diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/batcheval/cmd_add_sstable.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/batcheval/cmd_add_sstable.go
index 07b56dbe9b1f..75cd43a52c0e 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/batcheval/cmd_add_sstable.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/batcheval/cmd_add_sstable.go
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ func EvalAddSSTable(
 	// addition, and instead just use this key-only iterator. If a caller actually
 	// needs to know what data is there, it must issue its own real Scan.
 	if args.ReturnFollowingLikelyNonEmptySpanStart {
-		existingIter := readWriter.NewMVCCIterator(
+		existingIter := spanset.DisableReaderAssertions(readWriter).NewMVCCIterator(
 			storage.MVCCKeyIterKind, // don't care if it is committed or not, just that it isn't empty.
 			storage.IterOptions{UpperBound: reply.RangeSpan.EndKey},
 		)