diff --git a/triedb/pathdb/history_reader.go b/triedb/pathdb/history_reader.go
index d0ecdf035f..a11297b3f6 100644
--- a/triedb/pathdb/history_reader.go
+++ b/triedb/pathdb/history_reader.go
@@ -320,11 +320,12 @@ func (r *historyReader) read(state stateIdentQuery, stateID uint64, lastID uint6
 	tail, err := r.freezer.Tail()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
-	}
-	// stateID == tail is allowed, as the first history object preserved
-	// is tail+1
+	} // firstID = tail+1
+
+	// stateID+1 == firstID is allowed, as all the subsequent state histories
+	// are present with no gap inside.
 	if stateID < tail {
-		return nil, errors.New("historical state has been pruned")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("historical state has been pruned, first: %d, state: %d", tail+1, stateID)
 	}
 
 	// To serve the request, all state histories from stateID+1 to lastID
diff --git a/triedb/pathdb/history_reader_test.go b/triedb/pathdb/history_reader_test.go
index 3b98f134c8..b90611bdf0 100644
--- a/triedb/pathdb/history_reader_test.go
+++ b/triedb/pathdb/history_reader_test.go
@@ -39,9 +39,17 @@ func waitIndexing(db *Database) {
 
 func checkHistoricalState(env *tester, root common.Hash, hr *historyReader) error {
 	// Short circuit if the historical state is no longer available
-	if rawdb.ReadStateID(env.db.diskdb, root) == nil {
+	id := rawdb.ReadStateID(env.db.diskdb, root)
+	if id == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
+	meta, err := readStateHistoryMeta(env.db.stateFreezer, *id)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil // e.g., the referred state history has been pruned
+	}
+	if meta.root != root {
+		return fmt.Errorf("state %#x is not canonincal", root)
+	}
 	var (
 		dl       = env.db.tree.bottom()
 		stateID  = rawdb.ReadStateID(env.db.diskdb, root)
@@ -125,8 +133,8 @@ func testHistoryReader(t *testing.T, historyLimit uint64) {
 	defer func() {
 		maxDiffLayers = 128
 	}()
-	//log.SetDefault(log.NewLogger(log.NewTerminalHandlerWithLevel(os.Stderr, log.LevelDebug, true)))
 
+	// log.SetDefault(log.NewLogger(log.NewTerminalHandlerWithLevel(os.Stderr, log.LevelDebug, true)))
 	env := newTester(t, historyLimit, false, 64, true, "")
 	defer env.release()
 	waitIndexing(env.db)
diff --git a/triedb/pathdb/history_state_test.go b/triedb/pathdb/history_state_test.go
index c7364757cb..4a777111ea 100644
--- a/triedb/pathdb/history_state_test.go
+++ b/triedb/pathdb/history_state_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package pathdb
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"reflect"
 	"testing"
@@ -244,11 +245,11 @@ func TestTruncateOutOfRange(t *testing.T) {
 		expErr error
 	}{
 		{0, head, nil}, // nothing to delete
-		{0, head + 1, fmt.Errorf("out of range, tail: %d, head: %d, target: %d", tail, head, head+1)},
-		{0, tail - 1, fmt.Errorf("out of range, tail: %d, head: %d, target: %d", tail, head, tail-1)},
+		{0, head + 1, errHeadTruncationOutOfRange},
+		{0, tail - 1, errHeadTruncationOutOfRange},
 		{1, tail, nil}, // nothing to delete
-		{1, head + 1, fmt.Errorf("out of range, tail: %d, head: %d, target: %d", tail, head, head+1)},
-		{1, tail - 1, fmt.Errorf("out of range, tail: %d, head: %d, target: %d", tail, head, tail-1)},
+		{1, head + 1, errTailTruncationOutOfRange},
+		{1, tail - 1, errTailTruncationOutOfRange},
 	}
 	for _, c := range cases {
 		var gotErr error
@@ -257,7 +258,7 @@ func TestTruncateOutOfRange(t *testing.T) {
 		} else {
 			_, gotErr = truncateFromTail(freezer, c.target)
 		}
-		if !reflect.DeepEqual(gotErr, c.expErr) {
+		if !errors.Is(gotErr, c.expErr) {
 			t.Errorf("Unexpected error, want: %v, got: %v", c.expErr, gotErr)
 		}
 	}