diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTree.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTree.java
index 9f4bd0d..e9327c6 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTree.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-btree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/btree/impls/LSMBTree.java
@@ -242,7 +242,6 @@
     public void getOperationalComponents(ILSMIndexOperationContext ctx) {
         List<ILSMComponent> immutableComponents = diskComponents;
         List<ILSMComponent> operationalComponents = ctx.getComponentHolder();
-        operationalComponents.clear();
         int cmc = currentMutableComponentId.get();
         ctx.setCurrentMutableComponentId(cmc);
         int numMutableComponents = memoryComponents.size();
@@ -252,10 +251,12 @@
             case PHYSICALDELETE:
             case FLUSH:
             case DELETE:
+                operationalComponents.clear();
                 operationalComponents.add(memoryComponents.get(cmc));
                 break;
             case SEARCH:
             case INSERT:
+                operationalComponents.clear();
                 for (int i = 0; i < numMutableComponents - 1; i++) {
                     ILSMComponent c = memoryComponents.get((cmc + i + 1) % numMutableComponents);
                     LSMBTreeMemoryComponent mutableComponent = (LSMBTreeMemoryComponent) c;
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/LSMTreeIndexAccessor.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/LSMTreeIndexAccessor.java
index 8c87afa..b0c87f1 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/LSMTreeIndexAccessor.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-common/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/common/impls/LSMTreeIndexAccessor.java
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@
     public void scheduleMerge(ILSMIOOperationCallback callback, List<ILSMComponent> components)
             throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         ctx.setOperation(IndexOperation.MERGE);
+        ctx.getComponentHolder().clear();
         ctx.getComponentHolder().addAll(components);
         lsmHarness.scheduleMerge(ctx, callback);
     }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndex.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndex.java
index 160f03c..59200aa 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndex.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndex.java
@@ -268,7 +268,6 @@
     public void getOperationalComponents(ILSMIndexOperationContext ctx) {
         List<ILSMComponent> immutableComponents = diskComponents;
         List<ILSMComponent> operationalComponents = ctx.getComponentHolder();
-        operationalComponents.clear();
         int cmc = currentMutableComponentId.get();
         ctx.setCurrentMutableComponentId(cmc);
         int numMutableComponents = memoryComponents.size();
@@ -276,9 +275,11 @@
             case FLUSH:
             case DELETE:
             case INSERT:
+                operationalComponents.clear();
                 operationalComponents.add(memoryComponents.get(cmc));
                 break;
             case SEARCH:
+                operationalComponents.clear();
                 for (int i = 0; i < numMutableComponents - 1; i++) {
                     ILSMComponent c = memoryComponents.get((cmc + i + 1) % numMutableComponents);
                     LSMInvertedIndexMemoryComponent mutableComponent = (LSMInvertedIndexMemoryComponent) c;
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexAccessor.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexAccessor.java
index 7f7d5bc..1d4a313 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexAccessor.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-invertedindex/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/invertedindex/impls/LSMInvertedIndexAccessor.java
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@
     public void scheduleMerge(ILSMIOOperationCallback callback, List<ILSMComponent> components)
             throws HyracksDataException, IndexException {
         ctx.setOperation(IndexOperation.MERGE);
+        ctx.getComponentHolder().clear();
         ctx.getComponentHolder().addAll(components);
         lsmHarness.scheduleMerge(ctx, callback);
     }
diff --git a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/AbstractLSMRTree.java b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/AbstractLSMRTree.java
index d973148..00a011c 100644
--- a/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/AbstractLSMRTree.java
+++ b/hyracks/hyracks-storage-am-lsm-rtree/src/main/java/edu/uci/ics/hyracks/storage/am/lsm/rtree/impls/AbstractLSMRTree.java
@@ -197,7 +197,6 @@
     @Override
     public void getOperationalComponents(ILSMIndexOperationContext ctx) {
         List<ILSMComponent> operationalComponents = ctx.getComponentHolder();
-        operationalComponents.clear();
         List<ILSMComponent> immutableComponents = diskComponents;
         int cmc = currentMutableComponentId.get();
         ctx.setCurrentMutableComponentId(cmc);
@@ -206,9 +205,11 @@
             case INSERT:
             case DELETE:
             case FLUSH:
+                operationalComponents.clear();
                 operationalComponents.add(memoryComponents.get(cmc));
                 break;
             case SEARCH:
+                operationalComponents.clear();
                 for (int i = 0; i < numMutableComponents - 1; i++) {
                     ILSMComponent c = memoryComponents.get((cmc + i + 1) % numMutableComponents);
                     LSMRTreeMemoryComponent mutableComponent = (LSMRTreeMemoryComponent) c;