diff --git a/src/api/services/communities.zig b/src/api/services/communities.zig
index 780b7d5..824957e 100644
--- a/src/api/services/communities.zig
+++ b/src/api/services/communities.zig
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ const builtin = @import("builtin");
 const util = @import("util");
 const sql = @import("sql");
 const common = @import("./common.zig");
+const actors = @import("./actors.zig");
 
 const Uuid = util.Uuid;
 const DateTime = util.DateTime;
@@ -38,11 +39,10 @@ pub const CreateOptions = struct {
 };
 
 pub const CreateError = error{
-    DatabaseFailure,
     UnsupportedScheme,
     InvalidOrigin,
     CommunityExists,
-};
+} || sql.DatabaseError;
 
 pub fn create(db: anytype, origin: []const u8, options: CreateOptions, alloc: std.mem.Allocator) CreateError!Uuid {
     const scheme_len = std.mem.indexOfScalar(u8, origin, ':') orelse return error.InvalidOrigin;
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ pub fn create(db: anytype, origin: []const u8, options: CreateOptions, alloc: st
     const id = Uuid.randV4(util.getThreadPrng());
 
     // TODO: wrap this in TX
-    if (db.queryRow(
+    var tx = try db.beginOrSavepoint();
+    errdefer tx.rollback();
+    if (tx.queryRow(
         std.meta.Tuple(&.{Uuid}),
         "SELECT id FROM community WHERE host = $1",
         .{host},
@@ -80,11 +82,11 @@ pub fn create(db: anytype, origin: []const u8, options: CreateOptions, alloc: st
         return error.CommunityExists;
     } else |err| switch (err) {
         error.NoRows => {},
-        else => return error.DatabaseFailure,
+        else => |e| return e,
     }
 
     const name = options.name orelse host;
-    db.insert("community", .{
+    try tx.insert("community", .{
         .id = id,
         .owner_id = null,
         .host = host,
@@ -92,8 +94,26 @@ pub fn create(db: anytype, origin: []const u8, options: CreateOptions, alloc: st
         .scheme = scheme,
         .kind = options.kind,
         .created_at = DateTime.now(),
-    }, alloc) catch return error.DatabaseFailure;
+    }, alloc);
 
+    if (options.kind == .local) {
+        const actor_id = actors.create(tx, "community.actor", id, alloc) catch |err| switch (err) {
+            error.UsernameContainsInvalidChar,
+            error.UsernameTooLong,
+            error.UsernameEmpty,
+            error.UsernameTaken,
+            => unreachable,
+            else => @panic("TODO"),
+        };
+        try tx.exec(
+            \\UPDATE community
+            \\SET community_actor_id = $1
+            \\WHERE id = $2
+            \\LIMIT 1
+        , .{ actor_id, id }, alloc);
+    }
+
+    try tx.commitOrRelease();
     return id;
 }