diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee
index 5e2cc5c84b..365156ebf6 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RedisManager.coffee
@@ -113,7 +113,17 @@ module.exports = RedisManager =
 			if doc_project_id? and doc_project_id isnt project_id
 				logger.error project_id: project_id, doc_id: doc_id, doc_project_id: doc_project_id, "doc not in project"
 				return callback(new Errors.NotFoundError("document not found"))
-			callback null, docLines, version, ranges
+
+			# doc is not in redis, bail out
+			if !lines?
+				return callback null, docLines, version, ranges
+
+			# doc should be in project set, check if missing (workaround for missing docs from putDoc)
+			rclient.sadd keys.docsInProject(project_id:project_id), doc_id, (error, result) ->
+				return callback(error) if error?
+				if result isnt 0 # doc should already be in set
+					logger.error project_id: project_id, doc_id: doc_id, doc_project_id: doc_project_id, "doc missing from docsInProject set"
+				callback null, docLines, version, ranges
 
 	getDocVersion: (doc_id, callback = (error, version) ->) ->
 		rclient.get keys.docVersion(doc_id: doc_id), (error, version) ->
diff --git a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RedisManager/RedisManagerTests.coffee b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RedisManager/RedisManagerTests.coffee
index 26eaaf0892..b97bdd5a0d 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RedisManager/RedisManagerTests.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RedisManager/RedisManagerTests.coffee
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ describe "RedisManager", ->
 			@json_ranges = JSON.stringify @ranges
 			@rclient.get = sinon.stub()
 			@rclient.exec = sinon.stub().callsArgWith(0, null, [@jsonlines, @version, @hash, @project_id, @json_ranges])
+			@rclient.sadd = sinon.stub().yields()
 
 		describe "successfully", ->
 			beforeEach ->