diff --git a/app/models/repository_object.rb b/app/models/repository_object.rb
index bd2ea7fa5..45f2f4cd0 100644
--- a/app/models/repository_object.rb
+++ b/app/models/repository_object.rb
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ class RepositoryObject < ApplicationRecord
   class VersionAlreadyOpened < StandardError; end
   class VersionNotOpened < StandardError; end
 
-  has_many :versions, -> { order(version: :asc) }, class_name: 'RepositoryObjectVersion', dependent: :destroy, inverse_of: 'repository_object'
+  has_many :versions, -> { order(version: :asc) }, class_name: 'RepositoryObjectVersion', dependent: :destroy, inverse_of: 'repository_object', autosave: true
   has_many :user_versions, through: :versions
 
   belongs_to :head_version, class_name: 'RepositoryObjectVersion', optional: true
diff --git a/bin/migrate-cocina b/bin/migrate-cocina
index 93d6d920a..2a0f7d236 100755
--- a/bin/migrate-cocina
+++ b/bin/migrate-cocina
@@ -84,6 +84,8 @@ def perform_migrate(migrator_class:, obj:, mode:)
   current_object_version = obj.head_version.version
   obj = open_version(cocina_object: obj, version_description: migrator.version_description, mode:) if migrator.version?
 
+  # For active record migrations, we need to wrap the migration in a transaction and save the object instead of
+  # opening/closing versions
   if mode == :commit
     obj.transaction do
       migrator.migrate