diff --git a/src/becca/entities/battribute.js b/src/becca/entities/battribute.js
index ca14a90c0..49b9fa258 100644
--- a/src/becca/entities/battribute.js
+++ b/src/becca/entities/battribute.js
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ class BAttribute extends AbstractBeccaEntity {
         }
 
         if (this.type === 'relation' && !(this.value in this.becca.notes)) {
-            throw new Error(`Cannot save relation '${this.name}' of note '${this.noteId}' since it target not existing note '${this.value}'.`);
+            throw new Error(`Cannot save relation '${this.name}' of note '${this.noteId}' since it targets not existing note '${this.value}'.`);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/becca/entities/bnote.js b/src/becca/entities/bnote.js
index 960b35234..2e9febadb 100644
--- a/src/becca/entities/bnote.js
+++ b/src/becca/entities/bnote.js
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ class BNote extends AbstractBeccaEntity {
          * @private */
         this.parents = [];
         /** @type {BNote[]}
-         * @private*/
+         * @private */
         this.children = [];
         /** @type {BAttribute[]}
          * @private */
@@ -107,11 +107,11 @@ class BNote extends AbstractBeccaEntity {
          * @private */
         this.__attributeCache = null;
         /** @type {BAttribute[]|null}
-         * @private*/
+         * @private */
         this.inheritableAttributeCache = null;
 
         /** @type {BAttribute[]}
-         * @private*/
+         * @private */
         this.targetRelations = [];
 
         this.becca.addNote(this.noteId, this);
diff --git a/src/services/notes.js b/src/services/notes.js
index 3da2f56fc..d526372d2 100644
--- a/src/services/notes.js
+++ b/src/services/notes.js
@@ -841,7 +841,7 @@ function duplicateSubtree(origNoteId, newParentNoteId) {
         throw new Error('Duplicating root is not possible');
     }
 
-    log.info(`Duplicating ${origNoteId} subtree into ${newParentNoteId}`);
+    log.info(`Duplicating '${origNoteId}' subtree into '${newParentNoteId}'`);
 
     const origNote = becca.notes[origNoteId];
     // might be null if orig note is not in the target newParentNoteId
@@ -919,7 +919,8 @@ function duplicateSubtreeInner(origNote, origBranch, newParentNoteId, noteIdMapp
                 attr.value = noteIdMapping[attr.value];
             }
 
-            attr.save();
+            // the relation targets may not be created yet, the mapping is pre-generated
+            attr.save({skipValidation: true});
         }
 
         for (const childBranch of origNote.getChildBranches()) {