diff --git a/packages/graph/src/-private/operations/replace-related-records.ts b/packages/graph/src/-private/operations/replace-related-records.ts
index 86188fbd6cd..6bb3d12a44f 100644
--- a/packages/graph/src/-private/operations/replace-related-records.ts
+++ b/packages/graph/src/-private/operations/replace-related-records.ts
@@ -78,6 +78,13 @@ function replaceRelatedRecordsLocal(graph: Graph, op: ReplaceRelatedRecordsOpera
   const identifiers = op.value;
   const relationship = graph.get(op.record, op.field);
   assert(`expected hasMany relationship`, isHasMany(relationship));
+
+  // relationships for newly created records begin in the dirty state, so if updated
+  // before flushed we would fail to notify. This check helps us avoid that.
+  const isMaybeFirstUpdate =
+    relationship.remoteState.length === 0 &&
+    relationship.localState === null &&
+    relationship.state.hasReceivedData === false;
   relationship.state.hasReceivedData = true;
   const { additions, removals } = relationship;
   const { inverseKey, type } = relationship.definition;
@@ -151,7 +158,10 @@ function replaceRelatedRecordsLocal(graph: Graph, op: ReplaceRelatedRecordsOpera
   relationship.localState = diff.finalState;
   relationship.isDirty = wasDirty;
 
-  if (!wasDirty /*&& becameDirty // TODO to guard like this we need to detect reorder when diffing local */) {
+  if (
+    isMaybeFirstUpdate ||
+    !wasDirty /*&& becameDirty // TODO to guard like this we need to detect reorder when diffing local */
+  ) {
     notifyChange(graph, op.record, op.field);
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/model/src/-private/many-array.ts b/packages/model/src/-private/many-array.ts
index 17ff9e2dc31..0b51dae3f7a 100644
--- a/packages/model/src/-private/many-array.ts
+++ b/packages/model/src/-private/many-array.ts
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ export default class RelatedCollection<T = unknown> extends RecordArray<T> {
         const [start, deleteCount, ...adds] = args as [number, number, ...OpaqueRecordInstance[]];
 
         // detect a full replace
-        if (start === 0 && deleteCount === this[SOURCE].length && this[SOURCE].length > 0) {
+        if (start === 0 && deleteCount === this[SOURCE].length) {
           const newValues = extractIdentifiersFromRecords(adds);
 
           assertNoDuplicates(