diff --git a/node/src/bin/manager.rs b/node/src/bin/manager.rs
index 54752a3d25f..a529fad8583 100644
--- a/node/src/bin/manager.rs
+++ b/node/src/bin/manager.rs
@@ -938,7 +938,7 @@ impl Context {
         store
     }
 
-    fn pools(self) -> HashMap<Shard, ConnectionPool> {
+    fn pools(&self) -> HashMap<Shard, ConnectionPool> {
         let (_, pools) = self.store_and_pools();
         pools
     }
@@ -1327,7 +1327,9 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
                     .await
                 }
                 Activate { deployment, shard } => {
-                    commands::copy::activate(ctx.subgraph_store(), deployment, shard)
+                    let pools = ctx.pools();
+                    let store = ctx.subgraph_store();
+                    commands::copy::activate(&pools, store, deployment, shard)
                 }
                 List => commands::copy::list(ctx.pools()),
                 Status { dst } => commands::copy::status(ctx.pools(), &dst),
diff --git a/node/src/manager/commands/copy.rs b/node/src/manager/commands/copy.rs
index 620e27eef6c..38a9eb5c0e8 100644
--- a/node/src/manager/commands/copy.rs
+++ b/node/src/manager/commands/copy.rs
@@ -154,7 +154,12 @@ pub async fn create(
     Ok(())
 }
 
-pub fn activate(store: Arc<SubgraphStore>, deployment: String, shard: String) -> Result<(), Error> {
+pub fn activate(
+    pools: &HashMap<Shard, ConnectionPool>,
+    store: Arc<SubgraphStore>,
+    deployment: String,
+    shard: String,
+) -> Result<(), Error> {
     let shard = Shard::new(shard)?;
     let deployment =
         DeploymentHash::new(deployment).map_err(|s| anyhow!("illegal deployment hash `{}`", s))?;
@@ -167,8 +172,23 @@ pub fn activate(store: Arc<SubgraphStore>, deployment: String, shard: String) ->
                 shard
             )
         })?;
-    store.activate(&deployment)?;
-    println!("activated copy {}", deployment);
+
+    let (state, _, _) = match CopyState::find(pools, &shard, deployment.id.0)? {
+        Some((state, tables, on_sync)) => (state, tables, on_sync),
+        None => {
+            println!(
+                "copying is queued but has not started or no copy operation for {} exists",
+                deployment.id.0
+            );
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+    };
+    if state.finished_at.is_some() {
+        store.activate(&deployment)?;
+        println!("activated copy {}", deployment);
+    } else {
+        println!("copying is not finished yet");
+    }
     Ok(())
 }