diff --git a/src/common/hobject.h b/src/common/hobject.h
index 3c2202df4b1b5..4081ceb8f8523 100644
--- a/src/common/hobject.h
+++ b/src/common/hobject.h
@@ -98,6 +98,11 @@ struct hobject_t {
     return ret;
   }
 
+  /// @return true if object is head
+  bool is_head() const {
+    return snap == CEPH_NOSNAP;
+  }
+
   /// @return true if object is neither head nor snapdir
   bool is_snap() const {
     return (snap != CEPH_NOSNAP) && (snap != CEPH_SNAPDIR);
diff --git a/src/osd/ReplicatedPG.cc b/src/osd/ReplicatedPG.cc
index e82331738bef9..57d9ec72bbd42 100644
--- a/src/osd/ReplicatedPG.cc
+++ b/src/osd/ReplicatedPG.cc
@@ -1046,9 +1046,12 @@ void ReplicatedPG::do_op(OpRequestRef op)
       if (!src_obc.count(src_oid)) {
 	ObjectContextRef sobc;
 	snapid_t ssnapid;
+	int r;
 
-	int r = find_object_context(src_oid, &sobc, false, &ssnapid);
-	if (r == -EAGAIN) {
+	if (src_oid.is_head() && is_missing_object(src_oid)) {
+	  wait_for_missing_object(src_oid, op);
+	} else if ((r = find_object_context(
+		      src_oid, &sobc, false, &ssnapid)) == -EAGAIN) {
 	  // missing the specific snap we need; requeue and wait.
 	  hobject_t wait_oid(osd_op.soid.oid, src_oloc.key, ssnapid, m->get_pg().ps(),
 			     info.pgid.pool(), m->get_object_locator().nspace);