diff --git a/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts b/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts
index e8328181fed4e7..50c81a0dfee789 100644
--- a/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts
+++ b/plugin-server/src/worker/ingestion/person-state.ts
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@ export class PersonOverrideWriter {
 }
 
 export class DeferredPersonOverrideWriter {
-    constructor(private postgres: PostgresRouter) {}
+    constructor(private postgres: PostgresRouter, private lockId: number) {}
 
     public async addPersonOverride(tx: TransactionClient, mergeOperation: MergeOperation): Promise<ProducerRecord[]> {
         await this.postgres.query(
@@ -745,6 +745,18 @@ export class DeferredPersonOverrideWriter {
         const writer = new PersonOverrideWriter(this.postgres)
 
         await this.postgres.transaction(PostgresUse.COMMON_WRITE, 'processPendingOverrides', async (tx) => {
+            const {
+                rows: [{ acquired }],
+            } = await this.postgres.query(
+                tx,
+                SQL`SELECT pg_try_advisory_xact_lock(${this.lockId}) as acquired`,
+                undefined,
+                'processPendingOverrides'
+            )
+            if (!acquired) {
+                throw new Error('could not acquire lock')
+            }
+
             const { rows } = await this.postgres.query(
                 tx,
                 `SELECT * FROM posthog_pendingpersonoverride ORDER BY id`,
diff --git a/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts b/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts
index 5d6390bfeb2ef6..362157f5f0c370 100644
--- a/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts
+++ b/plugin-server/tests/worker/ingestion/person-state.test.ts
@@ -69,9 +69,11 @@ const PersonOverridesModes: Record<string, PersonOverridesMode | undefined> = {
         fetchPostgresPersonIdOverrides: (hub, teamId) => fetchPostgresPersonIdOverrides(hub, teamId),
     },
     deferred: {
-        getWriter: (hub) => new DeferredPersonOverrideWriter(hub.db.postgres),
+        // XXX: This is kind of a mess -- ideally it'd be preferable to just
+        // instantiate the writer once and share it
+        getWriter: (hub) => new DeferredPersonOverrideWriter(hub.db.postgres, 456),
         fetchPostgresPersonIdOverrides: async (hub, teamId) => {
-            await new DeferredPersonOverrideWriter(hub.db.postgres).processPendingOverrides(hub.db.kafkaProducer)
+            await new DeferredPersonOverrideWriter(hub.db.postgres, 456).processPendingOverrides(hub.db.kafkaProducer)
             return await fetchPostgresPersonIdOverrides(hub, teamId)
         },
     },