diff --git a/src/adapter/src/catalog/open.rs b/src/adapter/src/catalog/open.rs
index 53a8dd967df1b..7e28550ac5c69 100644
--- a/src/adapter/src/catalog/open.rs
+++ b/src/adapter/src/catalog/open.rs
@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ impl Catalog {
         };
 
         let mut updates: Vec<_> = storage.sync_to_current_updates().await?;
+        assert!(!updates.is_empty(), "initial catalog snapshot is missing");
         let mut txn = storage.transaction().await?;
 
         // Migrate/update durable data before we start loading the in-memory catalog.
diff --git a/src/catalog/src/durable/persist.rs b/src/catalog/src/durable/persist.rs
index 0148128756c03..a719b4940670e 100644
--- a/src/catalog/src/durable/persist.rs
+++ b/src/catalog/src/durable/persist.rs
@@ -280,12 +280,16 @@ impl<T: TryIntoStateUpdateKind, U: ApplyUpdate<T>> PersistHandle<T, U> {
     /// Fetch the current upper of the catalog state.
     #[mz_ore::instrument]
     async fn current_upper(&mut self) -> Timestamp {
-        self.write_handle
-            .fetch_recent_upper()
-            .await
-            .as_option()
-            .cloned()
-            .expect("we use a totally ordered time and never finalize the shard")
+        match self.mode {
+            Mode::Writable | Mode::Readonly => self
+                .write_handle
+                .fetch_recent_upper()
+                .await
+                .as_option()
+                .cloned()
+                .expect("we use a totally ordered time and never finalize the shard"),
+            Mode::Savepoint => self.upper,
+        }
     }
 
     /// Appends `updates` iff the current global upper of the catalog is `self.upper`.
@@ -296,6 +300,8 @@ impl<T: TryIntoStateUpdateKind, U: ApplyUpdate<T>> PersistHandle<T, U> {
         &mut self,
         updates: Vec<(S, Diff)>,
     ) -> Result<Timestamp, CatalogError> {
+        assert_eq!(self.mode, Mode::Writable);
+
         let updates = updates.into_iter().map(|(kind, diff)| {
             let kind: StateUpdateKindRaw = kind.into();
             ((Into::<SourceData>::into(kind), ()), self.upper, diff)
diff --git a/src/catalog/src/durable/transaction.rs b/src/catalog/src/durable/transaction.rs
index 587589981c3e1..c19d8f50f591b 100644
--- a/src/catalog/src/durable/transaction.rs
+++ b/src/catalog/src/durable/transaction.rs
@@ -2658,6 +2658,13 @@ where
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    use mz_ore::now::SYSTEM_TIME;
+    use mz_persist_client::PersistClient;
+    use uuid::Uuid;
+
+    use crate::durable::{test_bootstrap_args, test_persist_backed_catalog_state};
+    use crate::memory;
+
     #[mz_ore::test]
     fn test_table_transaction_simple() {
         fn uniqueness_violation(a: &String, b: &String) -> bool {
@@ -2942,4 +2949,63 @@ mod tests {
         let pending = table_txn.pending::<Vec<u8>, String>();
         assert!(pending.is_empty());
     }
+
+    #[mz_ore::test(tokio::test)]
+    #[cfg_attr(miri, ignore)] //  unsupported operation: can't call foreign function `TLS_client_method` on OS `linux`
+    async fn test_savepoint() {
+        let deploy_generation = 0;
+        let persist_client = PersistClient::new_for_tests().await;
+        let organization_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+        let openable_state1 =
+            test_persist_backed_catalog_state(persist_client.clone(), organization_id).await;
+        let openable_state2 =
+            test_persist_backed_catalog_state(persist_client, organization_id).await;
+
+        // Initialize catalog.
+        let _ = openable_state1
+            .open(
+                SYSTEM_TIME(),
+                &test_bootstrap_args(),
+                deploy_generation,
+                None,
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        let mut savepoint_state = openable_state2
+            .open_savepoint(
+                SYSTEM_TIME(),
+                &test_bootstrap_args(),
+                deploy_generation,
+                None,
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+
+        let initial_snapshot = savepoint_state.sync_to_current_updates().await.unwrap();
+        assert!(!initial_snapshot.is_empty());
+
+        let db_name = "db";
+        let db_owner = RoleId::User(42);
+        let db_privileges = Vec::new();
+        let mut txn = savepoint_state.transaction().await.unwrap();
+        let (db_id, db_oid) = txn
+            .insert_user_database(db_name, db_owner, db_privileges.clone(), &HashSet::new())
+            .unwrap();
+        txn.commit_internal().await.unwrap();
+        let updates = savepoint_state.sync_to_current_updates().await.unwrap();
+        let update = updates.into_element();
+
+        assert_eq!(update.diff, StateDiff::Addition);
+
+        let db = match update.kind {
+            memory::objects::StateUpdateKind::Database(db) => db,
+            update => panic!("unexpected update: {update:?}"),
+        };
+
+        assert_eq!(db_id, db.id);
+        assert_eq!(db_oid, db.oid);
+        assert_eq!(db_name, db.name);
+        assert_eq!(db_owner, db.owner_id);
+        assert_eq!(db_privileges, db.privileges);
+    }
 }