diff --git a/server/filestore.go b/server/filestore.go
index 90f39fc4b67..0e7e1351293 100644
--- a/server/filestore.go
+++ b/server/filestore.go
@@ -6378,17 +6378,25 @@ func (fs *fileStore) LoadNextMsg(filter string, wc bool, start uint64, sm *Store
 				// Similar to above if start <= first seq.
 				// TODO(dlc) - For v2 track these by filter subject since they will represent filtered consumers.
 				if i == bi {
-					var ss SimpleState
-					fs.numFilteredPending(filter, &ss)
-					// Nothing available.
-					if ss.Msgs == 0 {
-						return nil, fs.state.LastSeq, ErrStoreEOF
-					}
-					// See if we can jump ahead here.
-					// Right now we can only spin on first, so if we have interior sparseness need to favor checking per block fss if loaded.
-					// For v2 will track all blocks that have matches for psim.
-					if nbi, _ := fs.selectMsgBlockWithIndex(ss.First); nbi > i {
-						i = nbi - 1 // For the iterator condition i++
+					var fblk uint32
+					fs.psim.Match(stringToBytes(filter), func(_ []byte, psi *psi) {
+						if fblk == 0 || psi.fblk < fblk {
+							fblk = psi.fblk
+						}
+					})
+					if int(fblk) > bi {
+						var ss SimpleState
+						fs.numFilteredPending(filter, &ss)
+						// Nothing available.
+						if ss.Msgs == 0 {
+							return nil, fs.state.LastSeq, ErrStoreEOF
+						}
+						// See if we can jump ahead here.
+						// Right now we can only spin on first, so if we have interior sparseness need to favor checking per block fss if loaded.
+						// For v2 will track all blocks that have matches for psim.
+						if nbi, _ := fs.selectMsgBlockWithIndex(ss.First); nbi > i {
+							i = nbi - 1 // For the iterator condition i++
+						}
 					}
 				}
 				// Check is we can expire.
diff --git a/server/filestore_test.go b/server/filestore_test.go
index d9ed222121b..07fb50ce23b 100644
--- a/server/filestore_test.go
+++ b/server/filestore_test.go
@@ -7254,3 +7254,58 @@ func Benchmark_FileStoreLoadNextMsgVerySparseMsgsInBetweenWithWildcard(b *testin
 		require_NoError(b, err)
 	}
 }
+
+func Benchmark_FileStoreLoadNextMsgAvoidsLinearBIMScan(b *testing.B) {
+	fsc := FileStoreConfig{StoreDir: b.TempDir()}
+	sc := StreamConfig{Name: "zzz", Subjects: []string{"foo.*.*"}, Storage: FileStorage}
+
+	fs, err := newFileStore(fsc, sc)
+	require_NoError(b, err)
+	defer fs.Stop()
+
+	skipBlocks := func(size uint32) {
+		origLmb := fs.lmb
+		origIndex := origLmb.index
+		fs.lmb.index += size
+		fs.newMsgBlockForWrite()
+		origLmb.index = origIndex
+	}
+
+	seq, _, err := fs.StoreMsg("foo.1.1", nil, []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5})
+	require_NoError(b, err)
+	require_Equal(b, seq, 1)
+
+	skipBlocks(100_000_000)
+
+	seq, _, err = fs.StoreMsg("foo.1.2", nil, []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5})
+	require_NoError(b, err)
+	require_Equal(b, seq, 2)
+
+	fs.newMsgBlockForWrite()
+	seq, _, err = fs.StoreMsg("foo.1.1", nil, []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5})
+	require_NoError(b, err)
+	require_Equal(b, seq, 3)
+
+	skipBlocks(100_000_000)
+
+	seq, _, err = fs.StoreMsg("foo.1.2", nil, []byte{1, 2, 3, 4, 5})
+	require_NoError(b, err)
+	require_Equal(b, seq, 4)
+
+	// Give the per-subject index amnesia about the flk. This is the
+	// critical condition for this benchmark to do the right thing.
+	psi, ok := fs.psim.Find([]byte("foo.1.2"))
+	require_True(b, ok)
+	psi.fblk = 0
+
+	b.ResetTimer()
+
+	// Now start trying to load a message that isn't in the stream yet.
+	// It needs to match the subject filter from the StreamConfig, but
+	// not existing will force the linear scan.
+	var smv StoreMsg
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		_, _, err = fs.LoadNextMsg("foo.1.2", true, 3, &smv)
+		require_NoError(b, err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/server/test_test.go b/server/test_test.go
index 58af5d76f43..cf7c5e9baae 100644
--- a/server/test_test.go
+++ b/server/test_test.go
@@ -52,14 +52,14 @@ func RunRandClientPortServer(t *testing.T) *Server {
 	return RunServer(&opts)
 }
 
-func require_True(t *testing.T, b bool) {
+func require_True(t testing.TB, b bool) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if !b {
 		t.Fatalf("require true, but got false")
 	}
 }
 
-func require_False(t *testing.T, b bool) {
+func require_False(t testing.TB, b bool) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if b {
 		t.Fatalf("require false, but got true")
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ func require_Contains(t *testing.T, s string, subStrs ...string) {
 	}
 }
 
-func require_Error(t *testing.T, err error, expected ...error) {
+func require_Error(t testing.TB, err error, expected ...error) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Fatalf("require error, but got none")
@@ -112,21 +112,21 @@ func require_Error(t *testing.T, err error, expected ...error) {
 	t.Fatalf("Expected one of %v, got '%v'", expected, err)
 }
 
-func require_Equal[T comparable](t *testing.T, a, b T) {
+func require_Equal[T comparable](t testing.TB, a, b T) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if a != b {
 		t.Fatalf("require %T equal, but got: %v != %v", a, a, b)
 	}
 }
 
-func require_NotEqual[T comparable](t *testing.T, a, b T) {
+func require_NotEqual[T comparable](t testing.TB, a, b T) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if a == b {
 		t.Fatalf("require %T not equal, but got: %v == %v", a, a, b)
 	}
 }
 
-func require_Len(t *testing.T, a, b int) {
+func require_Len(t testing.TB, a, b int) {
 	t.Helper()
 	if a != b {
 		t.Fatalf("require len, but got: %v != %v", a, b)