diff --git a/service/src/main/java/skills/services/AttachmentService.groovy b/service/src/main/java/skills/services/AttachmentService.groovy
index a2a81297c2..71fe1e65c7 100644
--- a/service/src/main/java/skills/services/AttachmentService.groovy
+++ b/service/src/main/java/skills/services/AttachmentService.groovy
@@ -105,6 +105,9 @@ class AttachmentService {
         if (description) {
             UUID_PATTERN.matcher(description).findAll().collect { it[1] }.each { uuid ->
                 Attachment attachment = attachmentRepo.findByUuid(uuid)
+                if (!attachment) {
+                    throw new IllegalStateException("Failed to find attachment with uuid: [${uuid}]. method params are projectId: [${projectId}], quizId: [${quizId}], skillId: [${skillId}]")
+                }
                 boolean changed = false
                 if (attachment.projectId != projectId) {
                     attachment.setProjectId(projectId)
diff --git a/service/src/main/java/skills/services/admin/ProjectCopyService.groovy b/service/src/main/java/skills/services/admin/ProjectCopyService.groovy
index 691625a5d5..7467e00856 100644
--- a/service/src/main/java/skills/services/admin/ProjectCopyService.groovy
+++ b/service/src/main/java/skills/services/admin/ProjectCopyService.groovy
@@ -130,23 +130,28 @@ class ProjectCopyService {
     void copyProject(String originalProjectId, ProjectRequest projectRequest) {
         lockingService.lockProjects()
 
-        ProjDef fromProject = loadProject(originalProjectId)
-        validate(projectRequest)
-
-        ProjDef toProj = saveToProject(projectRequest)
-        saveProjectSettings(fromProject, toProj)
-
-        pinProjectForRootUser(toProj)
-
-        List<SkillInfo> allCollectedSkills = []
-        def newIcons = customIconFacade.copyIcons(originalProjectId, toProj.projectId)
-        saveSubjectsAndSkills(projectRequest, fromProject, toProj, allCollectedSkills, newIcons)
-        updateProjectAndSubjectLevels(fromProject, toProj)
-        saveBadgesAndTheirSkills(fromProject, toProj, newIcons)
-        flushEntityCache()
-        saveDependencies(fromProject, toProj)
-        saveReusedSkills(allCollectedSkills, fromProject, toProj)
-        handleQuizBasedUserPointsAndAchievements(toProj)
+        copiedAttachmentUuidsThreadLocal.set([:])
+        try {
+            ProjDef fromProject = loadProject(originalProjectId)
+            validate(projectRequest)
+
+            ProjDef toProj = saveToProject(projectRequest)
+            saveProjectSettings(fromProject, toProj)
+
+            pinProjectForRootUser(toProj)
+
+            List<SkillInfo> allCollectedSkills = []
+            def newIcons = customIconFacade.copyIcons(originalProjectId, toProj.projectId)
+            saveSubjectsAndSkills(projectRequest, fromProject, toProj, allCollectedSkills, newIcons)
+            updateProjectAndSubjectLevels(fromProject, toProj)
+            saveBadgesAndTheirSkills(fromProject, toProj, newIcons)
+            flushEntityCache()
+            saveDependencies(fromProject, toProj)
+            saveReusedSkills(allCollectedSkills, fromProject, toProj)
+            handleQuizBasedUserPointsAndAchievements(toProj)
+        } finally {
+            copiedAttachmentUuidsThreadLocal.set([:])
+        }
     }
 
     private void flushEntityCache() {
@@ -426,9 +431,10 @@ class ProjectCopyService {
                 }
     }
 
-    private final Map<String,String> copiedAttachmentUuids = [:]
+    private final ThreadLocal<Map<String,String>> copiedAttachmentUuidsThreadLocal = new ThreadLocal<>();
     @Profile
     private String handleAttachmentsInDescription(String description, String newProjectId) {
+        Map<String,String> copiedAttachmentUuids = copiedAttachmentUuidsThreadLocal.get()
         String res = description
         if (description) {
             attachmentService.findAttachmentUuids(res).each { String uuid ->
@@ -438,6 +444,7 @@ class ProjectCopyService {
                     Attachment copiedAttachment = attachmentService.copyAttachmentWithNewUuid(attachment, newProjectId)
                     copiedUuid = copiedAttachment.uuid
                     copiedAttachmentUuids[uuid] = copiedUuid
+                    copiedAttachmentUuidsThreadLocal.set(copiedAttachmentUuids)
                 }
                 res = res.replaceAll(uuid, copiedUuid)
             }
diff --git a/service/src/test/java/skills/intTests/copyProject/CopyProjectSpecs.groovy b/service/src/test/java/skills/intTests/copyProject/CopyProjectSpecs.groovy
index 9f7da6fd66..0783867709 100644
--- a/service/src/test/java/skills/intTests/copyProject/CopyProjectSpecs.groovy
+++ b/service/src/test/java/skills/intTests/copyProject/CopyProjectSpecs.groovy
@@ -974,6 +974,65 @@ class CopyProjectSpecs extends DefaultIntSpec {
         copyProj.data.itemId.sort() == [projToCopy.projectId, p1subj1.subjectId, p1Skills[0].skillId].sort()
     }
 
+    def "copy project with an attachment in description, then remove the copy then copy again"() {
+        def p1 = createProject(1)
+        skillsService.createProject(p1)
+
+        String contents = 'Test is a test'
+        String attachmentHref = attachFileAndReturnHref(p1.projectId, contents)
+
+        def p1subj1 = createSubject(1, 1)
+        p1subj1.description = "Here is a [Link](${attachmentHref})".toString()
+        skillsService.createSubject(p1subj1)
+
+        when:
+        def projToCopy = createProject(2)
+        skillsService.copyProject(p1.projectId, projToCopy)
+
+        def origSubj = skillsService.getSubject([projectId: p1.projectId, subjectId: p1subj1.subjectId])
+        def copySubj = skillsService.getSubject([projectId: projToCopy.projectId, subjectId: p1subj1.subjectId])
+
+        List<Attachment> attachments = attachmentRepo.findAll()
+        assert attachments.size() == 2
+        Attachment originalAttachment = attachments.find {  attachmentHref.contains(it.uuid)}
+        Attachment newAttachment = attachments.find { !attachmentHref.contains(it.uuid)}
+
+        assert origSubj.description == "Here is a [Link](${attachmentHref})"
+        assert copySubj.description == "Here is a [Link](/api/download/${newAttachment.uuid})"
+
+        assert originalAttachment.projectId == p1.projectId
+        assert newAttachment.projectId == projToCopy.projectId
+
+        skillsService.deleteProject(projToCopy.projectId)
+
+        List<Attachment> attachmentsAfterDelete = attachmentRepo.findAll()
+        assert attachmentsAfterDelete.size() == 1
+        attachmentsAfterDelete.find {  attachmentHref.contains(it.uuid)}
+
+        def secondCopy = createProject(3)
+        skillsService.copyProject(p1.projectId, secondCopy)
+
+        def origSubjAfterSecondCopy = skillsService.getSubject([projectId: p1.projectId, subjectId: p1subj1.subjectId])
+        def copySubjAfterSecondCopy = skillsService.getSubject([projectId: secondCopy.projectId, subjectId: p1subj1.subjectId])
+        List<Attachment> attachmentsAfterSecondCopy = attachmentRepo.findAll()
+        then:
+        origSubjAfterSecondCopy.description == "Here is a [Link](${attachmentHref})"
+
+        attachmentsAfterSecondCopy.size() == 2
+        Attachment originalAttachmentAfterSecondCopy = attachmentsAfterSecondCopy.find {  attachmentHref.contains(it.uuid)}
+        Attachment newAttachmentAfterSecondCopy = attachmentsAfterSecondCopy.find { !attachmentHref.contains(it.uuid)}
+
+        originalAttachmentAfterSecondCopy.projectId == p1.projectId
+
+        newAttachmentAfterSecondCopy.projectId == secondCopy.projectId
+        copySubjAfterSecondCopy.description == "Here is a [Link](/api/download/${newAttachmentAfterSecondCopy.uuid})"
+
+        SkillsService.FileAndHeaders fileAndHeaders = skillsService.downloadAttachment("/api/download/${newAttachmentAfterSecondCopy.uuid}")
+        File file = fileAndHeaders.file
+        file
+        file.bytes == contents.getBytes()
+    }
+
 
     static class Edge {
         String from