diff --git a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/FirstOperation.js b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/FirstOperation.js
index 543b5951d..404661863 100644
--- a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/FirstOperation.js
+++ b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/FirstOperation.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { QueryBuilderOperation } from './QueryBuilderOperation.js';
+import { LimitPerParentOperation } from './LimitPerParentOperation.js';
 
 export class FirstOperation extends QueryBuilderOperation {
   shouldLimit(builder) {
@@ -13,8 +14,9 @@ export class FirstOperation extends QueryBuilderOperation {
     return knexBuilder;
   }
 
-  onAfter3(_, result) {
-    if (Array.isArray(result)) {
+  onAfter3(builder, result) {
+    // Limited per parent, the query still returns the models of all parents:
+    if (Array.isArray(result) && !builder.has(LimitPerParentOperation)) {
       return result[0];
     } else {
       return result;
diff --git a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/LimitPerParentOperation.js b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/LimitPerParentOperation.js
index eef71a8fc..a4c9a559e 100644
--- a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/LimitPerParentOperation.js
+++ b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/LimitPerParentOperation.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { QueryBuilderOperation } from './QueryBuilderOperation.js';
 import { RangeOperation } from './RangeOperation.js';
+import { FirstOperation } from './FirstOperation.js';
 import { isNumber } from '../../utils/objectUtils.js';
 import { withoutSchema } from './select/Selection.js';
 import { getWindowOrder, rowNumberColumn } from './windowOrder.js';
@@ -22,9 +23,11 @@ export class LimitPerParentOperation extends QueryBuilderOperation {
     // `page()` and `range()` keep limiting all parents, as their total does.
     if (!builder.has(RangeOperation)) {
       const { limit = null, offset = null } = knexBuilder._single;
+      // `first()` only limits the query with `useLimitInFirst`:
+      const isFirst = builder.has(FirstOperation);
 
-      if (limit !== null || offset !== null) {
-        return { limit, offset: offset ?? 0 };
+      if (limit !== null || offset !== null || isFirst) {
+        return { limit: isFirst ? 1 : limit, offset: offset ?? 0 };
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js
index c1051b054..a923fc058 100644
--- a/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js
+++ b/lib/queryBuilder/operations/eager/WhereInEagerOperation.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import * as promiseUtils from '../../../utils/promiseUtils/index.js';
 
 import { EagerOperation } from './EagerOperation.js';
 import { LimitPerParentOperation } from '../LimitPerParentOperation.js';
-import { FirstOperation } from '../FirstOperation.js';
 import { isMsSql, isOracle, isSqlite } from '../../../utils/knexUtils.js';
 import { isObject, asArray, flatten, chunk } from '../../../utils/objectUtils.js';
 import { ValidationErrorType } from '../../../model/ValidationError.js';
@@ -133,12 +132,6 @@ export class WhereInEagerOperation extends EagerOperation {
     }
 
     if (this.graphOptions.limitPerParent !== false) {
-      // `first()` limits the related models of each owner to one, and the query
-      // still returns the batch of all owners:
-      if (queryBuilder.has(FirstOperation)) {
-        queryBuilder.clear(FirstOperation).limit(1);
-      }
-
       queryBuilder.addOperation(
         new LimitPerParentOperation('limitPerParent', { findOperation }),
         [],
diff --git a/tests/integration/withGraph.js b/tests/integration/withGraph.js
index a240bf614..7cb848bd9 100644
--- a/tests/integration/withGraph.js
+++ b/tests/integration/withGraph.js
@@ -1201,6 +1201,45 @@ export default (session) => {
         ]);
       });
 
+      it('should apply first() of a relation mapping modify per parent', async () => {
+        class Model1Latest extends Model1 {
+          static get relationMappings() {
+            return {
+              ...super.relationMappings,
+              latestModel2: {
+                relation: Model1.HasOneRelation,
+                modelClass: Model2,
+                join: { from: 'Model1.id', to: 'model2.model1_id' },
+                modify: (query) => query.orderBy('id_col', 'desc').first(),
+              },
+            };
+          }
+        }
+
+        const models = await Model1Latest.query()
+          .withGraphFetched('latestModel2')
+          .whereExists(Model1Latest.relatedQuery('model1Relation2'))
+          .orderBy('id');
+
+        expect(relatedIds(models, 'latestModel2')).toEqual([
+          [1, 2],
+          [4, 4],
+          [6, 3],
+        ]);
+      });
+
+      it('should apply first() of an onBuild() hook per parent', async () => {
+        const models = await fetchModel1s('model1Relation2', (query) =>
+          query.orderBy('id_col', 'desc').onBuild((query) => query.first()),
+        );
+
+        expect(relatedIds(models, 'model1Relation2')).toEqual([
+          [1, [2]],
+          [4, [4]],
+          [6, [3]],
+        ]);
+      });
+
       it('should support limitPerParent: false in defaultGraphOptions', async () => {
         class Model1Defaults extends Model1 {
           static get defaultGraphOptions() {