diff --git a/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go b/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go
index db4b276a98..f35f6bfd39 100644
--- a/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go
+++ b/weed/command/filer_remote_gateway_buckets.go
@@ -33,7 +33,10 @@ func (option *RemoteGatewayOptions) followBucketUpdatesAndUploadToRemote(filerSo
 		return err
 	}
 
-	lastOffsetTs := collectLastSyncOffset(option, option.grpcDialOption, pb.ServerAddress(*option.filerAddress), option.bucketsDir, *option.timeAgo)
+	lastOffsetTs, err := collectLastSyncOffset(option, option.grpcDialOption, pb.ServerAddress(*option.filerAddress), option.bucketsDir, *option.timeAgo)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	processor := NewMetadataProcessor(eachEntryFunc, 128, lastOffsetTs.UnixNano())
 
 	var lastLogTsNs = time.Now().UnixNano()
diff --git a/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir.go b/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir.go
index 989b9a36a5..6196433a60 100644
--- a/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir.go
+++ b/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir.go
@@ -62,7 +62,10 @@ func followUpdatesAndUploadToRemote(option *RemoteSyncOptions, filerSource *sour
 		return err
 	}
 
-	lastOffsetTs := collectLastSyncOffset(option, option.grpcDialOption, pb.ServerAddress(*option.filerAddress), mountedDir, *option.timeAgo)
+	lastOffsetTs, err := collectLastSyncOffset(option, option.grpcDialOption, pb.ServerAddress(*option.filerAddress), mountedDir, *option.timeAgo)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	processor := NewMetadataProcessor(eachEntryFunc, 128, lastOffsetTs.UnixNano())
 
 	var lastLogTsNs = time.Now().UnixNano()
@@ -1096,7 +1099,7 @@ func retriedWriteFile(client remote_storage.RemoteStorageClient, filerSource fil
 	return
 }
 
-func collectLastSyncOffset(filerClient filer_pb.FilerClient, grpcDialOption grpc.DialOption, filerAddress pb.ServerAddress, mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration) time.Time {
+func collectLastSyncOffset(filerClient filer_pb.FilerClient, grpcDialOption grpc.DialOption, filerAddress pb.ServerAddress, mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration) (time.Time, error) {
 	return resolveLastSyncOffset(mountedDir, timeAgo,
 		func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error) {
 			ctx, cancel := lookupContext()
@@ -1112,9 +1115,9 @@ func collectLastSyncOffset(filerClient filer_pb.FilerClient, grpcDialOption grpc
 // 2. the saved offset for this directory
 // 3. the directory's creation time
 // A mount lookup that fails never resolves to now: the saved offset still
-// orders the replay, and without one the daemon exits so a restart retries
-// instead of skipping every event since the failure.
-func resolveLastSyncOffset(mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration, lookupMount func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error), readOffset func() (int64, error)) time.Time {
+// orders the replay, and without one the error goes back to the caller's
+// retry loop instead of skipping every event since the failure.
+func resolveLastSyncOffset(mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration, lookupMount func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error), readOffset func() (int64, error)) (time.Time, error) {
 	var lastOffsetTs time.Time
 	if timeAgo == 0 {
 		mountedDirEntry, err := lookupMount()
@@ -1122,9 +1125,9 @@ func resolveLastSyncOffset(mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration, lookupMount
 			lastOffsetTsNs, offsetErr := readOffset()
 			if offsetErr == nil && lastOffsetTsNs > 0 {
 				glog.V(0).Infof("get mounted directory %s: %v; resume from the saved offset %v", mountedDir, err, time.Unix(0, lastOffsetTsNs))
-				return time.Unix(0, lastOffsetTsNs)
+				return time.Unix(0, lastOffsetTsNs), nil
 			}
-			glog.Fatalf("get mounted directory %s: %v; no saved sync offset (%v)", mountedDir, err, offsetErr)
+			return time.Time{}, fmt.Errorf("get mounted directory %s: %w; no saved sync offset (%v)", mountedDir, err, offsetErr)
 		}
 
 		lastOffsetTsNs, err := readOffset()
@@ -1144,7 +1147,7 @@ func resolveLastSyncOffset(mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration, lookupMount
 		if err != nil {
 			// an unread offset must not resolve to now minus timeAgo: the
 			// saved one may be older, and everything between would be skipped
-			glog.Fatalf("read the sync offset of %s: %v", mountedDir, err)
+			return time.Time{}, fmt.Errorf("read the sync offset of %s: %w", mountedDir, err)
 		}
 		if lastOffsetTsNs > 0 {
 			if savedOffsetTs := time.Unix(0, lastOffsetTsNs); savedOffsetTs.Before(lastOffsetTs) {
@@ -1152,7 +1155,7 @@ func resolveLastSyncOffset(mountedDir string, timeAgo time.Duration, lookupMount
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	return lastOffsetTs
+	return lastOffsetTs, nil
 }
 
 func toRemoteStorageLocation(mountDir, sourcePath util.FullPath, remoteMountLocation *remote_pb.RemoteStorageLocation) *remote_pb.RemoteStorageLocation {
diff --git a/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir_test.go b/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir_test.go
index 776db25b6b..26c5c3a7e5 100644
--- a/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir_test.go
+++ b/weed/command/filer_remote_sync_dir_test.go
@@ -642,19 +642,41 @@ func TestResolveLastSyncOffsetKeepsTheSavedOffsetWhenTheLookupFails(t *testing.T
 	lookupFails := func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error) { return nil, context.DeadlineExceeded }
 	savedOffset := func() (int64, error) { return saved.UnixNano(), nil }
 
-	got := resolveLastSyncOffset("/buckets/x", 0, lookupFails, savedOffset)
+	got, err := resolveLastSyncOffset("/buckets/x", 0, lookupFails, savedOffset)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
 	if !got.Equal(saved) {
 		t.Fatalf("resolved %v, want the saved offset %v: a failed mount lookup must not start the replay at now", got, saved)
 	}
 
 	// a mount that answers resumes from the saved offset when it postdates the directory
 	entry := &filer_pb.Entry{Name: "x", Attributes: &filer_pb.FuseAttributes{Crtime: saved.Add(-time.Hour).Unix()}}
-	got = resolveLastSyncOffset("/buckets/x", 0, func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error) { return entry, nil }, savedOffset)
+	got, err = resolveLastSyncOffset("/buckets/x", 0, func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error) { return entry, nil }, savedOffset)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
 	if !got.Equal(saved) {
 		t.Fatalf("resolved %v, want %v", got, saved)
 	}
 }
 
+func TestResolveLastSyncOffsetReturnsTheErrorToTheRetryLoop(t *testing.T) {
+	lookupFails := func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error) { return nil, context.DeadlineExceeded }
+	noOffset := func() (int64, error) { return 0, nil }
+	readFails := func() (int64, error) { return 0, errors.New("filer unavailable") }
+
+	// no saved offset to fall back on: the error goes back to the caller
+	if _, err := resolveLastSyncOffset("/buckets/x", 0, lookupFails, noOffset); !errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
+		t.Fatalf("got %v, want the lookup error: without a saved offset the caller's retry loop decides, not an exit", err)
+	}
+
+	// -timeAgo set, the saved offset unreadable: never now minus timeAgo
+	if _, err := resolveLastSyncOffset("/buckets/x", time.Hour, func() (*filer_pb.Entry, error) { return nil, nil }, readFails); err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "filer unavailable") {
+		t.Fatalf("got %v, want the offset read error", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestRemoteUploadReaderSharesOneChunkCache(t *testing.T) {
 	entry := entryWith("blob.bin", nil, chunk("3,01", "e1"))
 	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {