diff --git a/go/store/prolly/tree/blob_builder.go b/go/store/prolly/tree/blob_builder.go
index 06c0afbe6f..c47b1e705a 100644
--- a/go/store/prolly/tree/blob_builder.go
+++ b/go/store/prolly/tree/blob_builder.go
@@ -304,6 +304,10 @@ func (b *JSONDoc) ToIndexedJSONDocument(ctx context.Context) (sql.JSONWrapper, e
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if root.level > 0 && root.keys.IsEmpty() {
+		// We're reading a non-indexed multi-chunk document written by an older version of Dolt.
+		return b.ToLazyJSONDocument(ctx)
+	}
 	return NewIndexedJsonDocument(ctx, root, b.ns), nil
 }
 
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/config.json b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/config.json
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..9e26dfeeb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/config.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/LOCK b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/LOCK
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/journal.idx b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/journal.idx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..610950fd2f
Binary files /dev/null and b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/journal.idx differ
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/manifest b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/manifest
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b7498d866d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/manifest
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+5:__DOLT__:9meojkibso7athar08m9btgeohtavtkh:k6bgrd1f6142qmf4dh6gucgmcp1djbm4:00000000000000000000000000000000:vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv:3826
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c7157d4f7e
Binary files /dev/null and b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/noms/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv differ
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/repo_state.json b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/repo_state.json
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..32f2d6197d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/repo_state.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "head": "refs/heads/main",
+  "remotes": {},
+  "backups": {},
+  "branches": {}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/config.json b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/config.json
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..9e26dfeeb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/config.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/LOCK b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/LOCK
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69de29bb2
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/journal.idx b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/journal.idx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21434375f0
Binary files /dev/null and b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/journal.idx differ
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/manifest b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/manifest
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3bed411aeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/manifest
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+5:__DOLT__:0ced3kicdirbi5vrl72i5as7dtis5elq:1dd8gihhhhnmqc4s142f5pshrvgcndji:00000000000000000000000000000000:vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv:17
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5fc069e390
Binary files /dev/null and b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/noms/vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv differ
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/repo_state.json b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/repo_state.json
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..32f2d6197d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat-repo/.dolt/stats/.dolt/repo_state.json
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+{
+  "head": "refs/heads/main",
+  "remotes": {},
+  "backups": {},
+  "branches": {}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat.bats b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat.bats
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3e2341fc95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/bats/json-oldformat.bats
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+load $BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/helper/common.bash
+
+# This BATS test attempts to read JSON documents that were written prior to v1.40
+
+# This function was used to create the dolt repo used for this test. It is not run during testing.
+create_repo() {
+    dolt init
+    dolt sql -q "CREATE TABLE jsonTable(pk int primary key, j json);"
+    dolt sql -q 'INSERT INTO jsonTable( with recursive cte (pk, j) as ( select 0, JSON_OBJECT("K", "V") union all select pk+1, JSON_INSERT(j, CONCAT("$.k", pk), j) from cte where pk < 20 ) select * from cte );'
+    dolt add .
+    dolt commit -m "create json table"
+}
+
+setup() {
+    cp -r $BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/json-oldformat-repo/ $BATS_TMPDIR/dolt-repo-$$
+    cd $BATS_TMPDIR/dolt-repo-$$
+}
+
+@test "json-oldformat: verify queries" {
+    run dolt sql -q "SELECT pk, JSON_EXTRACT(j, '$.k10.k5.k3.k2') FROM jsonTable WHERE pk = 12;"
+    [[ "$output" =~ '{"K": "V", "k0": {"K": "V"}, "k1": {"K": "V", "k0": {"K": "V"}}}' ]] || false
+
+    run dolt sql -q "SELECT pk, JSON_VALUE(j, '$.k8.k6.k4.k1') FROM jsonTable WHERE pk = 12;"
+    [[ "$output" =~ '{"K": "V", "k0": {"K": "V"}}' ]] || false
+
+    run dolt sql -q "SELECT pk, JSON_EXTRACT(JSON_INSERT(j, '$.k9.k6.k1.TESTKEY', 'TESTVALUE'), '$.k9.k6.k1') FROM jsonTable WHERE pk = 12;"
+    [[ "$output" =~ '{"K": "V", "k0": {"K": "V"}, "TESTKEY": "TESTVALUE"}' ]] || false
+}