diff --git a/nexus/db-model/src/instance.rs b/nexus/db-model/src/instance.rs
index 99c0126174..5c35259fc7 100644
--- a/nexus/db-model/src/instance.rs
+++ b/nexus/db-model/src/instance.rs
@@ -58,6 +58,24 @@ pub struct Instance {
 
     #[diesel(embed)]
     pub runtime_state: InstanceRuntimeState,
+
+    /// The generation number for the updater lock. This is updated whenever the
+    /// lock is acquired or released, and is used in attempts to set the
+    /// `updater_id` field to ensure that the snapshot which indicated that the
+    /// lock was not held is still valid when setting the lock ID.
+    #[diesel(column_name = updater_gen)]
+    pub updater_gen: Generation,
+
+    /// A UUID identifying the saga currently holding the update lock on this
+    /// instance. If this is [`None`] the instance is not locked. Otherwise, if
+    /// this is [`Some`], the instance is locked by the saga owning this UUID.
+    /// Note that this is not (presently) the UUID *of* the locking saga, but
+    /// rather, a UUID *generated by* that saga. Therefore, it may not be
+    /// useable to look up which saga holds the lock.
+    ///
+    /// This field is guarded by the instance's `updater_gen`
+    #[diesel(column_name = updater_id)]
+    pub updater_id: Option<Uuid>,
 }
 
 impl Instance {
@@ -85,6 +103,9 @@ impl Instance {
             hostname: params.hostname.to_string(),
             boot_on_fault: false,
             runtime_state,
+
+            updater_gen: Generation::new(),
+            updater_id: None,
         }
     }
 
@@ -171,24 +192,6 @@ pub struct InstanceRuntimeState {
     #[diesel(column_name = migration_id)]
     pub migration_id: Option<Uuid>,
 
-    /// A UUID identifying the saga currently holding the update lock on this
-    /// instance. If this is [`None`] the instance is not locked. Otherwise, if
-    /// this is [`Some`], the instance is locked by the saga owning this UUID.
-    /// Note that this is not (presently) the UUID *of* the locking saga, but
-    /// rather, a UUID *generated by* that saga. Therefore, it may not be
-    /// useable to look up which saga holds the lock.
-    ///
-    /// This field is guarded by the instance's `updater_gen`
-    #[diesel(column_name = updater_id)]
-    pub updater_id: Option<Uuid>,
-
-    /// The generation number for the updater lock. This is updated whenever the
-    /// lock is acquired or released, and is used in attempts to set the
-    /// `updater_id` field to ensure that the snapshot which indicated that the
-    /// lock was not held is still valid when setting the lock ID.
-    #[diesel(column_name = updater_gen)]
-    pub updater_gen: Generation,
-
     /// The "internal" state of this instance. The instance's externally-visible
     /// state may be delegated to the instance's active VMM, if it has one.
     ///
@@ -206,8 +209,6 @@ impl InstanceRuntimeState {
             dst_propolis_id: None,
             migration_id: None,
             gen: Generation::new(),
-            updater_gen: Generation::new(),
-            updater_id: None,
         }
     }
 }
@@ -231,8 +232,6 @@ impl From<omicron_common::api::internal::nexus::InstanceRuntimeState>
             propolis_id: state.propolis_id,
             dst_propolis_id: state.dst_propolis_id,
             migration_id: state.migration_id,
-            updater_gen: Generation::new(),
-            updater_id: None,
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/instance.rs b/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/instance.rs
index e090210cbe..803a9661b7 100644
--- a/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/instance.rs
+++ b/nexus/db-queries/src/db/datastore/instance.rs
@@ -646,7 +646,7 @@ impl DataStore {
         // important than handling that extremely unlikely edge case.
         let mut did_lock = false;
         loop {
-            match instance.runtime_state.updater_id {
+            match instance.updater_id {
                 // If the `updater_id` field is not null and the ID equals this
                 // saga's ID, we already have the lock. We're done here!
                 Some(lock_id) if lock_id == saga_lock_id => {
@@ -659,7 +659,7 @@ impl DataStore {
                     );
                     return Ok(UpdaterLock {
                         saga_lock_id,
-                        locked_gen: instance.runtime_state.updater_gen,
+                        locked_gen: instance.updater_gen,
                     });
                 }
                 // The `updater_id` field is set, but it's not our ID. The instance
@@ -680,7 +680,7 @@ impl DataStore {
             }
 
             // Okay, now attempt to acquire the lock
-            let current_gen = instance.runtime_state.updater_gen;
+            let current_gen = instance.updater_gen;
             slog::debug!(
                 &opctx.log,
                 "attempting to acquire instance updater lock";
@@ -795,12 +795,12 @@ impl DataStore {
             UpdateAndQueryResult {
                 status: UpdateStatus::NotUpdatedButExists,
                 ref found,
-            } if found.runtime_state.updater_gen > locked_gen => Ok(false),
+            } if found.updater_gen > locked_gen => Ok(false),
             // The instance exists, but the lock ID doesn't match our lock ID.
             // This means we were trying to release a lock we never held, whcih
             // is almost certainly a programmer error.
             UpdateAndQueryResult { ref found, .. } => {
-                match found.runtime_state.updater_id {
+                match found.updater_id {
                     Some(lock_holder) => {
                         debug_assert_ne!(lock_holder, saga_lock_id);
                         Err(Error::internal_error(