diff --git a/src/vos/vos_io.c b/src/vos/vos_io.c
index e2bcad16dc3..93f698c80d7 100644
--- a/src/vos/vos_io.c
+++ b/src/vos/vos_io.c
@@ -2567,8 +2567,11 @@ vos_update_end(daos_handle_t ioh, uint32_t pm_ver, daos_key_t *dkey, int err,
 	if (err != 0)
 		goto abort;
 
-	D_ASSERT(ioc->ic_obj != NULL);
-	if (unlikely(vos_obj_is_evicted(ioc->ic_obj))) {
+	if (ioc->ic_obj == NULL) {
+		err = vos_obj_acquire(ioc->ic_cont, ioc->ic_oid, true, &ioc->ic_obj);
+		if (err != 0)
+			goto abort;
+	} else if (unlikely(vos_obj_is_evicted(ioc->ic_obj))) {
 		D_DEBUG(DB_IO, "Obj " DF_UOID " is evicted during update, need to restart TX.\n",
 			DP_UOID(ioc->ic_oid));
 
@@ -2755,9 +2758,12 @@ vos_update_begin(daos_handle_t coh, daos_unit_oid_t oid, daos_epoch_t epoch,
 		goto error;
 	}
 
-	rc = vos_obj_acquire(ioc->ic_cont, ioc->ic_oid, true, &ioc->ic_obj);
-	if (rc != 0)
-		goto error;
+	/* Hold the object for the evictable md-on-ssd phase2 pool */
+	if (vos_pool_is_evictable(vos_cont2pool(ioc->ic_cont))) {
+		rc = vos_obj_acquire(ioc->ic_cont, ioc->ic_oid, true, &ioc->ic_obj);
+		if (rc != 0)
+			goto error;
+	}
 
 	rc = dkey_update_begin(ioc);
 	if (rc != 0) {
diff --git a/src/vos/vos_obj.c b/src/vos/vos_obj.c
index bdc45b071ef..4d376d79551 100644
--- a/src/vos/vos_obj.c
+++ b/src/vos/vos_obj.c
@@ -494,6 +494,16 @@ vos_obj_punch(daos_handle_t coh, daos_unit_oid_t oid, daos_epoch_t epoch,
 	if (rc != 0)
 		goto reset;
 
+	if (!(hold_flags & VOS_OBJ_CREATE) && (obj->obj_df == NULL)) {
+		rc = vos_ilog_ts_add(ts_set, NULL, &oid, sizeof(oid));
+		D_ASSERT(rc == 0);
+
+		rc = -DER_NONEXIST;
+		vos_obj_release(obj, 0, true);
+		obj = NULL;
+		goto reset;
+	}
+
 	rc = vos_tx_begin(dth, vos_cont2umm(cont), cont->vc_pool->vp_sysdb, obj);
 	if (rc != 0)
 		goto reset;
diff --git a/src/vos/vos_obj_cache.c b/src/vos/vos_obj_cache.c
index 002fb2e4ca9..96b201dbb8c 100644
--- a/src/vos/vos_obj_cache.c
+++ b/src/vos/vos_obj_cache.c
@@ -545,6 +545,8 @@ vos_obj_incarnate(struct vos_object *obj, daos_epoch_range_t *epr, daos_epoch_t
 		if (rc == 0) {
 			obj->obj_sync_epoch = obj->obj_df->vo_sync;
 		} else if (rc == -DER_NONEXIST) {
+			if (!(flags & VOS_OBJ_CREATE))
+				return -DER_NONEXIST;
 			rc = vos_oi_alloc(cont, obj->obj_id, epr->epr_hi, &obj->obj_df, ts_set);
 			if (rc) {
 				DL_ERROR(rc, DF_CONT ": Failed to allocate OI " DF_UOID ".",
@@ -559,6 +561,14 @@ vos_obj_incarnate(struct vos_object *obj, daos_epoch_range_t *epr, daos_epoch_t
 			return rc;
 		}
 	} else if (likely(intent != DAOS_INTENT_MARK)) {
+		struct vos_obj_df *tmp_df = NULL;
+
+		/* XXX debug */
+		rc = vos_oi_find(cont, obj->obj_id, &tmp_df, NULL);
+		D_ASSERT(rc == 0);
+		D_ASSERT(tmp_df != NULL);
+		D_ASSERT(tmp_df == obj->obj_df);
+
 		vos_ilog_ts_ignore(vos_obj2umm(obj), &obj->obj_df->vo_ilog);
 		rc = vos_ilog_ts_add(ts_set, &obj->obj_df->vo_ilog, &obj->obj_id,
 				     sizeof(obj->obj_id));