diff --git a/internal/datastore/postgres/postgres_shared_test.go b/internal/datastore/postgres/postgres_shared_test.go
index 340d1ece39..5037c0cb0f 100644
--- a/internal/datastore/postgres/postgres_shared_test.go
+++ b/internal/datastore/postgres/postgres_shared_test.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"math"
 	"math/rand"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
@@ -246,7 +245,6 @@ func testPostgresDatastore(t *testing.T, pc []postgresConfig) {
 					GCInterval(veryLargeGCInterval),
 					WatchBufferLength(50),
 					MigrationPhase(config.migrationPhase),
-					ReadStrictMode(true),
 				))
 
 				t.Run("TestLocking", createMultiDatastoreTest(
@@ -338,17 +336,25 @@ func createDatastoreTest(b testdatastore.RunningEngineForTest, tf datastoreTestF
 	}
 }
 
-func createReplicaDatastoreTest(b testdatastore.RunningEngineForTest, tf datastoreTestFunc, options ...Option) func(*testing.T) {
+func createReplicaDatastoreTest(b testdatastore.RunningEngineForTest, tf multiDatastoreTestFunc, options ...Option) func(*testing.T) {
 	return func(t *testing.T) {
 		ctx := context.Background()
+
+		var replicaDS datastore.Datastore
+
 		ds := b.NewDatastore(t, func(engine, uri string) datastore.Datastore {
-			ds, err := newPostgresDatastore(ctx, uri, 42, options...)
+			ds, err := newPostgresDatastore(ctx, uri, primaryInstanceID, options...)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
+
+			ds2, err := newPostgresDatastore(ctx, uri, 42, append(options, ReadStrictMode(true))...)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			replicaDS = ds2
+
 			return ds
 		})
 		defer ds.Close()
 
-		tf(t, ds)
+		tf(t, ds, replicaDS)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -1572,24 +1578,33 @@ func LockingTest(t *testing.T, ds datastore.Datastore, ds2 datastore.Datastore)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 }
 
-func StrictReadModeTest(t *testing.T, ds datastore.Datastore) {
+func StrictReadModeTest(t *testing.T, primaryDS datastore.Datastore, replicaDS datastore.Datastore) {
 	require := require.New(t)
 
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
 	defer cancel()
 
-	lowestRevision, err := ds.HeadRevision(ctx)
+	// Write some relationships.
+	_, err := primaryDS.ReadWriteTx(ctx, func(ctx context.Context, rwt datastore.ReadWriteTransaction) error {
+		rtu := tuple.Touch(tuple.MustParse("resource:123#reader@user:456"))
+		return rwt.WriteRelationships(ctx, []tuple.RelationshipUpdate{rtu})
+	})
+	require.NoError(err)
+
+	// Get the HEAD revision.
+	lowestRevision, err := primaryDS.HeadRevision(ctx)
 	require.NoError(err)
 
 	// Perform a read at the head revision, which should succeed.
-	reader := ds.SnapshotReader(lowestRevision)
+	reader := replicaDS.SnapshotReader(lowestRevision)
 	it, err := reader.QueryRelationships(ctx, datastore.RelationshipsFilter{
 		OptionalResourceType: "resource",
 	})
 	require.NoError(err)
 
-	_, err = datastore.IteratorToSlice(it)
+	found, err := datastore.IteratorToSlice(it)
 	require.NoError(err)
+	require.NotEmpty(found)
 
 	// Perform a read at a manually constructed revision beyond head, which should fail.
 	badRev := postgresRevision{
@@ -1597,19 +1612,21 @@ func StrictReadModeTest(t *testing.T, ds datastore.Datastore) {
 			// NOTE: the struct defines this value as uint64, but the underlying
 			// revision is defined as an int64, so we run into an overflow issue
 			// if we try and use a big uint64.
-			xmax: math.MaxInt64,
+			xmin: 123456789,
+			xmax: 123456789,
 		},
 	}
 
-	it, err = ds.SnapshotReader(badRev).QueryRelationships(ctx, datastore.RelationshipsFilter{
+	it, err = replicaDS.SnapshotReader(badRev).QueryRelationships(ctx, datastore.RelationshipsFilter{
 		OptionalResourceType: "resource",
 	})
 	require.NoError(err)
 
-	_, err = datastore.IteratorToSlice(it)
+	found2, err := datastore.IteratorToSlice(it)
 	require.Error(err)
 	require.ErrorContains(err, "is not available on the replica")
 	require.ErrorAs(err, &common.RevisionUnavailableError{})
+	require.Nil(found2)
 }
 
 func NullCaveatWatchTest(t *testing.T, ds datastore.Datastore) {
diff --git a/internal/datastore/postgres/strictreader.go b/internal/datastore/postgres/strictreader.go
index b656e237ca..15bb52ab39 100644
--- a/internal/datastore/postgres/strictreader.go
+++ b/internal/datastore/postgres/strictreader.go
@@ -60,6 +60,6 @@ func (srqf strictReaderQueryFuncs) addAssertToSQL(sql string) string {
 	// argument error and a message indicating that the xid "is in the future". If the transaction
 	// does exist, but has not yet been committed (or aborted), the call to `pg_xact_status` will return
 	// "in progress". rewriteError will catch these cases and return a RevisionUnavailableError.
-	assertion := fmt.Sprintf(`do $$ begin assert (select pg_xact_status(%d::text::xid8) != 'in progress'), 'replica missing revision';end;$$;`, srqf.revision.snapshot.xmin-1)
-	return assertion + sql
+	assertion := fmt.Sprintf(`; do $$ begin assert (select pg_xact_status(%d::text::xid8) != 'in progress'), 'replica missing revision';end;$$`, srqf.revision.snapshot.xmin-1)
+	return sql + assertion
 }