diff --git a/scrape/scrape.go b/scrape/scrape.go
index af0679fcb5..61c5a2f8f9 100644
--- a/scrape/scrape.go
+++ b/scrape/scrape.go
@@ -1552,16 +1552,35 @@ type appendErrors struct {
 	numExemplarOutOfOrder int
 }
 
+// Update the stale markers.
+func (sl *scrapeLoop) updateStaleMarkers(app storage.Appender, defTime int64) (err error) {
+	sl.cache.forEachStale(func(lset labels.Labels) bool {
+		// Series no longer exposed, mark it stale.
+		app.SetOptions(&storage.AppendOptions{DiscardOutOfOrder: true})
+		_, err = app.Append(0, lset, defTime, math.Float64frombits(value.StaleNaN))
+		app.SetOptions(nil)
+		switch {
+		case errors.Is(err, storage.ErrOutOfOrderSample), errors.Is(err, storage.ErrDuplicateSampleForTimestamp):
+			// Do not count these in logging, as this is expected if a target
+			// goes away and comes back again with a new scrape loop.
+			err = nil
+		}
+		return err == nil
+	})
+	return
+}
+
 func (sl *scrapeLoop) append(app storage.Appender, b []byte, contentType string, ts time.Time) (total, added, seriesAdded int, err error) {
-	var p textparse.Parser
+	defTime := timestamp.FromTime(ts)
 
 	if len(b) == 0 {
-		// An empty scrape (such as from a timeout) should not cause errors to be logged or the append to fail.
-		// We treat it as if we received "text/plain" and allow the appender to continue to trigger stale markers.
-		p, err = textparse.New(b, "text/plain", "", sl.alwaysScrapeClassicHist, sl.enableCTZeroIngestion, sl.symbolTable)
-	} else {
-		p, err = textparse.New(b, contentType, sl.fallbackScrapeProtocol, sl.alwaysScrapeClassicHist, sl.enableCTZeroIngestion, sl.symbolTable)
+		// Empty scrape. Just update the stale makers and swap the cache (but don't flush it).
+		err = sl.updateStaleMarkers(app, defTime)
+		sl.cache.iterDone(false)
+		return
 	}
+
+	p, err := textparse.New(b, contentType, sl.fallbackScrapeProtocol, sl.alwaysScrapeClassicHist, sl.enableCTZeroIngestion, sl.symbolTable)
 	if p == nil {
 		sl.l.Error(
 			"Failed to determine correct type of scrape target.",
@@ -1583,7 +1602,6 @@ func (sl *scrapeLoop) append(app storage.Appender, b []byte, contentType string,
 		)
 	}
 	var (
-		defTime         = timestamp.FromTime(ts)
 		appErrs         = appendErrors{}
 		sampleLimitErr  error
 		bucketLimitErr  error
@@ -1624,9 +1642,8 @@ func (sl *scrapeLoop) append(app storage.Appender, b []byte, contentType string,
 		if err != nil {
 			return
 		}
-		// Only perform cache cleaning if the scrape was not empty.
-		// An empty scrape (usually) is used to indicate a failed scrape.
-		sl.cache.iterDone(len(b) > 0)
+		// Flush and swap the cache as the scrape was non-empty.
+		sl.cache.iterDone(true)
 	}()
 
 loop:
@@ -1869,19 +1886,7 @@ loop:
 		sl.l.Warn("Error on ingesting out-of-order exemplars", "num_dropped", appErrs.numExemplarOutOfOrder)
 	}
 	if err == nil {
-		sl.cache.forEachStale(func(lset labels.Labels) bool {
-			// Series no longer exposed, mark it stale.
-			app.SetOptions(&storage.AppendOptions{DiscardOutOfOrder: true})
-			_, err = app.Append(0, lset, defTime, math.Float64frombits(value.StaleNaN))
-			app.SetOptions(nil)
-			switch {
-			case errors.Is(err, storage.ErrOutOfOrderSample), errors.Is(err, storage.ErrDuplicateSampleForTimestamp):
-				// Do not count these in logging, as this is expected if a target
-				// goes away and comes back again with a new scrape loop.
-				err = nil
-			}
-			return err == nil
-		})
+		sl.updateStaleMarkers(app, defTime)
 	}
 	return
 }