diff --git a/core/filtermaps/filtermaps.go b/core/filtermaps/filtermaps.go
index d74b11da0442..56f08e711055 100644
--- a/core/filtermaps/filtermaps.go
+++ b/core/filtermaps/filtermaps.go
@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ const (
 	cachedRenderSnapshots = 8    // saved map renderer data at block boundaries
 )
 
+var errHistoryCutoff = errors.New("cannot start indexing before history cutoff point")
+
 // FilterMaps is the in-memory representation of the log index structure that is
 // responsible for building and updating the index according to the canonical
 // chain.
@@ -278,8 +280,13 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) initChainView(chainView *ChainView) *ChainView {
 }
 
 // reset un-initializes the FilterMaps structure and removes all related data from
-// the database. The function returns true if everything was successfully removed.
-func (f *FilterMaps) reset() bool {
+// the database.
+// Note that in case of leveldb database the fallback implementation of DeleteRange
+// might take a long time to finish and deleting the entire database may be
+// interrupted by a shutdown. Deleting the filterMapsRange entry first does
+// guarantee though that the next init() will not return successfully until the
+// entire database has been cleaned.
+func (f *FilterMaps) reset() {
 	f.indexLock.Lock()
 	f.indexedRange = filterMapsRange{}
 	f.indexedView = nil
@@ -292,11 +299,16 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) reset() bool {
 	// deleting the range first ensures that resetDb will be called again at next
 	// startup and any leftover data will be removed even if it cannot finish now.
 	rawdb.DeleteFilterMapsRange(f.db)
-	return f.safeDeleteRange(rawdb.DeleteFilterMapsDb, "Resetting log index database")
+	f.safeDeleteRange(rawdb.DeleteFilterMapsDb, "Resetting log index database")
 }
 
 // init initializes an empty log index according to the current targetView.
 func (f *FilterMaps) init() error {
+	// ensure that there is no remaining data in the filter maps key range
+	if !f.safeDeleteRange(rawdb.DeleteFilterMapsDb, "Resetting log index database") {
+		return errors.New("could not reset log index database")
+	}
+
 	f.indexLock.Lock()
 	defer f.indexLock.Unlock()
 
@@ -317,6 +329,13 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) init() error {
 			bestIdx, bestLen = idx, max
 		}
 	}
+	var initBlockNumber uint64
+	if bestLen > 0 {
+		initBlockNumber = checkpoints[bestIdx][bestLen-1].BlockNumber
+	}
+	if initBlockNumber < f.historyCutoff {
+		return errHistoryCutoff
+	}
 	batch := f.db.NewBatch()
 	for epoch := range bestLen {
 		cp := checkpoints[bestIdx][epoch]
diff --git a/core/filtermaps/indexer.go b/core/filtermaps/indexer.go
index 69f42d8b606a..d0db1eb9eb79 100644
--- a/core/filtermaps/indexer.go
+++ b/core/filtermaps/indexer.go
@@ -42,7 +42,18 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) indexerLoop() {
 
 	for !f.stop {
 		if !f.indexedRange.initialized {
+			if f.targetView.headNumber == 0 {
+				// initialize when chain head is available
+				f.processSingleEvent(true)
+				continue
+			}
 			if err := f.init(); err != nil {
+				if err == errHistoryCutoff {
+					log.Warn("History cutoff point beyond latest checkpoint; log index disabled")
+					f.disabled = true
+					f.reset()
+					return
+				}
 				log.Error("Error initializing log index", "error", err)
 				// unexpected error; there is not a lot we can do here, maybe it
 				// recovers, maybe not. Calling event processing here ensures
@@ -52,10 +63,16 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) indexerLoop() {
 			}
 		}
 		if !f.targetHeadIndexed() {
-			if !f.tryIndexHead() {
-				// either shutdown or unexpected error; in the latter case ensure
-				// that proper shutdown is still possible.
-				f.processSingleEvent(true)
+			if _, err := f.tryIndexHead(); err != nil {
+				switch err {
+				case errHistoryCutoff:
+					log.Warn("History cutoff point beyond rendered index head; resetting log index")
+					f.reset() // still attempt re-initializing; maybe there are more recent checkpoints
+				default:
+					// unexpected error; ensure that we can still properly
+					// shutdown in case of an infinite loop.
+					f.processSingleEvent(true)
+				}
 			}
 		} else {
 			if f.finalBlock != f.lastFinal {
@@ -193,14 +210,14 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) setTarget(target targetUpdate) {
 
 // tryIndexHead tries to render head maps according to the current targetView
 // and returns true if successful.
-func (f *FilterMaps) tryIndexHead() bool {
+func (f *FilterMaps) tryIndexHead() (bool, error) {
 	headRenderer, err := f.renderMapsBefore(math.MaxUint32)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Error("Error creating log index head renderer", "error", err)
-		return false
+		return false, err
 	}
 	if headRenderer == nil {
-		return true
+		return true, nil
 	}
 	if !f.startedHeadIndex {
 		f.lastLogHeadIndex = time.Now()
@@ -208,7 +225,7 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) tryIndexHead() bool {
 		f.startedHeadIndex = true
 		f.ptrHeadIndex = f.indexedRange.blocks.AfterLast()
 	}
-	if _, err := headRenderer.run(func() bool {
+	if done, err := headRenderer.run(func() bool {
 		f.processEvents()
 		return f.stop
 	}, func() {
@@ -224,9 +241,11 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) tryIndexHead() bool {
 			f.loggedHeadIndex = true
 			f.lastLogHeadIndex = time.Now()
 		}
-	}); err != nil {
-		log.Error("Log index head rendering failed", "error", err)
-		return false
+	}); !done {
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Error("Log index head rendering failed", "error", err)
+		}
+		return false, err
 	}
 	if f.loggedHeadIndex && f.indexedRange.hasIndexedBlocks() {
 		log.Info("Log index head rendering finished",
@@ -235,7 +254,7 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) tryIndexHead() bool {
 			"elapsed", common.PrettyDuration(time.Since(f.startedHeadIndexAt)))
 	}
 	f.loggedHeadIndex, f.startedHeadIndex = false, false
-	return true
+	return true, nil
 }
 
 // tryIndexTail tries to render tail epochs until the tail target block is
diff --git a/core/filtermaps/map_renderer.go b/core/filtermaps/map_renderer.go
index 1eaaa9bb1a77..2e314dc45d16 100644
--- a/core/filtermaps/map_renderer.go
+++ b/core/filtermaps/map_renderer.go
@@ -681,7 +681,7 @@ func (f *FilterMaps) newLogIteratorFromMapBoundary(mapIndex uint32, startBlock,
 	// get block receipts
 	receipts := f.targetView.getReceipts(startBlock)
 	if receipts == nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("receipts not found for start block %d", startBlock)
+		return nil, errHistoryCutoff
 	}
 	// initialize iterator at block start
 	l := &logIterator{
@@ -748,7 +748,7 @@ func (l *logIterator) next() error {
 		l.blockNumber++
 		l.receipts = l.chainView.getReceipts(l.blockNumber)
 		if l.receipts == nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("receipts not found for block %d", l.blockNumber)
+			return errHistoryCutoff
 		}
 		l.txIndex, l.logIndex, l.topicIndex, l.blockStart = 0, 0, 0, true
 	} else {