diff --git a/src/integrations/supabase/types.ts b/src/integrations/supabase/types.ts
index 5872b139..b8015e69 100644
--- a/src/integrations/supabase/types.ts
+++ b/src/integrations/supabase/types.ts
@@ -4718,6 +4718,38 @@ export type Database = {
         }
         Relationships: []
       }
+      submission_item_temp_refs: {
+        Row: {
+          created_at: string
+          id: string
+          ref_order_index: number
+          ref_type: string
+          submission_item_id: string
+        }
+        Insert: {
+          created_at?: string
+          id?: string
+          ref_order_index: number
+          ref_type: string
+          submission_item_id: string
+        }
+        Update: {
+          created_at?: string
+          id?: string
+          ref_order_index?: number
+          ref_type?: string
+          submission_item_id?: string
+        }
+        Relationships: [
+          {
+            foreignKeyName: "submission_item_temp_refs_submission_item_id_fkey"
+            columns: ["submission_item_id"]
+            isOneToOne: false
+            referencedRelation: "submission_items"
+            referencedColumns: ["id"]
+          },
+        ]
+      }
       submission_items: {
         Row: {
           action_type: string | null
diff --git a/supabase/migrations/20251105182139_d0eb2f72-593c-472a-af6a-e7e9964dde87.sql b/supabase/migrations/20251105182139_d0eb2f72-593c-472a-af6a-e7e9964dde87.sql
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4e7746d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/supabase/migrations/20251105182139_d0eb2f72-593c-472a-af6a-e7e9964dde87.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+-- =====================================================
+-- Temporary Reference Storage for Composite Submissions
+-- =====================================================
+-- Stores _temp_*_ref fields extracted from submission items
+-- These are used during approval to resolve dependencies
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS public.submission_item_temp_refs (
+  id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
+  submission_item_id UUID NOT NULL REFERENCES public.submission_items(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+  ref_type TEXT NOT NULL CHECK (ref_type IN (
+    'operator', 'property_owner', 'manufacturer', 'designer',
+    'park', 'ride', 'ride_model', 'location'
+  )),
+  ref_order_index INTEGER NOT NULL,
+  created_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW()
+);
+
+-- Indexes for performance
+CREATE INDEX idx_submission_item_temp_refs_item_id 
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs(submission_item_id);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_submission_item_temp_refs_type 
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs(ref_type);
+
+-- Composite index for fast lookups during approval
+CREATE INDEX idx_submission_item_temp_refs_item_type 
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs(submission_item_id, ref_type);
+
+-- Enable RLS
+ALTER TABLE public.submission_item_temp_refs ENABLE ROW LEVEL SECURITY;
+
+-- RLS Policy: Moderators can view all temp refs
+CREATE POLICY "Moderators can view all temp refs"
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs
+  FOR SELECT
+  USING (
+    is_moderator(auth.uid()) AND 
+    ((NOT has_mfa_enabled(auth.uid())) OR has_aal2())
+  );
+
+-- RLS Policy: Users can view their own temp refs via submission ownership
+CREATE POLICY "Users can view their own temp refs"
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs
+  FOR SELECT
+  USING (
+    EXISTS (
+      SELECT 1 
+      FROM public.submission_items si
+      JOIN public.content_submissions cs ON cs.id = si.submission_id
+      WHERE si.id = submission_item_temp_refs.submission_item_id
+        AND cs.user_id = auth.uid()
+    )
+  );
+
+-- RLS Policy: System can insert temp refs during submission creation
+CREATE POLICY "System can insert temp refs"
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs
+  FOR INSERT
+  WITH CHECK (
+    EXISTS (
+      SELECT 1 
+      FROM public.submission_items si
+      JOIN public.content_submissions cs ON cs.id = si.submission_id
+      WHERE si.id = submission_item_temp_refs.submission_item_id
+        AND cs.user_id = auth.uid()
+    )
+  );
+
+-- RLS Policy: Moderators can delete temp refs (manual cleanup if needed)
+CREATE POLICY "Moderators can delete temp refs"
+  ON public.submission_item_temp_refs
+  FOR DELETE
+  USING (
+    is_moderator(auth.uid()) AND 
+    ((NOT has_mfa_enabled(auth.uid())) OR has_aal2())
+  );
+
+COMMENT ON TABLE public.submission_item_temp_refs IS 
+  'Stores temporary reference fields (_temp_operator_ref, etc.) from submission items for composite submissions. Cleaned up automatically when items are approved.';
+
+COMMENT ON COLUMN public.submission_item_temp_refs.ref_type IS 
+  'The entity type being referenced (e.g., operator, park, manufacturer). Extracted from _temp_operator_ref -> operator.';
+
+COMMENT ON COLUMN public.submission_item_temp_refs.ref_order_index IS 
+  'The array index of the referenced item in the submission order. Matches the order_index of the target submission_item.';
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