diff --git a/src/common/dav/dav_internal.h b/src/common/dav/dav_internal.h
index 0f8ddff5916..7261e7aa291 100644
--- a/src/common/dav/dav_internal.h
+++ b/src/common/dav/dav_internal.h
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ typedef struct dav_obj {
 static inline
 struct dav_tx *utx2wtx(struct umem_wal_tx *utx)
 {
+	D_ASSERT(utx != NULL);
 	return (struct dav_tx *)&utx->utx_private;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/common/dav/tx.c b/src/common/dav/tx.c
index 45b3daba73c..0dd8af78d02 100644
--- a/src/common/dav/tx.c
+++ b/src/common/dav/tx.c
@@ -1512,6 +1512,8 @@ dav_reserve(dav_obj_t *pop, struct dav_action *act, size_t size, uint64_t type_n
 
 	if (palloc_reserve(pop->do_heap, size, NULL, NULL, type_num,
 		0, 0, 0, act) != 0) {
+		if (!tx_inprogress)
+			lw_tx_end(pop, NULL);
 		DAV_API_END();
 		return 0;
 	}
@@ -1565,9 +1567,26 @@ dav_publish(dav_obj_t *pop, struct dav_action *actv, size_t actvcnt)
 void
 dav_cancel(dav_obj_t *pop, struct dav_action *actv, size_t actvcnt)
 {
+	int rc, tx_inprogress = 0;
+
 	DAV_DBG("actvcnt=%zu", actvcnt);
+	if (get_tx()->stage != DAV_TX_STAGE_NONE)
+		tx_inprogress = 1;
+
 	DAV_API_START();
+	if (!tx_inprogress) {
+		rc = lw_tx_begin(pop);
+		if (rc) {
+			D_ERROR("Failed to start local tx. %d\n", rc);
+			return;
+		}
+	}
+
 	palloc_cancel(pop->do_heap, actv, actvcnt);
+
+	if (!tx_inprogress)
+		lw_tx_end(pop, NULL);
+
 	DAV_API_END();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/common/tests/umem_test_bmem.c b/src/common/tests/umem_test_bmem.c
index 07f4a112b36..6e0447be0b3 100644
--- a/src/common/tests/umem_test_bmem.c
+++ b/src/common/tests/umem_test_bmem.c
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 /**
  * (C) Copyright 2019-2023 Intel Corporation.
- * (C) Copyright 2023 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP.
+ * (C) Copyright 2023-2025 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP.
  *
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent
  */
@@ -1193,7 +1193,8 @@ test_tx_reserve_publish_cancel(void **state)
 	assert_int_equal(memcmp(rsrv_ptr1, local_buf, 980), 0);
 	assert_int_equal(memcmp(rsrv_ptr2, local_buf, 128), 0);
 	umem_cancel(umm, rsrvd_act);
-	validate_persist_activity(1, 0);
+	/* umem_cacnel() internally started tx, which increased one additional resrv_cnt */
+	validate_persist_activity(2, 0);
 	utest_get_scm_used_space(arg->ta_utx, &cur_mem_used);
 	assert_true(cur_mem_used >= initial_mem_used);
 	umoff = umem_atomic_alloc(umm, 980, UMEM_TYPE_ANY);