diff --git a/mysql-test/suite/innodb/r/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.result b/mysql-test/suite/innodb/r/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.result
index c2db4bed2f93d..59f0dd0be289f 100644
--- a/mysql-test/suite/innodb/r/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.result
+++ b/mysql-test/suite/innodb/r/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.result
@@ -16,3 +16,7 @@ connection default;
 SELECT * FROM t0 LIMIT 0 LOCK IN SHARE MODE;
 a
 DROP TABLE t0,t1;
+#
+# MDEV-38942 i_s_dict_fill_sys_tables() aborts when reading
+#   INNODB_SYS_TABLES after innodb_force_recovery
+#
diff --git a/mysql-test/suite/innodb/t/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.test b/mysql-test/suite/innodb/t/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.test
index f1d14c45aafba..e712a43c9df5b 100644
--- a/mysql-test/suite/innodb/t/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.test
+++ b/mysql-test/suite/innodb/t/innodb_force_recovery_rollback.test
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 --source include/have_innodb.inc
 --source include/have_sequence.inc
+--source include/maybe_debug.inc
 
 # We will kill and restart the server.
 --source include/not_embedded.inc
@@ -33,3 +34,42 @@ connection default;
 # The LIMIT 0 works around MDEV-22889 InnoDB occasionally breaks ACID
 SELECT * FROM t0 LIMIT 0 LOCK IN SHARE MODE;
 DROP TABLE t0,t1;
+
+--echo #
+--echo # MDEV-38942 i_s_dict_fill_sys_tables() aborts when reading
+--echo #   INNODB_SYS_TABLES after innodb_force_recovery
+--echo #
+
+if ($have_debug)
+{
+--disable_query_log
+--disable_result_log
+--let $restart_noprint=2
+
+connect (con1,localhost,root,,,);
+SET DEBUG_SYNC='create_table_inserted SIGNAL created WAIT_FOR ever';
+send CREATE TABLE t1 (a INT) ENGINE=InnoDB;
+
+connection default;
+SET DEBUG_SYNC='now WAIT_FOR created';
+SET GLOBAL innodb_log_checkpoint_now=ON;
+
+--let $restart_parameters= --innodb-force-recovery=4
+--let $shutdown_timeout=0
+--source include/restart_mysqld.inc
+--let $restart_parameters=
+--let $shutdown_timeout=
+--disable_result_log
+--disable_query_log
+
+disconnect con1;
+connection default;
+SELECT name FROM information_schema.INNODB_SYS_TABLES WHERE name LIKE 'test/%';
+
+--source include/restart_mysqld.inc
+--disable_query_log
+
+--let $restart_noprint=
+--enable_result_log
+--enable_query_log
+}
diff --git a/storage/innobase/dict/dict0load.cc b/storage/innobase/dict/dict0load.cc
index a49d2ab8e337c..a52e393d5163d 100644
--- a/storage/innobase/dict/dict0load.cc
+++ b/storage/innobase/dict/dict0load.cc
@@ -2186,7 +2186,8 @@ Do not load any columns or indexes.
 @param[in]	rec		SYS_TABLES record
 @param[out,own]	table		table, or nullptr
 @return	error message
-@retval	nullptr on success */
+@retval	nullptr on success, or if the record is not visible, in
+which case *table will be nullptr */
 const char *dict_load_table_low(mtr_t *mtr, bool uncommitted,
                                 const rec_t *rec, dict_table_t **table)
 {
diff --git a/storage/innobase/handler/i_s.cc b/storage/innobase/handler/i_s.cc
index aa27e38edc834..7a17fb13ca3a9 100644
--- a/storage/innobase/handler/i_s.cc
+++ b/storage/innobase/handler/i_s.cc
@@ -4497,7 +4497,8 @@ static int i_s_sys_error_handling(int err, THD *thd)
 @param rec       record to read from (nullptr=use the dict_sys cache)
 @param table     the converted dict_table_t
 @return error message
-@retval nullptr on success */
+@retval nullptr on success, or if the record is not visible, in
+which case *table will be nullptr*/
 static const char *i_s_sys_tables_rec(const btr_pcur_t &pcur, mtr_t *mtr,
                                       const rec_t *rec, dict_table_t **table)
 {
@@ -4560,7 +4561,7 @@ i_s_sys_tables_fill_table(
 		}
 
 		const char*	err_msg;
-		dict_table_t*	table_rec;
+		dict_table_t*	table_rec = nullptr;
 
 		/* Create and populate a dict_table_t structure with
 		information from SYS_TABLES row */
@@ -4568,20 +4569,18 @@ i_s_sys_tables_fill_table(
 		mtr.commit();
 		dict_sys.unlock();
 
-		if (!err_msg) {
+		if (err_msg) {
+			push_warning_printf(thd, Sql_condition::WARN_LEVEL_WARN,
+					    ER_CANT_FIND_SYSTEM_REC, "%s",
+					    err_msg);
+		} else if (table_rec) {
 			err = i_s_dict_fill_sys_tables(
 				thd, table_rec, tables->table);
 			if (err) {
 				err = i_s_sys_error_handling(err, thd);
-				if (table_rec) {
-					dict_mem_table_free(table_rec);
-				}
+				dict_mem_table_free(table_rec);
 				goto func_exit;
 			}
-		} else {
-			push_warning_printf(thd, Sql_condition::WARN_LEVEL_WARN,
-					    ER_CANT_FIND_SYSTEM_REC, "%s",
-					    err_msg);
 		}
 
 		if (table_rec) {
diff --git a/storage/innobase/row/row0mysql.cc b/storage/innobase/row/row0mysql.cc
index 71d4d5ad250de..6e66c8f5ecd44 100644
--- a/storage/innobase/row/row0mysql.cc
+++ b/storage/innobase/row/row0mysql.cc
@@ -2081,6 +2081,8 @@ row_create_table_for_mysql(
 
 	que_run_threads(thr);
 
+	DEBUG_SYNC_C("create_table_inserted");
+
 	dberr_t err = trx->error_state;
 
 	if (err != DB_SUCCESS) {