diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/delete.go b/eventstore/mmm/delete.go
index 7188b21..967f416 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/delete.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/delete.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package mmm
 import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"fmt"
+	"runtime"
 	"slices"
 
 	"fiatjaf.com/nostr"
@@ -13,32 +14,84 @@ func (il *IndexingLayer) DeleteEvent(id nostr.ID) error {
 	il.mmmm.writeMutex.Lock()
 	defer il.mmmm.writeMutex.Unlock()
 
-	return il.mmmm.lmdbEnv.Update(func(mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn) error {
-		return il.lmdbEnv.Update(func(iltxn *lmdb.Txn) error {
-			return il.delete(mmmtxn, iltxn, id)
-		})
-	})
+	runtime.LockOSThread()
+	defer runtime.UnlockOSThread()
+
+	// prepare transactions
+	mmmtxn, err := il.mmmm.lmdbEnv.BeginTxn(nil, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		// defer abort but only if we haven't committed (we'll set it to nil after committing)
+		if mmmtxn != nil {
+			mmmtxn.Abort()
+		}
+	}()
+	mmmtxn.RawRead = true
+
+	iltxn, err := il.lmdbEnv.BeginTxn(nil, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		// defer abort but only if we haven't committed (we'll set it to nil after committing)
+		if iltxn != nil {
+			iltxn.Abort()
+		}
+	}()
+	iltxn.RawRead = true
+
+	var acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete *position
+	if pos, shouldPurge, err := il.delete(mmmtxn, iltxn, id); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete event %s: %w", id, err)
+	} else if shouldPurge {
+		// purge
+		if err := mmmtxn.Del(il.mmmm.indexId, id[0:8], nil); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete = &pos
+	}
+
+	// commit in this order to minimize problematic inconsistencies
+	if err := mmmtxn.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't commit mmmtxn: %w", err)
+	}
+	mmmtxn = nil
+	if err := iltxn.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't commit iltxn: %w", err)
+	}
+	iltxn = nil
+
+	// finally merge in the new free range (in this order it makes more sense, the worst that can
+	// happen is that we lose this free range but we'll have it again on the next startup)
+	if acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete != nil {
+		il.mmmm.mergeNewFreeRange(*acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete)
+	}
+
+	return nil
 }
 
-func (il *IndexingLayer) delete(mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn, iltxn *lmdb.Txn, id nostr.ID) error {
-	zeroRefs := false
-	b := il.mmmm
-
-	b.Logger.Debug().Str("layer", il.name).Uint16("il", il.id).Msg("deleting")
+func (il *IndexingLayer) delete(
+	mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn,
+	iltxn *lmdb.Txn,
+	id nostr.ID,
+) (pos position, shouldPurge bool, err error) {
+	il.mmmm.Logger.Debug().Str("layer", il.name).Uint16("il", il.id).Msg("deleting")
 
 	// first in the mmmm txn we check if we have the event still
-	val, err := mmmtxn.Get(b.indexId, id[0:8])
+	val, err := mmmtxn.Get(il.mmmm.indexId, id[0:8])
 	if err != nil {
 		if lmdb.IsNotFound(err) {
 			// we already do not have this anywhere
-			return nil
+			return position{}, false, nil
 		}
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to check if we have the event %x: %w", id, err)
+		return position{}, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to check if we have the event %x: %w", id, err)
 	}
 
 	// we have this, but do we have it in the current layer?
 	// val is [posb][il_idx][il_idx...]
-	pos := positionFromBytes(val[0:12])
+	pos = positionFromBytes(val[0:12])
 
 	// check references
 	currentLayer := binary.BigEndian.AppendUint16(nil, il.id)
@@ -49,12 +102,12 @@ func (il *IndexingLayer) delete(mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn, iltxn *lmdb.Txn, id nostr.ID)
 			copy(nextval, val[0:i])
 			copy(nextval[i:], val[i+2:])
 
-			if err := mmmtxn.Put(b.indexId, id[0:8], nextval, 0); err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("failed to update references for %x: %w", id[:], err)
+			if err := mmmtxn.Put(il.mmmm.indexId, id[0:8], nextval, 0); err != nil {
+				return pos, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to update references for %x: %w", id[:], err)
 			}
 
 			// if there are no more layers we will delete everything later
-			zeroRefs = len(nextval) == 12
+			shouldPurge = len(nextval) == 12
 
 			break
 		}
@@ -63,21 +116,14 @@ func (il *IndexingLayer) delete(mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn, iltxn *lmdb.Txn, id nostr.ID)
 	// load the event so we can compute the indexes
 	var evt nostr.Event
 	if err := il.mmmm.loadEvent(pos, &evt); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to load event %x when deleting: %w", id[:], err)
+		return pos, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to load event %x when deleting: %w", id[:], err)
 	}
 
 	if err := il.deleteIndexes(iltxn, evt, val[0:12]); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete indexes for %s=>%v: %w", evt.ID, val[0:12], err)
+		return pos, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete indexes for %s=>%v: %w", evt.ID, val[0:12], err)
 	}
 
-	// if there are no more refs we delete the event from the id index and mmap
-	if zeroRefs {
-		if err := b.purge(mmmtxn, id[0:8], pos); err != nil {
-			panic(err)
-		}
-	}
-
-	return nil
+	return pos, shouldPurge, nil
 }
 
 func (il *IndexingLayer) deleteIndexes(iltxn *lmdb.Txn, event nostr.Event, posbytes []byte) error {
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/fix.go b/eventstore/mmm/fix.go
index 50f5ad3..32aae2a 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/fix.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/fix.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package mmm
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/binary"
-	"encoding/hex"
 	"slices"
 
 	"fiatjaf.com/nostr"
@@ -21,12 +20,7 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) Rescan() error {
 		}
 		defer cursor.Close()
 
-		type entry struct {
-			idPrefix []byte
-			pos      position
-		}
-		var toPurge []entry
-
+		var toPurge [][]byte // a list of idPrefix entries
 		for key, val, err := cursor.Get(nil, nil, lmdb.First); err == nil; key, val, err = cursor.Get(key, val, lmdb.Next) {
 			pos := positionFromBytes(val[0:12])
 
@@ -91,7 +85,7 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) Rescan() error {
 			}
 
 			if borked {
-				toPurge = append(toPurge, entry{idPrefix: key, pos: pos})
+				toPurge = append(toPurge, key)
 			} else if len(layersToRemove) > 0 {
 				for s := 12; s < len(val); {
 					if slices.Contains(layersToRemove, binary.BigEndian.Uint16(val[s:s+2])) {
@@ -108,16 +102,16 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) Rescan() error {
 						return err
 					}
 				} else {
-					toPurge = append(toPurge, entry{idPrefix: key, pos: pos})
+					toPurge = append(toPurge, key)
 				}
 			}
 		}
 
-		for _, entry := range toPurge {
+		for _, idPrefix := range toPurge {
 			// just delete from the ids index,
 			// no need to deal with the freeranges list as it will be recalculated afterwards.
 			// this also ensures any brokenly overlapping overwritten events don't have to be sacrificed.
-			if err := mmmtxn.Del(b.indexId, entry.idPrefix, nil); err != nil {
+			if err := mmmtxn.Del(b.indexId, idPrefix, nil); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/fix_test.go b/eventstore/mmm/fix_test.go
index ad6a4dc..52b932c 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/fix_test.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/fix_test.go
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ func FuzzBorkedRescan(f *testing.F) {
 					// this won't be erased, just removed from this specific layer
 					layer := layers[rnd.IntN(len(layers))]
 					posb := make([]byte, 12)
-					bytesFromPosition(posb, pos)
+					writeBytesFromPosition(posb, pos)
 
 					if err := layer.lmdbEnv.Update(func(iltxn *lmdb.Txn) error {
 						return layer.deleteIndexes(iltxn, evt, posb)
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/freeranges.go b/eventstore/mmm/freeranges.go
index dc93633..985a3ba 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/freeranges.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/freeranges.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) gatherFreeRanges(txn *lmdb.Txn) (positions, error) {
 	// sort used positions by start
 	slices.SortFunc(usedPositions, func(a, b position) int { return cmp.Compare(a.start, b.start) })
 
-	// if there is free space at the end (which doesn't happen in normal conditions) do this to simulate it
+	// if there is free space at the end this will simulate it
 	usedPositions = append(usedPositions, position{start: b.mmapfEnd, size: 0})
 
 	// calculate free ranges as gaps between used positions
@@ -47,9 +47,7 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) gatherFreeRanges(txn *lmdb.Txn) (positions, error) {
 	return freeRanges, nil
 }
 
-// this injects the new free range into the list, merging it with existing free ranges if necessary.
-// it also takes a pointer so it can modify it for the caller to use it in setting up the new mmapf.
-func (b *MultiMmapManager) mergeNewFreeRange(newFreeRange *position) (isAtEnd bool) {
+func (b *MultiMmapManager) mergeNewFreeRange(newFreeRange position) {
 	// use binary search to find the insertion point for the new pos
 	idx, exists := slices.BinarySearchFunc(b.freeRanges, newFreeRange.start, func(item position, target uint64) int {
 		return cmp.Compare(item.start, target)
@@ -86,27 +84,16 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) mergeNewFreeRange(newFreeRange *position) (isAtEnd bo
 		}
 	}
 
-	// when we're at the end of a file we just delete everything and don't add new free ranges
-	// the caller will truncate the mmap file and adjust the position accordingly
-	if newFreeRange.start+uint64(newFreeRange.size) == b.mmapfEnd {
-		if deleting > 0 {
-			b.freeRanges = slices.Delete(b.freeRanges, deleteStart, deleteStart+deleting)
-		}
-		return true
-	}
-
 	switch deleting {
 	case 0:
 		// if we are not deleting anything we must insert the new free range
-		b.freeRanges = slices.Insert(b.freeRanges, idx, *newFreeRange)
+		b.freeRanges = slices.Insert(b.freeRanges, idx, newFreeRange)
 	case 1:
 		// if we're deleting a single range, don't delete it, modify it in-place instead.
-		b.freeRanges[deleteStart] = *newFreeRange
+		b.freeRanges[deleteStart] = newFreeRange
 	case 2:
 		// now if we're deleting two ranges, delete just one instead and modify the other in place
-		b.freeRanges[deleteStart] = *newFreeRange
+		b.freeRanges[deleteStart] = newFreeRange
 		b.freeRanges = slices.Delete(b.freeRanges, deleteStart+1, deleteStart+1+1)
 	}
-
-	return false
 }
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/freeranges_test.go b/eventstore/mmm/freeranges_test.go
index 7c856be..db5a08f 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/freeranges_test.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/freeranges_test.go
@@ -45,12 +45,15 @@ func FuzzFreeRanges(f *testing.F) {
 
 		total := 0
 		for {
-			freeBefore := countUsableFreeRanges(mmmm)
+			freeBefore, spaceBefore := countUsableFreeRanges(mmmm)
 
+			hasAdded := false
 			for i := range rnd.IntN(40) {
+				hasAdded = true
+
 				content := "1" // ensure at least one event is as small as it can be
 				if i > 0 {
-					strings.Repeat("z", rnd.IntN(1000))
+					content = strings.Repeat("z", rnd.IntN(1000))
 				}
 
 				evt := nostr.Event{
@@ -66,9 +69,9 @@ func FuzzFreeRanges(f *testing.F) {
 				total++
 			}
 
-			freeAfter := countUsableFreeRanges(mmmm)
-			if freeBefore > 0 {
-				require.Lessf(t, freeAfter, freeBefore, "must use some of the existing free ranges when inserting new events")
+			freeAfter, spaceAfter := countUsableFreeRanges(mmmm)
+			if hasAdded && freeBefore > 0 {
+				require.Lessf(t, spaceAfter, spaceBefore, "must use some of the existing free ranges when inserting new events (before: %d, after: %d)", freeBefore, freeAfter)
 			}
 
 			// delete some events
@@ -96,12 +99,12 @@ func FuzzFreeRanges(f *testing.F) {
 	})
 }
 
-func countUsableFreeRanges(mmmm *MultiMmapManager) int {
-	count := 0
+func countUsableFreeRanges(mmmm *MultiMmapManager) (count int, space int) {
 	for _, fr := range mmmm.freeRanges {
-		if fr.size > 150 {
+		if fr.size >= 142 {
 			count++
+			space += int(fr.size)
 		}
 	}
-	return count
+	return count, space
 }
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/helpers.go b/eventstore/mmm/helpers.go
index d57fa8b..7c24e6c 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/helpers.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/helpers.go
@@ -34,8 +34,6 @@ type iterator struct {
 }
 
 func (it *iterator) pull(n int, since uint32) {
-	query := it.query
-
 	for range n {
 		// in the beginning we already have a k and a v and an err from the cursor setup, so check and use these
 		if it.err != nil {
@@ -43,7 +41,7 @@ func (it *iterator) pull(n int, since uint32) {
 			return
 		}
 
-		if len(it.key) != query.keySize || !bytes.HasPrefix(it.key, query.prefix) {
+		if len(it.key) != it.query.keySize || !bytes.HasPrefix(it.key, it.query.prefix) {
 			// we reached the end of this prefix
 			it.exhausted = true
 			return
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/mmmm.go b/eventstore/mmm/mmmm.go
index 6ae5739..43dc2b5 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/mmmm.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/mmmm.go
@@ -276,9 +276,11 @@ func (b *MultiMmapManager) removeAllReferencesFromLayer(txn *lmdb.Txn, layerId u
 			posb := val[0:12]
 			pos := positionFromBytes(posb)
 
-			if err := b.purge(txn, idPrefix8, pos); err != nil {
+			if err := txn.Del(b.indexId, idPrefix8, nil); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to purge unreferenced event %x: %w", idPrefix8, err)
 			}
+
+			b.mergeNewFreeRange(pos)
 		} else if update {
 			if err := txn.Put(b.indexId, idPrefix8, val, 0); err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to put updated index+refs: %w", err)
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/position.go b/eventstore/mmm/position.go
index d692300..c0bb6ec 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/position.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/position.go
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ func positionFromBytes(posb []byte) position {
 	}
 }
 
-func bytesFromPosition(out []byte, pos position) {
+func writeBytesFromPosition(out []byte, pos position) {
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(out[0:4], pos.size)
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(out[4:12], pos.start)
 }
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/purge.go b/eventstore/mmm/purge.go
deleted file mode 100644
index bb6b293..0000000
--- a/eventstore/mmm/purge.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-package mmm
-
-import (
-	"bytes"
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-
-	"github.com/PowerDNS/lmdb-go/lmdb"
-)
-
-func (b *MultiMmapManager) purge(txn *lmdb.Txn, idPrefix8 []byte, pos position) error {
-	b.Logger.Debug().Hex("event", idPrefix8).Stringer("pos", pos).Msg("purging")
-
-	// delete from index
-	if err := txn.Del(b.indexId, idPrefix8, nil); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-
-	// will add the current range to free ranges, which means it is "deleted" (or merge with existing)
-	isAtEnd := b.mergeNewFreeRange(&pos)
-	if isAtEnd {
-		// when at the end, truncate the mmap
-		// [new_pos_to_be_freed][end_of_file] -> shrink file!
-		pos.size = 0 // so we don't try to add this some lines below
-		if err := os.Truncate(b.mmapfPath, int64(pos.start)); err != nil {
-			panic(fmt.Errorf("error decreasing %s: %w", b.mmapfPath, err))
-		}
-		b.mmapfEnd = pos.start
-	} else {
-		// this is for debugging -------------
-		copy(b.mmapf[pos.start:], bytes.Repeat([]byte{'!'}, int(pos.size)))
-	}
-
-	return nil
-}
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/query_planner.go b/eventstore/mmm/query_planner.go
index e4d457f..831b0a7 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/query_planner.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/query_planner.go
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ type query struct {
 	i             int
 	dbi           lmdb.DBI
 	prefix        []byte
-	results       chan *nostr.Event
 	keySize       int
 	timestampSize int
 	startingPoint []byte
@@ -46,7 +45,6 @@ func (il *IndexingLayer) prepareQueries(filter nostr.Filter) (
 			sp = sp[0:len(q.prefix)]
 			copy(sp, q.prefix)
 			queries[i].startingPoint = binary.BigEndian.AppendUint32(sp, uint32(until))
-			queries[i].results = make(chan *nostr.Event, 12)
 		}
 	}()
 
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/replace.go b/eventstore/mmm/replace.go
index 5b9a0d6..079b84e 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/replace.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/replace.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 
 	"fiatjaf.com/nostr"
 	"fiatjaf.com/nostr/eventstore/internal"
-	"github.com/PowerDNS/lmdb-go/lmdb"
 )
 
 func (il *IndexingLayer) ReplaceEvent(evt nostr.Event) error {
@@ -23,36 +22,80 @@ func (il *IndexingLayer) ReplaceEvent(evt nostr.Event) error {
 		filter.Tags = nostr.TagMap{"d": []string{evt.Tags.GetD()}}
 	}
 
-	return il.mmmm.lmdbEnv.Update(func(mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn) error {
-		mmmtxn.RawRead = true
+	// prepare transactions
+	mmmtxn, err := il.mmmm.lmdbEnv.BeginTxn(nil, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		// defer abort but only if we haven't committed (we'll set it to nil after committing)
+		if mmmtxn != nil {
+			mmmtxn.Abort()
+		}
+	}()
+	mmmtxn.RawRead = true
 
-		return il.lmdbEnv.Update(func(iltxn *lmdb.Txn) error {
-			// now we fetch the past events, whatever they are, delete them and then save the new
-			var err error
-			var results iter.Seq[nostr.Event] = func(yield func(nostr.Event) bool) {
-				err = il.query(iltxn, filter, 10 /* in theory limit could be just 1 and this should work */, yield)
-			}
-			if err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("failed to query past events with %s: %w", filter, err)
-			}
+	iltxn, err := il.lmdbEnv.BeginTxn(nil, 0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer func() {
+		// defer abort but only if we haven't committed (we'll set it to nil after committing)
+		if iltxn != nil {
+			iltxn.Abort()
+		}
+	}()
+	iltxn.RawRead = true
 
-			shouldStore := true
-			for previous := range results {
-				if internal.IsOlder(previous, evt) {
-					if err := il.delete(mmmtxn, iltxn, previous.ID); err != nil {
-						return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete event %s for replacing: %w", previous.ID, err)
-					}
-				} else {
-					// there is a newer event already stored, so we won't store this
-					shouldStore = false
+	// now we fetch the past events, whatever they are, delete them and then save the new
+	var results iter.Seq[nostr.Event] = func(yield func(nostr.Event) bool) {
+		err = il.query(iltxn, filter, 10 /* in theory limit could be just 1 and this should work */, yield)
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to query past events with %s: %w", filter, err)
+	}
+
+	var acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete *position
+	shouldStore := true
+	for previous := range results {
+		if internal.IsOlder(previous, evt) {
+			if pos, shouldPurge, err := il.delete(mmmtxn, iltxn, previous.ID); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete event %s for replacing: %w", previous.ID, err)
+			} else if shouldPurge {
+				// purge
+				if err := mmmtxn.Del(il.mmmm.indexId, previous.ID[0:8], nil); err != nil {
+					return err
 				}
+				acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete = &pos
 			}
-			if shouldStore {
-				_, err := il.mmmm.storeOn(mmmtxn, []*IndexingLayer{il}, []*lmdb.Txn{iltxn}, evt)
-				return err
-			}
+		} else {
+			// there is a newer event already stored, so we won't store this
+			shouldStore = false
+		}
+	}
 
-			return nil
-		})
-	})
+	if shouldStore {
+		_, err := il.mmmm.storeOn(mmmtxn, iltxn, il, evt)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// commit in this order to minimize problematic inconsistencies
+	if err := mmmtxn.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't commit mmmtxn: %w", err)
+	}
+	mmmtxn = nil
+	if err := iltxn.Commit(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't commit iltxn: %w", err)
+	}
+	iltxn = nil
+
+	// finally merge in the new free range (in this order it makes more sense, the worst that can
+	// happen is that we lose this free range but we'll have it again on the next startup)
+	if acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete != nil {
+		il.mmmm.mergeNewFreeRange(*acquiredFreeRangeFromDelete)
+	}
+
+	return nil
 }
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/save.go b/eventstore/mmm/save.go
index 9f70512..66f29ac 100644
--- a/eventstore/mmm/save.go
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/save.go
@@ -21,150 +21,150 @@ func (il *IndexingLayer) SaveEvent(evt nostr.Event) error {
 	runtime.LockOSThread()
 	defer runtime.UnlockOSThread()
 
-	// do this just so it's cleaner, we're already locking the thread and the mutex anyway
+	// prepare transactions
 	mmmtxn, err := il.mmmm.lmdbEnv.BeginTxn(nil, 0)
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to begin global transaction: %w", err)
+		return err
 	}
+	defer func() {
+		// defer abort but only if we haven't committed (we'll set it to nil after committing)
+		if mmmtxn != nil {
+			mmmtxn.Abort()
+		}
+	}()
 	mmmtxn.RawRead = true
 
 	iltxn, err := il.lmdbEnv.BeginTxn(nil, 0)
 	if err != nil {
-		mmmtxn.Abort()
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to start txn on %s: %w", il.name, err)
+		return err
 	}
-
-	if _, err := il.mmmm.storeOn(mmmtxn, []*IndexingLayer{il}, []*lmdb.Txn{iltxn}, evt); err != nil {
-		mmmtxn.Abort()
+	defer func() {
+		// defer abort but only if we haven't committed (we'll set it to nil after committing)
 		if iltxn != nil {
 			iltxn.Abort()
 		}
+	}()
+	iltxn.RawRead = true
+
+	// the actual save operation
+	if _, err := il.mmmm.storeOn(mmmtxn, iltxn, il, evt); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// commit in this order to minimize problematic inconsistencies
 	if err := mmmtxn.Commit(); err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't commit mmmtxn: %w", err)
 	}
-
+	mmmtxn = nil
 	if err := iltxn.Commit(); err != nil {
-		return err
+		return fmt.Errorf("can't commit iltxn: %w", err)
 	}
+	iltxn = nil
 
 	return nil
 }
 
 func (b *MultiMmapManager) storeOn(
 	mmmtxn *lmdb.Txn,
-	ils []*IndexingLayer,
-	iltxns []*lmdb.Txn,
+	iltxn *lmdb.Txn,
+	il *IndexingLayer,
 	evt nostr.Event,
 ) (stored bool, err error) {
 	// check if we already have this id
+	var pos position
 	val, err := mmmtxn.Get(b.indexId, evt.ID[0:8])
 	if err == nil {
-		// we found the event, now check if it is already indexed by the layers that want to store it
-		for i := len(ils) - 1; i >= 0; i-- {
-			for s := 12; s < len(val); s += 2 {
-				ilid := binary.BigEndian.Uint16(val[s : s+2])
-				if ils[i].id == ilid {
-					// swap delete this il, but keep the deleted ones at the end
-					// (so the caller can successfully finalize the transactions)
-					ils[i], ils[len(ils)-1] = ils[len(ils)-1], ils[i]
-					ils = ils[0 : len(ils)-1]
-					iltxns[i], iltxns[len(iltxns)-1] = iltxns[len(iltxns)-1], iltxns[i]
-					iltxns = iltxns[0 : len(iltxns)-1]
-					break
-				}
+		pos = positionFromBytes(val[0:12])
+		// we found the event, now check if it is already indexed by the layer that wants to store it
+		for s := 12; s < len(val); s += 2 {
+			ilid := binary.BigEndian.Uint16(val[s : s+2])
+			if il.id == ilid {
+				// already on the specified layer, we can end here
+				return false, nil
 			}
 		}
 	} else if !lmdb.IsNotFound(err) {
-		// now if we got an error from lmdb we will only proceed if we get a NotFound -- for anything else we will error
+		// if we got an error from lmdb we will only proceed if it's NotFound -- for anything else we will error
 		return false, fmt.Errorf("error checking existence: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// if all ils already have this event indexed (or no il was given) we can end here
-	if len(ils) == 0 {
-		return false, nil
-	}
-
-	// get event binary size
-	pos := position{
-		size: uint32(betterbinary.Measure(evt)),
-	}
-	if pos.size >= 1<<16 {
-		return false, fmt.Errorf("event too large to store, max %d, got %d", 1<<16, pos.size)
-	}
-
-	// find a suitable place for this to be stored in
-	appendToMmap := true
-	for f, fr := range b.freeRanges {
-		if fr.size >= pos.size {
-			// found the smallest possible place that can fit this event
-			appendToMmap = false
-			pos.start = fr.start
-
-			// modify the free ranges we're keeping track of
-			if pos.size == fr.size {
-				// if we've used it entirely just delete it
-				b.freeRanges = slices.Delete(b.freeRanges, f, f+1)
-			} else {
-				// otherwise modify it in place
-				b.freeRanges[f] = position{
-					start: fr.start + uint64(pos.size),
-					size:  fr.size - pos.size,
-				}
-			}
-
-			break
-		}
-	}
-
-	if appendToMmap {
-		// no free ranges found, so write to the end of the mmap file
-		pos.start = b.mmapfEnd
-		mmapfNewSize := int64(b.mmapfEnd) + int64(pos.size)
-		if err := os.Truncate(b.mmapfPath, mmapfNewSize); err != nil {
-			return false, fmt.Errorf("error increasing %s: %w", b.mmapfPath, err)
-		}
-		b.mmapfEnd = uint64(mmapfNewSize)
-	}
-
-	// write to the mmap
-	if err := betterbinary.Marshal(evt, b.mmapf[pos.start:]); err != nil {
-		return false, fmt.Errorf("error marshaling to %d: %w", pos.start, err)
-	}
-
-	// prepare value to be saved in the id index (if we didn't have it already)
-	// val: [posb][layerIdRefs...]
+	// ok, now we have to write the event to the mmapped file
+	// unless we already have the event stored, in that case we don't have to write it again, we'll just reuse it
 	if val == nil {
-		val = make([]byte, 12, 12+2*len(b.layers))
-		binary.BigEndian.PutUint32(val[0:4], pos.size)
-		binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(val[4:12], pos.start)
-	}
+		// get event binary size
+		pos = position{
+			size: uint32(betterbinary.Measure(evt)),
+		}
+		if pos.size >= 1<<16 {
+			return false, fmt.Errorf("event too large to store, max %d, got %d", 1<<16, pos.size)
+		}
 
-	// each index that was reserved above for the different layers
-	for i, il := range ils {
-		iltxn := iltxns[i]
+		// find a suitable place for this to be stored in
+		appendToMmap := true
+		for f, fr := range b.freeRanges {
+			if fr.size >= pos.size {
+				// found the smallest possible place that can fit this event
+				appendToMmap = false
+				pos.start = fr.start
 
-		for k := range il.getIndexKeysForEvent(evt) {
-			if err := iltxn.Put(k.dbi, k.key, val[0:12] /* pos */, 0); err != nil {
-				b.Logger.Warn().Str("name", il.name).Msg("failed to index event on layer")
+				// modify the free ranges we're keeping track of
+				// (in case of conflict we lose this free range but it's ok, it will be recovered on the next startup)
+				if pos.size == fr.size {
+					// if we've used it entirely just delete it
+					b.freeRanges = slices.Delete(b.freeRanges, f, f+1)
+				} else {
+					// otherwise modify it in place
+					b.freeRanges[f] = position{
+						start: fr.start + uint64(pos.size),
+						size:  fr.size - pos.size,
+					}
+				}
+
+				break
 			}
 		}
 
-		val = binary.BigEndian.AppendUint16(val, il.id)
+		if appendToMmap {
+			// no free ranges found, so write to the end of the mmap file
+			pos.start = b.mmapfEnd
+			mmapfNewSize := int64(b.mmapfEnd) + int64(pos.size)
+			if err := os.Truncate(b.mmapfPath, mmapfNewSize); err != nil {
+				return false, fmt.Errorf("error increasing %s: %w", b.mmapfPath, err)
+			}
+			b.mmapfEnd = uint64(mmapfNewSize)
+		}
+
+		// write to the mmap
+		if err := betterbinary.Marshal(evt, b.mmapf[pos.start:]); err != nil {
+			return false, fmt.Errorf("error marshaling to %d: %w", pos.start, err)
+		}
+
+		// msync
+		_, _, errno := syscall.Syscall(syscall.SYS_MSYNC,
+			uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&b.mmapf[0])), uintptr(len(b.mmapf)), syscall.MS_SYNC)
+		if errno != 0 {
+			panic(fmt.Errorf("msync failed: %w", syscall.Errno(errno)))
+		}
+
+		// prepare value to be saved in the id index (if we didn't have it already)
+		// val: [posb][layerIdRefs...]
+		val = make([]byte, 12, 12+2) // only reserve room for one layer after the position
+		writeBytesFromPosition(val, pos)
 	}
 
-	// store the id index with the layer references
+	// generate and save indexes
+	for k := range il.getIndexKeysForEvent(evt) {
+		if err := iltxn.Put(k.dbi, k.key, val[0:12] /* pos */, 0); err != nil {
+			b.Logger.Warn().Str("name", il.name).Msg("failed to index event on layer")
+		}
+	}
+
+	// add layer to the id index val
+	val = binary.BigEndian.AppendUint16(val, il.id)
+
+	// store the id index with the new layer reference
 	if err := mmmtxn.Put(b.indexId, evt.ID[0:8], val, 0); err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("failed to store %x by id: %w", evt.ID[:], err))
-	}
-
-	// msync
-	_, _, errno := syscall.Syscall(syscall.SYS_MSYNC,
-		uintptr(unsafe.Pointer(&b.mmapf[0])), uintptr(len(b.mmapf)), syscall.MS_SYNC)
-	if errno != 0 {
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("msync failed: %w", syscall.Errno(errno)))
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("failed to store %x by id: %w", evt.ID[:], err)
 	}
 
 	return true, nil
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/0188ac89a089c7cd b/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/0188ac89a089c7cd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d658c9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/0188ac89a089c7cd
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+go test fuzz v1
+int(-367)
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/05eed5305d584366 b/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/05eed5305d584366
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24e7de6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/05eed5305d584366
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+go test fuzz v1
+int(91)
diff --git a/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/17ecf610e929eefe b/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/17ecf610e929eefe
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..483fee3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eventstore/mmm/testdata/fuzz/FuzzFreeRanges/17ecf610e929eefe
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+go test fuzz v1
+int(-188)