diff --git a/src/api/app/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller.rb b/src/api/app/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller.rb
index 69909e7150fd..79c1a80a0e86 100644
--- a/src/api/app/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller.rb
+++ b/src/api/app/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller.rb
@@ -2,8 +2,7 @@ module Webui
   module Projects
     class MetaController < WebuiController
       require_dependency 'opensuse/validator'
-      before_action :set_project, only: [:show]
-      before_action :set_project_by_name, only: [:update]
+      before_action :set_project
       before_action :validate_meta, only: [:update], unless: -> { !params[:meta] }
       after_action :verify_authorized, only: [:update]
 
@@ -14,14 +13,18 @@ def show
 
       def update
         authorize @project, :update?
-        errors = []
-        errors = validate_request_and_set_error(errors)
-        errors = run_update(errors) if errors.empty?
+        errors = validate_request_and_set_error
+
+        if errors.empty?
+          err = run_update
+          errors << err if err
+        end
+
         status = if errors.empty?
                    flash.now[:success] = 'Config successfully saved!'
                    200
                  else
-                   flash.now[:error] = errors.compact.join("\n")
+                   flash.now[:error] = errors.join("\n")
                    400
                  end
         switch_to_webui2
@@ -31,40 +34,30 @@ def update
       private
 
       def validate_meta
-        Suse::Validator.validate('project', params[:meta])
-        @request_data = Xmlhash.parse(params[:meta])
-      rescue Suse::ValidationError => exception
-        flash.now[:error] = exception.message
-        render layout: false, status: 400, partial: "layouts/#{view_namespace}/flash", object: flash
+        meta_validator = ::MetaControllerService::MetaValidator.new(params)
+        meta_validator.call
+        if meta_validator.errors?
+          flash.now[:error] = meta_validator.errors
+          render layout: false, status: 400, partial: "layouts/#{view_namespace}/flash", object: flash
+        else
+          @request_data = meta_validator.request_data
+        end
       end
 
       def view_namespace
         switch_to_webui2? ? 'webui2' : 'webui'
       end
 
-      def validate_request_and_set_error(errors)
-        remove_repositories = @project.get_removed_repositories(@request_data)
-        errors << Project.check_repositories(remove_repositories)[:error]
-        errors << Project.validate_remote_permissions(@request_data)[:error]
-        errors << Project.validate_link_xml_attribute(@request_data, @project.name)[:error]
-        errors << Project.validate_maintenance_xml_attribute(@request_data)[:error]
-        errors << Project.validate_repository_xml_attribute(@request_data, @project.name)[:error]
-        errors.compact
-      end
-
-      def run_update(errors)
-        Project.transaction do
-          errors << @project.update_from_xml(@request_data)[:error]
-          errors = errors.compact
-          @project.store if errors.empty?
-        end
-        errors.compact
+      def validate_request_and_set_error
+        request_validator = ::MetaControllerService::RequestValidator.new(project: @project, request_data: @request_data)
+        request_validator.call
+        request_validator.errors
       end
 
-      def set_project_by_name
-        @project = Project.get_by_name(params[:project])
-      rescue Project::UnknownObjectError
-        @project = nil
+      def run_update
+        project_validator = ::MetaControllerService::ProjectUpdater.new(project: @project, request_data: @request_data)
+        project_validator.call
+        project_validator.errors
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/meta_validator.rb b/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/meta_validator.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b8ad99e3677a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/meta_validator.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+module MetaControllerService
+  class MetaValidator
+    require_dependency 'opensuse/validator'
+
+    attr_reader :meta, :request_data, :errors
+
+    def initialize(params = {})
+      @meta = params[:meta] if params.key?(:meta)
+    end
+
+    def call
+      Suse::Validator.validate('project', @meta)
+      @request_data = Xmlhash.parse(@meta)
+    rescue Suse::ValidationError => exception
+      @errors = exception.message
+    end
+
+    def errors?
+      @errors.present?
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/project_updater.rb b/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/project_updater.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..c4081241bded
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/project_updater.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+module MetaControllerService
+  class ProjectUpdater
+    attr_reader :errors
+
+    def initialize(params = {})
+      @project = params[:project] if params.key?(:project)
+      @request_data = params[:request_data] if params.key?(:request_data)
+    end
+
+    def call
+      Project.transaction do
+        @errors = @project.update_from_xml(@request_data)[:error]
+        @project.store unless errors?
+      end
+    end
+
+    def errors?
+      @errors.present?
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/request_validator.rb b/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/request_validator.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b9ab631c194f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/api/app/services/meta_controller_service/request_validator.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+module MetaControllerService
+  class RequestValidator
+    attr_reader :project, :request_data, :errors
+    def initialize(params = {})
+      @project = params[:project] if params.key?(:project)
+      @request_data = params[:request_data] if params.key?(:request_data)
+      @errors = []
+    end
+
+    def call
+      remove_repositories = @project.get_removed_repositories(@request_data)
+      @errors << Project.check_repositories(remove_repositories)[:error]
+      @errors << Project.validate_remote_permissions(@request_data)[:error]
+      @errors << Project.validate_link_xml_attribute(@request_data, @project.name)[:error]
+      @errors << Project.validate_maintenance_xml_attribute(@request_data)[:error]
+      @errors << Project.validate_repository_xml_attribute(@request_data, @project.name)[:error]
+      @errors.compact!
+    end
+
+    def errors?
+      @errors.empty?
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/src/api/spec/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller_spec.rb b/src/api/spec/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller_spec.rb
index b6b7bffb5923..3b3c88acd432 100644
--- a/src/api/spec/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/src/api/spec/controllers/webui/projects/meta_controller_spec.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
     context 'with a nonexistent project' do
       let(:post_save_meta) { post :update, params: { project: 'nonexistent_project' }, xhr: true }
 
-      it { expect { post_save_meta }.to raise_error(Pundit::NotDefinedError) }
+      it { expect { post_save_meta }.to raise_error(ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound) }
     end
 
     context 'with a valid project' do