diff --git a/server/raft.go b/server/raft.go
index 5d49b815df..4fbc99a705 100644
--- a/server/raft.go
+++ b/server/raft.go
@@ -3562,8 +3562,13 @@ CONTINUE:
 				if l > paeWarnThreshold && l%paeWarnModulo == 0 {
 					n.warn("%d append entries pending", len(n.pae))
 				}
-			} else if l%paeWarnModulo == 0 {
-				n.debug("Not saving to append entries pending")
+			} else {
+				// Invalidate cache entry at this index, we might have
+				// stored it previously with a different value.
+				delete(n.pae, n.pindex)
+				if l%paeWarnModulo == 0 {
+					n.debug("Not saving to append entries pending")
+				}
 			}
 		} else {
 			// This is a replay on startup so just take the appendEntry version.
diff --git a/server/raft_helpers_test.go b/server/raft_helpers_test.go
index 4807efee28..2a1c541227 100644
--- a/server/raft_helpers_test.go
+++ b/server/raft_helpers_test.go
@@ -320,7 +320,7 @@ func (a *stateAdder) snapshot(t *testing.T) {
 // Helper to wait for a certain state.
 func (rg smGroup) waitOnTotal(t *testing.T, expected int64) {
 	t.Helper()
-	checkFor(t, 20*time.Second, 200*time.Millisecond, func() error {
+	checkFor(t, 5*time.Second, 200*time.Millisecond, func() error {
 		for _, sm := range rg {
 			asm := sm.(*stateAdder)
 			if total := asm.total(); total != expected {
diff --git a/server/raft_test.go b/server/raft_test.go
index 066f34f8a1..1658a3411b 100644
--- a/server/raft_test.go
+++ b/server/raft_test.go
@@ -1097,6 +1097,43 @@ func TestNRGTermNoDecreaseAfterWALReset(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestNRGPendingAppendEntryCacheInvalidation(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, test := range []struct {
+		title   string
+		entries int
+	}{
+		{title: "empty", entries: 1},
+		{title: "at limit", entries: paeDropThreshold},
+		{title: "full", entries: paeDropThreshold + 1},
+	} {
+		t.Run(test.title, func(t *testing.T) {
+			c := createJetStreamClusterExplicit(t, "R3S", 3)
+			defer c.shutdown()
+
+			rg := c.createMemRaftGroup("TEST", 3, newStateAdder)
+			rg.waitOnLeader()
+			l := rg.leader()
+
+			l.(*stateAdder).proposeDelta(1)
+			rg.waitOnTotal(t, 1)
+
+			// Fill up the cache with N entries.
+			// The contents don't matter as they should never be applied.
+			rg.lockAll()
+			for _, s := range rg {
+				n := s.node().(*raft)
+				for i := 0; i < test.entries; i++ {
+					n.pae[n.pindex+uint64(1+i)] = newAppendEntry("", 0, 0, 0, 0, nil)
+				}
+			}
+			rg.unlockAll()
+
+			l.(*stateAdder).proposeDelta(1)
+			rg.waitOnTotal(t, 2)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestNRGCatchupDoesNotTruncateUncommittedEntriesWithQuorum(t *testing.T) {
 	n, cleanup := initSingleMemRaftNode(t)
 	defer cleanup()