diff --git a/Classes/Infrastructure/ProjectionTransactionTrait.php b/Classes/Infrastructure/ProjectionTransactionTrait.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a6b9d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Classes/Infrastructure/ProjectionTransactionTrait.php
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Neos\ContentRepository\Core\Infrastructure;
+
+use Neos\ContentRepository\Core\Projection\ProjectionInterface;
+
+/**
+ * @phpstan-require-implements ProjectionInterface
+ * @api to simplify creating a custom dbal projection
+ */
+trait ProjectionTransactionTrait
+{
+    /**
+     * DBAL default implementation for {@see ProjectionInterface::transactional()}
+     */
+    public function transactional(\Closure $closure): void
+    {
+        if ($this->dbal->isTransactionActive() === false) {
+            /** @phpstan-ignore argument.templateType */
+            $this->dbal->transactional($closure);
+            return;
+        }
+        // technically we could leverage nested transactions from dbal, which effectively does the same.
+        // but that requires us to enable this globally first via setNestTransactionsWithSavepoints also making this explicit is more transparent:
+        $this->dbal->createSavepoint('PROJECTION');
+        try {
+            $closure();
+        } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+            // roll back the partially applied event on the projection
+            $this->dbal->rollbackSavepoint('PROJECTION');
+            throw $e;
+        }
+        $this->dbal->releaseSavepoint('PROJECTION');
+    }
+}
diff --git a/Classes/Projection/ProjectionInterface.php b/Classes/Projection/ProjectionInterface.php
index aff5738..19090c1 100644
--- a/Classes/Projection/ProjectionInterface.php
+++ b/Classes/Projection/ProjectionInterface.php
@@ -30,6 +30,16 @@ public function setUp(): void;
      */
     public function status(): ProjectionStatus;
 
+    /**
+     * Must invoke the closure which will update the catchup hooks and {@see apply}.
+     * Additionally, to guarantee exactly once delivery and also to behave correct during exceptions (even fatal ones),
+     * a database transaction should be started, or if a transaction is already active on the same connection save points
+     * must be used and rolled back on error.
+     *
+     * @param-immediately-invoked-callable $closure
+     */
+    public function transactional(\Closure $closure): void;
+
     public function apply(EventInterface $event, EventEnvelope $eventEnvelope): void;
 
     /**
diff --git a/Classes/Subscription/Engine/SubscriptionEngine.php b/Classes/Subscription/Engine/SubscriptionEngine.php
index 8d556ec..93dd501 100644
--- a/Classes/Subscription/Engine/SubscriptionEngine.php
+++ b/Classes/Subscription/Engine/SubscriptionEngine.php
@@ -349,15 +349,12 @@ private function catchUpSubscriptions(Subscriptions $subscriptionsToCatchup, \Cl
                     $this->logger?->debug(sprintf('Subscription Engine: Subscription "%s" is farther than the current position (%d >= %d), continue catch up.', $subscription->id->value, $subscription->position->value, $sequenceNumber->value));
                     continue;
                 }
-                $this->subscriptionStore->createSavepoint();
                 $error = $this->handleEvent($eventEnvelope, $domainEvent, $subscription->id);
                 if ($error !== null) {
                     // ERROR Case:
-                    // 1.) roll back the partially applied event on the subscriber
-                    $this->subscriptionStore->rollbackSavepoint();
-                    // 2.) for the leftover events we are not including this failed subscription for catchup
+                    // 1.) for the leftover events we are not including this failed subscription for catchup
                     $subscriptionsToCatchup = $subscriptionsToCatchup->without($subscription->id);
-                    // 3.) update the subscription error state on either its unchanged or new position (if some events worked)
+                    // 2.) update the subscription error state on either its unchanged or new position (if some events worked)
                     $this->subscriptionStore->update(
                         $subscription->id,
                         status: SubscriptionStatus::ERROR,
@@ -367,7 +364,7 @@ private function catchUpSubscriptions(Subscriptions $subscriptionsToCatchup, \Cl
                             $error->throwable
                         ),
                     );
-                    // 4.) invoke onAfterCatchUp, as onBeforeCatchUp was invoked already and to be consistent we want to "shutdown" this catchup iteration event though we know it failed
+                    // 3.) invoke onAfterCatchUp, as onBeforeCatchUp was invoked already and to be consistent we want to "shutdown" this catchup iteration event though we know it failed
                     // todo put the ERROR $subscriptionStatus into the after hook, so it can properly be reacted upon
                     try {
                         $this->subscribers->get($subscription->id)->onAfterCatchUp();
@@ -381,7 +378,6 @@ private function catchUpSubscriptions(Subscriptions $subscriptionsToCatchup, \Cl
                     continue;
                 }
                 // HAPPY Case:
-                $this->subscriptionStore->releaseSavepoint();
                 $highestSequenceNumberForSubscriber[$subscription->id->value] = $eventEnvelope->sequenceNumber;
             }
             $numberOfProcessedEvents++;
diff --git a/Classes/Subscription/Store/SubscriptionStoreInterface.php b/Classes/Subscription/Store/SubscriptionStoreInterface.php
index 85f3107..b7b0540 100644
--- a/Classes/Subscription/Store/SubscriptionStoreInterface.php
+++ b/Classes/Subscription/Store/SubscriptionStoreInterface.php
@@ -35,10 +35,4 @@ public function update(
      * @return T
      */
     public function transactional(\Closure $closure): mixed;
-
-    public function createSavepoint(): void;
-
-    public function releaseSavepoint(): void;
-
-    public function rollbackSavepoint(): void;
 }
diff --git a/Classes/Subscription/Subscriber/ProjectionSubscriber.php b/Classes/Subscription/Subscriber/ProjectionSubscriber.php
index 7e15a8f..ee19dbc 100644
--- a/Classes/Subscription/Subscriber/ProjectionSubscriber.php
+++ b/Classes/Subscription/Subscriber/ProjectionSubscriber.php
@@ -34,9 +34,11 @@ public function onBeforeCatchUp(SubscriptionStatus $subscriptionStatus): void
 
     public function handle(EventInterface $event, EventEnvelope $eventEnvelope): void
     {
-        $this->catchUpHook?->onBeforeEvent($event, $eventEnvelope);
-        $this->projection->apply($event, $eventEnvelope);
-        $this->catchUpHook?->onAfterEvent($event, $eventEnvelope);
+        $this->projection->transactional(function () use ($event, $eventEnvelope) {
+            $this->catchUpHook?->onBeforeEvent($event, $eventEnvelope);
+            $this->projection->apply($event, $eventEnvelope);
+            $this->catchUpHook?->onAfterEvent($event, $eventEnvelope);
+        });
     }
 
     public function onAfterCatchUp(): void