diff --git a/app/models/application_setting.rb b/app/models/application_setting.rb
index 21a97c8d7734f85b74dd68abdea65e1862c3f69a..eb6ddaac871bbce748e042889d926fbea687186e 100644
--- a/app/models/application_setting.rb
+++ b/app/models/application_setting.rb
@@ -259,7 +259,9 @@ class ApplicationSetting < ApplicationRecord
   after_commit :expire_performance_bar_allowed_user_ids_cache, if: -> { previous_changes.key?('performance_bar_allowed_group_id') }
 
   def self.create_from_defaults
-    super
+    transaction(requires_new: true) do
+      super
+    end
   rescue ActiveRecord::RecordNotUnique
     # We already have an ApplicationSetting record, so just return it.
     current_without_cache
diff --git a/app/services/projects/create_service.rb b/app/services/projects/create_service.rb
index 3723c5ef7d71301fdef75a84022cb4f52dffc19f..4ea40e3c8ce349ea76159bafd78ae5f6da7213ec 100644
--- a/app/services/projects/create_service.rb
+++ b/app/services/projects/create_service.rb
@@ -159,8 +159,8 @@ module Projects
       log_message << " Project ID: #{@project.id}" if @project&.id
       Rails.logger.error(log_message)
 
-      if @project
-        @project.import_state.mark_as_failed(message) if @project.persisted? && @project.import?
+      if @project && @project.persisted? && @project.import_state
+        @project.import_state.mark_as_failed(message)
       end
 
       @project
diff --git a/db/fixtures/development/02_application_settings.rb b/db/fixtures/development/02_application_settings.rb
index d604f0be3cd034b2f2c02c62c5b54bb8344e4f3c..7cdc8e40b69a4037e3fd9b58e0ae8d28862fe026 100644
--- a/db/fixtures/development/02_application_settings.rb
+++ b/db/fixtures/development/02_application_settings.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # frozen_string_literal: true
 
 puts "Creating the default ApplicationSetting record.".color(:green)
-Gitlab::CurrentSettings.current_application_settings
+ApplicationSetting.create_from_defaults
 
 # Details https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues/46241
 puts "Enable hashed storage for every new projects.".color(:green)