diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/Revisions.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/Revisions.java
index 02256a7a11..db3819a5d8 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/Revisions.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/Revisions.java
@@ -47,6 +47,14 @@ public interface Revisions {
      */
     @Nonnull
     RecordId getHead();
+    
+    /**
+     * Returns the <b>persisted</b> to disk record id of the head state. 
+     * The returned id is a valid id for a {@code SegmentNodeState}.
+     * @return  id of the head state
+     */
+    @Nonnull
+    RecordId getPersistedHead();
 
     /**
      * Atomically set the record id of the current head state to the
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/ReadOnlyRevisions.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/ReadOnlyRevisions.java
index 80967c4d43..4e6b513b47 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/ReadOnlyRevisions.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/ReadOnlyRevisions.java
@@ -91,6 +91,12 @@ public class ReadOnlyRevisions implements Revisions, Closeable {
         checkBound();
         return head.get();
     }
+    
+    @Nonnull
+    @Override
+    public RecordId getPersistedHead() {
+        return getHead();
+    }
 
     @Override
     public boolean setHead(@Nonnull RecordId expected, @Nonnull RecordId head, @Nonnull Option... options) {
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/TarRevisions.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/TarRevisions.java
index 6bebe3cde0..bb4c3a55a7 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/TarRevisions.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/file/TarRevisions.java
@@ -228,6 +228,13 @@ public class TarRevisions implements Revisions, Closeable {
         checkBound();
         return head.get();
     }
+    
+    @Nonnull
+    @Override
+    public RecordId getPersistedHead() {
+        checkBound();
+        return persistedHead.get();
+    }
 
     /**
      * This implementation blocks if a concurrent call to
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/memory/MemoryStoreRevisions.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/memory/MemoryStoreRevisions.java
index 47e63336df..70fe53a3ef 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/memory/MemoryStoreRevisions.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/memory/MemoryStoreRevisions.java
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ public class MemoryStoreRevisions implements Revisions {
         return head;
     }
 
+    @Nonnull
+    @Override
+    public RecordId getPersistedHead() {
+        return getHead();
+    }
+    
     @Override
     public synchronized boolean setHead(
             @Nonnull RecordId expected, @Nonnull RecordId head,
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReader.java oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReader.java
index a6f5a18506..a75787f5cd 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReader.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/main/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReader.java
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class DefaultStandbyHeadReader implements StandbyHeadReader {
 
     @Override
     public String readHeadRecordId() {
-        return store.getHead().getRecordId().toString();
+        return store.getRevisions().getPersistedHead().toString();
     }
 
 }
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/MBeanIT.java oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/MBeanIT.java
index 1362ed22e9..0d8eacc69d 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/MBeanIT.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/MBeanIT.java
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ public class MBeanIT extends TestBase {
                 StandbyClientSync clientSync = newStandbyClientSync(clientFileStore.fileStore(), serverPort.getPort())
         ) {
             serverSync.start();
+            serverFileStore.fileStore().flush();
 
             clientSync.start();
             clientSync.run();
diff --git oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReaderTest.java oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReaderTest.java
index b626f5bfb8..954a1e2c8e 100644
--- oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReaderTest.java
+++ oak-segment-tar/src/test/java/org/apache/jackrabbit/oak/segment/standby/server/DefaultStandbyHeadReaderTest.java
@@ -39,8 +39,9 @@ public class DefaultStandbyHeadReaderTest {
     @Test
     public void shouldReturnHeadSegmentId() throws Exception {
         try (FileStore store = newFileStore()) {
+            store.flush();
             DefaultStandbyHeadReader reader = new DefaultStandbyHeadReader(store);
-            assertEquals(store.getHead().getRecordId().toString(), reader.readHeadRecordId());
+            assertEquals(store.getRevisions().getPersistedHead().toString(), reader.readHeadRecordId());
         }
     }