diff --git a/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/controller/tldraw.ws.ts b/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/controller/tldraw.ws.ts
index cd406673a1f..dd771ce2e0a 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/controller/tldraw.ws.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/controller/tldraw.ws.ts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ export class TldrawWs implements OnGatewayInit, OnGatewayConnection {
 				return;
 			}
 			try {
-				this.tldrawWsService.setupWSConnection(client, docName);
+				await this.tldrawWsService.setupWSConnection(client, docName);
 			} catch (err) {
 				this.closeClientAndLogError(
 					client,
diff --git a/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.spec.ts b/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.spec.ts
index e0b1f7d0e4d..00eadbb7175 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.spec.ts
@@ -325,7 +325,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 
 				const messageHandlerSpy = jest.spyOn(service, 'messageHandler').mockReturnValueOnce();
 				const sendSpy = jest.spyOn(service, 'send');
-				const getYDocSpy = jest.spyOn(service, 'getYDoc').mockReturnValueOnce(doc);
+				const getYDocSpy = jest.spyOn(service, 'getYDoc').mockResolvedValueOnce(doc);
 				const { msg } = createMessage([0]);
 				jest.spyOn(AwarenessProtocol, 'encodeAwarenessUpdate').mockReturnValueOnce(msg);
 
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 			it('should send to every client', async () => {
 				const { messageHandlerSpy, sendSpy, getYDocSpy } = await setup();
 
-				service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
+				await service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
 
 				expect(sendSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
 				ws.close();
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 			it('should close connection', async () => {
 				const { closeConnSpy } = await setup();
 
-				service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
+				await service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
 				await delay(10);
 
 				expect(closeConnSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 			it('should close connection', async () => {
 				const { messageHandlerSpy, closeConnSpy } = await setup();
 
-				service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
+				await service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
 				await delay(10);
 
 				expect(closeConnSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -447,12 +447,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 			it('should log error', async () => {
 				const { flushDocumentSpy, errorLogSpy } = await setup();
 
-				try {
-					service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
-				} catch (e) {
-					// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access
-					expect(e.message).toMatch('error');
-				}
+				await expect(service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST')).rejects.toThrow('error');
 				await delay(10);
 
 				expect(flushDocumentSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -541,7 +536,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 			it('should handle message', async () => {
 				const { messageHandlerSpy, msg, readSyncMessageSpy } = await setup([0, 1]);
 
-				service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
+				await service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
 				ws.emit('message', msg);
 
 				expect(messageHandlerSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
@@ -557,7 +552,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 				const { msg, errorLogSpy } = await setup([1, 1]);
 
 				try {
-					service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
+					await service.setupWSConnection(ws, 'TEST');
 					ws.emit('message', msg);
 				} catch (e) {
 					// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access
@@ -574,9 +569,9 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 
 	describe('getYDoc', () => {
 		describe('when getting yDoc by name', () => {
-			it('should assign to service docs map and return instance', () => {
+			it('should assign to service docs map and return instance', async () => {
 				const docName = 'get-test';
-				const doc = service.getYDoc(docName);
+				const doc = await service.getYDoc(docName);
 
 				expect(doc).toBeInstanceOf(WsSharedDocDo);
 				expect(service.docs.get(docName)).not.toBeUndefined();
@@ -614,7 +609,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 
 					let doc: WsSharedDocDo | null = null;
 					try {
-						doc = service.getYDoc('test-redis-fail');
+						doc = await service.getYDoc('test-redis-fail');
 					} catch (e) {
 						// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access
 						expect(e.message).toMatch('error');
@@ -646,7 +641,7 @@ describe('TldrawWSService', () => {
 
 					let doc: WsSharedDocDo | null = null;
 					try {
-						doc = service.getYDoc('test-update-fail');
+						doc = await service.getYDoc('test-update-fail');
 					} catch (e) {
 						// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access
 						expect(e.message).toMatch('error');
diff --git a/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.ts b/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.ts
index 1128a2a29d3..bfd197a8abd 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/modules/tldraw/service/tldraw.ws.service.ts
@@ -132,15 +132,15 @@ export class TldrawWsService {
 	 * @param {string} docName - the name of the Y.Doc to find or create
 	 * @return {WsSharedDocDo}
 	 */
-	public getYDoc(docName: string): WsSharedDocDo {
-		const wsSharedDocDo = map.setIfUndefined(this.docs, docName, () => {
+	public async getYDoc(docName: string): Promise<WsSharedDocDo> {
+		const wsSharedDocDo = await map.setIfUndefined(this.docs, docName, async () => {
 			const doc = new WsSharedDocDo(docName, this.gcEnabled);
 			this.subscribeOnAwarenessUpdate(doc);
 			doc.on('update', (update: Uint8Array, origin) => this.updateHandler(update, origin, doc));
 
 			this.subscribeOnDocument(doc);
 
-			this.updateDocument(docName, doc);
+			await this.updateDocument(docName, doc);
 
 			this.docs.set(docName, doc);
 			this.metricsService.incrementNumberOfBoardsOnServerCounter();
@@ -207,10 +207,10 @@ export class TldrawWsService {
 	 * @param {WebSocket} ws
 	 * @param {string} docName
 	 */
-	public setupWSConnection(ws: WebSocket, docName: string): void {
+	public async setupWSConnection(ws: WebSocket, docName: string): Promise<void> {
 		ws.binaryType = 'arraybuffer';
 		// get doc, initialize if it does not exist yet
-		const doc = this.getYDoc(docName);
+		const doc = await this.getYDoc(docName);
 		doc.connections.set(ws, new Set());
 
 		// listen and reply to events
@@ -377,8 +377,8 @@ export class TldrawWsService {
 			});
 	}
 
-	private updateDocument(docName: string, doc: WsSharedDocDo) {
-		this.tldrawBoardRepo.updateDocument(docName, doc).catch((err) => {
+	private async updateDocument(docName: string, doc: WsSharedDocDo) {
+		await this.tldrawBoardRepo.updateDocument(docName, doc).catch((err) => {
 			this.logger.warning(new WsSharedDocErrorLoggable(doc.name, 'Error while updating document', err as Error));
 			throw err;
 		});