diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster.go b/server/jetstream_cluster.go
index c642b876..153fab1c 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster.go
@@ -1882,9 +1882,17 @@ func (js *jetStream) monitorStream(mset *stream, sa *streamAssignment, sendSnaps
 		}
 
 		snap := mset.stateSnapshot()
-		if hash := highwayhash.Sum(snap, key); !bytes.Equal(hash[:], lastSnap) {
+		ne, nb := n.Size()
+		hash := highwayhash.Sum(snap, key)
+		// If the state hasn't changed but the log has gone way over
+		// the compaction size then we will want to compact anyway.
+		// This shouldn't happen for streams like it can for pull
+		// consumers on idle streams but better to be safe than sorry!
+		if !bytes.Equal(hash[:], lastSnap) || ne >= compactNumMin || nb >= compactSizeMin {
 			if err := n.InstallSnapshot(snap); err == nil {
 				lastSnap, lastSnapTime = hash[:], time.Now()
+			} else {
+				s.Warnf("Failed to install snapshot for '%s > %s' [%s]: %v", mset.acc.Name, mset.name(), n.Group(), err)
 			}
 		}
 	}
@@ -4015,22 +4023,29 @@ func (js *jetStream) monitorConsumer(o *consumer, ca *consumerAssignment) {
 	var lastSnap []byte
 	var lastSnapTime time.Time
 
-	doSnapshot := func(force bool) {
+	doSnapshot := func() {
 		// Bail if trying too fast and not in a forced situation.
-		if !force && time.Since(lastSnapTime) < minSnapDelta {
+		if time.Since(lastSnapTime) < minSnapDelta {
 			return
 		}
 
 		// Check several things to see if we need a snapshot.
-		if !force || !n.NeedSnapshot() {
+		ne, nb := n.Size()
+		if !n.NeedSnapshot() {
 			// Check if we should compact etc. based on size of log.
-			if ne, nb := n.Size(); ne < compactNumMin && nb < compactSizeMin {
+			if ne < compactNumMin && nb < compactSizeMin {
 				return
 			}
 		}
 
 		if snap, err := o.store.EncodedState(); err == nil {
-			if hash := highwayhash.Sum(snap, key); !bytes.Equal(hash[:], lastSnap) {
+			hash := highwayhash.Sum(snap, key)
+			// If the state hasn't changed but the log has gone way over
+			// the compaction size then we will want to compact anyway.
+			// This can happen for example when a pull consumer fetches a
+			// lot on an idle stream, log entries get distributed but the
+			// state never changes, therefore the log never gets compacted.
+			if !bytes.Equal(hash[:], lastSnap) || ne >= compactNumMin || nb >= compactSizeMin {
 				if err := n.InstallSnapshot(snap); err == nil {
 					lastSnap, lastSnapTime = hash[:], time.Now()
 				} else {
@@ -4076,7 +4091,7 @@ func (js *jetStream) monitorConsumer(o *consumer, ca *consumerAssignment) {
 				if ce == nil {
 					recovering = false
 					if n.NeedSnapshot() {
-						doSnapshot(true)
+						doSnapshot()
 					}
 					continue
 				}
@@ -4084,7 +4099,7 @@ func (js *jetStream) monitorConsumer(o *consumer, ca *consumerAssignment) {
 					ne, nb := n.Applied(ce.Index)
 					// If we have at least min entries to compact, go ahead and snapshot/compact.
 					if nb > 0 && ne >= compactNumMin || nb > compactSizeMin {
-						doSnapshot(false)
+						doSnapshot()
 					}
 				} else {
 					s.Warnf("Error applying consumer entries to '%s > %s'", ca.Client.serviceAccount(), ca.Name)
@@ -4096,7 +4111,7 @@ func (js *jetStream) monitorConsumer(o *consumer, ca *consumerAssignment) {
 				js.setConsumerAssignmentRecovering(ca)
 			}
 			if err := js.processConsumerLeaderChange(o, isLeader); err == nil && isLeader {
-				doSnapshot(true)
+				doSnapshot()
 			}
 
 			// We may receive a leader change after the consumer assignment which would cancel us
@@ -4185,7 +4200,7 @@ func (js *jetStream) monitorConsumer(o *consumer, ca *consumerAssignment) {
 			}
 
 		case <-t.C:
-			doSnapshot(false)
+			doSnapshot()
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/server/jetstream_cluster_3_test.go b/server/jetstream_cluster_3_test.go
index d7b4cfe2..4646bc79 100644
--- a/server/jetstream_cluster_3_test.go
+++ b/server/jetstream_cluster_3_test.go
@@ -2779,3 +2779,59 @@ func TestJetStreamClusterInterestPolicyEphemeral(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// TestJetStreamClusterWALBuildupOnNoOpPull tests whether or not the consumer
+// RAFT log is being compacted when the stream is idle but we are performing
+// lots of fetches. Otherwise the disk usage just spirals out of control if
+// there are no other state changes to trigger a compaction.
+func TestJetStreamClusterWALBuildupOnNoOpPull(t *testing.T) {
+	c := createJetStreamClusterExplicit(t, "R3S", 3)
+	defer c.shutdown()
+
+	nc, js := jsClientConnect(t, c.randomServer())
+	defer nc.Close()
+
+	_, err := js.AddStream(&nats.StreamConfig{
+		Name:     "TEST",
+		Subjects: []string{"foo"},
+		Replicas: 3,
+	})
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+
+	sub, err := js.PullSubscribe(
+		"foo",
+		"durable",
+		nats.ConsumerReplicas(3),
+	)
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+
+	for i := 0; i < 10000; i++ {
+		_, _ = sub.Fetch(1, nats.MaxWait(time.Microsecond))
+	}
+
+	// Needs to be at least 5 seconds, otherwise we won't hit the
+	// minSnapDelta that prevents us from snapshotting too often
+	time.Sleep(time.Second * 6)
+
+	for i := 0; i < 1024; i++ {
+		_, _ = sub.Fetch(1, nats.MaxWait(time.Microsecond))
+	}
+
+	time.Sleep(time.Second)
+
+	server := c.randomNonConsumerLeader(globalAccountName, "TEST", "durable")
+
+	stream, err := server.globalAccount().lookupStream("TEST")
+	require_NoError(t, err)
+
+	consumer := stream.lookupConsumer("durable")
+	require_NotNil(t, consumer)
+
+	entries, bytes := consumer.raftNode().Size()
+	t.Log("new entries:", entries)
+	t.Log("new bytes:", bytes)
+
+	if max := uint64(1024); entries > max {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d entries, expected less than %d entries", entries, max)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/server/test_test.go b/server/test_test.go
index 9aa46522..a853310f 100644
--- a/server/test_test.go
+++ b/server/test_test.go
@@ -81,6 +81,13 @@ func require_NoError(t testing.TB, err error) {
 	}
 }
 
+func require_NotNil(t testing.TB, v any) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if v == nil {
+		t.Fatalf("require not nil, but got: %v", v)
+	}
+}
+
 func require_Contains(t *testing.T, s string, subStrs ...string) {
 	t.Helper()
 	for _, subStr := range subStrs {