diff --git a/remarkbox/scripts/send_node_digest_notifications.py b/remarkbox/scripts/send_node_digest_notifications.py
index cf61eec..e99e851 100644
--- a/remarkbox/scripts/send_node_digest_notifications.py
+++ b/remarkbox/scripts/send_node_digest_notifications.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import logging
 import transaction
 from pyramid.paster import bootstrap, setup_logging
 
-from ..lib.notify import deliver_scheduled_notifications
+from ..lib.notify import get_email_notifications, send_digest_notifications, filter_orphaned_notifications
 from ..models import get_tm_session
 from ..models.notification import NodeEventNotification
 from ..models.meta import now_timestamp
@@ -55,6 +55,32 @@ def should_have_been_sent(notification):
     return False
 
 
+def safe_deliver_scheduled_notifications(request, dbsession):
+    """
+    Deliver scheduled notifications with protection against orphaned notifications.
+    """
+    from datetime import datetime
+
+    # Temporarily replace request.dbsession with our transaction-managed session
+    old_dbsession = request.dbsession
+    request.dbsession = dbsession
+
+    try:
+        # Get daily notifications and filter out orphaned ones
+        notification_dict = get_email_notifications(dbsession, "daily")
+        filtered_dict = filter_orphaned_notifications(notification_dict)
+        send_digest_notifications(request, filtered_dict, "daily")
+
+        # Send weekly on Monday
+        if datetime.today().weekday() == 0:
+            notification_dict = get_email_notifications(dbsession, "weekly")
+            filtered_dict = filter_orphaned_notifications(notification_dict)
+            send_digest_notifications(request, filtered_dict, "weekly")
+    finally:
+        # Restore original dbsession
+        request.dbsession = old_dbsession
+
+
 def get_unsent_notification_count(request):
     """
     Get count of unsent notifications using a fresh database session.
@@ -77,6 +103,7 @@ def get_unsent_notification_count(request):
 def mark_ready_notifications_as_sent(request):
     """
     Mark notifications as sent if they were ready to be delivered based on frequency rules.
+    Only marks non-orphaned notifications (those with valid node_event).
 
     Args:
         request: Pyramid request object
@@ -88,36 +115,42 @@ def mark_ready_notifications_as_sent(request):
         dbsession = get_tm_session(
             request.registry["dbsession_factory"], transaction.manager
         )
-        
+
         # Get all unsent notifications
         unsent_notifications = dbsession.query(NodeEventNotification).filter(
             NodeEventNotification.sent == False
         ).all()
-        
+
         total_unsent = len(unsent_notifications)
-        
+
         if total_unsent == 0:
             return total_unsent, 0, 0
-        
+
         # Only mark notifications that should have been sent based on frequency
+        # and are not orphaned (have valid node_event)
         ready_notification_ids = [
-            n.id for n in unsent_notifications 
-            if should_have_been_sent(n)
+            n.id for n in unsent_notifications
+            if should_have_been_sent(n) and n.node_event is not None
         ]
-        
+
+        # Count orphaned notifications separately
+        orphaned_count = sum(1 for n in unsent_notifications if n.node_event is None)
+        if orphaned_count > 0:
+            log.warning(f"Found {orphaned_count} orphaned notifications that will not be marked as sent")
+
         marked_as_sent = 0
         if ready_notification_ids:
             marked_as_sent = dbsession.query(NodeEventNotification).filter(
                 NodeEventNotification.id.in_(ready_notification_ids)
             ).update({
-                'sent': True, 
+                'sent': True,
                 'updated_timestamp': now_timestamp()
             }, synchronize_session=False)
-            
+
             # Ensure changes are persisted
             dbsession.flush()
             transaction.commit()
-        
+
         left_for_later = total_unsent - marked_as_sent
         return total_unsent, marked_as_sent, left_for_later
 
@@ -142,10 +175,14 @@ def main():
                 log.info("No notifications to process")
                 return
             
-            # Deliver scheduled notifications
+            # Deliver scheduled notifications with orphaned notification protection
             log.info("Delivering scheduled notifications...")
-            deliver_scheduled_notifications(request)
-            transaction.commit()
+            with transaction.manager:
+                dbsession = get_tm_session(
+                    request.registry["dbsession_factory"], transaction.manager
+                )
+                safe_deliver_scheduled_notifications(request, dbsession)
+                transaction.commit()
             
             # Check final state and mark ready notifications as sent
             log.info("Checking for notifications that need to be marked as sent...")