diff --git a/autotests/shared/CMakeLists.txt b/autotests/shared/CMakeLists.txt
--- a/autotests/shared/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/autotests/shared/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -20,3 +20,4 @@
 endmacro()
 
 add_unit_test(akrangestest.cpp)
+add_unit_test(akscopeguardtest.cpp)
diff --git a/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp b/autotests/shared/akscopeguardtest.cpp
copy from src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
copy to autotests/shared/akscopeguardtest.cpp
--- a/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
+++ b/autotests/shared/akscopeguardtest.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-    Copyright (c) 2006 Volker Krause <vkrause@kde.org>
+    Copyright (c) 2018  Daniel Vrátil <dvratil@kde.org>
 
     This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
     under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License as published by
@@ -17,35 +17,27 @@
     02110-1301, USA.
 */
 
-#include "transaction.h"
-#include "storage/datastore.h"
+#include "shared/akscopeguard.h"
 
-using namespace Akonadi::Server;
+#include <QObject>
+#include <QTest>
 
-Transaction::Transaction(DataStore *db, const QString &name, bool beginTransaction)
-    : mDb(db)
-    , mName(name)
-    , mCommitted(false)
+class AkScopeGuardTest : public QObject
 {
-    if (beginTransaction) {
-        mDb->beginTransaction(mName);
+    Q_OBJECT
+private Q_SLOTS:
+    void testGoingOutOfScope()
+    {
+        bool callbackCalled = false;
+        {
+            AkScopeGuard guard([&callbackCalled]() {
+                callbackCalled = true;
+            });
+        }
+        QVERIFY(callbackCalled);
     }
-}
+};
 
-Transaction::~Transaction()
-{
-    if (!mCommitted) {
-        mDb->rollbackTransaction();
-    }
-}
+QTEST_GUILESS_MAIN(AkScopeGuardTest)
 
-bool Transaction::commit()
-{
-    mCommitted = true;
-    return mDb->commitTransaction();
-}
-
-void Transaction::begin()
-{
-    mDb->beginTransaction(mName);
-}
+#include "akscopeguardtest.moc"
diff --git a/src/server/handler/collectionmodifyhandler.cpp b/src/server/handler/collectionmodifyhandler.cpp
--- a/src/server/handler/collectionmodifyhandler.cpp
+++ b/src/server/handler/collectionmodifyhandler.cpp
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include "storage/collectionqueryhelper.h"
 #include "search/searchmanager.h"
 #include "akonadiserver_debug.h"
+#include "shared/akscopeguard.h"
 
 using namespace Akonadi;
 using namespace Akonadi::Server;
@@ -237,6 +238,16 @@
         }
     }
 
+    AkScopeGuard collectionReferencingGuard([&]() noexcept {
+        // If transaction is not committed and we are going out of scope, then a rollback
+        // occurred and we need to undo the collection reference change, if any.
+        if (!transaction.isCommitted()) {
+            if (referencedChanged && changes.contains(AKONADI_PARAM_REFERENCED)) {
+                connection()->collectionReferenceManager()->referenceCollection(connection()->sessionId(), collection, false);
+            }
+        }
+    });
+
     if (cmd.modifiedParts() & Protocol::ModifyCollectionCommand::RemovedAttributes) {
         Q_FOREACH (const QByteArray &attr, cmd.removedAttributes()) {
             if (db->removeCollectionAttribute(collection, attr)) {
diff --git a/src/server/storage/transaction.h b/src/server/storage/transaction.h
--- a/src/server/storage/transaction.h
+++ b/src/server/storage/transaction.h
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@
     */
     ~Transaction();
 
+    bool isCommitted() const;
+
     /**
       Commits the transaction. Returns true on success.
       If a global transaction is used, nothing happens, global transactions have
diff --git a/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp b/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
--- a/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
+++ b/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@
     }
 }
 
+bool Transaction::isCommitted() const
+{
+    return mCommitted;
+}
+
 bool Transaction::commit()
 {
     mCommitted = true;
diff --git a/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp b/src/shared/akscopeguard.h
copy from src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
copy to src/shared/akscopeguard.h
--- a/src/server/storage/transaction.cpp
+++ b/src/shared/akscopeguard.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-    Copyright (c) 2006 Volker Krause <vkrause@kde.org>
+    Copyright (C) 2019  Daniel Vrátil <dvratil@kde.org>
 
     This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
     under the terms of the GNU Library General Public License as published by
@@ -17,35 +17,30 @@
     02110-1301, USA.
 */
 
-#include "transaction.h"
-#include "storage/datastore.h"
+#ifndef AKSCOPEGUARD_H_
+#define AKSCOPEGUARD_H_
 
-using namespace Akonadi::Server;
+#include <functional>
+#include <qglobal.h>
 
-Transaction::Transaction(DataStore *db, const QString &name, bool beginTransaction)
-    : mDb(db)
-    , mName(name)
-    , mCommitted(false)
+class AkScopeGuard
 {
-    if (beginTransaction) {
-        mDb->beginTransaction(mName);
+public:
+    AkScopeGuard(std::function<void() noexcept> &&func)
+        : mFunc(func)
+    {}
+
+    ~AkScopeGuard() noexcept
+    {
+        mFunc();
     }
-}
 
-Transaction::~Transaction()
-{
-    if (!mCommitted) {
-        mDb->rollbackTransaction();
-    }
-}
+private:
+    Q_DISABLE_COPY(AkScopeGuard);
+    AkScopeGuard(AkScopeGuard &&) = delete;
+    AkScopeGuard &operator=(AkScopeGuard &&) = delete;
 
-bool Transaction::commit()
-{
-    mCommitted = true;
-    return mDb->commitTransaction();
-}
+    std::function<void() noexcept> mFunc;
+};
 
-void Transaction::begin()
-{
-    mDb->beginTransaction(mName);
-}
+#endif