diff --git a/horreum-backend/src/main/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceImpl.java b/horreum-backend/src/main/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceImpl.java
index ef862f6ea..aeb17d638 100644
--- a/horreum-backend/src/main/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceImpl.java
+++ b/horreum-backend/src/main/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceImpl.java
@@ -736,12 +736,13 @@ public void updateVariables(int testId, List<Variable> variablesDTO) {
          List<VariableDAO> variables = variablesDTO.stream().map(VariableMapper::to).collect(Collectors.toList());
          List<VariableDAO> currentVariables = VariableDAO.list("testId", testId);
          updateCollection(currentVariables, variables, v -> v.id, item -> {
-            if (item.id != null && item.id <= 0) {
+            if (item.id != null && item.id < 0) {
                item.id = null;
             }
             if (item.changeDetection != null) {
                ensureDefaults(item.changeDetection);
                item.changeDetection.forEach(rd -> rd.variable = item);
+               item.changeDetection.stream().filter(rd -> rd.id != null && rd.id == -1).forEach(rd -> rd.id = null);
             }
             item.testId = testId;
                 item.persist(); // insert
@@ -754,7 +755,7 @@ public void updateVariables(int testId, List<Variable> variablesDTO) {
                ensureDefaults(matching.changeDetection);
             }
             updateCollection(current.changeDetection, matching.changeDetection, rd -> rd.id, item -> {
-               if (item.id != null && item.id <= 0) {
+               if (item.id != null && item.id < 0) {
                   item.id = null;
                }
                item.variable = current;
diff --git a/horreum-backend/src/test/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceTest.java b/horreum-backend/src/test/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceTest.java
index d34547861..09c86239b 100644
--- a/horreum-backend/src/test/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceTest.java
+++ b/horreum-backend/src/test/java/io/hyperfoil/tools/horreum/svc/AlertingServiceTest.java
@@ -1,35 +1,22 @@
 package io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.svc;
 
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertFalse;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
-import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.fail;
-
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.time.Instant;
-import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.Arrays;
-import java.util.Collections;
-import java.util.List;
+import java.util.*;
 import java.util.concurrent.BlockingQueue;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicLong;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 import java.util.stream.IntStream;
 
-import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.alerting.ChangeDetection;
-import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.alerting.DataPoint;
-import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.alerting.RunExpectation;
+import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.alerting.*;
 import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.data.Dataset;
 import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.data.Fingerprints;
+import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.changedetection.RelativeDifferenceChangeDetectionModel;
 import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.bus.MessageBusChannels;
 import io.restassured.common.mapper.TypeRef;
 import jakarta.inject.Inject;
 
-import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.alerting.Change;
 import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.data.Extractor;
 import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.data.Label;
 import io.hyperfoil.tools.horreum.api.data.Schema;
@@ -64,6 +51,8 @@
 import io.quarkus.test.oidc.server.OidcWiremockTestResource;
 import io.restassured.RestAssured;
 
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+
 @QuarkusTest
 @QuarkusTestResource(PostgresResource.class)
 @QuarkusTestResource(OidcWiremockTestResource.class)
@@ -767,6 +756,43 @@ public void testFindLastDatapoints(TestInfo info) throws IOException {
               .then().statusCode(200).extract().body().as(new ParameterizedTypeImpl(List.class, AlertingService.DatapointLastTimestamp.class));
    }
 
+   @org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
+   public void testUpdateVariablesHandlesNegativeId(TestInfo info) throws Exception {
+      Test test = createTest(createExampleTest(getTestName(info)));
+      Schema schema = createExampleSchema(info);
+      ChangeDetection cd = addChangeDetectionVariable(test, schema.id);
+
+      cd.config.put("filter", "min");
+      setTestVariables(test, "Value", new Label("value", schema.id), cd);//create
+
+      List<Variable> variables = variables(test.id);
+      assertEquals(1, variables.size());
+      assertNotNull(variables.get(0).id);
+
+      ChangeDetection problematicChangeDetection = new ChangeDetection();
+      problematicChangeDetection.id = -1; //UI typically sets this value
+      problematicChangeDetection.model = RelativeDifferenceChangeDetectionModel.NAME;
+      problematicChangeDetection.config = JsonNodeFactory.instance.objectNode().put("threshold", 0.2).put("minPrevious", 2).put("window", 2).put("filter", "mean");
+      List<String> labels = Collections.singletonList("foobar");
+      Set<ChangeDetection> cdSet = Collections.singleton(problematicChangeDetection);
+
+      Variable throughput = new Variable();
+      throughput.id = -1; //UI typically sets this value
+      throughput.testId = test.id;
+      throughput.name = "throughput";
+      throughput.labels = labels;
+      throughput.changeDetection = cdSet;
+      variables.add(throughput);
+
+      updateVariables(test.id, variables);//update
+      List<Variable> updated = variables(test.id);
+      Variable updatedThroughput = updated.stream().filter(v -> v.name.equals(throughput.name)).findFirst().get();
+      assertNotEquals(-1, updatedThroughput.id);
+      assertEquals(throughput.changeDetection.size(), updatedThroughput.changeDetection.size());
+      ChangeDetection updatedChangeDetection = updatedThroughput.changeDetection.stream().findFirst().get();
+      assertNotEquals(-1, updatedChangeDetection.id);
+   }
+
    private void checkChanges(Test test) {
       List<ChangeDAO> list = ChangeDAO.list("variable.testId", test.id);
       assertEquals(Arrays.asList(1L, 4L, 6L, 7L, 9L),