diff --git a/database/mock/store.go b/database/mock/store.go
index cd9465d282..fead638000 100644
--- a/database/mock/store.go
+++ b/database/mock/store.go
@@ -396,6 +396,20 @@ func (mr *MockStoreMockRecorder) DeleteProfileForEntity(arg0, arg1 any) *gomock.
 	return mr.mock.ctrl.RecordCallWithMethodType(mr.mock, "DeleteProfileForEntity", reflect.TypeOf((*MockStore)(nil).DeleteProfileForEntity), arg0, arg1)
 }
 
+// DeleteProfilesInProject mocks base method.
+func (m *MockStore) DeleteProfilesInProject(arg0 context.Context, arg1 uuid.UUID) error {
+	m.ctrl.T.Helper()
+	ret := m.ctrl.Call(m, "DeleteProfilesInProject", arg0, arg1)
+	ret0, _ := ret[0].(error)
+	return ret0
+}
+
+// DeleteProfilesInProject indicates an expected call of DeleteProfilesInProject.
+func (mr *MockStoreMockRecorder) DeleteProfilesInProject(arg0, arg1 any) *gomock.Call {
+	mr.mock.ctrl.T.Helper()
+	return mr.mock.ctrl.RecordCallWithMethodType(mr.mock, "DeleteProfilesInProject", reflect.TypeOf((*MockStore)(nil).DeleteProfilesInProject), arg0, arg1)
+}
+
 // DeleteProject mocks base method.
 func (m *MockStore) DeleteProject(arg0 context.Context, arg1 uuid.UUID) ([]db.DeleteProjectRow, error) {
 	m.ctrl.T.Helper()
diff --git a/database/query/profiles.sql b/database/query/profiles.sql
index df12c01b5b..08af717d28 100644
--- a/database/query/profiles.sql
+++ b/database/query/profiles.sql
@@ -106,7 +106,6 @@ JOIN entity_profile_rules ON entity_profiles.id = entity_profile_rules.entity_pr
 WHERE entity_profile_rules.rule_type_id = $1
 GROUP BY profiles.id;
 
-
 -- name: CountProfilesByEntityType :many
 SELECT COUNT(p.id) AS num_profiles, ep.entity AS profile_entity
 FROM profiles AS p
@@ -115,3 +114,7 @@ GROUP BY ep.entity;
 
 -- name: CountProfilesByName :one
 SELECT COUNT(*) AS num_named_profiles FROM profiles WHERE lower(name) = lower(sqlc.arg(name));
+
+-- used when cleaning up a project to avoid FK dependency issues between rule_types and rule_instances
+-- name: DeleteProfilesInProject :exec
+DELETE FROM profiles WHERE project_id = $1;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/internal/db/profiles.sql.go b/internal/db/profiles.sql.go
index 8a984351e4..4cc4b59dcb 100644
--- a/internal/db/profiles.sql.go
+++ b/internal/db/profiles.sql.go
@@ -174,6 +174,16 @@ func (q *Queries) DeleteProfileForEntity(ctx context.Context, arg DeleteProfileF
 	return err
 }
 
+const deleteProfilesInProject = `-- name: DeleteProfilesInProject :exec
+DELETE FROM profiles WHERE project_id = $1
+`
+
+// used when cleaning up a project to avoid FK dependency issues between rule_types and rule_instances
+func (q *Queries) DeleteProfilesInProject(ctx context.Context, projectID uuid.UUID) error {
+	_, err := q.db.ExecContext(ctx, deleteProfilesInProject, projectID)
+	return err
+}
+
 const deleteRuleInstantiation = `-- name: DeleteRuleInstantiation :exec
 DELETE FROM entity_profile_rules WHERE entity_profile_id = $1 AND rule_type_id = $2
 `
diff --git a/internal/db/querier.go b/internal/db/querier.go
index 5d26672009..3d568f0ef0 100644
--- a/internal/db/querier.go
+++ b/internal/db/querier.go
@@ -35,6 +35,8 @@ type Querier interface {
 	DeleteNonUpdatedRules(ctx context.Context, arg DeleteNonUpdatedRulesParams) error
 	DeleteProfile(ctx context.Context, arg DeleteProfileParams) error
 	DeleteProfileForEntity(ctx context.Context, arg DeleteProfileForEntityParams) error
+	// used when cleaning up a project to avoid FK dependency issues between rule_types and rule_instances
+	DeleteProfilesInProject(ctx context.Context, projectID uuid.UUID) error
 	DeleteProject(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) ([]DeleteProjectRow, error)
 	DeleteProvider(ctx context.Context, arg DeleteProviderParams) error
 	DeletePullRequest(ctx context.Context, arg DeletePullRequestParams) error
diff --git a/internal/projects/deleter.go b/internal/projects/deleter.go
index b40d901595..75dfc8b886 100644
--- a/internal/projects/deleter.go
+++ b/internal/projects/deleter.go
@@ -145,6 +145,13 @@ func (p *projectDeleter) DeleteProject(
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Delete the project's profiles. This avoids foreign key issues with
+	// rule_instances when deleting rows from rule_type.
+	err = querier.DeleteProfilesInProject(ctx, proj)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to delete profiles: %w", err)
+	}
+
 	// no role assignments for this project
 	// we can safely delete it.
 	l.Debug().Msg("deleting project from database")
diff --git a/internal/projects/deleter_test.go b/internal/projects/deleter_test.go
index 02377fa615..30ea54392e 100644
--- a/internal/projects/deleter_test.go
+++ b/internal/projects/deleter_test.go
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ func TestDeleteProjectOneProjectWithNoParents(t *testing.T) {
 	mockStore := mockdb.NewMockStore(ctrl)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().GetProjectByID(gomock.Any(), proj).Return(
 		db.Project{ID: proj}, nil)
+	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProfilesInProject(gomock.Any(), proj)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProject(gomock.Any(), proj).
 		Return([]db.DeleteProjectRow{
 			{ID: proj},
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ func TestDeleteProjectWithOneParent(t *testing.T) {
 		}, nil)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().ListProvidersByProjectID(gomock.Any(), []uuid.UUID{proj}).
 		Return([]db.Provider{}, nil)
+	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProfilesInProject(gomock.Any(), proj)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProject(gomock.Any(), proj).
 		Return([]db.DeleteProjectRow{
 			{
@@ -141,6 +143,7 @@ func TestDeleteProjectProjectInThreeNodeHierarchy(t *testing.T) {
 		}, nil)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().ListProvidersByProjectID(gomock.Any(), []uuid.UUID{proj}).
 		Return([]db.Provider{}, nil)
+	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProfilesInProject(gomock.Any(), proj)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProject(gomock.Any(), proj).
 		Return([]db.DeleteProjectRow{
 			{
@@ -198,6 +201,7 @@ func TestDeleteMiddleProjectInThreeNodeHierarchy(t *testing.T) {
 		}, nil)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().ListProvidersByProjectID(gomock.Any(), []uuid.UUID{proj}).
 		Return([]db.Provider{}, nil)
+	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProfilesInProject(gomock.Any(), proj).Return(nil)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProject(gomock.Any(), proj).
 		Return([]db.DeleteProjectRow{
 			{
@@ -247,6 +251,7 @@ func TestDeleteProjectWithProvider(t *testing.T) {
 	mockStore := mockdb.NewMockStore(ctrl)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().GetProjectByID(gomock.Any(), proj).Return(
 		db.Project{ID: proj}, nil)
+	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProfilesInProject(gomock.Any(), proj)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProject(gomock.Any(), proj).
 		Return([]db.DeleteProjectRow{
 			{ID: proj},
@@ -302,6 +307,7 @@ func TestCleanupUnmanaged(t *testing.T) {
 	mockStore.EXPECT().GetProjectByID(gomock.Any(), projThree).Return(
 		db.Project{ID: projThree}, nil).Times(2)
 	// Project 3 has no other admins, so it will be deleted.
+	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProfilesInProject(gomock.Any(), projThree).Return(nil)
 	mockStore.EXPECT().DeleteProject(gomock.Any(), projThree).Return(
 		[]db.DeleteProjectRow{
 			{ID: projThree},