diff --git a/src/modes/save.rs b/src/modes/save.rs
index 8d68c94..91746dd 100644
--- a/src/modes/save.rs
+++ b/src/modes/save.rs
@@ -244,9 +244,8 @@ pub fn mode_save(
     let mut item = create_and_log_item(conn, args, tags, &compression_type)?;
     setup_item_metadata(conn, args, &item, tags)?; // Pass mutable reference
 
-    // Use a transaction for database operations to ensure atomicity
-    let tx = conn.transaction()?;
-
+    // Save as much as possible in case something breaks - don't use transactions
+    // This allows partial saves to succeed even if some metadata operations fail
     let item_meta = collect_item_meta(args);
     let item_id = item.id.ok_or_else(|| anyhow!("Item missing ID"))?;
 
@@ -256,7 +255,7 @@ pub fn mode_save(
             name: kv.0.to_string(),
             value: kv.1.to_string(),
         };
-        crate::db::store_meta(&tx, meta)?;
+        crate::db::store_meta(conn, meta)?;
     }
 
     let (_item_out, processed_item) = process_input_stream(
@@ -269,11 +268,8 @@ pub fn mode_save(
     item.size = processed_item.size;
     item.compression = compression_type.to_string();
 
-    finalize_meta_plugins(&tx, &mut meta_plugins, &item)?;
-    crate::db::update_item(&tx, item.clone())?;
-    
-    // Commit the transaction
-    tx.commit()?;
+    finalize_meta_plugins(conn, &mut meta_plugins, &item)?;
+    crate::db::update_item(conn, item.clone())?;
 
     Ok(())
 }