diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/ProtobufWALTailingReader.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/ProtobufWALTailingReader.java
index 62091acdd1db..6319ff296d66 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/ProtobufWALTailingReader.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/ProtobufWALTailingReader.java
@@ -79,7 +79,9 @@ private IOException unwrapIPBE(IOException e) {
   private ReadWALKeyResult readWALKey(long originalPosition) {
     int firstByte;
     try {
-      firstByte = delegatingInput.read();
+      do {
+        firstByte = delegatingInput.read();
+      } while (firstByte == 0);
     } catch (IOException e) {
       LOG.warn("Failed to read wal key length first byte", e);
       return KEY_ERROR_AND_RESET;
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/WALCellCodec.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/WALCellCodec.java
index 84709cbc58dd..149b423ccb76 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/WALCellCodec.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/regionserver/wal/WALCellCodec.java
@@ -288,6 +288,11 @@ public CompressedKvDecoder(InputStream in, CompressionContext compression) {
 
     @Override
     protected Cell parseCell() throws IOException {
+      int firstByte = in.read();
+      while (firstByte == 0) {
+        firstByte = in.read();
+      }
+      ((PBIS) in).unread(firstByte);
       int keylength = StreamUtils.readRawVarint32(in);
       int vlength = StreamUtils.readRawVarint32(in);
       int tagsLength = StreamUtils.readRawVarint32(in);