diff --git a/backend/app/src/test/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingServiceTest.kt b/backend/app/src/test/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingServiceTest.kt
index 955ee6bd85a..ba46670ec86 100644
--- a/backend/app/src/test/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingServiceTest.kt
+++ b/backend/app/src/test/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingServiceTest.kt
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import io.tolgee.batch.data.BatchJobType
 import io.tolgee.batch.request.DeleteKeysRequest
 import io.tolgee.development.testDataBuilder.data.BaseTestData
 import io.tolgee.development.testDataBuilder.data.BatchJobsTestData
+import io.tolgee.development.testDataBuilder.data.ContentDeliveryConfigBranchingTestData
 import io.tolgee.development.testDataBuilder.data.ContentDeliveryConfigTestData
 import io.tolgee.development.testDataBuilder.data.MtSettingsTestData
 import io.tolgee.development.testDataBuilder.data.ProjectWithQaEntitiesTestData
@@ -133,6 +134,19 @@ class ProjectHardDeletingServiceTest : AbstractSpringTest() {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  fun `deletes project with content delivery configs on branches`() {
+    val testData = ContentDeliveryConfigBranchingTestData()
+    testDataService.saveTestData(testData.root)
+    executeInNewRepeatableTransaction(platformTransactionManager) {
+      projectHardDeletingService.hardDeleteProject(testData.projectBuilder.self.refresh())
+    }
+
+    executeInNewTransaction {
+      projectService.find(testData.projectBuilder.self.id).assert.isNull()
+    }
+  }
+
   @Test
   fun `deletes project with webhooks`() {
     val testData = WebhooksTestData()
diff --git a/backend/data/src/main/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingService.kt b/backend/data/src/main/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingService.kt
index b2c0f212825..6047e880480 100644
--- a/backend/data/src/main/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingService.kt
+++ b/backend/data/src/main/kotlin/io/tolgee/service/project/ProjectHardDeletingService.kt
@@ -147,7 +147,6 @@ class ProjectHardDeletingService(
       entityManager.clear()
 
       bigMetaService.deleteAllByProjectId(projectId)
-      branchService.deleteAllByProjectId(projectId)
       projectQaConfigRepository.deleteAllByProjectId(projectId)
 
       // Flush and clear the persistence context to ensure deletions are synchronized
@@ -183,6 +182,13 @@ class ProjectHardDeletingService(
         .setParameter("projectId", projectId)
         .executeUpdate()
 
+      // Branches are referenced by content_delivery_config.branch_id, so they must be
+      // deleted only after the content delivery configs above are gone. deleteAllByProjectId
+      // removes the entities via the persistence context, so flush to push the DELETEs to the
+      // DB before the project row is deleted (branch.project_id references project).
+      branchService.deleteAllByProjectId(projectId)
+      entityManager.flush()
+
       // Delete ContentStorage children first
       entityManager
         .createQuery("DELETE FROM AzureContentStorageConfig a WHERE a.contentStorage.project.id = :projectId")