diff --git a/BUILD b/BUILD
index 47182ab..0e88858 100644
--- a/BUILD
+++ b/BUILD
@@ -45,12 +45,14 @@
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
     exports = PLUGIN_DEPS + PLUGIN_TEST_DEPS + [
         ":multi-site__plugin",
-        "@curator-client//jar",
-        "@curator-framework//jar",
-        "@curator-test//jar",
-        "@mockito//jar",
-        "@testcontainers-kafka//jar",
         "@wiremock//jar",
+        "@kafka-client//jar",
+        "@testcontainers-kafka//jar",
         "//lib/testcontainers",
+        "@curator-framework//jar",
+        "@curator-recipes//jar",
+        "@curator-test//jar",
+        "@curator-client//jar",
+        "@zookeeper//jar",
     ],
 )
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 01b3498..0f526a9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@
 
 ```
 [gerrit]
+  installDbModule = com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.GitModule
   installModule = com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Module
 ```
 
diff --git a/external_plugin_deps.bzl b/external_plugin_deps.bzl
index 369f6e0..eb53541 100644
--- a/external_plugin_deps.bzl
+++ b/external_plugin_deps.bzl
@@ -8,37 +8,6 @@
     )
 
     maven_jar(
-        name = "mockito",
-        artifact = "org.mockito:mockito-core:2.27.0",
-        sha1 = "835fc3283b481f4758b8ef464cd560c649c08b00",
-        deps = [
-            "@byte-buddy//jar",
-            "@byte-buddy-agent//jar",
-            "@objenesis//jar",
-        ],
-    )
-
-    BYTE_BUDDY_VER = "1.9.10"
-
-    maven_jar(
-        name = "byte-buddy",
-        artifact = "net.bytebuddy:byte-buddy:" + BYTE_BUDDY_VER,
-        sha1 = "211a2b4d3df1eeef2a6cacf78d74a1f725e7a840",
-    )
-
-    maven_jar(
-        name = "byte-buddy-agent",
-        artifact = "net.bytebuddy:byte-buddy-agent:" + BYTE_BUDDY_VER,
-        sha1 = "9674aba5ee793e54b864952b001166848da0f26b",
-    )
-
-    maven_jar(
-        name = "objenesis",
-        artifact = "org.objenesis:objenesis:2.6",
-        sha1 = "639033469776fd37c08358c6b92a4761feb2af4b",
-    )
-
-    maven_jar(
         name = "kafka-client",
         artifact = "org.apache.kafka:kafka-clients:2.1.0",
         sha1 = "34d9983705c953b97abb01e1cd04647f47272fe5",
diff --git a/setup_local_env/configs/gerrit.config b/setup_local_env/configs/gerrit.config
index 18eeca4..f0f56dc 100644
--- a/setup_local_env/configs/gerrit.config
+++ b/setup_local_env/configs/gerrit.config
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
     serverId = 69ec38f0-350e-4d9c-96d4-bc956f2faaac
     canonicalWebUrl = $GERRIT_CANONICAL_WEB_URL
     installModule = com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Module # multi-site needs to be a gerrit lib
-
+    installDbModule = com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.GitModule
 [database]
     type = h2
     database = $LOCATION_TEST_SITE/db/ReviewDB
@@ -36,4 +36,4 @@
 [plugins]
     allowRemoteAdmin = true
 [plugin "websession-flatfile"]
-    directory = $FAKE_NFS
+    directory = $FAKE_NFS
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/setup_local_env/setup.sh b/setup_local_env/setup.sh
index 23176fa..ff75d7e 100755
--- a/setup_local_env/setup.sh
+++ b/setup_local_env/setup.sh
@@ -317,11 +317,11 @@
 	cp -f $MULTISITE_LIB_LOCATION $DEPLOYMENT_LOCATION/multi-site.jar  >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "$MULTISITE_LIB_LOCATION: Not able to copy the file. Aborting"; exit 1; }
 fi
 if [ $DOWNLOAD_WEBSESSION_FLATFILE = "true" ];then
-	echo "Downloading websession-flatfile plugin stable 2.16"
-	wget https://gerrit-ci.gerritforge.com/view/Plugins-stable-2.16/job/plugin-websession-flatfile-bazel-master-stable-2.16/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/bazel-bin/plugins/websession-flatfile/websession-flatfile.jar \
+	echo "Downloading websession-flatfile plugin stable 3.0"
+	wget https://gerrit-ci.gerritforge.com/view/Plugins-stable-3.0/job/plugin-websession-flatfile-bazel-master-stable-3.0/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/bazel-bin/plugins/websession-flatfile/websession-flatfile.jar \
 	-O $DEPLOYMENT_LOCATION/websession-flatfile.jar || { echo >&2 "Cannot download websession-flatfile plugin: Check internet connection. Abort\
 ing"; exit 1; }
-	wget https://gerrit-ci.gerritforge.com/view/Plugins-stable-2.16/job/plugin-healthcheck-bazel-stable-2.16/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/bazel-bin/plugins/healthcheck/healthcheck.jar \
+	wget https://gerrit-ci.gerritforge.com/view/Plugins-stable-3.0/job/plugin-healthcheck-bazel-stable-3.0/lastSuccessfulBuild/artifact/bazel-bin/plugins/healthcheck/healthcheck.jar \
 	-O $DEPLOYMENT_LOCATION/healthcheck.jar || { echo >&2 "Cannot download healthcheck plugin: Check internet connection. Abort\
 ing"; exit 1; }
 else
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GerritNoteDbStatus.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GitModule.java
similarity index 64%
rename from src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GerritNoteDbStatus.java
rename to src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GitModule.java
index ff932da..4f7205d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GerritNoteDbStatus.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GitModule.java
@@ -14,21 +14,22 @@
 
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite;
 
-import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.NotesMigration;
+import com.google.inject.AbstractModule;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
-import com.google.inject.Singleton;
+import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.ValidationModule;
 
-@Singleton
-public class GerritNoteDbStatus implements NoteDbStatus {
-  private final NotesMigration notesMigration;
+public class GitModule extends AbstractModule {
+  private final Configuration config;
 
   @Inject
-  public GerritNoteDbStatus(NotesMigration notesMigration) {
-    this.notesMigration = notesMigration;
+  public GitModule(Configuration config) {
+    this.config = config;
   }
 
   @Override
-  public boolean enabled() {
-    return notesMigration.commitChangeWrites();
+  protected void configure() {
+    if (config.getSharedRefDb().isEnabled()) {
+      install(new ValidationModule(config));
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Log4jSharedRefLogger.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Log4jSharedRefLogger.java
index 5930576..b5d20e0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Log4jSharedRefLogger.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Log4jSharedRefLogger.java
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@
 import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.google.common.flogger.FluentLogger;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.common.GitPerson;
+import com.google.gerrit.json.OutputFormat;
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Project;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.CommonConverters;
-import com.google.gerrit.server.OutputFormat;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.git.GitRepositoryManager;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.SystemLog;
 import com.google.gson.Gson;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Module.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Module.java
index 5f4f635..89c2253 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Module.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/Module.java
@@ -14,14 +14,14 @@
 
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite;
 
-import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
+import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicItem;
 import com.google.gerrit.lifecycle.LifecycleModule;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.config.SitePaths;
 import com.google.gson.Gson;
 import com.google.inject.CreationException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.Provides;
-import com.google.inject.ProvisionException;
+import com.google.inject.Scopes;
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
 import com.google.inject.spi.Message;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.broker.BrokerGson;
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.ForwarderModule;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.router.RouterModule;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index.IndexModule;
-import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.ValidationModule;
+import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.NoopSharedRefDatabase;
+import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.SharedRefDatabase;
 import java.io.BufferedReader;
 import java.io.BufferedWriter;
 import java.io.IOException;
@@ -47,44 +48,28 @@
 public class Module extends LifecycleModule {
   private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(Module.class);
   private Configuration config;
-  private NoteDbStatus noteDb;
   private BrokerModule brokerModule;
-  private final boolean disableGitRepositoryValidation;
 
   @Inject
-  public Module(Configuration config, NoteDbStatus noteDb, BrokerModule brokerModule) {
-    this(config, noteDb, brokerModule, false);
-  }
-
-  // TODO: It is not possible to properly test the libModules in Gerrit.
-  // Disable the Git repository validation during integration test and then build the necessary
-  // support
-  // in Gerrit for it.
-  @VisibleForTesting
-  public Module(
-      Configuration config,
-      NoteDbStatus noteDb,
-      BrokerModule brokerModule,
-      boolean disableGitRepositoryValidation) {
+  public Module(Configuration config, BrokerModule brokerModule) {
     this.config = config;
-    this.noteDb = noteDb;
     this.brokerModule = brokerModule;
-    this.disableGitRepositoryValidation = disableGitRepositoryValidation;
   }
 
   @Override
   protected void configure() {
-    if (!noteDb.enabled()) {
-      throw new ProvisionException(
-          "Gerrit is still running on ReviewDb: please migrate to NoteDb "
-              + "and then reload the multi-site plugin.");
-    }
 
     Collection<Message> validationErrors = config.validate();
     if (!validationErrors.isEmpty()) {
       throw new CreationException(validationErrors);
     }
 
+    DynamicItem.itemOf(binder(), SharedRefDatabase.class);
+    DynamicItem.bind(binder(), SharedRefDatabase.class)
+        .to(NoopSharedRefDatabase.class)
+        .in(Scopes.SINGLETON);
+    log.info("Shared ref-db engine: none");
+
     listener().to(Log4jMessageLogger.class);
     bind(MessageLogger.class).to(Log4jMessageLogger.class);
 
@@ -104,10 +89,6 @@
 
     install(new RouterModule());
 
-    install(
-        new ValidationModule(
-            config, disableGitRepositoryValidation || !config.getSharedRefDb().isEnabled()));
-
     bind(Gson.class)
         .annotatedWith(BrokerGson.class)
         .toProvider(GsonProvider.class)
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/NoteDbStatus.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/NoteDbStatus.java
deleted file mode 100644
index f47e503..0000000
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/NoteDbStatus.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,29 +0,0 @@
-// Copyright (C) 2019 The Android Open Source Project
-//
-// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-// You may obtain a copy of the License at
-//
-// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-//
-// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-// limitations under the License.
-
-package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite;
-
-import com.google.inject.ImplementedBy;
-
-/** Returns the status of changes migration. */
-@ImplementedBy(GerritNoteDbStatus.class)
-public interface NoteDbStatus {
-
-  /**
-   * Status of NoteDb migration.
-   *
-   * @return true if Gerrit has been migrated to NoteDb
-   */
-  boolean enabled();
-}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginModule.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginModule.java
index d445251..b27ae01 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginModule.java
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright (C) 2015 The Android Open Source Project
+// Copyright (C) 2019 The Android Open Source Project
 //
 // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
 // you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
   @Override
   protected void configure() {
     if (config.getSharedRefDb().isEnabled()) {
+      listener().to(PluginStartup.class);
       logger.atInfo().log("Shared ref-db engine: Zookeeper");
       install(zkValidationModule);
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GerritNoteDbStatus.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginStartup.java
similarity index 60%
copy from src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GerritNoteDbStatus.java
copy to src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginStartup.java
index ff932da..33b54d2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/GerritNoteDbStatus.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/PluginStartup.java
@@ -14,21 +14,25 @@
 
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite;
 
-import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.NotesMigration;
+import com.google.gerrit.extensions.events.LifecycleListener;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
-import com.google.inject.Singleton;
+import com.google.inject.Injector;
 
-@Singleton
-public class GerritNoteDbStatus implements NoteDbStatus {
-  private final NotesMigration notesMigration;
+public class PluginStartup implements LifecycleListener {
+  private SharedRefDatabaseWrapper sharedRefDb;
+  private Injector injector;
 
   @Inject
-  public GerritNoteDbStatus(NotesMigration notesMigration) {
-    this.notesMigration = notesMigration;
+  public PluginStartup(SharedRefDatabaseWrapper sharedRefDb, Injector injector) {
+    this.sharedRefDb = sharedRefDb;
+    this.injector = injector;
   }
 
   @Override
-  public boolean enabled() {
-    return notesMigration.commitChangeWrites();
+  public void start() {
+    injector.injectMembers(sharedRefDb);
   }
+
+  @Override
+  public void stop() {}
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/SharedRefDatabaseWrapper.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/SharedRefDatabaseWrapper.java
index e6ebc08..eda8d7c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/SharedRefDatabaseWrapper.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/SharedRefDatabaseWrapper.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite;
 
+import com.google.common.annotations.VisibleForTesting;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicItem;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.SharedLockException;
@@ -24,14 +25,21 @@
 
 public class SharedRefDatabaseWrapper implements SharedRefDatabase {
 
-  private final DynamicItem<SharedRefDatabase> sharedRefDbDynamicItem;
+  @Inject(optional = true)
+  private DynamicItem<SharedRefDatabase> sharedRefDbDynamicItem;
+
   private final SharedRefLogger sharedRefLogger;
 
   @Inject
+  public SharedRefDatabaseWrapper(SharedRefLogger sharedRefLogger) {
+    this.sharedRefLogger = sharedRefLogger;
+  }
+
+  @VisibleForTesting
   public SharedRefDatabaseWrapper(
       DynamicItem<SharedRefDatabase> sharedRefDbDynamicItem, SharedRefLogger sharedRefLogger) {
-    this.sharedRefDbDynamicItem = sharedRefDbDynamicItem;
     this.sharedRefLogger = sharedRefLogger;
+    this.sharedRefDbDynamicItem = sharedRefDbDynamicItem;
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/consumer/AbstractSubcriber.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/consumer/AbstractSubcriber.java
index 2308c0e..7854aab 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/consumer/AbstractSubcriber.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/consumer/AbstractSubcriber.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicSet;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
 import com.google.gson.Gson;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.InstanceId;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.MessageLogger;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.MessageLogger.Direction;
@@ -82,7 +81,7 @@
         logger.atSevere().withCause(e).log(
             "Malformed event '%s': [Exception: %s]", event.getHeader().getEventType());
         subscriberMetrics.incrementSubscriberFailedToConsumeMessage();
-      } catch (PermissionBackendException | OrmException | CacheNotFoundException e) {
+      } catch (PermissionBackendException | CacheNotFoundException e) {
         logger.atSevere().withCause(e).log(
             "Cannot handle message %s: [Exception: %s]", event.getHeader().getEventType());
         subscriberMetrics.incrementSubscriberFailedToConsumeMessage();
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedAwareEventBroker.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedAwareEventBroker.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedAwareEventBroker.java
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandler.java
index 85dab30..278ba4e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandler.java
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.ManualRequestContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.OneOffRequestContext;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
@@ -47,9 +46,8 @@
    * Dispatch an event in the local node, event will not be forwarded to the other node.
    *
    * @param event The event to dispatch
-   * @throws OrmException If an error occur while retrieving the change the event belongs to.
    */
-  public void dispatch(Event event) throws OrmException, PermissionBackendException {
+  public void dispatch(Event event) throws PermissionBackendException {
     try (ManualRequestContext ctx = oneOffCtx.open()) {
       Context.setForwardedEvent(true);
       log.debug("dispatching event {}", event.getType());
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexAccountHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexAccountHandler.java
index 29bfa44..31256b7 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexAccountHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexAccountHandler.java
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Configuration;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.events.AccountIndexEvent;
-import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Optional;
 
 /**
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  protected void doIndex(Account.Id id, Optional<AccountIndexEvent> event) throws IOException {
+  protected void doIndex(Account.Id id, Optional<AccountIndexEvent> event) {
     indexer.index(id);
     log.debug("Account {} successfully indexed", id);
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandler.java
index 1913b00..8340a5f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandler.java
@@ -18,10 +18,8 @@
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Change;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.index.change.ChangeIndexer;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.ChangeNotes;
-import com.google.gerrit.server.project.NoSuchChangeException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.ManualRequestContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.OneOffRequestContext;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Configuration;
@@ -30,7 +28,6 @@
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index.ChangeChecker;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index.ChangeCheckerImpl;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index.ForwardedIndexExecutor;
-import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
@@ -71,72 +68,48 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  protected void doIndex(String id, Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent)
-      throws IOException, OrmException {
+  protected void doIndex(String id, Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent) {
     doIndex(id, indexEvent, 0);
   }
 
-  private void doIndex(String id, Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent, int retryCount)
-      throws IOException, OrmException {
-    try {
-      ChangeChecker checker = changeCheckerFactory.create(id);
-      Optional<ChangeNotes> changeNotes = checker.getChangeNotes();
-      if (changeNotes.isPresent()) {
-        ChangeNotes notes = changeNotes.get();
-        reindex(notes);
+  private void doIndex(String id, Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent, int retryCount) {
+    ChangeChecker checker = changeCheckerFactory.create(id);
+    Optional<ChangeNotes> changeNotes = checker.getChangeNotes();
+    if (changeNotes.isPresent()) {
+      ChangeNotes notes = changeNotes.get();
+      reindex(notes);
 
-        if (checker.isChangeUpToDate(indexEvent)) {
-          if (retryCount > 0) {
-            log.warn("Change {} has been eventually indexed after {} attempt(s)", id, retryCount);
-          } else {
-            log.debug("Change {} successfully indexed", id);
-          }
+      if (checker.isChangeUpToDate(indexEvent)) {
+        if (retryCount > 0) {
+          log.warn("Change {} has been eventually indexed after {} attempt(s)", id, retryCount);
         } else {
-          log.warn(
-              "Change {} seems too old compared to the event timestamp (event={} >> change-Ts={})",
-              id,
-              indexEvent,
-              checker);
-          rescheduleIndex(id, indexEvent, retryCount + 1);
+          log.debug("Change {} successfully indexed", id);
         }
       } else {
         log.warn(
-            "Change {} not present yet in local Git repository (event={}) after {} attempt(s)",
+            "Change {} seems too old compared to the event timestamp (event={} >> change-Ts={})",
             id,
             indexEvent,
-            retryCount);
-        if (!rescheduleIndex(id, indexEvent, retryCount + 1)) {
-          log.error(
-              "Change {} could not be found in the local Git repository (event={})",
-              id,
-              indexEvent);
-        }
+            checker);
+        rescheduleIndex(id, indexEvent, retryCount + 1);
       }
-    } catch (Exception e) {
-      if (isCausedByNoSuchChangeException(e)) {
-        indexer.delete(parseChangeId(id));
-        log.warn("Error trying to index Change {}. Deleted from index", id, e);
-        return;
+    } else {
+      log.warn(
+          "Change {} not present yet in local Git repository (event={}) after {} attempt(s)",
+          id,
+          indexEvent,
+          retryCount);
+      if (!rescheduleIndex(id, indexEvent, retryCount + 1)) {
+        log.error(
+            "Change {} could not be found in the local Git repository (event={})", id, indexEvent);
       }
-
-      throw e;
     }
   }
 
-  private static boolean isCausedByNoSuchChangeException(Throwable throwable) {
-    while (throwable != null) {
-      if (throwable instanceof NoSuchChangeException) {
-        return true;
-      }
-      throwable = throwable.getCause();
-    }
-    return false;
-  }
-
-  private void reindex(ChangeNotes notes) throws IOException, OrmException {
+  private void reindex(ChangeNotes notes) {
     try (ManualRequestContext ctx = oneOffCtx.open()) {
       notes.reload();
-      indexer.index(ctx.getReviewDbProvider().get(), notes.getChange());
+      indexer.index(notes.getChange());
     }
   }
 
@@ -172,7 +145,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  protected void doDelete(String id, Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent) throws IOException {
+  protected void doDelete(String id, Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent) {
     indexer.delete(parseChangeId(id));
     log.debug("Change {} successfully deleted from index", id);
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexGroupHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexGroupHandler.java
index 76ce260..368dffe 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexGroupHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexGroupHandler.java
@@ -16,12 +16,10 @@
 
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.AccountGroup;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.index.group.GroupIndexer;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.Singleton;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Configuration;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.events.GroupIndexEvent;
-import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Optional;
 
 /**
@@ -41,8 +39,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  protected void doIndex(String uuid, Optional<GroupIndexEvent> event)
-      throws IOException, OrmException {
+  protected void doIndex(String uuid, Optional<GroupIndexEvent> event) {
     indexer.index(new AccountGroup.UUID(uuid));
     log.debug("Group {} successfully indexed", uuid);
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexProjectHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexProjectHandler.java
index ff2e111..e5f7e10 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexProjectHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexProjectHandler.java
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.events.ProjectIndexEvent;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index.ForwardedIndexExecutor;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index.ProjectChecker;
-import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
@@ -58,15 +57,14 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  protected void doIndex(String projectName, Optional<ProjectIndexEvent> event) throws IOException {
+  protected void doIndex(String projectName, Optional<ProjectIndexEvent> event) {
     if (!attemptIndex(projectName, event)) {
       log.warn("First Attempt failed, scheduling again after {} msecs", retryInterval);
       rescheduleIndex(projectName, event, 1);
     }
   }
 
-  public boolean attemptIndex(String projectName, Optional<ProjectIndexEvent> event)
-      throws IOException {
+  public boolean attemptIndex(String projectName, Optional<ProjectIndexEvent> event) {
     log.debug("Attempt to index project {}, event: [{}]", projectName, event);
     final Project.NameKey projectNameKey = new Project.NameKey(projectName);
     if (projectChecker.isProjectUpToDate(projectNameKey)) {
@@ -97,17 +95,13 @@
     indexExecutor.schedule(
         () -> {
           Context.setForwardedEvent(true);
-          try {
-            if (!attemptIndex(projectName, event)) {
-              log.warn(
-                  "Attempt {} to index project {} failed, scheduling again after {} msecs",
-                  retryCount,
-                  projectName,
-                  retryInterval);
-              rescheduleIndex(projectName, event, retryCount + 1);
-            }
-          } catch (IOException e) {
-            log.warn("Project {} could not be indexed", projectName, e);
+          if (!attemptIndex(projectName, event)) {
+            log.warn(
+                "Attempt {} to index project {} failed, scheduling again after {} msecs",
+                retryCount,
+                projectName,
+                retryInterval);
+            rescheduleIndex(projectName, event, retryCount + 1);
           }
         },
         retryInterval,
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexingHandler.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexingHandler.java
index 67662f6..de6b836 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexingHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexingHandler.java
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder;
 
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.Striped;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.concurrent.locks.Lock;
@@ -43,9 +42,9 @@
 
   private final Striped<Lock> idLocks;
 
-  protected abstract void doIndex(T id, Optional<E> indexEvent) throws IOException, OrmException;
+  protected abstract void doIndex(T id, Optional<E> indexEvent);
 
-  protected abstract void doDelete(T id, Optional<E> indexEvent) throws IOException;
+  protected abstract void doDelete(T id, Optional<E> indexEvent);
 
   protected ForwardedIndexingHandler(int lockStripes) {
     idLocks = Striped.lock(lockStripes);
@@ -58,9 +57,8 @@
    * @param operation The operation to do; index or delete
    * @param event The index event details.
    * @throws IOException If an error occur while indexing.
-   * @throws OrmException If an error occur while retrieving a change related to the item to index
    */
-  public void index(T id, Operation operation, Optional<E> event) throws IOException, OrmException {
+  public void index(T id, Operation operation, Optional<E> event) throws IOException {
     log.debug("{} {} {}", operation, id, event);
     try {
       Context.setForwardedEvent(true);
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/ForwardedEventRouter.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/ForwardedEventRouter.java
index 139020b..f9ad0c9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/ForwardedEventRouter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/ForwardedEventRouter.java
@@ -15,11 +15,10 @@
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.router;
 
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.CacheNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
 public interface ForwardedEventRouter<EventType> {
   void route(EventType sourceEvent)
-      throws IOException, OrmException, PermissionBackendException, CacheNotFoundException;
+      throws IOException, PermissionBackendException, CacheNotFoundException;
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/IndexEventRouter.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/IndexEventRouter.java
index 0103c38..3bd1142 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/IndexEventRouter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/IndexEventRouter.java
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import static com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.ForwardedIndexingHandler.Operation.INDEX;
 
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Account;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.ForwardedIndexAccountHandler;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.ForwardedIndexChangeHandler;
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  public void route(IndexEvent sourceEvent) throws IOException, OrmException {
+  public void route(IndexEvent sourceEvent) throws IOException {
     if (sourceEvent instanceof ChangeIndexEvent) {
       ChangeIndexEvent changeIndexEvent = (ChangeIndexEvent) sourceEvent;
       ForwardedIndexingHandler.Operation operation = changeIndexEvent.deleted ? DELETE : INDEX;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/StreamEventRouter.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/StreamEventRouter.java
index 71edfb0..d911c00 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/StreamEventRouter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/router/StreamEventRouter.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 import com.google.gerrit.server.events.Event;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.ForwardedEventHandler;
 
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  public void route(Event sourceEvent) throws OrmException, PermissionBackendException {
+  public void route(Event sourceEvent) throws PermissionBackendException {
     streamEventHandler.dispatch(sourceEvent);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeChecker.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeChecker.java
index 1b0fea8..3646b3a 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeChecker.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeChecker.java
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index;
 
 import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.ChangeNotes;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.events.ChangeIndexEvent;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.Optional;
@@ -27,9 +26,8 @@
    * Return the Change nodes read from ReviewDb or NoteDb.
    *
    * @return notes of the Change
-   * @throws OrmException if ReviewDb or NoteDb cannot be opened
    */
-  public Optional<ChangeNotes> getChangeNotes() throws OrmException;
+  public Optional<ChangeNotes> getChangeNotes();
 
   /**
    * Create a new index event POJO associated with the current Change.
@@ -40,21 +38,17 @@
    *     index
    * @return new IndexEvent
    * @throws IOException if the current Change cannot read
-   * @throws OrmException if ReviewDb cannot be opened
    */
   public Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> newIndexEvent(String projectName, int changeId, boolean deleted)
-      throws IOException, OrmException;
+      throws IOException;
 
   /**
    * Check if the local Change is aligned with the indexEvent received.
    *
    * @param indexEvent indexing event
    * @return true if the local Change is up-to-date, false otherwise.
-   * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurred while reading the local Change
-   * @throws OrmException if the local ReviewDb cannot be opened
    */
-  public boolean isChangeUpToDate(Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent)
-      throws IOException, OrmException;
+  public boolean isChangeUpToDate(Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent);
 
   /**
    * Return the last computed up-to-date Change time-stamp.
@@ -63,7 +57,6 @@
    *
    * @return the Change timestamp epoch in seconds
    * @throws IOException if an I/O error occurred while reading the local Change
-   * @throws OrmException if the local ReviewDb cannot be opened
    */
-  public Optional<Long> getComputedChangeTs() throws IOException, OrmException;
+  public Optional<Long> getComputedChangeTs() throws IOException;
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeCheckerImpl.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeCheckerImpl.java
index 8cb2fec..f1e80cc 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeCheckerImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/index/ChangeCheckerImpl.java
@@ -14,16 +14,15 @@
 
 package com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.index;
 
+import com.google.gerrit.exceptions.StorageException;
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Change;
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Comment;
-import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.server.ReviewDb;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.CommentsUtil;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.change.ChangeFinder;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.git.GitRepositoryManager;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.ChangeNotes;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.ManualRequestContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.OneOffRequestContext;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.google.inject.assistedinject.Assisted;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.events.ChangeIndexEvent;
@@ -66,7 +65,7 @@
 
   @Override
   public Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> newIndexEvent(String projectName, int changeId, boolean deleted)
-      throws IOException, OrmException {
+      throws IOException {
     return getComputedChangeTs()
         .map(
             ts -> {
@@ -78,7 +77,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  public Optional<ChangeNotes> getChangeNotes() throws OrmException {
+  public Optional<ChangeNotes> getChangeNotes() {
     try (ManualRequestContext ctx = oneOffReqCtx.open()) {
       this.changeNotes = Optional.ofNullable(changeFinder.findOne(changeId));
       return changeNotes;
@@ -86,8 +85,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  public boolean isChangeUpToDate(Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent)
-      throws IOException, OrmException {
+  public boolean isChangeUpToDate(Optional<ChangeIndexEvent> indexEvent) {
     getComputedChangeTs();
     if (!computedChangeTs.isPresent()) {
       log.warn("Unable to compute last updated ts for change {}", changeId);
@@ -108,7 +106,7 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  public Optional<Long> getComputedChangeTs() throws IOException, OrmException {
+  public Optional<Long> getComputedChangeTs() {
     if (!computedChangeTs.isPresent()) {
       computedChangeTs = computeLastChangeTs();
     }
@@ -117,17 +115,12 @@
 
   @Override
   public String toString() {
-    try {
-      return "change-id="
-          + changeId
-          + "@"
-          + getComputedChangeTs().map(ChangeIndexEvent::format)
-          + "/"
-          + getBranchTargetSha();
-    } catch (IOException | OrmException e) {
-      log.error("Unable to render change {}", changeId, e);
-      return "change-id=" + changeId;
-    }
+    return "change-id="
+        + changeId
+        + "@"
+        + getComputedChangeTs().map(ChangeIndexEvent::format)
+        + "/"
+        + getBranchTargetSha();
   }
 
   private String getBranchTargetSha() {
@@ -147,21 +140,19 @@
     }
   }
 
-  private Optional<Long> computeLastChangeTs() throws OrmException {
-    try (ReviewDb db = oneOffReqCtx.open().getReviewDbProvider().get()) {
-      return getChangeNotes().map(notes -> getTsFromChangeAndDraftComments(db, notes));
-    }
+  private Optional<Long> computeLastChangeTs() {
+    return getChangeNotes().map(notes -> getTsFromChangeAndDraftComments(notes));
   }
 
-  private long getTsFromChangeAndDraftComments(ReviewDb db, ChangeNotes notes) {
+  private long getTsFromChangeAndDraftComments(ChangeNotes notes) {
     Change change = notes.getChange();
     Timestamp changeTs = change.getLastUpdatedOn();
     try {
-      for (Comment comment : commentsUtil.draftByChange(db, changeNotes.get())) {
+      for (Comment comment : commentsUtil.draftByChange(changeNotes.get())) {
         Timestamp commentTs = comment.writtenOn;
         changeTs = commentTs.after(changeTs) ? commentTs : changeTs;
       }
-    } catch (OrmException e) {
+    } catch (StorageException e) {
       log.warn("Unable to access draft comments for change {}", change, e);
     }
     return changeTs.getTime() / 1000;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/KafkaEventSubscriber.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/KafkaEventSubscriber.java
index c72fa0d..406981b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/KafkaEventSubscriber.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/KafkaEventSubscriber.java
@@ -16,8 +16,12 @@
 import static java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets.UTF_8;
 
 import com.google.common.flogger.FluentLogger;
+import com.google.gerrit.exceptions.StorageException;
+import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicSet;
+import com.google.gerrit.server.permissions.PermissionBackendException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.ManualRequestContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.OneOffRequestContext;
+import com.google.gson.Gson;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.InstanceId;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.consumer.SourceAwareEventWrapper;
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/MultiSiteRefDatabase.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/MultiSiteRefDatabase.java
index 630b091..e1d1c65 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/MultiSiteRefDatabase.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/MultiSiteRefDatabase.java
@@ -99,11 +99,6 @@
   }
 
   @Override
-  public Ref getRef(String name) throws IOException {
-    return refDatabase.getRef(name);
-  }
-
-  @Override
   public String toString() {
     return refDatabase.toString();
   }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/ValidationModule.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/ValidationModule.java
index e331819..1719f38 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/ValidationModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/ValidationModule.java
@@ -16,19 +16,16 @@
 
 import com.google.common.flogger.FluentLogger;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.config.FactoryModule;
-import com.google.gerrit.extensions.events.ProjectDeletedListener;
 import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicItem;
-import com.google.gerrit.extensions.registration.DynamicSet;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.git.GitRepositoryManager;
 import com.google.inject.Scopes;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Configuration;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.LockWrapper;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Log4jSharedRefLogger;
+import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.SharedRefDatabaseWrapper;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.SharedRefLogger;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.CustomSharedRefEnforcementByProject;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.DefaultSharedRefEnforcement;
-import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.NoopSharedRefDatabase;
-import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.SharedRefDatabase;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.validation.dfsrefdb.SharedRefEnforcement;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.replication.ReplicationExtensionPointModule;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.replication.ReplicationPushFilter;
@@ -37,23 +34,16 @@
   private static final FluentLogger logger = FluentLogger.forEnclosingClass();
 
   private final Configuration cfg;
-  private final boolean disableGitRepositoryValidation;
 
-  public ValidationModule(Configuration cfg, boolean disableGitRepositoryValidation) {
+  public ValidationModule(Configuration cfg) {
     this.cfg = cfg;
-    this.disableGitRepositoryValidation = disableGitRepositoryValidation;
   }
 
   @Override
   protected void configure() {
     install(new ReplicationExtensionPointModule());
 
-    DynamicItem.itemOf(binder(), SharedRefDatabase.class);
-    DynamicItem.bind(binder(), SharedRefDatabase.class)
-        .to(NoopSharedRefDatabase.class)
-        .in(Scopes.SINGLETON);
-    logger.atInfo().log("Shared ref-db engine: none");
-
+    bind(SharedRefDatabaseWrapper.class).in(Scopes.SINGLETON);
     bind(SharedRefLogger.class).to(Log4jSharedRefLogger.class);
     factory(LockWrapper.Factory.class);
 
@@ -64,12 +54,10 @@
     factory(RefUpdateValidator.Factory.class);
     factory(BatchRefUpdateValidator.Factory.class);
 
+    bind(GitRepositoryManager.class).to(MultiSiteGitRepositoryManager.class);
     DynamicItem.bind(binder(), ReplicationPushFilter.class)
         .to(MultisiteReplicationPushFilter.class);
 
-    if (!disableGitRepositoryValidation) {
-      bind(GitRepositoryManager.class).to(MultiSiteGitRepositoryManager.class);
-    }
     if (cfg.getSharedRefDb().getEnforcementRules().isEmpty()) {
       bind(SharedRefEnforcement.class).to(DefaultSharedRefEnforcement.class).in(Scopes.SINGLETON);
     } else {
@@ -77,6 +65,5 @@
           .to(CustomSharedRefEnforcementByProject.class)
           .in(Scopes.SINGLETON);
     }
-    DynamicSet.bind(binder(), ProjectDeletedListener.class).to(ProjectDeletedSharedDbCleanup.class);
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/dfsrefdb/zookeeper/ZkValidationModule.java b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/dfsrefdb/zookeeper/ZkValidationModule.java
index f83b4d9..360beea 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/dfsrefdb/zookeeper/ZkValidationModule.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/dfsrefdb/zookeeper/ZkValidationModule.java
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@
         .to(ZkSharedRefDatabase.class)
         .in(Scopes.SINGLETON);
     bind(CuratorFramework.class).toInstance(cfg.buildCurator());
-
     bind(ZkConnectionConfig.class)
         .toInstance(
             new ZkConnectionConfig(cfg.buildCasRetryPolicy(), cfg.getZkInterProcessLockTimeOut()));
diff --git a/src/main/resources/Documentation/about.md b/src/main/resources/Documentation/about.md
index 264c8e9..204742e 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/Documentation/about.md
+++ b/src/main/resources/Documentation/about.md
@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@
 
 The masters must be:
 
-* migrated to NoteDb
 * connected to the same message broker
 * behind a load balancer (e.g., HAProxy)
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/ModuleTest.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/ModuleTest.java
index 8b7a17b..10b4adb 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/ModuleTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/ModuleTest.java
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@
   @Mock(answer = Answers.RETURNS_DEEP_STUBS)
   private Configuration configMock;
 
-  @Mock private NoteDbStatus noteDb;
   @Mock private BrokerModule brokerModule;
 
   @Rule public TemporaryFolder tempFolder = new TemporaryFolder();
@@ -46,7 +45,7 @@
 
   @Before
   public void setup() {
-    module = new Module(configMock, noteDb, brokerModule);
+    module = new Module(configMock, brokerModule);
   }
 
   @Test
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandlerTest.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandlerTest.java
index 3b01c61..5c36ada 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandlerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedEventHandlerTest.java
@@ -19,11 +19,11 @@
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.doAnswer;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 
+import com.google.gerrit.exceptions.StorageException;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.events.Event;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.events.EventDispatcher;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.events.ProjectCreatedEvent;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.OneOffRequestContext;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Rule;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
             (Answer<Void>)
                 invocation -> {
                   assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isTrue();
-                  throw new OrmException("someMessage");
+                  throw new StorageException("someMessage");
                 })
         .when(dispatcherMock)
         .postEvent(event);
@@ -89,8 +89,8 @@
     assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isFalse();
     try {
       handler.dispatch(event);
-      fail("should have throw an OrmException");
-    } catch (OrmException e) {
+      fail("should have throw an StorageException");
+    } catch (StorageException e) {
       assertThat(e.getMessage()).isEqualTo("someMessage");
     }
     assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isFalse();
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandlerTest.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandlerTest.java
index 2793253..0a910c5 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandlerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/forwarder/ForwardedIndexChangeHandlerTest.java
@@ -24,17 +24,15 @@
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
 
+import com.google.gerrit.exceptions.StorageException;
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Change;
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.Project;
-import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.server.ReviewDb;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.git.GitRepositoryManager;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.index.change.ChangeIndexer;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.ChangeNotes;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.ManualRequestContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.OneOffRequestContext;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.time.TimeUtil;
-import com.google.gwtorm.server.OrmException;
-import com.google.inject.util.Providers;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Configuration;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.ForwardedIndexingHandler.Operation;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.forwarder.events.ChangeIndexEvent;
@@ -60,10 +58,8 @@
   private static String TEST_CHANGE_ID = TEST_PROJECT + "~" + TEST_CHANGE_NUMBER;
   private static final boolean CHANGE_EXISTS = true;
   private static final boolean CHANGE_DOES_NOT_EXIST = false;
-  private static final boolean DO_NOT_THROW_IO_EXCEPTION = false;
-  private static final boolean DO_NOT_THROW_ORM_EXCEPTION = false;
-  private static final boolean THROW_IO_EXCEPTION = true;
-  private static final boolean THROW_ORM_EXCEPTION = true;
+  private static final boolean DO_NOT_THROW_STORAGE_EXCEPTION = false;
+  private static final boolean THROW_STORAGE_EXCEPTION = true;
   private static final boolean CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE = true;
   private static final boolean CHANGE_OUTDATED = false;
 
@@ -71,7 +67,6 @@
   @Mock private ChangeIndexer indexerMock;
   @Mock private OneOffRequestContext ctxMock;
   @Mock private ManualRequestContext manualRequestContextMock;
-  @Mock private ReviewDb dbMock;
   @Mock private ChangeNotes changeNotes;
   @Mock private Configuration configurationMock;
   @Mock private Configuration.Index index;
@@ -87,7 +82,6 @@
   @Before
   public void setUp() throws Exception {
     when(ctxMock.open()).thenReturn(manualRequestContextMock);
-    when(manualRequestContextMock.getReviewDbProvider()).thenReturn(Providers.of(dbMock));
     id = new Change.Id(TEST_CHANGE_NUMBER);
     change = new Change(null, id, null, null, TimeUtil.nowTs());
     when(changeNotes.getChange()).thenReturn(change);
@@ -103,7 +97,7 @@
   public void changeIsIndexedWhenUpToDate() throws Exception {
     setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(CHANGE_EXISTS, CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE);
     handler.index(TEST_CHANGE_ID, Operation.INDEX, Optional.empty());
-    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(Change.class));
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -111,7 +105,7 @@
     setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(CHANGE_EXISTS, CHANGE_OUTDATED);
     handler.index(
         TEST_CHANGE_ID, Operation.INDEX, Optional.of(new ChangeIndexEvent("foo", 1, false)));
-    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(Change.class));
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -125,22 +119,13 @@
     setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(CHANGE_DOES_NOT_EXIST, CHANGE_OUTDATED);
     handler.index(TEST_CHANGE_ID, Operation.INDEX, Optional.empty());
     verify(indexerMock, never()).delete(id);
-    verify(indexerMock, never())
-        .index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Project.NameKey.class), any(Change.Id.class));
+    verify(indexerMock, never()).index(any(Project.NameKey.class), any(Change.Id.class));
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void schemaThrowsExceptionWhenLookingUpForChange() throws Exception {
-    setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(CHANGE_EXISTS, THROW_ORM_EXCEPTION, CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE);
-    exception.expect(OrmException.class);
-    handler.index(TEST_CHANGE_ID, Operation.INDEX, Optional.empty());
-  }
-
-  @Test
-  public void indexerThrowsIOExceptionTryingToIndexChange() throws Exception {
-    setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(
-        CHANGE_EXISTS, DO_NOT_THROW_ORM_EXCEPTION, THROW_IO_EXCEPTION, CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE);
-    exception.expect(IOException.class);
+  public void indexerThrowsStorageExceptionTryingToIndexChange() throws Exception {
+    setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(CHANGE_EXISTS, THROW_STORAGE_EXCEPTION, CHANGE_UP_TO_DATE);
+    exception.expect(StorageException.class);
     handler.index(TEST_CHANGE_ID, Operation.INDEX, Optional.empty());
   }
 
@@ -156,13 +141,13 @@
                   return null;
                 })
         .when(indexerMock)
-        .index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+        .index(any(Change.class));
 
     assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isFalse();
     handler.index(TEST_CHANGE_ID, Operation.INDEX, Optional.empty());
     assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isFalse();
 
-    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(Change.class));
   }
 
   @Test
@@ -175,7 +160,7 @@
                   throw new IOException("someMessage");
                 })
         .when(indexerMock)
-        .index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+        .index(any(Change.class));
 
     assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isFalse();
     try {
@@ -186,36 +171,22 @@
     }
     assertThat(Context.isForwardedEvent()).isFalse();
 
-    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+    verify(indexerMock, times(1)).index(any(Change.class));
   }
 
   private void setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(boolean changeExist, boolean changeUpToDate)
       throws Exception {
-    setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(
-        changeExist, DO_NOT_THROW_ORM_EXCEPTION, DO_NOT_THROW_IO_EXCEPTION, changeUpToDate);
+    setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(changeExist, DO_NOT_THROW_STORAGE_EXCEPTION, changeUpToDate);
   }
 
   private void setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(
-      boolean changeExist, boolean ormException, boolean changeUpToDate)
-      throws OrmException, IOException {
-    setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(
-        changeExist, ormException, DO_NOT_THROW_IO_EXCEPTION, changeUpToDate);
-  }
-
-  private void setupChangeAccessRelatedMocks(
-      boolean changeExists, boolean ormException, boolean ioException, boolean changeIsUpToDate)
-      throws OrmException, IOException {
-    if (ormException) {
-      doThrow(new OrmException("")).when(ctxMock).open();
-    }
-
+      boolean changeExists, boolean storageException, boolean changeIsUpToDate)
+      throws StorageException {
     if (changeExists) {
       when(changeCheckerFactoryMock.create(TEST_CHANGE_ID)).thenReturn(changeCheckerPresentMock);
       when(changeCheckerPresentMock.getChangeNotes()).thenReturn(Optional.of(changeNotes));
-      if (ioException) {
-        doThrow(new IOException("io-error"))
-            .when(indexerMock)
-            .index(any(ReviewDb.class), any(Change.class));
+      if (storageException) {
+        doThrow(new StorageException("io-error")).when(indexerMock).index(any(Change.class));
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/EventConsumerIT.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/EventConsumerIT.java
index cbd192d..1d3db68 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/EventConsumerIT.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/kafka/consumer/EventConsumerIT.java
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@
 import com.google.inject.Scopes;
 import com.google.inject.TypeLiteral;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Configuration;
+import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.GitModule;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Module;
-import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.NoteDbStatus;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.PluginModule;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.broker.BrokerApi;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.broker.BrokerApiWrapper;
@@ -81,10 +81,6 @@
       "com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.kafka.consumer.EventConsumerIT$KafkaTestContainerModule";
   private static final int QUEUE_POLL_TIMEOUT_MSECS = 10000;
 
-  static {
-    System.setProperty("gerrit.notedb", "ON");
-  }
-
   public static class KafkaTestContainerModule extends LifecycleModule {
 
     public static class KafkaStopAtShutdown implements LifecycleListener {
@@ -118,9 +114,10 @@
     private final FileBasedConfig config;
     private final Module multiSiteModule;
     private final PluginModule pluginModule;
+    private final GitModule gitModule;
 
     @Inject
-    public KafkaTestContainerModule(SitePaths sitePaths, NoteDbStatus noteDb) throws IOException {
+    public KafkaTestContainerModule(SitePaths sitePaths) throws IOException {
       this.config =
           new FileBasedConfig(
               sitePaths.etc_dir.resolve(Configuration.MULTI_SITE_CONFIG).toFile(), FS.DETECTED);
@@ -130,12 +127,13 @@
       config.save();
 
       Configuration multiSiteConfig = new Configuration(config, new Config());
-      this.multiSiteModule = new Module(multiSiteConfig, noteDb, new TestBrokerModule(), true);
+      this.multiSiteModule = new Module(multiSiteConfig, new TestBrokerModule());
       this.pluginModule =
           new PluginModule(
               multiSiteConfig,
               new ZkValidationModule(multiSiteConfig),
               new KafkaBrokerModule(new KafkaConfiguration(multiSiteConfig)));
+      this.gitModule = new GitModule(multiSiteConfig);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -147,6 +145,7 @@
 
         install(multiSiteModule);
         install(pluginModule);
+        install(gitModule);
 
       } catch (IOException e) {
         throw new IllegalStateException(e);
@@ -159,6 +158,10 @@
 
       config.setString("kafka", null, "bootstrapServers", kafkaContainer.getBootstrapServers());
       config.save();
+      Configuration multiSiteConfig = new Configuration(config, new Config());
+      bind(Configuration.class).toInstance(multiSiteConfig);
+
+      listener().toInstance(new KafkaStopAtShutdown(kafkaContainer));
 
       return kafkaContainer;
     }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/Log4jSharedRefLoggerTest.java b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/Log4jSharedRefLoggerTest.java
index f368d41..c6f0fc1 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/Log4jSharedRefLoggerTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/googlesource/gerrit/plugins/multisite/validation/Log4jSharedRefLoggerTest.java
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@
 
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.AbstractDaemonTest;
 import com.google.gerrit.acceptance.PushOneCommit;
+import com.google.gerrit.json.OutputFormat;
 import com.google.gerrit.reviewdb.client.RefNames;
-import com.google.gerrit.server.OutputFormat;
-import com.google.gerrit.server.Sequences;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.config.SitePaths;
+import com.google.gerrit.server.notedb.Sequences;
 import com.google.gerrit.server.util.SystemLog;
 import com.google.gson.Gson;
 import com.googlesource.gerrit.plugins.multisite.Log4jSharedRefLogger;