diff --git a/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender.go b/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender.go
index 53a5068d0bb3..788c1b83cc96 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender.go
@@ -631,6 +631,23 @@ func (tc *TxnCoordSender) AugmentMeta(ctx context.Context, meta roachpb.TxnCoord
 	if tc.mu.txn.ID != meta.Txn.ID {
 		return
 	}
+
+	// If the TxnCoordMeta is telling us the transaction has been aborted, it's
+	// better if we don't ingest it. Ingesting it would possibly put us in an
+	// inconsistent state, with an ABORTED proto but with the heartbeat loop still
+	// running. When this TxnCoordMeta was received from DistSQL, it presumably
+	// followed a TxnAbortedError that was also received. If that error was also
+	// passed to us, then we've already aborted the txn and ingesting the meta
+	// would be OK. However, as it stands, if the TxnAbortedError followed a
+	// non-retriable error, than we don't get the aborted error (in fact, we don't
+	// get either of the errors; the client is responsible for rolling back).
+	// TODO(andrei): A better design would be to abort the txn as soon as any
+	// error is received from DistSQL, which would eliminate qualms about what
+	// error comes first.
+	if meta.Txn.Status != roachpb.PENDING {
+		return
+	}
+
 	tc.augmentMetaLocked(ctx, meta)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender_test.go b/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender_test.go
index f679b0bda3a4..752a0698886f 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/txn_coord_sender_test.go
@@ -2384,3 +2384,23 @@ func TestLeafTxnClientRejectError(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected UnhandledRetryableError(TransactionAbortedError), got: (%T) %v", err, err)
 	}
 }
+
+// Check that ingesting an Aborted txn record is a no-op. The TxnCoordSender is
+// supposed to reject such updates because they risk putting it into an
+// inconsistent state. See comments in TxnCoordSender.AugmentMeta().
+func TestAugmentTxnCoordMetaAbortedTxn(t *testing.T) {
+	defer leaktest.AfterTest(t)()
+	s := createTestDBWithContextAndKnobs(t, client.DefaultDBContext(), nil /* knobs */)
+	defer s.Stop()
+	ctx := context.Background()
+
+	txn := client.NewTxn(ctx, s.DB, 0 /* gatewayNodeID */, client.RootTxn)
+	txnProto := txn.Serialize()
+	txnProto.Status = roachpb.ABORTED
+	txn.AugmentTxnCoordMeta(ctx, roachpb.TxnCoordMeta{Txn: *txnProto})
+	// Check that the transaction was not updated.
+	txnProto = txn.Serialize()
+	if txnProto.Status != roachpb.PENDING {
+		t.Fatalf("expected PENDING txn, got: %s", txnProto.Status)
+	}
+}