diff --git a/src/database/Database.cpp b/src/database/Database.cpp
index 64779a0c67..433df01bff 100644
--- a/src/database/Database.cpp
+++ b/src/database/Database.cpp
@@ -250,6 +250,7 @@ Database::upgradeToCurrentSchema()
 
     // Tx meta column no longer supported
     dropTxMetaIfExists();
+    maybeUpgradeToBucketListDB();
 
     CLOG_INFO(Database, "DB schema is in current version");
     releaseAssert(vers == SCHEMA_VERSION);
@@ -289,6 +290,50 @@ Database::dropTxMetaIfExists()
     }
 }
 
+void
+Database::maybeUpgradeToBucketListDB()
+{
+    if (mApp.getPersistentState().getState(PersistentState::kDBBackend) !=
+        BucketIndex::DB_BACKEND_STATE)
+    {
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Upgrading to BucketListDB");
+
+        // Drop all LedgerEntry tables except for offers
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table accounts");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS accounts;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table signers");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS signers;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table claimablebalance");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS claimablebalance;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table configsettings");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS configsettings;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table contractcode");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS contractcode;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table contractdata");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS contractdata;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table accountdata");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS accountdata;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table liquiditypool");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS liquiditypool;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table trustlines");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS trustlines;";
+
+        CLOG_INFO(Database, "Dropping table ttl");
+        getSession() << "DROP TABLE IF EXISTS ttl;";
+
+        mApp.getPersistentState().setState(PersistentState::kDBBackend,
+                                           BucketIndex::DB_BACKEND_STATE);
+    }
+}
+
 void
 Database::putSchemaVersion(unsigned long vers)
 {
diff --git a/src/database/Database.h b/src/database/Database.h
index e3ad43b214..73540c2884 100644
--- a/src/database/Database.h
+++ b/src/database/Database.h
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ class Database : NonMovableOrCopyable
     void upgradeToCurrentSchema();
 
     void dropTxMetaIfExists();
+    void maybeUpgradeToBucketListDB();
 
     // Access the underlying SOCI session object
     soci::session& getSession();
diff --git a/src/invariant/BucketListIsConsistentWithDatabase.cpp b/src/invariant/BucketListIsConsistentWithDatabase.cpp
index 231180e40f..dfd00554c3 100644
--- a/src/invariant/BucketListIsConsistentWithDatabase.cpp
+++ b/src/invariant/BucketListIsConsistentWithDatabase.cpp
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ BucketListIsConsistentWithDatabase::checkEntireBucketlist()
     {
         throw std::runtime_error(
             "Corrupt DB: BucketListDB flag "
-            "not set in PersistentState. Please run new-db");
+            "not set in PersistentState. Please run new-db or upgrade-db");
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/main/test/ApplicationUtilsTests.cpp b/src/main/test/ApplicationUtilsTests.cpp
index bdb7b9ecff..31ee9dbba9 100644
--- a/src/main/test/ApplicationUtilsTests.cpp
+++ b/src/main/test/ApplicationUtilsTests.cpp
@@ -2,11 +2,13 @@
 // under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See the COPYING file at the root
 // of this distribution or at http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
 
+#include "bucket/test/BucketTestUtils.h"
 #include "crypto/Random.h"
 #include "history/HistoryArchiveManager.h"
 #include "history/test/HistoryTestsUtils.h"
 #include "invariant/BucketListIsConsistentWithDatabase.h"
 #include "ledger/LedgerTxn.h"
+#include "ledger/test/LedgerTestUtils.h"
 #include "lib/catch.hpp"
 #include "main/Application.h"
 #include "main/ApplicationUtils.h"
@@ -51,45 +53,6 @@ class TemporaryFileDamager
     }
 };
 
-class TemporarySQLiteDBDamager : public TemporaryFileDamager
-{
-    Config mConfig;
-    static std::filesystem::path
-    getSQLiteDBPath(Config const& cfg)
-    {
-        auto str = cfg.DATABASE.value;
-        std::string prefix = "sqlite3://";
-        REQUIRE(str.find(prefix) == 0);
-        str = str.substr(prefix.size());
-        REQUIRE(!str.empty());
-        std::filesystem::path path(str);
-        REQUIRE(std::filesystem::exists(path));
-        return path;
-    }
-
-  public:
-    TemporarySQLiteDBDamager(Config const& cfg)
-        : TemporaryFileDamager(getSQLiteDBPath(cfg)), mConfig(cfg)
-    {
-    }
-    void
-    damageVictim() override
-    {
-        // Damage a database by bumping the root account's last-modified.
-        VirtualClock clock;
-        auto app = createTestApplication(clock, mConfig, /*newDB=*/false);
-        LedgerTxn ltx(app->getLedgerTxnRoot(),
-                      /*shouldUpdateLastModified=*/false);
-        {
-            auto rootKey = accountKey(
-                stellar::txtest::getRoot(app->getNetworkID()).getPublicKey());
-            auto rootLe = ltx.load(rootKey);
-            rootLe.current().lastModifiedLedgerSeq += 1;
-        }
-        ltx.commit();
-    }
-};
-
 // Logic to check the state of the bucket list with the state of the DB
 static bool
 checkState(Application& app)
@@ -415,12 +378,6 @@ TEST_CASE("offline self-check works", "[applicationutils][selfcheck]")
         damage.damageVictim();
         REQUIRE(selfCheck(chkConfig) == 1);
     }
-    {
-        // Damage the SQL ledger.
-        TemporarySQLiteDBDamager damage(chkConfig);
-        damage.damageVictim();
-        REQUIRE(selfCheck(chkConfig) == 1);
-    }
 }
 
 TEST_CASE("application setup", "[applicationutils]")