diff --git a/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootConditionalWriter.java b/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootConditionalWriter.java
index fcc8b300f88..f214ee8090e 100644
--- a/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootConditionalWriter.java
+++ b/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootConditionalWriter.java
@@ -89,8 +89,6 @@ public Result write(ConditionalMutation mutation) {
 
     ServerConditionalMutation scm = new ServerConditionalMutation(tcm);
 
-    context.getZooCache().clear(RootTable.ZROOT_TABLET);
-
     List<ServerConditionalMutation> okMutations = new ArrayList<>();
     List<TCMResult> results = new ArrayList<>();
 
@@ -129,10 +127,7 @@ public Result write(ConditionalMutation mutation) {
     } catch (Exception e) {
       throw new RuntimeException(e);
     }
-
-    // TODO this is racy...
     context.getZooCache().clear(RootTable.ZROOT_TABLET);
-
     return getResult(okMutations, results, mutation);
   }
 
diff --git a/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootTabletMutatorImpl.java b/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootTabletMutatorImpl.java
index 5d65ed33dce..986f5d75f35 100644
--- a/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootTabletMutatorImpl.java
+++ b/server/base/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/server/metadata/RootTabletMutatorImpl.java
@@ -97,24 +97,17 @@ public void mutate() {
     }
 
     try {
+      context.getZooSession().asReaderWriter().mutateExisting(RootTable.ZROOT_TABLET, currVal -> {
+        String currJson = new String(currVal, UTF_8);
+        var rtm = new RootTabletMetadata(currJson);
+        rtm.update(mutation);
+        String newJson = rtm.toJson();
+        log.debug("mutation: from:[{}] to: [{}]", currJson, newJson);
+        return newJson.getBytes(UTF_8);
+      });
 
       context.getZooCache().clear(RootTable.ZROOT_TABLET);
 
-      // TODO examine implementation of getZooReaderWriter().mutate()
-      // TODO for efficiency this should maybe call mutateExisting
-      context.getZooSession().asReaderWriter().mutateOrCreate(RootTable.ZROOT_TABLET, new byte[0],
-          currVal -> {
-            String currJson = new String(currVal, UTF_8);
-            var rtm = new RootTabletMetadata(currJson);
-            rtm.update(mutation);
-            String newJson = rtm.toJson();
-            log.debug("mutation: from:[{}] to: [{}]", currJson, newJson);
-            return newJson.getBytes(UTF_8);
-          });
-
-      // TODO this is racy...
-      context.getZooCache().clear(RootTable.ZROOT_TABLET);
-
       if (closeAfterMutate != null) {
         closeAfterMutate.close();
       }