Index: src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/plugins/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/plugins/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java	(revision 1597026)
+++ src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/plugins/segment/SegmentNodeStore.java	(working copy)
@@ -242,6 +242,45 @@
         return name;
     }
 
+    public synchronized boolean clearCheckpoints(long rmThresholdMs) {
+        long now = System.currentTimeMillis() + rmThresholdMs;
+
+        // try 5 times
+        for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
+            if (commitSemaphore.tryAcquire()) {
+                try {
+                    refreshHead();
+                    store.getTracker().getWriter().flush();
+
+                    SegmentNodeState state = head.get();
+                    SegmentNodeBuilder builder = state.builder();
+
+                    NodeBuilder checkpoints = builder.child("checkpoints");
+                    for (String n : checkpoints.getChildNodeNames()) {
+                        NodeBuilder cp = checkpoints.getChildNode(n);
+                        PropertyState ts = cp.getProperty("timestamp");
+                        if (ts == null || ts.getType() != Type.LONG
+                                || now > ts.getValue(Type.LONG)) {
+                            cp.remove();
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    SegmentNodeState newState = builder.getNodeState();
+                    store.getTracker().getWriter().flush();
+                    if (store.setHead(state, newState)) {
+                        refreshHead();
+                        return true;
+                    }
+
+                } finally {
+                    commitSemaphore.release();
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
     @Override @CheckForNull
     public NodeState retrieve(@Nonnull String checkpoint) {
         NodeState cp = head.get()