diff --git a/etcdutl/etcdutl/backup_command.go b/etcdutl/etcdutl/backup_command.go
index c09bcf14a79..6bebaf920a1 100644
--- a/etcdutl/etcdutl/backup_command.go
+++ b/etcdutl/etcdutl/backup_command.go
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ func saveDB(lg *zap.Logger, destDB, srcDB string, idx uint64, term uint64, desir
 		tx.Lock()
 		defer tx.Unlock()
 		cindex.UnsafeCreateMetaBucket(tx)
-		cindex.UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, idx, term, false)
+		cindex.UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, idx, term)
 	} else {
 		// Thanks to translateWAL not moving entries, but just replacing them with
 		// 'empty', there is no need to update the consistency index.
diff --git a/etcdutl/snapshot/v3_snapshot.go b/etcdutl/snapshot/v3_snapshot.go
index 5d517a03f4c..b17cd90aac1 100644
--- a/etcdutl/snapshot/v3_snapshot.go
+++ b/etcdutl/snapshot/v3_snapshot.go
@@ -476,6 +476,6 @@ func (s *v3Manager) updateCIndex(commit uint64, term uint64) error {
 	be := backend.NewDefaultBackend(s.outDbPath())
 	defer be.Close()
 
-	cindex.UpdateConsistentIndex(be.BatchTx(), commit, term, false)
+	cindex.UpdateConsistentIndex(be.BatchTx(), commit, term)
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex.go b/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex.go
index 64b98b6fff3..4978124baa5 100644
--- a/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex.go
+++ b/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 
 type Backend interface {
 	BatchTx() backend.BatchTx
+	ReadTx() backend.ReadTx
 }
 
 // ConsistentIndexer is an interface that wraps the Get/Set/Save method for consistentIndex.
@@ -87,7 +88,7 @@ func (ci *consistentIndex) SetConsistentIndex(v uint64, term uint64) {
 func (ci *consistentIndex) UnsafeSave(tx backend.BatchTx) {
 	index := atomic.LoadUint64(&ci.consistentIndex)
 	term := atomic.LoadUint64(&ci.term)
-	UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, index, term, true)
+	UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, index, term)
 }
 
 func (ci *consistentIndex) SetBackend(be Backend) {
@@ -154,22 +155,12 @@ func ReadConsistentIndex(tx backend.ReadTx) (uint64, uint64) {
 	return unsafeReadConsistentIndex(tx)
 }
 
-func UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx backend.BatchTx, index uint64, term uint64, onlyGrow bool) {
+func UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx backend.BatchTx, index uint64, term uint64) {
 	if index == 0 {
 		// Never save 0 as it means that we didn't loaded the real index yet.
 		return
 	}
 
-	if onlyGrow {
-		oldi, oldTerm := unsafeReadConsistentIndex(tx)
-		if term < oldTerm {
-			return
-		}
-		if term == oldTerm && index <= oldi {
-			return
-		}
-	}
-
 	bs1 := make([]byte, 8)
 	binary.BigEndian.PutUint64(bs1, index)
 	// put the index into the underlying backend
@@ -182,8 +173,8 @@ func UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx backend.BatchTx, index uint64, term uint64,
 	}
 }
 
-func UpdateConsistentIndex(tx backend.BatchTx, index uint64, term uint64, onlyGrow bool) {
+func UpdateConsistentIndex(tx backend.BatchTx, index uint64, term uint64) {
 	tx.Lock()
 	defer tx.Unlock()
-	UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, index, term, onlyGrow)
+	UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, index, term)
 }
diff --git a/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex_test.go b/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex_test.go
index 1e111b9e823..44bd0ef8339 100644
--- a/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex_test.go
+++ b/server/etcdserver/cindex/cindex_test.go
@@ -63,6 +63,58 @@ func TestConsistentIndex(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, r, index)
 }
 
+func TestConsistentIndexDecrease(t *testing.T) {
+	initIndex := uint64(100)
+	initTerm := uint64(10)
+
+	tcs := []struct {
+		name  string
+		index uint64
+		term  uint64
+	}{
+		{
+			name:  "Decrease term",
+			index: initIndex + 1,
+			term:  initTerm - 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "Decrease CI",
+			index: initIndex - 1,
+			term:  initTerm + 1,
+		},
+		{
+			name:  "Decrease CI and term",
+			index: initIndex - 1,
+			term:  initTerm - 1,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tcs {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			be, tmpPath := betesting.NewTmpBackend(t, time.Microsecond, 10)
+			tx := be.BatchTx()
+			tx.Lock()
+			UnsafeCreateMetaBucket(tx)
+			UnsafeUpdateConsistentIndex(tx, initIndex, initTerm)
+			tx.Unlock()
+			be.ForceCommit()
+			be.Close()
+
+			be = backend.NewDefaultBackend(tmpPath)
+			defer be.Close()
+			ci := NewConsistentIndex(be)
+			ci.SetConsistentIndex(tc.index, tc.term)
+			tx = be.BatchTx()
+			tx.Lock()
+			ci.UnsafeSave(tx)
+			tx.Unlock()
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.index, ci.ConsistentIndex())
+
+			ci = NewConsistentIndex(be)
+			assert.Equal(t, tc.index, ci.ConsistentIndex())
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFakeConsistentIndex(t *testing.T) {
 
 	r := rand.Uint64()