diff --git a/src/os/Transaction.cc b/src/os/Transaction.cc
index 5a5ae0cb6a2..d3a04579dda 100644
--- a/src/os/Transaction.cc
+++ b/src/os/Transaction.cc
@@ -56,6 +56,16 @@ void Transaction::dump(ceph::Formatter *f)
     case Transaction::OP_NOP:
       f->dump_string("op_name", "nop");
       break;
+    case Transaction::OP_CREATE:
+      {
+	coll_t cid = i.get_cid(op->cid);
+	ghobject_t oid = i.get_oid(op->oid);
+	f->dump_string("op_name", "create");
+	f->dump_stream("collection") << cid;
+	f->dump_stream("oid") << oid;
+      }
+      break;
+
     case Transaction::OP_TOUCH:
       {
         coll_t cid = i.get_cid(op->cid);
diff --git a/src/os/Transaction.h b/src/os/Transaction.h
index 5c8111779a7..20d554819c2 100644
--- a/src/os/Transaction.h
+++ b/src/os/Transaction.h
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ class Transaction {
 public:
   enum {
     OP_NOP =          0,
+    OP_CREATE =       7,   // cid, oid
     OP_TOUCH =        9,   // cid, oid
     OP_WRITE =        10,  // cid, oid, offset, len, bl
     OP_ZERO =         11,  // cid, oid, offset, len
@@ -400,6 +401,7 @@ public:
     case OP_NOP:
       break;
 
+    case OP_CREATE:
     case OP_TOUCH:
     case OP_REMOVE:
     case OP_SETATTR:
@@ -791,6 +793,19 @@ public:
     _op->op = OP_NOP;
     data.ops++;
   }
+  /**
+   * create
+   *
+   * create an object that does not yet exist
+   * (behavior is undefined if the object already exists)
+   */
+  void create(const coll_t& cid, const ghobject_t& oid) {
+    Op* _op = _get_next_op();
+    _op->op = OP_CREATE;
+    _op->cid = _get_coll_id(cid);
+    _op->oid = _get_object_id(oid);
+    data.ops++;
+  }
   /**
    * touch
    *
diff --git a/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.cc b/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.cc
index 5db054135e1..f96caa7e6b0 100644
--- a/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.cc
+++ b/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.cc
@@ -3504,7 +3504,8 @@ uint64_t BlueStore::Collection::make_blob_unshared(SharedBlob *sb)
 
 BlueStore::OnodeRef BlueStore::Collection::get_onode(
   const ghobject_t& oid,
-  bool create)
+  bool create,
+  bool is_createop)
 {
   ceph_assert(create ? lock.is_wlocked() : lock.is_locked());
 
@@ -3528,9 +3529,12 @@ BlueStore::OnodeRef BlueStore::Collection::get_onode(
 			<< pretty_binary_string(key) << dendl;
 
   bufferlist v;
-  int r = store->db->get(PREFIX_OBJ, key.c_str(), key.size(), &v);
-  ldout(store->cct, 20) << " r " << r << " v.len " << v.length() << dendl;
+  int r = -ENOENT;
   Onode *on;
+  if (!is_createop) {
+    r = store->db->get(PREFIX_OBJ, key.c_str(), key.size(), &v);
+    ldout(store->cct, 20) << " r " << r << " v.len " << v.length() << dendl;
+  }
   if (v.length() == 0) {
     ceph_assert(r == -ENOENT);
     if (!store->cct->_conf->bluestore_debug_misc &&
@@ -11186,6 +11190,7 @@ void BlueStore::_txc_add_transaction(TransContext *txc, Transaction *t)
     // these operations implicity create the object
     bool create = false;
     if (op->op == Transaction::OP_TOUCH ||
+	op->op == Transaction::OP_CREATE ||
 	op->op == Transaction::OP_WRITE ||
 	op->op == Transaction::OP_ZERO) {
       create = true;
@@ -11196,7 +11201,7 @@ void BlueStore::_txc_add_transaction(TransContext *txc, Transaction *t)
     OnodeRef &o = ovec[op->oid];
     if (!o) {
       ghobject_t oid = i.get_oid(op->oid);
-      o = c->get_onode(oid, create);
+      o = c->get_onode(oid, create, op->op == Transaction::OP_CREATE);
     }
     if (!create && (!o || !o->exists)) {
       dout(10) << __func__ << " op " << op->op << " got ENOENT on "
@@ -11206,6 +11211,7 @@ void BlueStore::_txc_add_transaction(TransContext *txc, Transaction *t)
     }
 
     switch (op->op) {
+    case Transaction::OP_CREATE:
     case Transaction::OP_TOUCH:
       r = _touch(txc, c, o);
       break;
diff --git a/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.h b/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.h
index 227716dfe3c..4f33010da27 100644
--- a/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.h
+++ b/src/os/bluestore/BlueStore.h
@@ -1396,7 +1396,7 @@ public:
     pool_opts_t pool_opts;
     ContextQueue *commit_queue;
 
-    OnodeRef get_onode(const ghobject_t& oid, bool create);
+    OnodeRef get_onode(const ghobject_t& oid, bool create, bool is_createop=false);
 
     // the terminology is confusing here, sorry!
     //
diff --git a/src/os/filestore/FileStore.cc b/src/os/filestore/FileStore.cc
index e72f0cc3095..ac7c6157075 100644
--- a/src/os/filestore/FileStore.cc
+++ b/src/os/filestore/FileStore.cc
@@ -2788,6 +2788,7 @@ void FileStore::_do_transaction(
     case Transaction::OP_NOP:
       break;
     case Transaction::OP_TOUCH:
+    case Transaction::OP_CREATE:
       {
         const coll_t &_cid = i.get_cid(op->cid);
         const ghobject_t &oid = i.get_oid(op->oid);
diff --git a/src/os/kstore/KStore.cc b/src/os/kstore/KStore.cc
index 2cf82e5efd0..eab11add1a2 100644
--- a/src/os/kstore/KStore.cc
+++ b/src/os/kstore/KStore.cc
@@ -2315,6 +2315,7 @@ void KStore::_txc_add_transaction(TransContext *txc, Transaction *t)
       // these operations implicity create the object
       bool create = false;
       if (op->op == Transaction::OP_TOUCH ||
+	  op->op == Transaction::OP_CREATE ||
 	  op->op == Transaction::OP_WRITE ||
 	  op->op == Transaction::OP_ZERO) {
 	create = true;
@@ -2333,6 +2334,7 @@ void KStore::_txc_add_transaction(TransContext *txc, Transaction *t)
 
     switch (op->op) {
     case Transaction::OP_TOUCH:
+    case Transaction::OP_CREATE:
 	r = _touch(txc, c, o);
       break;
 
diff --git a/src/os/memstore/MemStore.cc b/src/os/memstore/MemStore.cc
index dc1d5ff55ab..02bbf62395f 100644
--- a/src/os/memstore/MemStore.cc
+++ b/src/os/memstore/MemStore.cc
@@ -670,6 +670,7 @@ void MemStore::_do_transaction(Transaction& t)
     case Transaction::OP_NOP:
       break;
     case Transaction::OP_TOUCH:
+    case Transaction::OP_CREATE:
       {
         coll_t cid = i.get_cid(op->cid);
         ghobject_t oid = i.get_oid(op->oid);
diff --git a/src/osd/ECBackend.cc b/src/osd/ECBackend.cc
index a14de9558a5..cad3fc40cc2 100644
--- a/src/osd/ECBackend.cc
+++ b/src/osd/ECBackend.cc
@@ -1980,7 +1980,8 @@ bool ECBackend::try_reads_to_commit()
       &trans,
       &(op->temp_added),
       &(op->temp_cleared),
-      get_parent()->get_dpp());
+      get_parent()->get_dpp(),
+      get_osdmap()->require_osd_release);
   }
 
   dout(20) << __func__ << ": " << cache << dendl;
diff --git a/src/osd/ECTransaction.cc b/src/osd/ECTransaction.cc
index 38402004c5d..0489fd7b5a7 100644
--- a/src/osd/ECTransaction.cc
+++ b/src/osd/ECTransaction.cc
@@ -105,7 +105,8 @@ void ECTransaction::generate_transactions(
   map<shard_id_t, ObjectStore::Transaction> *transactions,
   set<hobject_t> *temp_added,
   set<hobject_t> *temp_removed,
-  DoutPrefixProvider *dpp)
+  DoutPrefixProvider *dpp,
+  const ceph_release_t require_osd_release)
 {
   ceph_assert(written_map);
   ceph_assert(transactions);
@@ -264,9 +265,15 @@ void ECTransaction::generate_transactions(
 	[&](const PGTransaction::ObjectOperation::Init::None &) {},
 	[&](const PGTransaction::ObjectOperation::Init::Create &op) {
 	  for (auto &&st: *transactions) {
-	    st.second.touch(
-	      coll_t(spg_t(pgid, st.first)),
-	      ghobject_t(oid, ghobject_t::NO_GEN, st.first));
+	    if (require_osd_release >= ceph_release_t::nautilus) {
+	      st.second.create(
+		coll_t(spg_t(pgid, st.first)),
+		ghobject_t(oid, ghobject_t::NO_GEN, st.first));
+	    } else {
+	      st.second.touch(
+		coll_t(spg_t(pgid, st.first)),
+		ghobject_t(oid, ghobject_t::NO_GEN, st.first));
+	    }
 	  }
 	},
 	[&](const PGTransaction::ObjectOperation::Init::Clone &op) {
diff --git a/src/osd/ECTransaction.h b/src/osd/ECTransaction.h
index ae0faf5df4d..704be1f0826 100644
--- a/src/osd/ECTransaction.h
+++ b/src/osd/ECTransaction.h
@@ -193,7 +193,8 @@ namespace ECTransaction {
     map<shard_id_t, ObjectStore::Transaction> *transactions,
     set<hobject_t> *temp_added,
     set<hobject_t> *temp_removed,
-    DoutPrefixProvider *dpp);
+    DoutPrefixProvider *dpp,
+    const ceph_release_t require_osd_release = ceph_release_t::unknown);
 };
 
 #endif
diff --git a/src/osd/ReplicatedBackend.cc b/src/osd/ReplicatedBackend.cc
index 81e2651d988..31e0af78d4e 100644
--- a/src/osd/ReplicatedBackend.cc
+++ b/src/osd/ReplicatedBackend.cc
@@ -282,7 +282,8 @@ void generate_transaction(
   vector<pg_log_entry_t> &log_entries,
   ObjectStore::Transaction *t,
   set<hobject_t> *added,
-  set<hobject_t> *removed)
+  set<hobject_t> *removed,
+  const ceph_release_t require_osd_release = ceph_release_t::unknown )
 {
   ceph_assert(t);
   ceph_assert(added);
@@ -323,7 +324,11 @@ void generate_transaction(
 	[&](const PGTransaction::ObjectOperation::Init::None &) {
 	},
 	[&](const PGTransaction::ObjectOperation::Init::Create &op) {
-	  t->touch(coll, goid);
+	  if (require_osd_release >= ceph_release_t::nautilus) {
+	    t->create(coll, goid);
+	  } else {
+	    t->touch(coll, goid);
+	  }
 	},
 	[&](const PGTransaction::ObjectOperation::Init::Clone &op) {
 	  t->clone(
@@ -449,7 +454,8 @@ void ReplicatedBackend::submit_transaction(
     log_entries,
     &op_t,
     &added,
-    &removed);
+    &removed,
+    get_osdmap()->require_osd_release);
   ceph_assert(added.size() <= 1);
   ceph_assert(removed.size() <= 1);