diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 07776bd..4c2fe61 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Changelog
 
-## Unreleased
+## 1.16.1
 
 * Fix a re-query storm on databases opened at an absolute path (App Group container). The
   cross-process change notification carried no payload, so every process (including the one
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
   permanent loop that pinned the CPU. Processes now exchange the concrete changed tables
   through a local `ps_swift_updates` table, so each process ignores its own changes and only
   wakes the queries whose tables actually changed.
+* Update PowerSync SQLite core extension to version 0.5.3, improving internal error messages.
 
 ## 1.16.0
 
diff --git a/Package.resolved b/Package.resolved
index e0388e1..14f315d 100644
--- a/Package.resolved
+++ b/Package.resolved
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "originHash" : "fbf9e96a3f709e253cd88e4be1fe05e3acbefdcbf7e4270db958841f93441d04",
+  "originHash" : "64a7ed7052f52645cc4259e052a0a9df211bc9df8b89ddfca357d89300cc6e6d",
   "pins" : [
     {
       "identity" : "csqlite",
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@
       "kind" : "remoteSourceControl",
       "location" : "https://github.com/powersync-ja/powersync-sqlite-core-swift.git",
       "state" : {
-        "revision" : "dba41dd6d408b5e221d364dc7032ade14c90d023",
-        "version" : "0.5.2"
+        "revision" : "0302873677f07039d5e2fc4d1aefdf093e8e6292",
+        "version" : "0.5.3"
       }
     },
     {
diff --git a/Package.swift b/Package.swift
index 335198f..5ebceb9 100644
--- a/Package.swift
+++ b/Package.swift
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ if let corePath = localCoreExtension {
     conditionalDependencies.append(
         .package(
             url: "https://github.com/powersync-ja/powersync-sqlite-core-swift.git",
-            exact: "0.5.2",
+            exact: "0.5.3",
         ))
 }
 
diff --git a/Sources/PowerSync/CurrentVersion.swift b/Sources/PowerSync/CurrentVersion.swift
index 0bc05b8..350972f 100644
--- a/Sources/PowerSync/CurrentVersion.swift
+++ b/Sources/PowerSync/CurrentVersion.swift
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 // The current version of the PowerSync Swift SDK. This should be updated to the latest version in `CHANGELOG.md` when a new version is released.
-let libraryVersion = "1.16.0"
+let libraryVersion = "1.16.1"
diff --git a/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/AsyncConnectionPool.swift b/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/AsyncConnectionPool.swift
index f199e1b..50761e1 100644
--- a/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/AsyncConnectionPool.swift
+++ b/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/AsyncConnectionPool.swift
@@ -233,14 +233,21 @@ final class AsyncConnectionPool: SQLiteConnectionPoolProtocol {
     func write<T>(onConnection: @escaping @Sendable (any SQLiteConnectionLease) throws -> T) async throws -> T {
         let pool = try await obtainInner()
         return try await pool.write { connection in
-            try await runBlocking { try onConnection(connection) }
+            try await runBlocking {
+                defer { pool.dispatchWrites(lease: connection) }
+                return try onConnection(connection)
+            }
         }
     }
 
     func withAllConnections<T>(onConnection: @escaping @Sendable (any SQLiteConnectionLease, [any SQLiteConnectionLease]) throws -> T) async throws -> T {
         let pool = try await obtainInner()
         return try await pool.withAllConnections { writer, readers in
-            try await runBlocking { try onConnection(writer, readers) }
+            try await runBlocking {
+                defer { pool.dispatchWrites(lease: writer) }
+
+                return try onConnection(writer, readers)
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/sqlite3/NativeConnectionPool.swift b/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/sqlite3/NativeConnectionPool.swift
index ce6c7a5..b11a0e3 100644
--- a/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/sqlite3/NativeConnectionPool.swift
+++ b/Sources/PowerSync/Implementation/sqlite3/NativeConnectionPool.swift
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ final class NativeConnectionPool: Sendable {
         self.updateLog = updateLog
     }
 
-    private func dispatchWrites(lease: NativeConnectionLease) {
+    /// Reads outstanding changes and records them for other processes.
+    /// 
+    /// Recording them for other processes might write, so this should be called on a background thread only.
+    func dispatchWrites(lease: NativeConnectionLease) {
         do {
             try lease.withIterator(sql: "SELECT powersync_update_hooks('get')", parameters: []) { rows in
                 guard var affectedTables = try rows.next(callback: {
@@ -79,7 +82,6 @@ final class NativeConnectionPool: Sendable {
     func write<T>(onConnection: (NativeConnectionLease) async throws -> T) async throws -> T {
         let connection = try await writer.acquire(count: 1)
         let lease = try connection.acquiredItems[0].asLease()
-        defer { dispatchWrites(lease: lease) }
         let result = try await onConnection(lease)
         return result
     }
@@ -87,7 +89,6 @@ final class NativeConnectionPool: Sendable {
     func withAllConnections<T>(onConnection: (NativeConnectionLease, [NativeConnectionLease]) async throws -> T) async throws -> T {
         let write = try await writer.acquire(count: 1)
         let writeLease = try write.acquiredItems[0].asLease()
-        defer { dispatchWrites(lease: writeLease) }
 
         let result: T
         if let readers {