diff --git a/src/mon/Paxos.cc b/src/mon/Paxos.cc
index 5d07457fdbdec..3a691931c9f2a 100644
--- a/src/mon/Paxos.cc
+++ b/src/mon/Paxos.cc
@@ -1343,8 +1343,7 @@ void Paxos::leader_init()
   // discard pending transaction
   pending_proposal.reset();
 
-  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, pending_finishers, -EAGAIN);
-  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, committing_finishers, -EAGAIN);
+  reset_pending_committing_finishers();
 
   logger->inc(l_paxos_start_leader);
 
@@ -1375,9 +1374,8 @@ void Paxos::peon_init()
   pending_proposal.reset();
 
   // no chance to write now!
+  reset_pending_committing_finishers();
   finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, waiting_for_writeable, -EAGAIN);
-  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, pending_finishers, -EAGAIN);
-  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, committing_finishers, -EAGAIN);
 
   logger->inc(l_paxos_start_peon);
 }
@@ -1400,13 +1398,17 @@ void Paxos::restart()
   // discard pending transaction
   pending_proposal.reset();
 
-  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, committing_finishers, -EAGAIN);
-  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, pending_finishers, -EAGAIN);
+  reset_pending_committing_finishers();
   finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, waiting_for_active, -EAGAIN);
 
   logger->inc(l_paxos_restart);
 }
 
+void Paxos::reset_pending_committing_finishers()
+{
+  committing_finishers.splice(committing_finishers.end(), pending_finishers);
+  finish_contexts(g_ceph_context, committing_finishers, -EAGAIN);
+}
 
 void Paxos::dispatch(MonOpRequestRef op)
 {
diff --git a/src/mon/Paxos.h b/src/mon/Paxos.h
index 2b2e71d94a131..590279ed9cef0 100644
--- a/src/mon/Paxos.h
+++ b/src/mon/Paxos.h
@@ -597,6 +597,15 @@ class Paxos {
    * this list.  When it commits, these finishers are notified.
    */
   list<Context*> committing_finishers;
+  /**
+   * This function re-triggers pending_ and committing_finishers
+   * safely, so as to maintain existing system invariants. In particular
+   * we maintain ordering by triggering committing before pending, and
+   * we clear out pending_finishers prior to any triggers so that
+   * we don't trigger asserts on them being empty. You should
+   * use it instead of sending -EAGAIN to them with finish_contexts.
+   */
+  void reset_pending_committing_finishers();
 
   /**
    * @defgroup Paxos_h_sync_warns Synchronization warnings