diff --git a/zookeeper-server/src/main/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/Learner.java b/zookeeper-server/src/main/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/Learner.java
index adf0ef6e510..e234c3a6752 100644
--- a/zookeeper-server/src/main/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/Learner.java
+++ b/zookeeper-server/src/main/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/Learner.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 import java.util.ArrayDeque;
 import java.util.Deque;
+import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import java.util.Set;
@@ -54,7 +55,9 @@
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.Request;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ServerCnxn;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ServerMetrics;
+import org.apache.zookeeper.server.SessionTracker;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.TxnLogEntry;
+import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ZKDatabase;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ZooTrace;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.quorum.QuorumPeer.QuorumServer;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.quorum.flexible.QuorumVerifier;
@@ -579,6 +582,7 @@ protected void syncWithLeader(long newLeaderZxid) throws Exception {
         boolean snapshotNeeded = true;
         boolean syncSnapshot = false;
         readPacket(qp);
+        boolean diffSync = qp.getType() == Leader.DIFF;
         Deque<Long> packetsCommitted = new ArrayDeque<>();
         Deque<PacketInFlight> packetsNotLogged = new ArrayDeque<>();
 
@@ -633,6 +637,10 @@ protected void syncWithLeader(long newLeaderZxid) throws Exception {
             }
             zk.getZKDatabase().initConfigInZKDatabase(self.getQuorumVerifier());
             zk.createSessionTracker();
+            // DIFF keeps the local tree; clear ephemerals without sessions before applying new transactions.
+            if (diffSync) {
+                purgeOrphanedEphemerals();
+            }
 
             // TODO: Ideally, this should be lastProcessZxid(a.k.a. QuorumPacket::zxid from above), but currently
             // LearnerHandler does not guarantee this. So, let's be conservative and keep it unchange for now.
@@ -869,6 +877,43 @@ protected void syncWithLeader(long newLeaderZxid) throws Exception {
             // New server type need to handle in-flight packets
             throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Unknown server type");
         }
+
+    }
+
+    void purgeOrphanedEphemerals() {
+        if (zk == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        SessionTracker sessionTracker = zk.getSessionTracker();
+        if (sessionTracker == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        ZKDatabase zkDatabase = zk.getZKDatabase();
+        if (zkDatabase == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        Set<Long> globalSessions = sessionTracker.globalSessions();
+        Set<Long> localSessions = sessionTracker.localSessions();
+        Set<Long> sessionsWithEphemerals = new HashSet<>(zkDatabase.getSessions());
+        if (sessionsWithEphemerals.isEmpty()) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        long zxid = zkDatabase.getDataTreeLastProcessedZxid();
+        for (Long sessionId : sessionsWithEphemerals) {
+            if (globalSessions.contains(sessionId)
+                || localSessions.contains(sessionId)
+                || (sessionTracker instanceof UpgradeableSessionTracker
+                    && ((UpgradeableSessionTracker) sessionTracker).isUpgradingSession(sessionId))) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            LOG.warn(
+                "Removing ephemeral nodes for unknown session 0x{} after DIFF sync",
+                Long.toHexString(sessionId));
+            zkDatabase.killSession(sessionId, zxid);
+            sessionTracker.removeSession(sessionId);
+        }
     }
 
     protected void revalidate(QuorumPacket qp) throws IOException {
diff --git a/zookeeper-server/src/test/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/LearnerTest.java b/zookeeper-server/src/test/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/LearnerTest.java
index d64d051b093..a79b3d7545e 100644
--- a/zookeeper-server/src/test/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/LearnerTest.java
+++ b/zookeeper-server/src/test/java/org/apache/zookeeper/server/quorum/LearnerTest.java
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 import static org.hamcrest.CoreMatchers.is;
 import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNull;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.fail;
@@ -50,6 +52,7 @@
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ExitCode;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.ZKDatabase;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.server.persistence.FileTxnSnapLog;
+import org.apache.zookeeper.test.TestUtils;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.txn.CreateTxn;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.txn.TxnHeader;
 import org.apache.zookeeper.util.ServiceUtils;
@@ -313,6 +316,39 @@ public void syncTest(@TempDir File tmpDir) throws Exception {
         assertEquals(startZxid, sl.zk.getLastProcessedZxid());
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testPurgeOrphanedEphemerals() throws Exception {
+        File tmpFile = File.createTempFile("test", ".dir", testData);
+        tmpFile.delete();
+        SimpleLearner sl = null;
+        try {
+            FileTxnSnapLog ftsl = new FileTxnSnapLog(tmpFile, tmpFile);
+            sl = new SimpleLearner(ftsl);
+
+            long sessionId = 0x1234L;
+            TxnHeader hdr = new TxnHeader(sessionId, 1, 1L, 1L, ZooDefs.OpCode.create);
+            CreateTxn txn = new CreateTxn(
+                "/eph",
+                new byte[0],
+                new ArrayList<ACL>(),
+                true,
+                sl.zk.getZKDatabase().getNode("/").stat.getCversion());
+            sl.zk.getZKDatabase().processTxn(hdr, txn, null);
+
+            assertNotNull(sl.zk.getZKDatabase().getNode("/eph"), "Ephemeral node should exist before cleanup");
+
+            sl.zk.createSessionTracker();
+            sl.purgeOrphanedEphemerals();
+
+            assertNull(sl.zk.getZKDatabase().getNode("/eph"), "Ephemeral node should be removed for unknown session");
+        } finally {
+            if (sl != null) {
+                sl.zk.shutdown();
+            }
+            TestUtils.deleteFileRecursively(tmpFile);
+        }
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void truncFailTest(@TempDir File tmpDir) throws Exception {
         final boolean[] exitProcCalled = {false};