diff --git a/src/osd/PG.cc b/src/osd/PG.cc
index fbc5fdfd3d5b4..e753310534bd8 100644
--- a/src/osd/PG.cc
+++ b/src/osd/PG.cc
@@ -1725,7 +1725,8 @@ void PG::activate(ObjectStore::Transaction& t,
         for (list<pg_log_entry_t>::iterator p = m->log.log.begin();
              p != m->log.log.end();
              ++p)
-	  if (p->soid <= pi.last_backfill)
+	  if (p->soid <= pi.last_backfill &&
+	      !p->is_error())
 	    pm.add_next_event(*p);
       }
       
diff --git a/src/osd/PGLog.h b/src/osd/PGLog.h
index 176a682b6a4e8..05ff7faf42840 100644
--- a/src/osd/PGLog.h
+++ b/src/osd/PGLog.h
@@ -584,10 +584,6 @@ struct PGLog : DoutPrefixProvider {
     missing.add(oid, need, have);
   }
 
-  void missing_add_event(const pg_log_entry_t &e) {
-    missing.add_next_event(e);
-  }
-
   //////////////////// get or set log ////////////////////
 
   const IndexedLog &get_log() const { return log; }
@@ -739,7 +735,7 @@ struct PGLog : DoutPrefixProvider {
   static void _merge_object_divergent_entries(
     const IndexedLog &log,               ///< [in] log to merge against
     const hobject_t &hoid,               ///< [in] object we are merging
-    const mempool::osd_pglog::list<pg_log_entry_t> &entries, ///< [in] entries for hoid to merge
+    const mempool::osd_pglog::list<pg_log_entry_t> &orig_entries, ///< [in] entries for hoid to merge
     const pg_info_t &info,              ///< [in] info for merging entries
     eversion_t olog_can_rollback_to,     ///< [in] rollback boundary
     missing_type &missing,              ///< [in,out] missing to adjust, use
@@ -747,7 +743,7 @@ struct PGLog : DoutPrefixProvider {
     const DoutPrefixProvider *dpp        ///< [in] logging provider
     ) {
     ldpp_dout(dpp, 20) << __func__ << ": merging hoid " << hoid
-		       << " entries: " << entries << dendl;
+		       << " entries: " << orig_entries << dendl;
 
     if (hoid > info.last_backfill) {
       ldpp_dout(dpp, 10) << __func__ << ": hoid " << hoid << " after last_backfill"
@@ -756,20 +752,32 @@ struct PGLog : DoutPrefixProvider {
     }
 
     // entries is non-empty
-    assert(!entries.empty());
+    assert(!orig_entries.empty());
+    // strip out and ignore ERROR entries
+    mempool::osd_pglog::list<pg_log_entry_t> entries;
     eversion_t last;
-    for (list<pg_log_entry_t>::const_iterator i = entries.begin();
-	 i != entries.end();
+    for (list<pg_log_entry_t>::const_iterator i = orig_entries.begin();
+	 i != orig_entries.end();
 	 ++i) {
       // all entries are on hoid
       assert(i->soid == hoid);
-      if (i != entries.begin() && i->prior_version != eversion_t()) {
+      if (i != orig_entries.begin() && i->prior_version != eversion_t()) {
 	// in increasing order of version
 	assert(i->version > last);
-	// prior_version correct
-	assert(i->prior_version == last);
+	// prior_version correct (unless it is an ERROR entry)
+	assert(i->prior_version == last || i->is_error());
       }
       last = i->version;
+      if (i->is_error()) {
+	ldpp_dout(dpp, 20) << __func__ << ": ignoring " << *i << dendl;
+      } else {
+	ldpp_dout(dpp, 20) << __func__ << ": keeping " << *i << dendl;
+	entries.push_back(*i);
+      }
+    }
+    if (entries.empty()) {
+      ldpp_dout(dpp, 10) << __func__ << ": no non-ERROR entries" << dendl;
+      return;
     }
 
     const eversion_t prior_version = entries.begin()->prior_version;