diff --git a/saexec/saexec.go b/saexec/saexec.go
index a07deb9..c3c069d 100644
--- a/saexec/saexec.go
+++ b/saexec/saexec.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 package saexec
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"sync/atomic"
 
 	"github.com/ava-labs/avalanchego/utils/logging"
@@ -19,7 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/event"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/params"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/triedb"
-	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	"github.com/ava-labs/strevm/blocks"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/strevm/hook"
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ func New(
 
 // Close shuts down the [Executor], waits for the currently executing block
 // to complete, and then releases all resources.
-func (e *Executor) Close() {
+func (e *Executor) Close() error {
 	close(e.quit)
 	<-e.done
 
@@ -102,15 +102,12 @@ func (e *Executor) Close() {
 	// no-op, so we ignore it.
 	if root := e.LastExecuted().PostExecutionStateRoot(); root != e.snaps.DiskRoot() {
 		if err := e.snaps.Cap(root, 0); err != nil {
-			e.log.Warn(
-				"snapshot.Tree.Cap([last post-execution state root], 0)",
-				zap.Stringer("root", root),
-				zap.Error(err),
-			)
+			return fmt.Errorf("snapshot.Tree.Cap([last post-execution state root], 0): %v", err)
 		}
 	}
 
 	e.snaps.Release()
+	return nil
 }
 
 // ChainConfig returns the config originally passed to [New].
diff --git a/saexec/saexec_test.go b/saexec/saexec_test.go
index 617c7b5..e97c9ba 100644
--- a/saexec/saexec_test.go
+++ b/saexec/saexec_test.go
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/core"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/core/rawdb"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/core/state"
+	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/core/state/snapshot"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/core/types"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/core/vm"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/crypto"
+	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/ethdb"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/libevm"
 	libevmhookstest "github.com/ava-labs/libevm/libevm/hookstest"
 	"github.com/ava-labs/libevm/params"
@@ -61,6 +63,7 @@ type SUT struct {
 	chain  *blockstest.ChainBuilder
 	wallet *saetest.Wallet
 	logger logging.Logger
+	db     ethdb.Database
 }
 
 // newSUT returns a new SUT. Any >= [logging.Error] on the logger will also
@@ -94,13 +97,16 @@ func newSUT(tb testing.TB, hooks hook.Points) (context.Context, SUT) {
 
 	e, err := New(genesis, src, config, db, tdbConfig, hooks, logger)
 	require.NoError(tb, err, "New()")
-	tb.Cleanup(e.Close)
+	tb.Cleanup(func() {
+		require.NoErrorf(tb, e.Close(), "%T.Close()", e)
+	})
 
 	return ctx, SUT{
 		Executor: e,
 		chain:    chain,
 		wallet:   wallet,
 		logger:   logger,
+		db:       db,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -724,3 +730,48 @@ var _ = blockstest.ModifyHeader((*blockNumSaver)(nil).store)
 func (e *blockNumSaver) store(h *types.Header) {
 	e.num = new(big.Int).Set(h.Number)
 }
+
+func TestSnapshotPersistence(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx, sut := newSUT(t, defaultHooks())
+
+	e, chain, wallet := sut.Executor, sut.chain, sut.wallet
+
+	const n = 10
+	for range n {
+		b := chain.NewBlock(t, types.Transactions{
+			wallet.SetNonceAndSign(t, 0, &types.LegacyTx{
+				To:       &common.Address{},
+				Gas:      params.TxGas,
+				GasPrice: big.NewInt(1),
+			}),
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, e.Enqueue(ctx, b), "Enqueue()")
+	}
+	last := chain.Last()
+	require.NoErrorf(t, last.WaitUntilExecuted(ctx), "%T.Last().WaitUntilExecuted()", chain)
+
+	require.NoErrorf(t, e.Close(), "%T.Close()", e)
+	// [newSUT] creates a cleanup that also calls [Executor.Close], which isn't
+	// valid usage. The simplest workaround is to just replace the quit channel
+	// so it can be closed again.
+	e.quit = make(chan struct{})
+
+	// The crux of the test is whether we can recover the EOA nonce using only a
+	// new set of snapshots, recovered from the databases.
+	conf := snapshot.Config{
+		CacheSize: 128,
+		NoBuild:   true, // i.e. MUST be loaded from disk
+	}
+	snaps, err := snapshot.New(conf, sut.db, e.StateCache().TrieDB(), last.PostExecutionStateRoot())
+	require.NoError(t, err, "snapshot.New(..., [post-execution state root of last-executed block])")
+	snap := snaps.Snapshot(last.PostExecutionStateRoot())
+	require.NotNilf(t, snap, "%T.Snapshot([post-execution state root of last-executed block])", snaps)
+
+	t.Run("snap.Account(EOA)", func(t *testing.T) {
+		eoa := wallet.Addresses()[0]
+		got, err := snap.Account(crypto.Keccak256Hash(eoa.Bytes()))
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.NotNil(t, got) // yes, this is still possible with nil error
+		require.Equalf(t, uint64(n), got.Nonce, "%T.Nonce", got)
+	})
+}