diff --git a/metamorphic/key_manager.go b/metamorphic/key_manager.go
index 5cdf944f1f..c4fe6903f6 100644
--- a/metamorphic/key_manager.go
+++ b/metamorphic/key_manager.go
@@ -25,6 +25,14 @@ type keyMeta struct {
 	history keyHistory
 }
 
+// all returns true if all the operations in the history are of the provided op
+// types.
+func (m *keyMeta) all(typs ...OpType) bool {
+	return slices.ContainsFunc(m.history, func(i keyHistoryItem) bool {
+		return !slices.Contains(typs, i.opType)
+	})
+}
+
 func (m *keyMeta) clear() {
 	m.history = m.history[:0]
 }
@@ -170,14 +178,9 @@ func (b *bounds) Expand(cmp base.Compare, other bounds) {
 // infallible, because a runtime failure would cause the key manager's state to
 // diverge from the runtime object state. Ingestion operations pose an obstacle,
 // because the generator may generate ingestions that fail due to overlapping
-// sstables. Today, this complication is sidestepped by avoiding ingestion of
-// multiple batches containing deletes or single deletes since loss of those
-// specific operations on a key are what we cannot tolerate (doing SingleDelete
-// on a key that has not been written to because the Set was lost is harmless).
-//
-// TODO(jackson): Instead, compute smallest and largest bounds of batches so
-// that we know at generation-time whether or not an ingestion operation will
-// fail and can avoid updating key state.
+// sstables. The key manager tracks the bounds of keys written to each object,
+// and uses this to infer at generation time which ingestions will fail,
+// maintaining key histories accordingly.
 type keyManager struct {
 	kf KeyFormat
 
@@ -307,9 +310,13 @@ func (k *keyManager) KeysForExternalIngest(obj externalObjWithBounds) []keyMeta
 			n := k.kf.Comparer.Split(km.key)
 			km.key = append(km.key[:n:n], obj.syntheticSuffix...)
 		}
-		if lastPrefix != nil && k.kf.Comparer.Equal(lastPrefix, km.key[:k.kf.Comparer.Split(km.key)]) {
-			// We only keep the first of every unique prefix for external ingests.
-			// See the use of uniquePrefixes in newExternalObjOp.
+		// We only keep the first of every unique prefix for external ingests.
+		// See the use of uniquePrefixes in newExternalObjOp. However, we must
+		// ignore keys that only exist as a discretized range deletion for this
+		// purpose.
+		// TODO(jackson): Track range deletions separately.
+		if !km.all(OpWriterDeleteRange) && lastPrefix != nil &&
+			k.kf.Comparer.Equal(lastPrefix, km.key[:k.kf.Comparer.Split(km.key)]) {
 			continue
 		}
 		lastPrefix = append(lastPrefix[:0], km.key[:k.kf.Comparer.Split(km.key)]...)
diff --git a/metamorphic/ops.go b/metamorphic/ops.go
index 9b133a2ac8..bb2bafad82 100644
--- a/metamorphic/ops.go
+++ b/metamorphic/ops.go
@@ -1922,9 +1922,9 @@ func (o *dbRatchetFormatMajorVersionOp) run(t *Test, h historyRecorder) {
 	// versions, making the presence of an error and the error message itself
 	// non-deterministic if we attempt to upgrade to an older version.
 	//
-	//Regardless, subsequent operations should behave identically, which is what
-	//we're really aiming to test by including this format major version ratchet
-	//operation.
+	// Regardless, subsequent operations should behave identically, which is
+	// what we're really aiming to test by including this format major version
+	// ratchet operation.
 	if t.getDB(o.dbID).FormatMajorVersion() < o.vers {
 		err = t.getDB(o.dbID).RatchetFormatMajorVersion(o.vers)
 	}
diff --git a/metamorphic/testdata/key_manager b/metamorphic/testdata/key_manager
index 3c0abda124..cff36b397e 100644
--- a/metamorphic/testdata/key_manager
+++ b/metamorphic/testdata/key_manager
@@ -475,3 +475,31 @@ conflicts merging batch1 into db1: "foo"
 conflicts merging batch1 (collapsed) into db1: (none)
 [db1.Merge("foo", "foo")]
 can singledel on db1: (none)
+
+# Regression test for #4267. In the below example, foo@3 must not be eligible
+# for single delete on db1 at the end of the test. The external object will end
+# up containing the point key foo@3 (NOT foo@5).
+
+reset
+----
+
+run
+add-new-key foo@5
+op db1.Set("foo@5", "foo5")
+add-new-key foo@3
+op db1.Set("foo@3", "foo3")
+op batch1.DeleteRange("a", "foo@3")
+op batch1.Set("foo@3", "foo3batch1")
+op external1 = batch1.NewExternalObj()
+op db1.IngestExternalFiles(external1, "a", "z", "", "")
+singledel-keys db1
+----
+"foo@5" is new
+[db1.Set("foo@5", "foo5")]
+"foo@3" is new
+[db1.Set("foo@3", "foo3")]
+[batch1.DeleteRange("a", "foo@3")]
+[batch1.Set("foo@3", "foo3batch1")]
+[external1 = batch1.NewExternalObj()]
+[db1.IngestExternalFiles(external1, "a" /* start */, "z" /* end */, "" /* syntheticSuffix */, "" /* syntheticPrefix */)]
+can singledel on db1: "foo@5"
\ No newline at end of file