diff --git a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/counter.go b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/counter.go
index 915fbd957..ee1ab41de 100644
--- a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/counter.go
+++ b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/counter.go
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ func (db *DB) incContainerObjectCounter(tx *bbolt.Tx, cnrID cid.ID, isUserObject
 // Does nothing if counters are not empty and force is false. If force is
 // true, updates the counters anyway.
 func syncCounter(tx *bbolt.Tx, force bool) error {
-	shardInfoB, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(shardInfoBucket)
+	shardInfoB, err := createBucketLikelyExists(tx, shardInfoBucket)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("could not get shard info bucket: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@ func syncCounter(tx *bbolt.Tx, force bool) error {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	containerCounterB, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(containerCounterBucketName)
+	containerCounterB, err := createBucketLikelyExists(tx, containerCounterBucketName)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("could not get container counter bucket: %w", err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/put.go b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/put.go
index 1f0022389..5d8e4d263 100644
--- a/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/put.go
+++ b/pkg/local_object_storage/metabase/put.go
@@ -356,8 +356,21 @@ func updateFKBTIndexes(tx *bbolt.Tx, obj *objectSDK.Object, f updateIndexItemFun
 	return nil
 }
 
+type bucketContainer interface {
+	Bucket([]byte) *bbolt.Bucket
+	CreateBucket([]byte) (*bbolt.Bucket, error)
+	CreateBucketIfNotExists([]byte) (*bbolt.Bucket, error)
+}
+
+func createBucketLikelyExists[T bucketContainer](tx T, name []byte) (*bbolt.Bucket, error) {
+	if bkt := tx.Bucket(name); bkt != nil {
+		return bkt, nil
+	}
+	return tx.CreateBucket(name)
+}
+
 func putUniqueIndexItem(tx *bbolt.Tx, item namedBucketItem) error {
-	bkt, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(item.name)
+	bkt, err := createBucketLikelyExists(tx, item.name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("can't create index %v: %w", item.name, err)
 	}
@@ -366,12 +379,12 @@ func putUniqueIndexItem(tx *bbolt.Tx, item namedBucketItem) error {
 }
 
 func putFKBTIndexItem(tx *bbolt.Tx, item namedBucketItem) error {
-	bkt, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(item.name)
+	bkt, err := createBucketLikelyExists(tx, item.name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("can't create index %v: %w", item.name, err)
 	}
 
-	fkbtRoot, err := bkt.CreateBucketIfNotExists(item.key)
+	fkbtRoot, err := createBucketLikelyExists(bkt, item.key)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("can't create fake bucket tree index %v: %w", item.key, err)
 	}
@@ -380,7 +393,7 @@ func putFKBTIndexItem(tx *bbolt.Tx, item namedBucketItem) error {
 }
 
 func putListIndexItem(tx *bbolt.Tx, item namedBucketItem) error {
-	bkt, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(item.name)
+	bkt, err := createBucketLikelyExists(tx, item.name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("can't create index %v: %w", item.name, err)
 	}
@@ -474,7 +487,7 @@ func getVarUint(data []byte) (uint64, int, error) {
 // storage location to another.
 func updateStorageID(tx *bbolt.Tx, addr oid.Address, id []byte) error {
 	key := make([]byte, bucketKeySize)
-	bkt, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(smallBucketName(addr.Container(), key))
+	bkt, err := createBucketLikelyExists(tx, smallBucketName(addr.Container(), key))
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}