diff --git a/broker/client/append_service.go b/broker/client/append_service.go
index 154af171..66b03799 100644
--- a/broker/client/append_service.go
+++ b/broker/client/append_service.go
@@ -19,13 +19,8 @@ import (
 // pipelined and batched to amortize the cost of broker Append RPCs. It may
 // also simplify implementations for clients who would prefer to simply have
 // writes block until successfully committed, as opposed to handling errors
-// and retries themselves.
-//
-// AppendService will retry all errors except for context cancellation and
-// ErrJournalNotFound. Appends to journals which don't exist are not treated
-// as hard errors, as there are scenarios where clients cannot prevent a raced
-// deletion of a journal. Instead, the append is discarded and callers can
-// inspect its response Status.
+// and retries themselves. AppendService will retry all errors except for
+// context cancellation and ErrJournalNotFound.
 //
 // For each journal, AppendService manages an ordered list of AsyncAppends,
 // each having buffered content to be appended. The list is dispatched in
@@ -399,13 +394,9 @@ var serveAppends = func(s *AppendService, aa *AsyncAppend, err error) {
 						err2 = aa.app.Close()
 					}
 
-					if err2 == context.Canceled || err2 == context.DeadlineExceeded {
+					if err2 == context.Canceled || err2 == context.DeadlineExceeded || err2 == ErrJournalNotFound {
 						err = err2
 						return nil // Break retry loop.
-					} else if err2 == ErrJournalNotFound {
-						log.WithField("journal", aa.app.Request.Journal).
-							Warn("discarding append for journal that does not exist")
-						return nil // Success; break loop.
 					} else if err2 != nil {
 						aa.app.Reset()
 						return err2 // Retry by returning |err2|.
diff --git a/broker/client/append_service_test.go b/broker/client/append_service_test.go
index 66d2526a..3b1271cb 100644
--- a/broker/client/append_service_test.go
+++ b/broker/client/append_service_test.go
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func (s *AppendServiceSuite) TestBasicAppendWithRetry(c *gc.C) {
 
 	c.Check(as.PendingExcept(""), gc.HasLen, 0)
 
-	// Case: broker responds with JOURNAL_NOT_FOUND.
+	// Case: broker responds with a terminal JOURNAL_NOT_FOUND error.
 	aa = as.StartAppend(pb.AppendRequest{Journal: "a/journal"}, nil)
 	_, _ = aa.Writer().WriteString("hello, world")
 	c.Assert(aa.Release(), gc.IsNil)
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func (s *AppendServiceSuite) TestBasicAppendWithRetry(c *gc.C) {
 	readHelloWorldAppendRequest(c, broker) // RPC is dispatched to broker.
 	broker.AppendRespCh <- buildNotFoundFixture(broker)
 
-	c.Check(aa.Err(), gc.IsNil)
+	c.Check(aa.Err(), gc.Equals, ErrJournalNotFound)
 	c.Check(aa.Response().Status, gc.DeepEquals, pb.Status_JOURNAL_NOT_FOUND)
 }
 
diff --git a/broker/client/appender.go b/broker/client/appender.go
index d3c153cf..1423e81b 100644
--- a/broker/client/appender.go
+++ b/broker/client/appender.go
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ func Append(ctx context.Context, rjc pb.RoutedJournalClient, req pb.AppendReques
 			return a.Response, nil
 		} else if s, ok := status.FromError(err); ok && s.Code() == codes.Unavailable {
 			// Fallthrough to retry
-		} else if err == ErrNotJournalPrimaryBroker {
+		} else if err == ErrNotJournalPrimaryBroker || err == ErrInsufficientJournalBrokers {
 			// Fallthrough.
 		} else {
 			return a.Response, err
diff --git a/broker/client/appender_test.go b/broker/client/appender_test.go
index e0a990a2..87ef040d 100644
--- a/broker/client/appender_test.go
+++ b/broker/client/appender_test.go
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ func (s *AppenderSuite) TestAppendCases(c *gc.C) {
 			{status: pb.Status_NOT_JOURNAL_PRIMARY_BROKER},
 			{status: pb.Status_OK},
 			// Case 2: Unexpected status is surfaced.
-			{status: pb.Status_INSUFFICIENT_JOURNAL_BROKERS},
+			{status: pb.Status_WRONG_APPEND_OFFSET},
 			// Case 3: As are errors.
 			{err: errors.New("an error")},
 		}
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ func (s *AppenderSuite) TestAppendCases(c *gc.C) {
 
 	// Case 2: Unexpected status is surfaced.
 	_, err = Append(ctx, rjc, pb.AppendRequest{Journal: "a/journal"}, con, tent)
-	c.Check(err, gc.ErrorMatches, "INSUFFICIENT_JOURNAL_BROKERS")
+	c.Check(err, gc.ErrorMatches, "WRONG_APPEND_OFFSET")
 
 	// Case 3: As are errors.
 	_, err = Append(ctx, rjc, pb.AppendRequest{Journal: "a/journal"}, con, tent)
diff --git a/consumer/transaction.go b/consumer/transaction.go
index 202389e9..5d2ab8b6 100644
--- a/consumer/transaction.go
+++ b/consumer/transaction.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package consumer
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"runtime/trace"
@@ -43,9 +44,24 @@ func runTransactions(s *shard, cp pc.Checkpoint, readCh <-chan EnvelopeOrError,
 	<-realTimer.C // Timer starts as idle.
 
 	// Begin by acknowledging (or re-acknowledging) messages published as part
-	// of the most-recent recovered transaction checkpoint.
-	if err := txnAcknowledge(s, &prev, cp); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("txnAcknowledge(recovered Checkpoint): %w", err)
+	// of the most-recent recovered transaction checkpoint. This is a relaxed
+	// form of txnAcknowledge(), as we allow recovered intents to name journals
+	// that don't actually exist (presumably they were deleted in the meantime).
+	for journal, ack := range cp.AckIntents {
+		var op = client.NewAsyncOperation()
+		prev.acks[op] = struct{}{}
+
+		go func(req pb.AppendRequest, r *bytes.Reader) (_err error) {
+			defer func() { op.Resolve(_err) }()
+
+			if _, err := client.Append(s.ctx, s.ajc, req, r); err == client.ErrJournalNotFound {
+				log.WithField("journal", req.Journal).
+					Warn("discarding recovered ACK-intent of non-existent journal")
+			} else if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("writing recovered ACK intent for journal %s: %w", req.Journal, err)
+			}
+			return nil
+		}(pb.AppendRequest{Journal: journal}, bytes.NewReader(ack))
 	}
 
 	for {
diff --git a/consumer/transaction_test.go b/consumer/transaction_test.go
index be5e2556..13823abb 100644
--- a/consumer/transaction_test.go
+++ b/consumer/transaction_test.go
@@ -651,6 +651,8 @@ func TestRunTxnsACKsRecoveredCheckpoint(t *testing.T) {
 	var cp = playAndComplete(t, shard)
 	cp.AckIntents = map[pb.Journal][]byte{
 		echoOut.Name: []byte(`{"Key": "recovered fixture"}` + "\n"),
+		// Recovered ACK intents may included journals which do not exist.
+		"does/not/exist": []byte(`{"Key": "discarded fixture"}` + "\n"),
 	}
 
 	// Use a read channel fixture which immediately closes.