diff --git a/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/failpoints/mod.rs b/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/failpoints/mod.rs
index 7daf7b8b8af..599194f84d0 100644
--- a/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/failpoints/mod.rs
+++ b/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/failpoints/mod.rs
@@ -48,7 +48,9 @@ use quickwit_common::split_file;
 use quickwit_common::temp_dir::TempDirectory;
 use quickwit_indexing::actors::MergeExecutor;
 use quickwit_indexing::merge_policy::{MergeOperation, MergeTask};
-use quickwit_indexing::models::{MergeScratch, SpawnPipeline};
+use quickwit_indexing::models::{
+    DetachIndexingPipeline, DetachMergePipeline, MergeScratch, SpawnPipeline,
+};
 use quickwit_indexing::{get_tantivy_directory_from_split_bundle, TestSandbox};
 use quickwit_metastore::{
     ListSplitsQuery, ListSplitsRequestExt, MetastoreServiceStreamSplitsExt, SplitMetadata,
@@ -372,6 +374,7 @@ async fn test_no_duplicate_merge_on_pipeline_restart() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
           max_merge_ops: 1
           merge_factor: 4
           max_merge_factor: 4
+          max_finalize_merge_operations: 1
     "#;
     let search_fields = ["body"];
     let index_id = "test-index-merge-duplication";
@@ -383,16 +386,20 @@ async fn test_no_duplicate_merge_on_pipeline_restart() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     )
     .await?;
 
-    // 0: start
-    // 1: 1st merge reached the failpoint
-    // 2: 2nd merge reached the failpoint
+    //  0: start
+    //  1: 1st merge reached the failpoint
+    // 11: 1st merge failed
+    // 12: 2nd merge reached the failpoint
+    // 22: 2nd merge failed (we don't care about this state)
     let state = Arc::new(AtomicU32::new(0));
     let state_clone = state.clone();
 
     fail::cfg_callback("before-merge-split", move || {
         use std::sync::atomic::Ordering;
         state_clone.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
-        std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(100));
+        std::thread::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(300));
+        state_clone.fetch_add(10, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        panic!("kill merge pipeline");
     })
     .unwrap();
 
@@ -420,7 +427,7 @@ async fn test_no_duplicate_merge_on_pipeline_restart() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         .await?;
 
     tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
-    test_index_builder
+    let pipeline_id = test_index_builder
         .indexing_service()
         .ask_for_res(SpawnPipeline {
             index_id: index_id.to_string(),
@@ -429,9 +436,35 @@ async fn test_no_duplicate_merge_on_pipeline_restart() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         })
         .await?;
 
-    tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(300)).await;
-    // we shouldn't have reached state 2
+    tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(200)).await;
+    // we shouldn't have had a 2nd split run yet (the 1st one hasn't panicked just yet)
     assert_eq!(state.load(Ordering::Relaxed), 1);
+    tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
+    assert_eq!(state.load(Ordering::Relaxed), 11);
+
+    let merge_pipeline_id = pipeline_id.merge_pipeline_id();
+    let indexing_pipeline = test_index_builder
+        .indexing_service()
+        .ask_for_res(DetachIndexingPipeline { pipeline_id })
+        .await?;
+    let merge_pipeline = test_index_builder
+        .indexing_service()
+        .ask_for_res(DetachMergePipeline {
+            pipeline_id: merge_pipeline_id,
+        })
+        .await?;
+
+    indexing_pipeline.kill().await;
+    merge_pipeline
+        .mailbox()
+        .ask(quickwit_indexing::FinishPendingMergesAndShutdownPipeline)
+        .await?;
+
+    // stoping the merge pipeline makes it recheck for possible dead merge
+    // (alternatively, it does that sooner when rebuilding the known split list)
+    tokio::time::sleep(std::time::Duration::from_millis(200)).await;
+    // timing-wise, we can't have reached 22, but it would be logically correct to get that state
+    assert_eq!(state.load(Ordering::Relaxed), 12);
 
     let universe = test_index_builder.universe();
     universe.kill();
diff --git a/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/src/actors/merge_planner.rs b/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/src/actors/merge_planner.rs
index 22850f5c2b3..c9eade07a3c 100644
--- a/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/src/actors/merge_planner.rs
+++ b/quickwit/quickwit-indexing/src/actors/merge_planner.rs
@@ -145,7 +145,12 @@ impl Handler<RunFinalizeMergePolicyAndQuit> for MergePlanner {
     ) -> Result<(), ActorExitStatus> {
         // consume failed merges so that we may try to reschedule them one last time
         for failed_merge in self.ongoing_merge_operations_tracker.take_dead() {
-            self.record_splits_if_necessary(failed_merge.splits);
+            for split in failed_merge.splits {
+                // if they were from a dead merge, we always record them, they are likely
+                // already part of our known splits, and we don't want to rebuild the known
+                // split list as it's likely to log about not halving its size.
+                self.record_split(split);
+            }
         }
         self.send_merge_ops(true, ctx).await?;
         Err(ActorExitStatus::Success)
@@ -313,6 +318,7 @@ impl MergePlanner {
             self.record_split(new_split);
         }
     }
+
     async fn compute_merge_ops(
         &mut self,
         is_finalize: bool,