, Object eqValue, String neField, String neValue) {
+        final Criterion expr1 = eqValue == null ? isNull(eqField) : eq(eqField, eqValue);
+        return list(criteria().add(and(
+                expr1,
+                ne(neField, neValue)
+        )).addOrder(getDefaultSortOrder()), 0, getFinderMaxResults());
+    }
+
     @Transactional(readOnly=true)
     public List<E> findByFieldLikeAndNewerThan(String likeField, String likeValue, Long mtime) {
         DetachedCriteria criteria = criteria().add(and(
diff --git a/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/DAO.java b/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/DAO.java
index d483016..86d35d8 100644
--- a/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/DAO.java
+++ b/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/dao/DAO.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ public interface DAO<E extends Identifiable> {
     List<E> findByFieldLike(String field, String value);
     List<E> findByFieldEqualAndFieldLike(String eqField, Object eqValue, String likeField, String likeValue);
     List<E> findByFieldEqualAndFieldLike(String eqField, Object eqValue, String likeField, String likeValue, Order order);
+    List<E> findByFieldEqualAndFieldNotEqual(String eqField, Object eqValue, String neField, String neValue);
     List<E> findByFieldIn(String field, Object[] values);
     List<E> findByFieldIn(String field, Collection<?> values);
 
diff --git a/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/server/config/PgRestServerConfiguration.java b/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/server/config/PgRestServerConfiguration.java
index 394658a..af1d1bc 100644
--- a/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/server/config/PgRestServerConfiguration.java
+++ b/wizard-server/src/main/java/org/cobbzilla/wizard/server/config/PgRestServerConfiguration.java
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import static org.cobbzilla.util.daemon.ZillaRuntime.*;
 import static org.cobbzilla.util.http.URIUtil.getHost;
 import static org.cobbzilla.util.http.URIUtil.getPort;
 import static org.cobbzilla.util.io.FileUtil.*;
+import static org.cobbzilla.util.reflect.ReflectionUtil.forName;
 import static org.cobbzilla.util.security.ShaUtil.sha256_hex;
 import static org.cobbzilla.util.string.StringUtil.camelCaseToSnakeCase;
 import static org.cobbzilla.util.string.StringUtil.checkSafeShellArg;
@@ -356,20 +357,34 @@ public class PgRestServerConfiguration extends RestServerConfiguration implement
         return dependencyDAOCache.computeIfAbsent(entityClass, c -> getDependencyRefs(c, getDependencies(c)));
     }
 
-    public void deleteDependencies (Identifiable thing) { deleteDependencies(thing, null); }
+    public void deleteDependencies (Identifiable thing) { deleteDependencies(thing, null, null); }
 
-    public void deleteDependencies (Identifiable thing, Collection<Class<? extends Identifiable>> excludes) {
+    public void deleteDependencies (Identifiable thing,
+                                    final Collection<Class<? extends Identifiable>> excludeDepClasses,
+                                    final Collection<String> excludeDepFields) {
         dependencyRefs(thing.getClass()).forEach(
                 dep -> {
-                    if (excludes != null && excludes.stream().anyMatch(depClass -> depClass.getName().equals(dep.getEntity()))) {
-                        log.debug("deleteDependencies("+thing+"): excluding: "+dep);
+                    if (excludeDepClasses != null && excludeDepClasses.stream().anyMatch(depClass -> depClass.getName().equals(dep.getEntity()))) {
+                        log.debug("deleteDependencies("+thing+"): excluding by dep class: "+dep);
+                        return;
+                    }
+                    if (excludeDepFields != null && excludeDepFields.stream().anyMatch(depField -> depField.equals(dep.getField()))) {
+                        log.debug("deleteDependencies("+thing+"): excluding by dep field: "+dep);
                         return;
                     }
                     final DAO dao = getDaoForEntityClass(dep.getEntity());
                     if (dao instanceof AbstractCRUDDAO) {
-                        ((AbstractCRUDDAO) dao).bulkDelete(dep.getField(), thing.getUuid());
+                        if (forName(dep.getEntity()).isAssignableFrom(thing.getClass())) {
+                            ((AbstractCRUDDAO) dao).bulkDeleteAndNotUuid(dep.getField(), thing.getUuid());
+                        } else {
+                            ((AbstractCRUDDAO) dao).bulkDelete(dep.getField(), thing.getUuid());
+                        }
                     } else {
-                        dao.delete(dao.findByField(dep.getField(), thing.getUuid()));
+                        if (forName(dep.getEntity()).isAssignableFrom(thing.getClass())) {
+                            dao.delete(dao.findByFieldEqualAndFieldNotEqual(dep.getField(), thing.getUuid(), Identifiable.UUID, thing.getUuid()));
+                        } else {
+                            dao.delete(dao.findByField(dep.getField(), thing.getUuid()));
+                        }
                     }
                 }
         );