diff --git a/core/state/snapshot/snapshot.go b/core/state/snapshot/snapshot.go
index 8889fa9fec..6ee6b06bb5 100644
--- a/core/state/snapshot/snapshot.go
+++ b/core/state/snapshot/snapshot.go
@@ -163,6 +163,9 @@ type Tree struct {
 	cache  int                      // Megabytes permitted to use for read caches
 	layers map[common.Hash]snapshot // Collection of all known layers
 	lock   sync.RWMutex
+
+	// Test hooks
+	onFlatten func() // Hook invoked when the bottom most diff layers are flattened
 }
 
 // New attempts to load an already existing snapshot from a persistent key-value
@@ -463,14 +466,21 @@ func (t *Tree) cap(diff *diffLayer, layers int) *diskLayer {
 		return nil
 
 	case *diffLayer:
+		// Hold the write lock until the flattened parent is linked correctly.
+		// Otherwise, the stale layer may be accessed by external reads in the
+		// meantime.
+		diff.lock.Lock()
+		defer diff.lock.Unlock()
+
 		// Flatten the parent into the grandparent. The flattening internally obtains a
 		// write lock on grandparent.
 		flattened := parent.flatten().(*diffLayer)
 		t.layers[flattened.root] = flattened
 
-		diff.lock.Lock()
-		defer diff.lock.Unlock()
-
+		// Invoke the hook if it's registered. Ugly hack.
+		if t.onFlatten != nil {
+			t.onFlatten()
+		}
 		diff.parent = flattened
 		if flattened.memory < aggregatorMemoryLimit {
 			// Accumulator layer is smaller than the limit, so we can abort, unless
diff --git a/core/state/snapshot/snapshot_test.go b/core/state/snapshot/snapshot_test.go
index 4b787cfe2e..12f2765b3b 100644
--- a/core/state/snapshot/snapshot_test.go
+++ b/core/state/snapshot/snapshot_test.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"math/big"
 	"math/rand"
 	"testing"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/fastcache"
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
@@ -324,7 +325,7 @@ func TestPostCapBasicDataAccess(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestSnaphots tests the functionality for retrieveing the snapshot
+// TestSnaphots tests the functionality for retrieving the snapshot
 // with given head root and the desired depth.
 func TestSnaphots(t *testing.T) {
 	// setAccount is a helper to construct a random account entry and assign it to
@@ -423,3 +424,63 @@ func TestSnaphots(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestReadStateDuringFlattening tests the scenario that, during the
+// bottom diff layers are merging which tags these as stale, the read
+// happens via a pre-created top snapshot layer which tries to access
+// the state in these stale layers. Ensure this read can retrieve the
+// right state back(block until the flattening is finished) instead of
+// an unexpected error(snapshot layer is stale).
+func TestReadStateDuringFlattening(t *testing.T) {
+	// setAccount is a helper to construct a random account entry and assign it to
+	// an account slot in a snapshot
+	setAccount := func(accKey string) map[common.Hash][]byte {
+		return map[common.Hash][]byte{
+			common.HexToHash(accKey): randomAccount(),
+		}
+	}
+	// Create a starting base layer and a snapshot tree out of it
+	base := &diskLayer{
+		diskdb: rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase(),
+		root:   common.HexToHash("0x01"),
+		cache:  fastcache.New(1024 * 500),
+	}
+	snaps := &Tree{
+		layers: map[common.Hash]snapshot{
+			base.root: base,
+		},
+	}
+	// 4 layers in total, 3 diff layers and 1 disk layers
+	snaps.Update(common.HexToHash("0xa1"), common.HexToHash("0x01"), nil, setAccount("0xa1"), nil)
+	snaps.Update(common.HexToHash("0xa2"), common.HexToHash("0xa1"), nil, setAccount("0xa2"), nil)
+	snaps.Update(common.HexToHash("0xa3"), common.HexToHash("0xa2"), nil, setAccount("0xa3"), nil)
+
+	// Obtain the topmost snapshot handler for state accessing
+	snap := snaps.Snapshot(common.HexToHash("0xa3"))
+
+	// Register the testing hook to access the state after flattening
+	var result = make(chan *Account)
+	snaps.onFlatten = func() {
+		// Spin up a thread to read the account from the pre-created
+		// snapshot handler. It's expected to be blocked.
+		go func() {
+			account, _ := snap.Account(common.HexToHash("0xa1"))
+			result <- account
+		}()
+		select {
+		case res := <-result:
+			t.Fatalf("Unexpected return %v", res)
+		case <-time.NewTimer(time.Millisecond * 300).C:
+		}
+	}
+	// Cap the snap tree, which will mark the bottom-most layer as stale.
+	snaps.Cap(common.HexToHash("0xa3"), 1)
+	select {
+	case account := <-result:
+		if account == nil {
+			t.Fatal("Failed to retrieve account")
+		}
+	case <-time.NewTimer(time.Millisecond * 300).C:
+		t.Fatal("Unexpected blocker")
+	}
+}