diff --git a/crates/matrix-sdk/src/event_cache/room/mod.rs b/crates/matrix-sdk/src/event_cache/room/mod.rs
index ddbb5ceab56..21c818f59bc 100644
--- a/crates/matrix-sdk/src/event_cache/room/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/matrix-sdk/src/event_cache/room/mod.rs
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ use tokio::sync::{
     broadcast::{Receiver, Sender},
     Notify, RwLock, RwLockReadGuard, RwLockWriteGuard,
 };
-use tracing::{trace, warn};
+use tracing::{debug, trace, warn};
 
 use super::{
     paginator::{Paginator, PaginatorState},
@@ -277,6 +277,10 @@ impl RoomEventCacheInner {
     }
 
     fn handle_account_data(&self, account_data: Vec<Raw<AnyRoomAccountDataEvent>>) {
+        if account_data.is_empty() {
+            return;
+        }
+
         let mut handled_read_marker = false;
 
         trace!("Handling account data");
@@ -536,7 +540,22 @@ impl RoomEventCacheInner {
                         room_events.push_gap(Gap { prev_token: prev_token.clone() });
                     }
 
-                    room_events.push_events(sync_timeline_events.clone());
+                    let add_event_report = room_events.push_events(sync_timeline_events.clone());
+
+                    if add_event_report.deduplicated_all_new_events() {
+                        debug!(
+                            "not storing previous batch token, because we deduplicated all new sync events"
+                        );
+
+                        // Remove the gap we just inserted.
+                        let prev_gap_id = room_events
+                            .rchunks()
+                            .find_map(|c| c.is_gap().then_some(c.identifier()))
+                            .expect("we just inserted the gap beforehand");
+                        room_events
+                            .replace_gap_at([], prev_gap_id)
+                            .expect("we obtained the valid position beforehand");
+                    }
                 })
                 .await?;
 
diff --git a/crates/matrix-sdk/tests/integration/event_cache.rs b/crates/matrix-sdk/tests/integration/event_cache.rs
index 5f5bc44ba46..daf82d7a6e7 100644
--- a/crates/matrix-sdk/tests/integration/event_cache.rs
+++ b/crates/matrix-sdk/tests/integration/event_cache.rs
@@ -1019,3 +1019,84 @@ async fn test_backpaginate_replace_empty_gap() {
     assert_event_matches_msg(&events[1], "world");
     assert_eq!(events.len(), 2);
 }
+
+#[async_test]
+async fn test_no_gap_stored_after_deduplicated_sync() {
+    let server = MatrixMockServer::new().await;
+    let client = server.client_builder().build().await;
+
+    let event_cache = client.event_cache();
+
+    // Immediately subscribe the event cache to sync updates.
+    event_cache.subscribe().unwrap();
+    event_cache.enable_storage().unwrap();
+
+    let room_id = room_id!("!omelette:fromage.fr");
+
+    let f = EventFactory::new().room(room_id).sender(user_id!("@a:b.c"));
+
+    let initial_events = vec![
+        f.text_msg("hello").event_id(event_id!("$1")).into_raw_sync(),
+        f.text_msg("world").event_id(event_id!("$2")).into_raw_sync(),
+        f.text_msg("sup").event_id(event_id!("$3")).into_raw_sync(),
+    ];
+
+    // Start with a room with a few events, limited timeline and prev-batch token.
+    let room = server
+        .sync_room(
+            &client,
+            JoinedRoomBuilder::new(room_id)
+                .add_timeline_bulk(initial_events.clone())
+                .set_timeline_limited()
+                .set_timeline_prev_batch("prev-batch".to_owned()),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+    let (room_event_cache, _drop_handles) = room.event_cache().await.unwrap();
+
+    let (events, mut stream) = room_event_cache.subscribe().await.unwrap();
+    if events.is_empty() {
+        let update = stream.recv().await.expect("read error");
+        assert_matches!(update, RoomEventCacheUpdate::AddTimelineEvents { .. });
+    }
+    drop(events);
+
+    // Backpagination will return nothing.
+    server
+        .mock_room_messages()
+        .ok("start-token-unused1".to_owned(), None, Vec::<Raw<AnyTimelineEvent>>::new(), Vec::new())
+        .mock_once()
+        .mount()
+        .await;
+
+    let pagination = room_event_cache.pagination();
+
+    // Run pagination once: it will consume the unique gap we had.
+    pagination.run_backwards(20, once).await.unwrap();
+
+    // Now simulate that the sync returns the same events (which can happen with
+    // simplified sliding sync).
+    server
+        .sync_room(
+            &client,
+            JoinedRoomBuilder::new(room_id)
+                .add_timeline_bulk(initial_events)
+                .set_timeline_limited()
+                .set_timeline_prev_batch("prev-batch".to_owned()),
+        )
+        .await;
+
+    let update = stream.recv().await.expect("read error");
+    assert_matches!(update, RoomEventCacheUpdate::AddTimelineEvents { .. });
+
+    // If this back-pagination fails, that's because we've stored a gap that's
+    // useless. It should be short-circuited because there's no previous gap.
+    let outcome = pagination.run_backwards(20, once).await.unwrap();
+    assert!(outcome.reached_start);
+
+    let (events, _stream) = room_event_cache.subscribe().await.unwrap();
+    assert_event_matches_msg(&events[0], "hello");
+    assert_event_matches_msg(&events[1], "world");
+    assert_event_matches_msg(&events[2], "sup");
+    assert_eq!(events.len(), 3);
+}