diff --git a/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/api.py b/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/api.py
index 4f2434125f57..13f82e3a06b9 100644
--- a/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/api.py
+++ b/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/api.py
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@ def _filtered_list(self, endpoint, value):
         return endpoint.get(**{identifier: value}, all_pages=True)
 
     def export_assets(self, **kwargs):
-        self._cache = page.PageCache()
+        self._cache = page.PageCache(self.connection)
 
         # If no resource kwargs are explicitly used, export everything.
         all_resources = all(kwargs.get(resource) is None for resource in EXPORTABLE_RESOURCES)
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ def _import_list(self, endpoint, assets):
                 if name == 'roles':
                     indexed_roles = defaultdict(list)
                     for role in S:
-                        if 'content_object' not in role:
+                        if role.get('content_object') is None:
                             continue
                         indexed_roles[role['content_object']['type']].append(role)
                     self._roles.append((_page, indexed_roles))
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ def _assign_related(self):
             # FIXME: deal with pruning existing relations that do not match the import set
 
     def import_assets(self, data):
-        self._cache = page.PageCache()
+        self._cache = page.PageCache(self.connection)
         self._related = []
         self._roles = []
 
@@ -420,11 +420,8 @@ def import_assets(self, data):
         for resource in self._dependent_resources():
             endpoint = getattr(self, resource)
 
-            # Load up existing objects, so that we can try to update or link to them
-            self._cache.get_page(endpoint)
             imported = self._import_list(endpoint, data.get(resource) or [])
             changed = changed or imported
-            # FIXME: should we delete existing unpatched assets?
 
         self._assign_related()
         self._assign_membership()
diff --git a/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/page.py b/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/page.py
index 4c26fd5314b8..d6c60d78bdfe 100644
--- a/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/page.py
+++ b/awxkit/awxkit/api/pages/page.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 from awxkit.api import utils
 from awxkit.api.client import Connection
 from awxkit.api.registry import URLRegistry
+from awxkit.api.resources import resources
 from awxkit.config import config
 import awxkit.exceptions as exc
 
@@ -493,10 +494,11 @@ def __ne__(self, other):
 
 
 class PageCache(object):
-    def __init__(self):
+    def __init__(self, connection=None):
         self.options = {}
         self.pages_by_url = {}
         self.pages_by_natural_key = {}
+        self.connection = connection or Connection(config.base_url, not config.assume_untrusted)
 
     def get_options(self, page):
         url = page.endpoint if isinstance(page, Page) else str(page)
@@ -550,7 +552,31 @@ def get_page(self, page):
         return self.set_page(page)
 
     def get_by_natural_key(self, natural_key):
-        endpoint = self.pages_by_natural_key.get(utils.freeze(natural_key))
-        log.debug("get_by_natural_key: %s, endpoint: %s", repr(natural_key), endpoint)
-        if endpoint:
-            return self.get_page(endpoint)
+        page = self.pages_by_natural_key.get(utils.freeze(natural_key))
+        if page is None:
+            # We need some way to get ahold of the top-level resource
+            # list endpoint from the natural_key type.  The resources
+            # object more or less has that for each of the detail
+            # views.  Just chop off the /<id>/ bit.
+            endpoint = getattr(resources, natural_key['type'], None)
+            if endpoint is None:
+                return
+            endpoint = ''.join([endpoint.rsplit('/', 2)[0], '/'])
+            page_type = get_registered_page(endpoint)
+
+            kwargs = {}
+            for k, v in natural_key.items():
+                if isinstance(v, str) and k != 'type':
+                    kwargs[k] = v
+
+            # Do a filtered query against the list endpoint, usually
+            # with the name of the object but sometimes more.
+            list_page = page_type(self.connection, endpoint=endpoint).get(all_pages=True, **kwargs)
+            if 'results' in list_page:
+                for p in list_page.results:
+                    self.set_page(p)
+            page = self.pages_by_natural_key.get(utils.freeze(natural_key))
+
+        log.debug("get_by_natural_key: %s, endpoint: %s", repr(natural_key), page)
+        if page:
+            return self.get_page(page)