diff --git a/lib/persistentqueue/fastqueue.go b/lib/persistentqueue/fastqueue.go
index 48330aa76..bb5276e9a 100644
--- a/lib/persistentqueue/fastqueue.go
+++ b/lib/persistentqueue/fastqueue.go
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ package persistentqueue
 
 import (
 	"sync"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/bytesutil"
+	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/fasttime"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/logger"
 )
 
@@ -26,6 +28,11 @@ type FastQueue struct {
 
 	pendingInmemoryBytes uint64
 
+	// stopCh is used for stopping background workers such as inmemoryBlocksFlusher.
+	stopCh                    chan struct{}
+	lastInmemoryBlockReadTime uint64
+	inmemoryBlocksFlusherWG   sync.WaitGroup
+
 	mustStop bool
 }
 
@@ -43,6 +50,14 @@ func MustOpenFastQueue(path, name string, maxInmemoryBlocks, maxPendingBytes int
 		ch: make(chan *bytesutil.ByteBuffer, maxInmemoryBlocks),
 	}
 	fq.cond.L = &fq.mu
+
+	fq.stopCh = make(chan struct{})
+	fq.inmemoryBlocksFlusherWG.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer fq.inmemoryBlocksFlusherWG.Done()
+		fq.inmemoryBlocksFlusher()
+	}()
+
 	logger.Infof("opened fast persistent queue at %q with maxInmemoryBlocks=%d", path, maxInmemoryBlocks)
 	return fq
 }
@@ -51,6 +66,10 @@ func MustOpenFastQueue(path, name string, maxInmemoryBlocks, maxPendingBytes int
 //
 // It is expected no new writers during and after the call.
 func (fq *FastQueue) MustClose() {
+	// Stop background flusher.
+	close(fq.stopCh)
+	fq.inmemoryBlocksFlusherWG.Wait()
+
 	fq.mu.Lock()
 	defer fq.mu.Unlock()
 
@@ -67,12 +86,38 @@ func (fq *FastQueue) MustClose() {
 	logger.Infof("closed fast persistent queue at %q", fq.pq.dir)
 }
 
+func (fq *FastQueue) inmemoryBlocksFlusher() {
+	t := time.NewTicker(time.Second)
+	defer t.Stop()
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-fq.stopCh:
+			return
+		case <-t.C:
+		}
+		fq.flushInmemoryBlocksToFileIfNeeded()
+	}
+}
+
+func (fq *FastQueue) flushInmemoryBlocksToFileIfNeeded() {
+	fq.mu.Lock()
+	defer fq.mu.Unlock()
+	if len(fq.ch) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	if fasttime.UnixTimestamp() < fq.lastInmemoryBlockReadTime+5 {
+		return
+	}
+	fq.flushInmemoryBlocksToFileLocked()
+}
+
 func (fq *FastQueue) flushInmemoryBlocksToFileLocked() {
 	// fq.mu must be locked by the caller.
 	for len(fq.ch) > 0 {
 		bb := <-fq.ch
 		fq.pq.MustWriteBlock(bb.B)
 		fq.pendingInmemoryBytes -= uint64(len(bb.B))
+		fq.lastInmemoryBlockReadTime = fasttime.UnixTimestamp()
 		blockBufPool.Put(bb)
 	}
 	// Unblock all the potentially blocked readers, so they could proceed with reading file-based queue.
@@ -143,6 +188,7 @@ func (fq *FastQueue) MustReadBlock(dst []byte) ([]byte, bool) {
 			}
 			bb := <-fq.ch
 			fq.pendingInmemoryBytes -= uint64(len(bb.B))
+			fq.lastInmemoryBlockReadTime = fasttime.UnixTimestamp()
 			dst = append(dst, bb.B...)
 			blockBufPool.Put(bb)
 			return dst, true
diff --git a/lib/persistentqueue/persistentqueue.go b/lib/persistentqueue/persistentqueue.go
index 24e80858a..159f21c33 100644
--- a/lib/persistentqueue/persistentqueue.go
+++ b/lib/persistentqueue/persistentqueue.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/bytesutil"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/encoding"
+	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/fasttime"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/filestream"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/fs"
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/logger"
@@ -52,6 +53,8 @@ type Queue struct {
 	writerLocalOffset   uint64
 	writerFlushedOffset uint64
 
+	lastMetainfoFlushTime uint64
+
 	mustStop bool
 
 	blocksDropped *metrics.Counter
@@ -110,7 +113,7 @@ func (q *Queue) ResetIfEmpty() {
 	}
 	q.reader = r
 
-	if err := q.flushMetainfo(); err != nil {
+	if err := q.flushMetainfoLocked(); err != nil {
 		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot flush metainfo: %s", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -236,7 +239,7 @@ func tryOpeningQueue(path, name string, chunkFileSize, maxBlockSize, maxPendingB
 			logger.Panicf("BUG: cannot parse hex %q: %s", fname, err)
 		}
 		if offset%q.chunkFileSize != 0 {
-			logger.Errorf("unexpected offset for chunk file %q: %d; it must divide by %d; removing the file", filepath, offset, q.chunkFileSize)
+			logger.Errorf("unexpected offset for chunk file %q: %d; it must be multiple of %d; removing the file", filepath, offset, q.chunkFileSize)
 			fs.MustRemoveAll(filepath)
 			continue
 		}
@@ -284,10 +287,15 @@ func tryOpeningQueue(path, name string, chunkFileSize, maxBlockSize, maxPendingB
 			q.writerLocalOffset = mi.WriterOffset % q.chunkFileSize
 			q.writerFlushedOffset = mi.WriterOffset
 			if fileSize := fs.MustFileSize(q.writerPath); fileSize != q.writerLocalOffset {
-				logger.Errorf("chunk file %q size doesn't match writer offset; file size %d bytes; writer offset: %d bytes",
-					q.writerPath, fileSize, q.writerLocalOffset)
-				fs.MustRemoveAll(q.writerPath)
-				continue
+				if fileSize < q.writerLocalOffset {
+					logger.Errorf("%q size (%d bytes) is smaller than the writer offset (%d bytes); removing the file",
+						q.writerPath, fileSize, q.writerLocalOffset)
+					fs.MustRemoveAll(q.writerPath)
+					continue
+				}
+				logger.Warnf("%q size (%d bytes) is bigger than writer offset (%d bytes); "+
+					"this may be the case on unclean shutdown (OOM, `kill -9`, hardware reset); trying to fix it by adjusting fileSize to %d",
+					q.writerPath, fileSize, q.writerLocalOffset, q.writerLocalOffset)
 			}
 			w, err := filestream.OpenWriterAt(q.writerPath, int64(q.writerLocalOffset), false)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -331,7 +339,7 @@ func (q *Queue) MustClose() {
 	q.reader = nil
 
 	// Store metainfo
-	if err := q.flushMetainfo(); err != nil {
+	if err := q.flushMetainfoLocked(); err != nil {
 		logger.Panicf("FATAL: cannot flush chunked queue metainfo: %s", err)
 	}
 }
@@ -403,6 +411,7 @@ func (q *Queue) writeBlockLocked(block []byte) error {
 	if q.writerLocalOffset+q.maxBlockSize+8 > q.chunkFileSize {
 		// Finalize the current chunk and start new one.
 		q.writer.MustClose()
+		fs.MustSyncPath(q.writerPath)
 		if n := q.writerOffset % q.chunkFileSize; n > 0 {
 			q.writerOffset += (q.chunkFileSize - n)
 		}
@@ -414,9 +423,10 @@ func (q *Queue) writeBlockLocked(block []byte) error {
 			return fmt.Errorf("cannot create chunk file %q: %w", q.writerPath, err)
 		}
 		q.writer = w
-		if err := q.flushMetainfo(); err != nil {
+		if err := q.flushMetainfoLocked(); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("cannot flush metainfo: %w", err)
 		}
+		fs.MustSyncPath(q.dir)
 	}
 
 	// Write block len.
@@ -435,7 +445,7 @@ func (q *Queue) writeBlockLocked(block []byte) error {
 	}
 	q.blocksWritten.Inc()
 	q.bytesWritten.Add(len(block))
-	return nil
+	return q.flushMetainfoIfNeededLocked()
 }
 
 // MustReadBlock appends the next block from q to dst and returns the result.
@@ -462,6 +472,9 @@ func (q *Queue) MustReadBlock(dst []byte) ([]byte, bool) {
 
 	data, err := q.readBlockLocked(dst)
 	if err != nil {
+		// Skip the current chunk, since it may be broken.
+		q.readerOffset += q.chunkFileSize - q.readerOffset%q.chunkFileSize
+		_ = q.flushMetainfoLocked()
 		logger.Panicf("FATAL: %s", err)
 	}
 	return data, true
@@ -482,9 +495,10 @@ func (q *Queue) readBlockLocked(dst []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 			return dst, fmt.Errorf("cannot open chunk file %q: %w", q.readerPath, err)
 		}
 		q.reader = r
-		if err := q.flushMetainfo(); err != nil {
+		if err := q.flushMetainfoLocked(); err != nil {
 			return dst, fmt.Errorf("cannot flush metainfo: %w", err)
 		}
+		fs.MustSyncPath(q.dir)
 	}
 
 	// Read block len.
@@ -508,6 +522,9 @@ func (q *Queue) readBlockLocked(dst []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 	}
 	q.blocksRead.Inc()
 	q.bytesRead.Add(int(blockLen))
+	if err := q.flushMetainfoIfNeededLocked(); err != nil {
+		return dst, err
+	}
 	return dst, nil
 }
 
@@ -543,7 +560,19 @@ func (q *Queue) readFull(buf []byte) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (q *Queue) flushMetainfo() error {
+func (q *Queue) flushMetainfoIfNeededLocked() error {
+	t := fasttime.UnixTimestamp()
+	if t == q.lastMetainfoFlushTime {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if err := q.flushMetainfoLocked(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("cannot flush metainfo: %w", err)
+	}
+	q.lastMetainfoFlushTime = t
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (q *Queue) flushMetainfoLocked() error {
 	mi := &metainfo{
 		Name:         q.name,
 		ReaderOffset: q.readerOffset,
@@ -577,6 +606,7 @@ func (mi *metainfo) WriteToFile(path string) error {
 	if err := ioutil.WriteFile(path, data, 0600); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("cannot write persistent queue metainfo to %q: %w", path, err)
 	}
+	fs.MustSyncPath(path)
 	return nil
 }