diff --git a/pkg/codegen/modelgenerate/generate_model.go b/pkg/codegen/modelgenerate/generate_model.go
index 6f21a7b..fdfbb47 100644
--- a/pkg/codegen/modelgenerate/generate_model.go
+++ b/pkg/codegen/modelgenerate/generate_model.go
@@ -110,33 +110,227 @@ func GenerateSaveItemFunc(tbl schema.Table) *ast.FuncDecl {
 		updatePairs = append(updatePairs, col.Name+"="+val)
 	}
 
+	hasFks := false
+	checkForeignKeyFailuresAssignment := &ast.AssignStmt{
+		Lhs: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("checkForeignKeyFailures")},
+		Tok: token.DEFINE,
+		Rhs: []ast.Expr{
+			&ast.FuncLit{
+				Type: &ast.FuncType{
+					Params: &ast.FieldList{
+						List: []*ast.Field{{
+							Names: []*ast.Ident{ast.NewIdent("err")},
+							Type:  ast.NewIdent("error"),
+						}},
+					},
+					Results: &ast.FieldList{
+						List: []*ast.Field{{Type: ast.NewIdent("error")}},
+					},
+				},
+				Body: &ast.BlockStmt{
+					List: func() []ast.Stmt {
+						ret := []ast.Stmt{}
+						// if !isSqliteFkError(err) { return nil }
+						ret = append(ret, &ast.IfStmt{
+							Cond: &ast.UnaryExpr{Op: token.NOT, X: &ast.CallExpr{Fun: ast.NewIdent("IsSqliteFkError"), Args: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("err")}}},
+							Body: &ast.BlockStmt{List: []ast.Stmt{&ast.ReturnStmt{Results: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("nil")}}}},
+						})
+
+						for _, col := range tbl.Columns {
+							if !col.IsForeignKey { // Check both "real" foreign keys and code table values
+								continue
+							}
+							hasFks = true
+
+							structFieldName := fkFieldName(col)
+							structField := &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName), Sel: ast.NewIdent(structFieldName)}
+
+							if col.IsNonCodeTableForeignKey() {
+								// Real foreign key; look up referent by ID to see if it exists
+								ret = append(ret, &ast.IfStmt{
+									Init: &ast.AssignStmt{
+										Lhs: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("_"), ast.NewIdent("err")},
+										Tok: token.DEFINE,
+										Rhs: []ast.Expr{
+											&ast.CallExpr{
+												Fun: &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("db"), Sel: ast.NewIdent(getByIDFuncName(col.ForeignKeyTargetTable))},
+												Args: []ast.Expr{
+													structField,
+												},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+									Cond: &ast.CallExpr{
+										Fun: &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("errors"), Sel: ast.NewIdent("Is")},
+										Args: []ast.Expr{
+											ast.NewIdent("err"),
+											ast.NewIdent("ErrNotInDB"),
+										},
+									},
+									Body: &ast.BlockStmt{
+										List: []ast.Stmt{
+											&ast.ReturnStmt{
+												Results: []ast.Expr{
+													&ast.CallExpr{
+														Fun: ast.NewIdent("NewForeignKeyError"),
+														Args: []ast.Expr{
+															&ast.BasicLit{Kind: token.STRING, Value: fmt.Sprintf("%q", structFieldName)},
+															&ast.BasicLit{Kind: token.STRING, Value: fmt.Sprintf("%q", col.ForeignKeyTargetTable)},
+															structField,
+														},
+													},
+												},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								})
+							} else {
+								// Code table value.  Query the table to see if it exists
+								ret = append(ret, &ast.IfStmt{
+									Init: &ast.AssignStmt{
+										Lhs: []ast.Expr{
+											ast.NewIdent("err"),
+										},
+										Tok: token.ASSIGN,
+										Rhs: []ast.Expr{
+											&ast.CallExpr{
+												Fun: &ast.SelectorExpr{X: &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("db"), Sel: ast.NewIdent("DB")}, Sel: ast.NewIdent("Get")},
+												Args: []ast.Expr{
+													&ast.CallExpr{Fun: ast.NewIdent("new"), Args: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("int")}},
+													&ast.BasicLit{Kind: token.STRING, Value: fmt.Sprintf("`select 1 from %s where rowid = ?`", col.ForeignKeyTargetTable)},
+													structField,
+												},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+									Cond: &ast.CallExpr{
+										Fun:  &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("errors"), Sel: ast.NewIdent("Is")},
+										Args: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("err"), &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("sql"), Sel: ast.NewIdent("ErrNoRows")}},
+									},
+									Body: &ast.BlockStmt{
+										List: []ast.Stmt{
+											&ast.ReturnStmt{
+												Results: []ast.Expr{
+													&ast.CallExpr{
+														Fun: ast.NewIdent("NewForeignKeyError"),
+														Args: []ast.Expr{
+															ast.NewIdent(`"Type"`),
+															ast.NewIdent(fmt.Sprintf("%q", col.ForeignKeyTargetTable)),
+															structField,
+														},
+													},
+												},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								})
+							}
+						}
+						// final return nil
+						ret = append(ret, &ast.ReturnStmt{Results: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("nil")}})
+						return ret
+					}(),
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
 	insertStmt := fmt.Sprintf("\n\t\t    insert into %s (%s)\n\t\t         values (%s)\n\t\t", tbl.TableName, strings.Join(insertCols, ", "), strings.Join(insertVals, ", "))
 	updateStmt := fmt.Sprintf("\n\t\t    update %s\n\t\t       set %s\n\t\t     where rowid = :rowid\n\t\t", tbl.TableName, strings.Join(updatePairs, ",\n\t\t           "))
 
 	funcBody := &ast.BlockStmt{
-		List: []ast.Stmt{
-			&ast.IfStmt{
+		List: func() []ast.Stmt {
+			ret := []ast.Stmt{}
+			if hasFks {
+				ret = append(ret, checkForeignKeyFailuresAssignment)
+			}
+			// if item.ID == 0 {...} else {...}
+			ret = append(ret, &ast.IfStmt{
 				Cond: &ast.BinaryExpr{
 					X:  &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName), Sel: ast.NewIdent("ID")},
 					Op: token.EQL,
 					Y:  &ast.BasicLit{Kind: token.INT, Value: "0"},
 				},
 				Body: &ast.BlockStmt{
-					List: []ast.Stmt{
-						&ast.AssignStmt{
-							Lhs: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("result")},
-							Tok: token.DEFINE,
-							Rhs: []ast.Expr{&ast.CallExpr{
-								Fun: ast.NewIdent("Must"),
-								Args: []ast.Expr{&ast.CallExpr{
-									Fun: &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("db.DB"), Sel: ast.NewIdent("NamedExec")},
-									Args: []ast.Expr{
-										&ast.BasicLit{Kind: token.STRING, Value: "`" + insertStmt + "`"},
-										ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName),
+					// Do create
+					List: append(
+						func() []ast.Stmt {
+							namedExecStmt := &ast.CallExpr{
+								Fun: &ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent("db.DB"), Sel: ast.NewIdent("NamedExec")},
+								Args: []ast.Expr{
+									&ast.BasicLit{Kind: token.STRING, Value: "`" + insertStmt + "`"},
+									ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName),
+								},
+							}
+							if !hasFks {
+								// No foreign key checking needed; just use `Must` for brevity
+								return []ast.Stmt{
+									&ast.AssignStmt{
+										Lhs: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("result")},
+										Tok: token.DEFINE,
+										Rhs: []ast.Expr{&ast.CallExpr{
+											Fun:  ast.NewIdent("Must"),
+											Args: []ast.Expr{namedExecStmt},
+										}},
 									},
-								}},
-							}},
-						},
+								}
+							}
+
+							return []ast.Stmt{
+								// result, err := db.DB.NamedExec(`...`, u)
+								&ast.AssignStmt{
+									Lhs: []ast.Expr{
+										ast.NewIdent("result"),
+										ast.NewIdent("err"),
+									},
+									Tok: token.DEFINE,
+									Rhs: []ast.Expr{namedExecStmt},
+								},
+
+								// if fkErr := checkForeignKeyFailures(err); fkErr != nil { return fkErr } else if err != nil { panic(err) }
+								&ast.IfStmt{
+									Init: &ast.AssignStmt{
+										Lhs: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("fkErr")},
+										Tok: token.DEFINE,
+										Rhs: []ast.Expr{
+											&ast.CallExpr{
+												Fun:  ast.NewIdent("checkForeignKeyFailures"),
+												Args: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("err")},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+									Cond: &ast.BinaryExpr{
+										X:  ast.NewIdent("fkErr"),
+										Op: token.NEQ,
+										Y:  ast.NewIdent("nil"),
+									},
+									Body: &ast.BlockStmt{
+										List: []ast.Stmt{
+											&ast.ReturnStmt{
+												Results: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("fkErr")},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+									Else: &ast.IfStmt{
+										Cond: &ast.BinaryExpr{
+											X:  ast.NewIdent("err"),
+											Op: token.NEQ,
+											Y:  ast.NewIdent("nil"),
+										},
+										Body: &ast.BlockStmt{
+											List: []ast.Stmt{
+												&ast.ExprStmt{
+													X: &ast.CallExpr{
+														Fun:  ast.NewIdent("panic"),
+														Args: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("err")},
+													},
+												},
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							}
+						}(),
 						&ast.AssignStmt{
 							Lhs: []ast.Expr{&ast.SelectorExpr{X: ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName), Sel: ast.NewIdent("ID")}},
 							Tok: token.ASSIGN,
@@ -151,9 +345,10 @@ func GenerateSaveItemFunc(tbl schema.Table) *ast.FuncDecl {
 								}},
 							}},
 						},
-					},
+					),
 				},
 				Else: &ast.BlockStmt{
+					// Do update
 					List: []ast.Stmt{
 						&ast.AssignStmt{
 							Lhs: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("result")},
@@ -183,16 +378,26 @@ func GenerateSaveItemFunc(tbl schema.Table) *ast.FuncDecl {
 						},
 					},
 				},
-			},
-		},
+			})
+			if hasFks {
+				// If there's foreign key checking, it needs to return an error (or nil)
+				ret = append(ret, &ast.ReturnStmt{Results: []ast.Expr{ast.NewIdent("nil")}})
+			}
+			return ret
+		}(),
 	}
 
 	funcDecl := &ast.FuncDecl{
 		Recv: &ast.FieldList{List: []*ast.Field{{Names: []*ast.Ident{ast.NewIdent("db")}, Type: ast.NewIdent("DB")}}},
 		Name: ast.NewIdent("Save" + tbl.GoTypeName),
 		Type: &ast.FuncType{
-			Params:  &ast.FieldList{List: []*ast.Field{{Names: []*ast.Ident{ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName)}, Type: &ast.StarExpr{X: ast.NewIdent(tbl.GoTypeName)}}}},
-			Results: nil,
+			Params: &ast.FieldList{List: []*ast.Field{{Names: []*ast.Ident{ast.NewIdent(tbl.VarName)}, Type: &ast.StarExpr{X: ast.NewIdent(tbl.GoTypeName)}}}},
+			Results: func() *ast.FieldList {
+				if hasFks {
+					return &ast.FieldList{List: []*ast.Field{{Type: ast.NewIdent("error")}}}
+				}
+				return nil
+			}(),
 		},
 		Body: funcBody,
 	}