diff --git a/src/mds/CDir.cc b/src/mds/CDir.cc
index de29c6c312d..f0dc962f1f9 100644
--- a/src/mds/CDir.cc
+++ b/src/mds/CDir.cc
@@ -874,7 +874,7 @@ void CDir::split(int bits, list<CDir*>& subs, list<Context*>& waiters, bool repl
   int n = 0;
   for (list<frag_t>::iterator p = frags.begin(); p != frags.end(); ++p) {
     CDir *f = new CDir(inode, *p, cache, is_auth());
-    f->state_set(state & MASK_STATE_FRAGMENT_KEPT);
+    f->state_set(state & (MASK_STATE_FRAGMENT_KEPT | STATE_COMPLETE));
     f->replica_map = replica_map;
     f->dir_auth = dir_auth;
     f->init_fragment_pins();
@@ -983,6 +983,9 @@ void CDir::merge(list<CDir*>& subs, list<Context*>& waiters, bool replay)
     inode->close_dirfrag(dir->get_frag());
   }
 
+  if (is_auth() && !replay)
+    mark_complete();
+
   // FIXME: merge dirty old rstat
   fnode.rstat.version = rstat_version;
   fnode.accounted_rstat = fnode.rstat;
diff --git a/src/mds/CDir.h b/src/mds/CDir.h
index 3507f10b08d..30c01822f6a 100644
--- a/src/mds/CDir.h
+++ b/src/mds/CDir.h
@@ -129,8 +129,7 @@ public:
    |STATE_FROZENDIR
    |STATE_STICKY);
   static const unsigned MASK_STATE_FRAGMENT_KEPT = 
-  (STATE_DIRTY |
-   STATE_COMPLETE |
+  (STATE_DIRTY|
    STATE_EXPORTBOUND |
    STATE_IMPORTBOUND);
 
diff --git a/src/mds/MDCache.cc b/src/mds/MDCache.cc
index ee6237cd2f0..3a16ae7d548 100644
--- a/src/mds/MDCache.cc
+++ b/src/mds/MDCache.cc
@@ -11572,8 +11572,15 @@ void MDCache::add_uncommitted_fragment(dirfrag_t basedirfrag, int bits, list<fra
   uf.bits = bits;
   uf.ls = ls;
   ls->uncommitted_fragments.insert(basedirfrag);
-  if (rollback)
+  if (rollback) {
     uf.rollback.swap(*rollback);
+    // preserve COMPLETE flag for newly created dirfrag
+    if (bits > 0 && basedirfrag.frag == frag_t()) {
+      CDir *dir = get_dirfrag(basedirfrag);
+      if (dir && dir->is_complete())
+	uf.complete = true;
+    }
+  }
 }
 
 void MDCache::finish_uncommitted_fragment(dirfrag_t basedirfrag, int op)
@@ -11658,6 +11665,8 @@ void MDCache::rollback_uncommitted_fragments()
 	dir->set_version(rollback.fnode.version);
 	dir->fnode = rollback.fnode;
 
+	if (uf.complete)
+	  dir->mark_complete();
 	dir->_mark_dirty(ls);
 
 	if (!(dir->fnode.rstat == dir->fnode.accounted_rstat)) {
@@ -11675,7 +11684,7 @@ void MDCache::rollback_uncommitted_fragments()
 
 	le->add_orig_frag(dir->get_frag());
 	le->metablob.add_dir_context(dir);
-	le->metablob.add_dir(dir, true);
+	le->metablob.add_dir(dir, true, uf.complete);
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/mds/MDCache.h b/src/mds/MDCache.h
index ad0f5ff734b..6087e984742 100644
--- a/src/mds/MDCache.h
+++ b/src/mds/MDCache.h
@@ -942,11 +942,12 @@ private:
   struct ufragment {
     int bits;
     bool committed;
+    bool complete;
     LogSegment *ls;
     list<Context*> waiters;
     list<frag_t> old_frags;
     bufferlist rollback;
-    ufragment() : bits(0), committed(false), ls(NULL) {}
+    ufragment() : bits(0), committed(false), complete(false), ls(NULL) {}
   };
   map<dirfrag_t, ufragment> uncommitted_fragments;