diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster.go b/server/jetstream_cluster.go
index 93f681c323d..5bd3cf6c322 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster.go
@@ -3303,7 +3303,7 @@ func (js *jetStream) applyStreamEntries(mset *stream, ce *CommittedEntry, isReco
 			}
 
 			if isRecovering || !mset.IsLeader() {
-				if err := mset.processSnapshot(ss); err != nil {
+				if err := mset.processSnapshot(ss, ce.Index); err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
 			}
@@ -8343,11 +8343,12 @@ type streamSyncRequest struct {
 	FirstSeq       uint64 `json:"first_seq"`
 	LastSeq        uint64 `json:"last_seq"`
 	DeleteRangesOk bool   `json:"delete_ranges"`
+	MinApplied     uint64 `json:"min_applied"`
 }
 
 // Given a stream state that represents a snapshot, calculate the sync request based on our current state.
 // Stream lock must be held.
-func (mset *stream) calculateSyncRequest(state *StreamState, snap *StreamReplicatedState) *streamSyncRequest {
+func (mset *stream) calculateSyncRequest(state *StreamState, snap *StreamReplicatedState, index uint64) *streamSyncRequest {
 	// Shouldn't happen, but consequences are pretty bad if we have the lock held and
 	// our caller tries to take the lock again on panic defer, as in processSnapshot.
 	if state == nil || snap == nil || mset.node == nil {
@@ -8357,7 +8358,7 @@ func (mset *stream) calculateSyncRequest(state *StreamState, snap *StreamReplica
 	if state.LastSeq >= snap.LastSeq {
 		return nil
 	}
-	return &streamSyncRequest{FirstSeq: state.LastSeq + 1, LastSeq: snap.LastSeq, Peer: mset.node.ID(), DeleteRangesOk: true}
+	return &streamSyncRequest{FirstSeq: state.LastSeq + 1, LastSeq: snap.LastSeq, Peer: mset.node.ID(), DeleteRangesOk: true, MinApplied: index}
 }
 
 // processSnapshotDeletes will update our current store based on the snapshot
@@ -8493,7 +8494,7 @@ var (
 )
 
 // Process a stream snapshot.
-func (mset *stream) processSnapshot(snap *StreamReplicatedState) (e error) {
+func (mset *stream) processSnapshot(snap *StreamReplicatedState, index uint64) (e error) {
 	// Update any deletes, etc.
 	mset.processSnapshotDeletes(snap)
 	mset.setCLFS(snap.Failed)
@@ -8501,7 +8502,7 @@ func (mset *stream) processSnapshot(snap *StreamReplicatedState) (e error) {
 	mset.mu.Lock()
 	var state StreamState
 	mset.store.FastState(&state)
-	sreq := mset.calculateSyncRequest(&state, snap)
+	sreq := mset.calculateSyncRequest(&state, snap, index)
 
 	s, js, subject, n, st := mset.srv, mset.js, mset.sa.Sync, mset.node, mset.cfg.Storage
 	qname := fmt.Sprintf("[ACC:%s] stream '%s' snapshot", mset.acc.Name, mset.cfg.Name)
@@ -8639,7 +8640,7 @@ RETRY:
 		mset.mu.RLock()
 		var state StreamState
 		mset.store.FastState(&state)
-		sreq = mset.calculateSyncRequest(&state, snap)
+		sreq = mset.calculateSyncRequest(&state, snap, index)
 		mset.mu.RUnlock()
 		if sreq == nil {
 			return nil
@@ -9187,6 +9188,22 @@ func (mset *stream) runCatchup(sendSubject string, sreq *streamSyncRequest) {
 
 	// Setup sequences to walk through.
 	seq, last := sreq.FirstSeq, sreq.LastSeq
+
+	// The follower received a snapshot from another leader, and we've become leader since.
+	// We have an up-to-date log but could be behind on applies. We must wait until we've reached the minimum required.
+	// The follower will automatically retry after a timeout, so we can safely return here.
+	if node := mset.raftNode(); node != nil {
+		index, _, applied := node.Progress()
+		// Only skip if our log has enough entries, and they could be applied in the future.
+		if index >= sreq.MinApplied && applied < sreq.MinApplied {
+			return
+		}
+		// We know here we've either applied enough entries, or our log doesn't have enough entries.
+		// In the latter case the request expects us to have more. Just continue and value availability here.
+		// This should only be possible if the logs have already desynced, and we shouldn't have become leader
+		// in the first place. Not much we can do here in this (hypothetical) scenario.
+	}
+
 	mset.setCatchupPeer(sreq.Peer, last-seq)
 
 	// Check if we can compress during this.
diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster_1_test.go b/server/jetstream_cluster_1_test.go
index 06adf875c5d..c882d5a9d0e 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster_1_test.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster_1_test.go
@@ -6815,6 +6815,94 @@ func TestJetStreamClusterCatchupLoadNextMsgTooManyDeletes(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestJetStreamClusterCatchupMustStallWhenBehindOnApplies(t *testing.T) {
+	c := createJetStreamClusterExplicit(t, "R3S", 3)
+	defer c.shutdown()
+
+	nc, js := jsClientConnect(t, c.randomServer())
+	defer nc.Close()
+
+	_, err := js.AddStream(&nats.StreamConfig{
+		Name:     "TEST",
+		Subjects: []string{"foo"},
+		Replicas: 3,
+	})
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+
+	_, err = js.Publish("foo", nil)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+
+	// Reconnect to stream leader.
+	l := c.streamLeader(globalAccountName, "TEST")
+	nc.Close()
+	nc, _ = jsClientConnect(t, l, nats.UserInfo("admin", "s3cr3t!"))
+	defer nc.Close()
+
+	// Setup wiretap and grab stream.
+	sendSubject := "test-wiretap"
+	sub, err := nc.SubscribeSync(sendSubject)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	err = nc.Flush() // Must flush, otherwise our subscription could be too late.
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	acc, err := l.lookupAccount(globalAccountName)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	mset, err := acc.lookupStream("TEST")
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+
+	// We have a message at sequence 1, so expect a successful catchup.
+	sreq1 := &streamSyncRequest{Peer: "peer", FirstSeq: 1, LastSeq: 1, DeleteRangesOk: true}
+	require_True(t, mset.srv.startGoRoutine(func() { mset.runCatchup(sendSubject, sreq1) }))
+	// Expect the message at sequence 1.
+	msg, err := sub.NextMsg(time.Second)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_Equal(t, entryOp(msg.Data[0]), streamMsgOp)
+	subj, _, _, _, seq, _, err := decodeStreamMsg(msg.Data[1:])
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_Equal(t, seq, 1)
+	require_Equal(t, subj, "foo")
+	// And end with EOF.
+	msg, err = sub.NextMsg(time.Second)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_Len(t, len(msg.Data), 0)
+
+	// Add one additional entry into the log that's not applied yet.
+	n := mset.node.(*raft)
+	n.Lock()
+	ae := n.buildAppendEntry(nil)
+	err = n.storeToWAL(ae)
+	n.Unlock()
+	index, commit, applied := n.Progress()
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_LessThan(t, applied, index)
+	require_Equal(t, commit, applied)
+	// We have a message at sequence 1, but we haven't applied as many append entries.
+	// We can't fulfill the request right now as we don't know yet if
+	// that message will be deleted as part of upcoming append entries.
+	sreq2 := &streamSyncRequest{Peer: "peer", FirstSeq: 1, LastSeq: 1, DeleteRangesOk: true, MinApplied: index}
+	require_True(t, mset.srv.startGoRoutine(func() { mset.runCatchup(sendSubject, sreq2) }))
+	_, err = sub.NextMsg(time.Second)
+	require_Error(t, err, nats.ErrTimeout)
+
+	// We have a message at sequence 1, but we haven't applied as many append entries.
+	// Also, we seem to have a log that doesn't contain enough entries, even though we became leader.
+	// Something has already gone wrong and got the logs to desync.
+	// Value availability here and just fulfill the request.
+	sreq3 := &streamSyncRequest{Peer: "peer", FirstSeq: 1, LastSeq: 1, DeleteRangesOk: true, MinApplied: 100}
+	require_True(t, mset.srv.startGoRoutine(func() { mset.runCatchup(sendSubject, sreq3) }))
+	// Expect the message at sequence 1.
+	msg, err = sub.NextMsg(time.Second)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_Equal(t, entryOp(msg.Data[0]), streamMsgOp)
+	subj, _, _, _, seq, _, err = decodeStreamMsg(msg.Data[1:])
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_Equal(t, seq, 1)
+	require_Equal(t, subj, "foo")
+	// And end with EOF.
+	msg, err = sub.NextMsg(time.Second)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+	require_Len(t, len(msg.Data), 0)
+}
+
 //
 // DO NOT ADD NEW TESTS IN THIS FILE (unless to balance test times)
 // Add at the end of jetstream_cluster_<n>_test.go, with <n> being the highest value.
diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go b/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go
index cd6465d6e5e..b4cbb57a59a 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster_4_test.go
@@ -3997,8 +3997,9 @@ func TestJetStreamClusterDesyncAfterErrorDuringCatchup(t *testing.T) {
 				// Processing a snapshot while there's no leader elected is considered a cluster reset.
 				// If a leader is temporarily unavailable we shouldn't blow away our state.
 				var snap StreamReplicatedState
-				snap.LastSeq = 1_000 // ensure we can catchup based on the snapshot
-				err := mset.processSnapshot(&snap)
+				snap.LastSeq = 1_000      // ensure we can catchup based on the snapshot
+				appliedIndex := uint64(0) // incorrect index, but doesn't matter for this test
+				err := mset.processSnapshot(&snap, appliedIndex)
 				require_True(t, errors.Is(err, errCatchupAbortedNoLeader))
 				require_True(t, isClusterResetErr(err))
 				mset.resetClusteredState(err)
diff --git a/server/raft.go b/server/raft.go
index 48b9db2c453..23aa15d9233 100644
--- a/server/raft.go
+++ b/server/raft.go
@@ -1651,7 +1651,7 @@ func (n *raft) State() RaftState {
 func (n *raft) Progress() (index, commit, applied uint64) {
 	n.RLock()
 	defer n.RUnlock()
-	return n.pindex + 1, n.commit, n.applied
+	return n.pindex, n.commit, n.applied
 }
 
 // Size returns number of entries and total bytes for our WAL.