diff --git a/eth/downloader/downloader.go b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
index 4633cf3d5b..ecaa037769 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/downloader.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/downloader.go
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ func New(stateDb ethdb.Database, mux *event.TypeMux, chain BlockChain, lightchai
 		syncStartBlock: chain.CurrentSnapBlock().Number.Uint64(),
 	}
 	// Create the post-merge skeleton syncer and start the process
-	dl.skeleton = newSkeleton(stateDb, dl.peers, dropPeer, newBeaconBackfiller(dl, success))
+	dl.skeleton = newSkeleton(chain, stateDb, dl.peers, dropPeer, newBeaconBackfiller(dl, success))
 
 	go dl.stateFetcher()
 	return dl
diff --git a/eth/downloader/skeleton.go b/eth/downloader/skeleton.go
index 873ee950b6..5157cc0f99 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/skeleton.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/skeleton.go
@@ -141,7 +141,8 @@ type headerRequest struct {
 	cancel  chan struct{}        // Channel to track sync cancellation
 	stale   chan struct{}        // Channel to signal the request was dropped
 
-	head uint64 // Head number of the requested batch of headers
+	head  uint64 // Head number of the requested batch of headers
+	chain BlockChain
 }
 
 // headerResponse is an already verified remote response to a header request.
@@ -201,6 +202,7 @@ type backfiller interface {
 type skeleton struct {
 	db     ethdb.Database // Database backing the skeleton
 	filler backfiller     // Chain syncer suspended/resumed by head events
+	chain  BlockChain
 
 	peers *peerSet                   // Set of peers we can sync from
 	idles map[string]*peerConnection // Set of idle peers in the current sync cycle
@@ -227,7 +229,7 @@ type skeleton struct {
 
 // newSkeleton creates a new sync skeleton that tracks a potentially dangling
 // header chain until it's linked into an existing set of blocks.
-func newSkeleton(db ethdb.Database, peers *peerSet, drop peerDropFn, filler backfiller) *skeleton {
+func newSkeleton(chain BlockChain, db ethdb.Database, peers *peerSet, drop peerDropFn, filler backfiller) *skeleton {
 	sk := &skeleton{
 		db:         db,
 		filler:     filler,
@@ -237,6 +239,7 @@ func newSkeleton(db ethdb.Database, peers *peerSet, drop peerDropFn, filler back
 		headEvents: make(chan *headUpdate),
 		terminate:  make(chan chan error),
 		terminated: make(chan struct{}),
+		chain:      chain,
 	}
 	go sk.startup()
 	return sk
@@ -346,7 +349,7 @@ func (s *skeleton) Sync(head *types.Header, final *types.Header, force bool) err
 // sync is the internal version of Sync that executes a single sync cycle, either
 // until some termination condition is reached, or until the current cycle merges
 // with a previously aborted run.
-func (s *skeleton) sync(head *types.Header) (*types.Header, error) {
+func (s *skeleton) sync(head *types.Header) (header *types.Header, err error) {
 	// If we're continuing a previous merge interrupt, just access the existing
 	// old state without initing from disk.
 	if head == nil {
@@ -387,6 +390,27 @@ func (s *skeleton) sync(head *types.Header) (*types.Header, error) {
 				log.Error("Latest filled block is not available")
 				return
 			}
+			// if the skeleton just linked up and the current snap/full block is within
+			// the range of the skeleton, the skeleton forked
+			newlyLinked :=
+				rawdb.HasHeader(s.db, s.progress.Subchains[0].Next, s.progress.Subchains[0].Tail-1) &&
+					rawdb.HasBody(s.db, s.progress.Subchains[0].Next, s.progress.Subchains[0].Tail-1) &&
+					rawdb.HasReceipts(s.db, s.progress.Subchains[0].Next, s.progress.Subchains[0].Tail-1) && !linked
+			if newlyLinked && filled.Number.Uint64() >= s.progress.Subchains[0].Tail {
+				// TODO: this could also happen if the skeleton was reverted back to a block already in the filled history?
+				// ^probably/definitely not but need to verify
+
+				// revert the chain to the shared ancestor
+				ancestor, err := s.findSkeletonAncestor(filled)
+				if err != nil {
+					log.Crit("Failed to find skeleton ancestor", "err", err)
+				}
+				if err = s.chain.SetHead(ancestor); err != nil {
+					log.Crit("Failed to rewind chain", "err", err)
+				}
+				filled = s.chain.CurrentSnapBlock()
+			}
+
 			// If something was filled, try to delete stale sync helpers. If
 			// unsuccessful, warn the user, but not much else we can do (it's
 			// a programming error, just let users report an issue and don't
@@ -1246,3 +1270,21 @@ func (s *skeleton) Bounds() (head *types.Header, tail *types.Header, final *type
 func (s *skeleton) Header(number uint64) *types.Header {
 	return rawdb.ReadSkeletonHeader(s.db, number)
 }
+
+// find the common ancestor header of the skeleton chain and the snap block
+func (s *skeleton) findSkeletonAncestor(filledHeader *types.Header) (uint64, error) {
+	for {
+		if filledHeader.Hash() == s.Header(filledHeader.Number.Uint64()).Hash() {
+			return filledHeader.Number.Uint64(), nil
+		}
+		if filledHeader.Number.Uint64() == s.progress.Subchains[0].Tail-1 {
+			if filledHeader.Hash() == s.progress.Subchains[0].Next {
+				return filledHeader.Number.Uint64(), nil
+			}
+			break
+		}
+		filledHeader = s.chain.GetHeaderByHash(filledHeader.ParentHash)
+	}
+	log.Crit("absolutely should not happen: the chain of the filled header and the skeleton chain must have a common ancestor")
+	return 0, nil
+}
diff --git a/eth/downloader/skeleton_test.go b/eth/downloader/skeleton_test.go
index 3693ab095f..6af364a801 100644
--- a/eth/downloader/skeleton_test.go
+++ b/eth/downloader/skeleton_test.go
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ func TestSkeletonSyncInit(t *testing.T) {
 		// Create a skeleton sync and run a cycle
 		wait := make(chan struct{})
 
-		skeleton := newSkeleton(db, newPeerSet(), nil, newHookedBackfiller())
+		skeleton := newSkeleton(nil, db, newPeerSet(), nil, newHookedBackfiller())
 		skeleton.syncStarting = func() { close(wait) }
 		skeleton.Sync(tt.head, nil, true)
 
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ func TestSkeletonSyncExtend(t *testing.T) {
 		// Create a skeleton sync and run a cycle
 		wait := make(chan struct{})
 
-		skeleton := newSkeleton(db, newPeerSet(), nil, newHookedBackfiller())
+		skeleton := newSkeleton(nil, db, newPeerSet(), nil, newHookedBackfiller())
 		skeleton.syncStarting = func() { close(wait) }
 		skeleton.Sync(tt.head, nil, true)
 
@@ -858,7 +858,7 @@ func TestSkeletonSyncRetrievals(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 		}
 		// Create a skeleton sync and run a cycle
-		skeleton := newSkeleton(db, peerset, drop, filler)
+		skeleton := newSkeleton(nil, db, peerset, drop, filler)
 		skeleton.Sync(tt.head, nil, true)
 
 		var progress skeletonProgress