diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/ContentNodeEditListItem.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/ContentNodeEditListItem.vue
index 36477d257c..54e46f8799 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/ContentNodeEditListItem.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/ContentNodeEditListItem.vue
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@
       retryFailedCopy: withChangeTracker(function(changeTracker) {
         this.updateContentNode({
           id: this.nodeId,
+          checkComplete: true,
           [COPYING_STATUS]: COPYING_STATUS_VALUES.COPYING,
         });
 
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue
index 8c18d1fc70..053a5fd70c 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/DetailsTabView.vue
@@ -786,10 +786,12 @@
       saveFromDiffTracker(id) {
         if (this.diffTracker[id]) {
           this.changed = true;
-          return this.updateContentNode({ id, ...this.diffTracker[id] }).then(() => {
-            delete this.diffTracker[id];
-            return this.changed;
-          });
+          return this.updateContentNode({ id, checkComplete: true, ...this.diffTracker[id] }).then(
+            () => {
+              delete this.diffTracker[id];
+              return this.changed;
+            }
+          );
         }
         return Promise.resolve(this.changed);
       },
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/EditModal.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/EditModal.vue
index de914ef971..3e74a3a986 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/EditModal.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/components/edit/EditModal.vue
@@ -399,7 +399,11 @@
 
                 if (completeCheck !== node.complete) {
                   validationPromises.push(
-                    vm.updateContentNode({ id: nodeId, complete: completeCheck })
+                    vm.updateContentNode({
+                      id: nodeId,
+                      complete: completeCheck,
+                      checkComplete: true,
+                    })
                   );
                 }
               });
@@ -578,7 +582,12 @@
       inheritMetadata(metadata) {
         const setMetadata = () => {
           for (const nodeId of this.newNodeIds) {
-            this.updateContentNode({ id: nodeId, ...metadata, mergeMapFields: true });
+            this.updateContentNode({
+              id: nodeId,
+              ...metadata,
+              mergeMapFields: true,
+              checkComplete: true,
+            });
           }
           this.newNodeIds = [];
         };
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/__tests__/actions.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/__tests__/actions.spec.js
index eedfa8a763..e25fe4ed5b 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/__tests__/actions.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/__tests__/actions.spec.js
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ describe('contentNode actions', () => {
     });
   });
   describe('updateContentNode action for an existing contentNode', () => {
-    it('should call ContentNode.update', () => {
+    it('should call ContentNode.update without complete if completeCheck is false', () => {
       store.commit('contentNode/ADD_CONTENTNODE', {
         id,
         title: 'test',
@@ -125,6 +125,32 @@ describe('contentNode actions', () => {
           language: 'no',
           learning_activities: { test: true },
         })
+        .then(() => {
+          expect(updateSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(id, {
+            title: 'notatest',
+            description: 'very',
+            language: 'no',
+            changed: true,
+            learning_activities: { test: true },
+          });
+          updateSpy.mockRestore();
+        });
+    });
+    it('should call ContentNode.update with complete false if completeCheck is true', () => {
+      store.commit('contentNode/ADD_CONTENTNODE', {
+        id,
+        title: 'test',
+      });
+      const updateSpy = jest.spyOn(ContentNode, 'update');
+      return store
+        .dispatch('contentNode/updateContentNode', {
+          id,
+          title: 'notatest',
+          description: 'very',
+          language: 'no',
+          learning_activities: { test: true },
+          checkComplete: true,
+        })
         .then(() => {
           expect(updateSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(id, {
             title: 'notatest',
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/actions.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/actions.js
index 9b0d8b3e3e..f883725b71 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/actions.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/channelEdit/vuex/contentNode/actions.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import flatMap from 'lodash/flatMap';
 import uniq from 'lodash/uniq';
+import isEmpty from 'lodash/isEmpty';
 import { NEW_OBJECT, NOVALUE, DescendantsUpdatableFields } from 'shared/constants';
 import client from 'shared/client';
 import {
@@ -349,10 +350,16 @@ const mapFields = [
   'tags',
 ];
 
-export function updateContentNode(context, { id, mergeMapFields, ...payload } = {}) {
+export function updateContentNode(
+  context,
+  { id, mergeMapFields, checkComplete = false, ...payload } = {}
+) {
   if (!id) {
     throw ReferenceError('id must be defined to update a contentNode');
   }
+  if (isEmpty(payload)) {
+    return Promise.resolve();
+  }
   let contentNodeData = generateContentNodeData(payload);
 
   const node = context.getters.getContentNode(id);
@@ -421,19 +428,21 @@ export function updateContentNode(context, { id, mergeMapFields, ...payload } =
     }
   }
 
-  const newNode = {
-    ...node,
-    ...contentNodeData,
-  };
-  const complete = isNodeComplete({
-    nodeDetails: newNode,
-    assessmentItems: context.rootGetters['assessmentItem/getAssessmentItems'](id),
-    files: context.rootGetters['file/getContentNodeFiles'](id),
-  });
-  contentNodeData = {
-    ...contentNodeData,
-    complete,
-  };
+  if (checkComplete) {
+    const newNode = {
+      ...node,
+      ...contentNodeData,
+    };
+    const complete = isNodeComplete({
+      nodeDetails: newNode,
+      assessmentItems: context.rootGetters['assessmentItem/getAssessmentItems'](id),
+      files: context.rootGetters['file/getContentNodeFiles'](id),
+    });
+    contentNodeData = {
+      ...contentNodeData,
+      complete,
+    };
+  }
 
   context.commit('ADD_CONTENTNODE', { id, ...contentNodeData });
   return ContentNode.update(id, contentNodeData);