diff --git a/src/modules/content/checkpoint.c b/src/modules/content/checkpoint.c
index b0d0b0c878a3..a4e08df9a820 100644
--- a/src/modules/content/checkpoint.c
+++ b/src/modules/content/checkpoint.c
@@ -194,6 +194,83 @@ static int checkpoint_put_forward (struct content_checkpoint *checkpoint,
     return -1;
 }
 
+static void checkpoint_content_flush_continuation (flux_future_t *f, void *arg)
+{
+    struct content_checkpoint *checkpoint = arg;
+    const flux_msg_t *msg = flux_future_aux_get (f, "msg");
+    const char *key;
+    json_t *value;
+    int flags = 0;
+    const char *errstr = NULL;
+
+    assert (msg);
+
+    if (flux_rpc_get (f, NULL) < 0) {
+        errstr = "error flushing content";
+        goto error;
+    }
+
+    if (flux_request_unpack (msg,
+                             NULL,
+                             "{s:s s:o s?i}",
+                             "key", &key,
+                             "value", &value,
+                             "flags", &flags) < 0)
+        goto error;
+
+   if (checkpoint_put_forward (checkpoint,
+                               msg,
+                               key,
+                               value,
+                               &errstr) < 0)
+        goto error;
+
+    flux_future_destroy (f);
+    return;
+
+error:
+    if (flux_respond_error (checkpoint->h, msg, errno, errstr) < 0)
+        flux_log_error (checkpoint->h,
+                        "error responding to checkpoint-put request");
+    flux_future_destroy (f);
+}
+
+static int checkpoint_content_flush (struct content_checkpoint *checkpoint,
+                                     const flux_msg_t *msg,
+                                     const char **errstr)
+{
+    const char *topic = "content.flush";
+    uint32_t rank;
+    flux_future_t *f = NULL;
+
+    if (flux_get_rank (checkpoint->h, &rank) < 0) {
+        (*errstr) = "error retrieving rank";
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    if (!(f = flux_rpc (checkpoint->h, topic, NULL, rank, 0))
+        || flux_future_then (f,
+                             -1,
+                             checkpoint_content_flush_continuation,
+                             checkpoint) < 0)
+        goto error;
+
+    if (flux_future_aux_set (f,
+                             "msg",
+                             (void *)flux_msg_incref (msg),
+                             (flux_free_f)flux_msg_decref) < 0) {
+        flux_msg_decref (msg);
+        goto error;
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+
+error:
+    (*errstr) = "error starting content.flush RPC";
+    flux_future_destroy (f);
+    return -1;
+}
+
 void content_checkpoint_put_request (flux_t *h, flux_msg_handler_t *mh,
                                      const flux_msg_t *msg, void *arg)
 {
@@ -216,11 +293,9 @@ void content_checkpoint_put_request (flux_t *h, flux_msg_handler_t *mh,
                              "value", &value) < 0)
         goto error;
 
-    if (checkpoint_put_forward (checkpoint,
-                                msg,
-                                key,
-                                value,
-                                &errstr) < 0)
+    if (checkpoint_content_flush (checkpoint,
+                                  msg,
+                                  &errstr) < 0)
         goto error;
 
     return;