diff --git a/packages/core/src/state-management/repository.ts b/packages/core/src/state-management/repository.ts
index d364927025..cb51d83f70 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/state-management/repository.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/state-management/repository.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ import { ExecutionQueue } from './execution-queue.js'
 import { RunningState } from './running-state.js'
 import type { Dispatcher } from '../dispatcher.js'
 import type { HandlersMap } from '../handlers-map.js'
-import { catchError, EMPTY, Observable, Subject, Subscription, takeUntil, concatMap } from 'rxjs'
+import { catchError, concatMap, EMPTY, Observable, Subject, Subscription, takeUntil } from 'rxjs'
 import { StateCache } from './state-cache.js'
 import { SnapshotState } from './snapshot-state.js'
 import { IKVStore } from '../store/ikv-store.js'
@@ -462,13 +462,17 @@ export class Repository {
         return state$ // nothing changed
       }
 
-      await this._applyWriteOpts(state$, opts, OperationType.UPDATE)
+      if (opts.anchor) {
+        await this.anchor(state$, opts)
+      }
+      await this._handlePinOpts(state$, opts as PinningOpts, OperationType.UPDATE)
       await this._updateStateIfPinned(state$)
-
       state$.next(updatedState) // emit the new state
+      if (opts.publish) {
+        this._publishTip(state$)
+      }
 
       this.logger.verbose(`Stream ${state$.id} successfully updated to tip ${state$.tip}`)
-
       return state$
     })
   }
@@ -733,31 +737,6 @@ export class Repository {
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Apply options relating to authoring a new commit
-   *
-   * @param state$ - Running State
-   * @param opts - Initialization options (request anchor, publish to pubsub, etc.)
-   * @param opType - If we load, create or update a stream
-   * @private
-   */
-  private async _applyWriteOpts(
-    state$: RunningState,
-    opts: CreateOpts | UpdateOpts,
-    opType: OperationType
-  ) {
-    const anchor = opts.anchor
-    const publish = opts.publish
-    if (anchor) {
-      await this.anchor(state$, opts)
-    }
-    if (publish && opType !== OperationType.LOAD) {
-      this._publishTip(state$)
-    }
-
-    await this._handlePinOpts(state$, opts as PinningOpts, opType)
-  }
-
   private _publishTip(state$: RunningState): void {
     this.dispatcher.publishTip(state$.id, state$.tip, state$.state.metadata.model)
   }
@@ -807,12 +786,21 @@ export class Repository {
    * @param opts
    */
   async applyCreateOpts(streamId: StreamID, opts: CreateOpts): Promise<RunningState> {
-    const state = await this.load(streamId, opts)
+    const state$ = await this.load(streamId, opts)
+
     // Create operations can actually be load operations when using deterministic streams, so we
     // ensure that the stream only has a single commit in its log to properly consider it a create.
-    const opType = state.state.log.length == 1 ? OperationType.CREATE : OperationType.LOAD
-    await this._applyWriteOpts(state, opts, opType)
-    return state
+    const opType = state$.state.log.length == 1 ? OperationType.CREATE : OperationType.LOAD
+
+    if (opts.anchor) {
+      await this.anchor(state$, opts)
+    }
+    if (opts.publish && opType !== OperationType.LOAD) {
+      this._publishTip(state$)
+    }
+
+    await this._handlePinOpts(state$, opts as PinningOpts, opType)
+    return state$
   }
 
   /**