diff --git a/kafka/src/main/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/schema/SchemaProvisioner.java b/kafka/src/main/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/schema/SchemaProvisioner.java
index 2a5139e0..f8a3fcac 100644
--- a/kafka/src/main/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/schema/SchemaProvisioner.java
+++ b/kafka/src/main/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/schema/SchemaProvisioner.java
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.nio.file.Paths;
 import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
@@ -78,7 +79,15 @@ public static Collection<Schema> provision(
         }
 
         final var schemas = calculator(client, cleanUnspecified).calculate(existing, required);
-        return mutator(dryRun, cleanUnspecified, client).mutate(schemas);
+        return mutator(dryRun, cleanUnspecified, client).mutate(sortByReferences(schemas));
+    }
+
+    private static Collection<Schema> sortByReferences(final Collection<Schema> schemas) {
+        return schemas.stream()
+                .sorted(
+                        Comparator.comparingInt(
+                                o -> o.schemas.iterator().next().references().size()))
+                .collect(Collectors.toList());
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/kafka/src/test/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/SchemaProvisionerReferenceTest.java b/kafka/src/test/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/SchemaProvisionerReferenceTest.java
index f749e661..60d02a7e 100644
--- a/kafka/src/test/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/SchemaProvisionerReferenceTest.java
+++ b/kafka/src/test/java/io/specmesh/kafka/provision/SchemaProvisionerReferenceTest.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 import io.specmesh.kafka.KafkaEnvironment;
 import io.specmesh.kafka.provision.schema.SchemaProvisioner;
 import io.specmesh.test.TestSpecLoader;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import org.hamcrest.Matchers;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.MethodOrderer;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Order;
@@ -43,6 +44,10 @@ class SchemaProvisionerReferenceTest {
     private static final KafkaApiSpec API_SPEC =
             TestSpecLoader.loadFromClassPath("schema-ref/com.example.trading-api.yml");
 
+    private static final KafkaApiSpec SPEC_WITH_REFS_API_SPEC =
+            TestSpecLoader.loadFromClassPath(
+                    "schema-ref/com.example.single-spec-with-refs-api.yml");
+
     private static final String ADMIN_USER = "admin";
 
     @RegisterExtension
@@ -76,7 +81,7 @@ void shouldProvisionSpecWithMissingRefToCurrency() {
     /** publish common schema (via api) and also domain-owned schema */
     @Test
     @Order(2)
-    void shouldProvisionSpecWithRefs() {
+    void shouldProvisionTwoSpecsWithRefs() {
 
         final var provisionCommon =
                 SchemaProvisioner.provision(
@@ -106,4 +111,43 @@ void shouldProvisionSpecWithRefs() {
                 schemaState.state(),
                 Matchers.is(Status.STATE.CREATED));
     }
+
+    @Test
+    @Order(3)
+    void shouldProvisionSpecsWithMultipleRefsSoThatZeroRefsRegisterFirst() {
+
+        final var provisionBothSchemas =
+                SchemaProvisioner.provision(
+                        false,
+                        false,
+                        SPEC_WITH_REFS_API_SPEC,
+                        "./src/test/resources/schema-ref",
+                        KAFKA_ENV.srClient());
+
+        final var schemas = new ArrayList<>(provisionBothSchemas);
+
+        assertThat(schemas, Matchers.hasSize(2));
+
+        final var currencySchemaState = schemas.get(0);
+        assertThat(
+                "Failed to load with:" + currencySchemaState.subject(),
+                currencySchemaState.subject(),
+                Matchers.is("com.example.shared.Currency"));
+
+        assertThat(
+                "Failed to load with:" + currencySchemaState,
+                currencySchemaState.state(),
+                Matchers.is(Status.STATE.CREATED));
+
+        final var tradeSchemaState = schemas.get(1);
+        assertThat(
+                "Failed to load with:" + tradeSchemaState.subject(),
+                tradeSchemaState.subject(),
+                Matchers.is("com.example.refs._public.trade-value"));
+
+        assertThat(
+                "Failed to load with:" + tradeSchemaState,
+                tradeSchemaState.state(),
+                Matchers.is(Status.STATE.CREATED));
+    }
 }
diff --git a/kafka/src/test/resources/schema-ref/com.example.single-spec-with-refs-api.yml b/kafka/src/test/resources/schema-ref/com.example.single-spec-with-refs-api.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a47bc1bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kafka/src/test/resources/schema-ref/com.example.single-spec-with-refs-api.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+asyncapi: '2.4.0'
+id: 'urn:com.example.refs'
+info:
+  title: Common Data Set
+  version: '1.0.0'
+  description: |
+    Contains both a TRADE and Currency - where Trade --> Currency, it will provision both - but should determine the ref and process the 0 refs first
+servers:
+  mosquitto:
+    url: mqtt://test.mosquitto.org
+    protocol: kafka
+channels:
+  _public.trade:
+    bindings:
+      kafka:
+        envs:
+          - staging
+          - prod
+        partitions: 3
+        replicas: 1
+        configs:
+          cleanup.policy: delete
+          retention.ms: 999000
+    publish:
+      summary: Trade feed
+      description: Doing clever things
+      operationId: onTrade received
+      message:
+        bindings:
+          kafka:
+            schemaIdLocation: "header"
+            key:
+              type: string
+
+        schemaFormat: "application/vnd.apache.avro+json;version=1.9.0"
+        contentType: "application/octet-stream"
+        payload:
+          $ref: "/schema/com.example.trading.Trade.avsc"
+  _public.currency:
+    bindings:
+      kafka:
+        configs:
+          retention.ms: 999000
+    publish:
+      summary: Currency things
+      operationId: onCurrencyUpdate
+      message:
+        schemaFormat: "application/vnd.apache.avro+json;version=1.9.0"
+        contentType: "application/octet-stream"
+        bindings:
+          kafka:
+            schemaIdLocation: "header"
+            schemaLookupStrategy: "RecordNameStrategy"
+            key:
+              type: string
+        payload:
+          $ref: "/schema/com.example.shared.Currency.avsc"
+