diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/componentManager.js b/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/componentManager.js
index 4ce4bdc7b..031035b8a 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/componentManager.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/componentManager.js
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ class ComponentManager {
     var params = {uuid: item.uuid, content_type: item.content_type, created_at: item.created_at, updated_at: item.updated_at, deleted: item.deleted};
     params.content = item.createContentJSONFromProperties();
     params.clientData = item.getDomainDataItem(component.url, ClientDataDomain) || {};
+    params.isMetadataUpdate = item.lastTouchSaved;
     this.removePrivatePropertiesFromResponseItems([params]);
     return params;
   }
@@ -236,10 +237,10 @@ class ComponentManager {
       this.removePrivatePropertiesFromResponseItems(responseItems);
 
       /*
-        We map the items here because modelManager is what updatese the UI. If you were to instead get the items directly,
+        We map the items here because modelManager is what updates the UI. If you were to instead get the items directly,
         this would update them server side via sync, but would never make its way back to the UI.
        */
-      var localItems = this.modelManager.mapResponseItemsToLocalModels(responseItems);
+      var localItems = this.modelManager.mapResponseItemsToLocalModels(responseItems, {dontNotifyObservers: true});
 
       for(var item of localItems) {
         var responseItem = _.find(responseItems, {uuid: item.uuid});
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/modelManager.js b/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/modelManager.js
index 20ee7fa80..7d8e1df9f 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/modelManager.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/app/services/modelManager.js
@@ -96,11 +96,11 @@ class ModelManager {
     return tag;
   }
 
-  mapResponseItemsToLocalModels(items) {
-    return this.mapResponseItemsToLocalModelsOmittingFields(items, null);
+  mapResponseItemsToLocalModels(items, options) {
+    return this.mapResponseItemsToLocalModelsOmittingFields(items, null, options);
   }
 
-  mapResponseItemsToLocalModelsOmittingFields(items, omitFields) {
+  mapResponseItemsToLocalModelsOmittingFields(items, omitFields, options) {
     var models = [], processedObjects = [], modelsToNotifyObserversOf = [];
 
     // first loop should add and process items
@@ -136,6 +136,14 @@ class ModelManager {
         item = this.createItem(json_obj);
       }
 
+      /* If content is being omitted from the json_obj, this means this is a metadata save only.
+        This happens by the sync manager on sync completion when processing saved items to update
+        their meta fields, like updated_at that comes from the server. We omit content in such a case
+        because content may be outdated from the time a sync begins to when it completes (user performed action in between).
+        So we will only ever update content from a remote source when it is retrieved by the server (serverResponse.retrieved_items)
+       */
+      item.lastTouchSaved = omitFields && omitFields.includes("content");
+
       this.addItem(item);
 
       modelsToNotifyObserversOf.push(item);
@@ -151,7 +159,13 @@ class ModelManager {
       }
     }
 
-    this.notifySyncObserversOfModels(modelsToNotifyObserversOf);
+    /* Sometimes, a controller will want to map incoming state to the UI, but without yet notifiny all observers of an item change
+      Particulary, the componentManager sets dontNotifyObservers to true when it receives an update from a component and wnats
+      to update the remaining UI, but without receiving a (useless) syncObserverCallback immediately.
+     */
+    if(!(options && options.dontNotifyObservers)) {
+      this.notifySyncObserversOfModels(modelsToNotifyObserversOf);
+    }
 
     return models;
   }