diff --git a/api.go b/api.go
index 34155ee32..938b16ed2 100644
--- a/api.go
+++ b/api.go
@@ -1919,7 +1919,7 @@ func (api *API) applyOperations(ctx context.Context, qcx *Qcx, index *Index, sha
 				// We delete from the existence field unconditionally and other fields
 				// if we know they exist.
 				if op.OpType == ingest.OpDelete {
-					err = clearExistenceColumns(qcx, index, op.ClearRecordIDs, shard)
+					err = clearExistenceColumns(tx, index, op.ClearRecordIDs, shard)
 					if err != nil {
 						return fmt.Errorf("clearing existence columns: %w", err)
 					}
@@ -1997,21 +1997,20 @@ func importExistenceColumns(qcx *Qcx, index *Index, columnIDs []uint64, shard ui
 	return ef.Import(qcx, existenceRowIDs, columnCopy, nil, shard, &options)
 }
 
-func clearExistenceColumns(qcx *Qcx, index *Index, columnIDs []uint64, shard uint64) error {
+func clearExistenceColumns(tx Tx, index *Index, columnIDs []uint64, shard uint64) error {
 	ef := index.existenceField()
 	if ef == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-
-	existenceRowIDs := make([]uint64, len(columnIDs))
-	// If we don't gratuitously hand-duplicate things in field.Import,
-	// the fact that fragment.bulkImport rewrites its row and column
-	// lists can burn us if we don't make a copy before doing the
-	// existence field write.
-	columnCopy := make([]uint64, len(columnIDs))
-	copy(columnCopy, columnIDs)
-	options := ImportOptions{Clear: true}
-	return ef.Import(qcx, existenceRowIDs, columnCopy, nil, shard, &options)
+	v := ef.view("standard")
+	if v == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	f := v.Fragment(shard)
+	if f == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return f.ClearRecords(tx, columnIDs)
 }
 
 // ShardDistribution returns an object representing the distribution of shards
diff --git a/ingest_test.go b/ingest_test.go
index 712b834e6..7339f75e9 100644
--- a/ingest_test.go
+++ b/ingest_test.go
@@ -146,6 +146,9 @@ func parseExpectedResults(data []byte) (ints []uint64, keys []string, err error)
 		return nil, nil, errors.New("expecting [] results")
 	}
 	words := bytes.Split(data[1:len(data)-1], []byte{','})
+	if len(words) == 1 && len(words[0]) == 0 {
+		return nil, nil, nil
+	}
 	for _, word := range words {
 		word = bytes.TrimSpace(word)
 		if len(word) == 0 {
diff --git a/ingest_testdata/sample.tc b/ingest_testdata/sample.tc
index 6ddff22a4..764965025 100644
--- a/ingest_testdata/sample.tc
+++ b/ingest_testdata/sample.tc
@@ -87,3 +87,13 @@ ingest-error:
     }
   }
 ]
+ingest:
+[
+  {
+    "action": "delete",
+    "record_ids": [ 1 ]
+  }
+]
+queries:
+Row(setkey="a")
+[]