diff --git a/crates/node/src/lib.rs b/crates/node/src/lib.rs
index 20d5992304..112e5d71da 100644
--- a/crates/node/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/node/src/lib.rs
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ use restate_core::{spawn_metadata_manager, MetadataBuilder, MetadataManager, Tas
 #[cfg(feature = "replicated-loglet")]
 use restate_log_server::LogServerService;
 use restate_metadata_store::{
-    BoxedMetadataStoreService, MetadataStoreClient, MetadataStoreService,
+    BoxedMetadataStoreService, MetadataStoreClient, MetadataStoreService, ReadModifyWriteError,
 };
 use restate_types::config::{CommonOptions, Configuration};
 use restate_types::errors::GenericError;
@@ -590,24 +590,28 @@ async fn provision_cluster_metadata(
     .await?;
 
     retry_on_network_error(common_opts.network_error_retry_policy.clone(), || {
-        write_initial_value_dont_fail_if_it_exists(
+        write_initial_logs_dont_fail_if_it_exists(
             metadata_store_client,
-            PARTITION_TABLE_KEY.clone(),
-            &initial_partition_table,
+            BIFROST_CONFIG_KEY.clone(),
+            initial_logs.clone(),
         )
     })
     .await
-    .context("failed provisioning the initial partition table")?;
+    .context("failed provisioning the initial logs")?;
 
+    // NOTE:
+    // The partition table metadata must be initialized only after the bifrost (logs) metadata.
+    // Otherwise, the logs controller may begin creating logs with incorrect configurations
+    // initialized by bifrost.
     retry_on_network_error(common_opts.network_error_retry_policy.clone(), || {
         write_initial_value_dont_fail_if_it_exists(
             metadata_store_client,
-            BIFROST_CONFIG_KEY.clone(),
-            &initial_logs,
+            PARTITION_TABLE_KEY.clone(),
+            &initial_partition_table,
         )
     })
     .await
-    .context("failed provisioning the initial logs")?;
+    .context("failed provisioning the initial partition table")?;
 
     Ok(result)
 }
@@ -674,6 +678,37 @@ async fn write_initial_value_dont_fail_if_it_exists<T: Versioned + StorageEncode
     }
 }
 
+async fn write_initial_logs_dont_fail_if_it_exists(
+    metadata_store_client: &MetadataStoreClient,
+    key: ByteString,
+    initial_value: Logs,
+) -> Result<(), ReadWriteError> {
+    let value = metadata_store_client
+        .read_modify_write(key, |current| match current {
+            None => Ok(initial_value.clone()),
+            Some(current_value) => {
+                if current_value.configuration() == initial_value.configuration() {
+                    Err(ReadModifyWriteError::FailedOperation(AlreadyInitialized))
+                } else if current_value.version() == Version::MIN && current_value.num_logs() == 0 {
+                    let builder = initial_value.clone().into_builder();
+                    // make sure version is incremented to MIN + 1
+                    Ok(builder.build())
+                } else {
+                    Err(ReadModifyWriteError::FailedOperation(AlreadyInitialized))
+                }
+            }
+        })
+        .await;
+
+    match value {
+        Ok(_) | Err(ReadModifyWriteError::FailedOperation(_)) => Ok(()),
+        Err(ReadModifyWriteError::ReadWrite(err)) => Err(err),
+    }
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug)]
+struct AlreadyInitialized;
+
 #[cfg(not(feature = "replicated-loglet"))]
 fn warn_if_log_store_left_artifacts(config: &Configuration) {
     if config.log_server.data_dir().exists() {