diff --git a/syncapi/storage/shared/sync_pdu.go b/syncapi/storage/shared/sync_pdu.go
index 2e9a2ba2..bbc46acb 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/shared/sync_pdu.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/shared/sync_pdu.go
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ func (d *Database) addRoomDeltaToResponse(
 	}
 	recentEvents := d.StreamEventsToEvents(device, recentStreamEvents)
 	delta.StateEvents = removeDuplicates(delta.StateEvents, recentEvents) // roll back
-	prevBatch, err := d.GetBackwardTopologyPos(ctx, recentStreamEvents)
+	prevBatch, err := d.getBackwardTopologyPos(ctx, txn, recentStreamEvents)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ func (d *Database) getJoinResponseForCompleteSync(
 	var prevBatch *types.TopologyToken
 	if len(recentStreamEvents) > 0 {
 		var backwardTopologyPos, backwardStreamPos types.StreamPosition
-		backwardTopologyPos, backwardStreamPos, err = d.PositionInTopology(ctx, recentStreamEvents[0].EventID())
+		backwardTopologyPos, backwardStreamPos, err = d.Topology.SelectPositionInTopology(ctx, txn, recentStreamEvents[0].EventID())
 		if err != nil {
 			return
 		}
diff --git a/syncapi/storage/shared/syncserver.go b/syncapi/storage/shared/syncserver.go
index 49c29257..d583aaea 100644
--- a/syncapi/storage/shared/syncserver.go
+++ b/syncapi/storage/shared/syncserver.go
@@ -551,12 +551,19 @@ func (d *Database) RedactEvent(ctx context.Context, redactedEventID string, reda
 func (d *Database) GetBackwardTopologyPos(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	events []types.StreamEvent,
+) (types.TopologyToken, error) {
+	return d.getBackwardTopologyPos(ctx, nil, events)
+}
+
+func (d *Database) getBackwardTopologyPos(
+	ctx context.Context, txn *sql.Tx,
+	events []types.StreamEvent,
 ) (types.TopologyToken, error) {
 	zeroToken := types.TopologyToken{}
 	if len(events) == 0 {
 		return zeroToken, nil
 	}
-	pos, spos, err := d.Topology.SelectPositionInTopology(ctx, nil, events[0].EventID())
+	pos, spos, err := d.Topology.SelectPositionInTopology(ctx, txn, events[0].EventID())
 	if err != nil {
 		return zeroToken, err
 	}