diff --git a/edenscm/hgext/snapshot.py b/edenscm/hgext/snapshot.py
index e205bfe6d2..b370c1dcda 100644
--- a/edenscm/hgext/snapshot.py
+++ b/edenscm/hgext/snapshot.py
@@ -366,11 +366,12 @@ def checkouttosnapshotmanifest(ui, repo, snapmanifest, force=True):
         vfs.write(file.path, store.read(file.oid))
 
     # deleting files that should be missing
-    todelete = [f.path for f in snapmanifest.deleted]
-    if todelete:
-        ui.note(_("will delete %s\n") % ",".join(todelete))
-        m = scmutil.match(repo[None], todelete)
-        cmdutil.remove(ui, repo, m, "", after=False, force=False)
+    for file in snapmanifest.deleted:
+        try:
+            ui.note(_("will delete %s\n") % file.path)
+            util.unlink(repo.wjoin(file.path))
+        except OSError:
+            ui.warn(_("%s cannot be removed\n") % file.path)
     # populating the untracked files
     for file in snapmanifest.unknown:
         checkaddfile(repo.svfs.lfslocalblobstore, file, repo.wvfs, force)
diff --git a/tests/test-fb-hgext-snapshot.t b/tests/test-fb-hgext-snapshot.t
index 96b60cc74b..eacf60b84a 100644
--- a/tests/test-fb-hgext-snapshot.t
+++ b/tests/test-fb-hgext-snapshot.t
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@
   $ hg status --verbose
   M bar/file
   M mergefile
-  R foofile
+  ! foofile
   ? bar/untracked
   ? mergefile.orig
   ? untrackedfile
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@
   .hg/merge/state
   .hg/merge/state2
   $ hg debugsnapshot --clean
-  snapshot e203bc3b0e5140c52ec5ba01fcb7071af5ea40de created
+  snapshot ccdff83036b6b05c657a1eebff7dc523b865f6ce created
   3 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
   $ hg status --verbose
   $ test -d .hg/merge
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@
 # Finally, resolve the conflict
   $ hg resolve --mark mergefile
   (no more unresolved files)
+  $ hg remove foofile
   $ hg status --verbose
   M bar/file
   M mergefile
diff --git a/tests/test-snapshot.t b/tests/test-snapshot.t
index 9b05938f59..2699498028 100644
--- a/tests/test-snapshot.t
+++ b/tests/test-snapshot.t
@@ -87,7 +87,6 @@
 
   $ hg debugcheckoutsnapshotmanifest --verbose "$OID"
   will delete existingfile
-  removing existingfile
   will add untrackedfile
   snapshot checkout complete
 
@@ -139,7 +138,7 @@
   $ hg update
   0 files updated, 0 files merged, 0 files removed, 0 files unresolved
   $ hg status
-  R existingfile
+  ! existingfile
   ? untrackedfile
   $ hg debugcheckoutsnapshotmanifest --verbose "$MERGEOID"
   will add new.orig
@@ -150,7 +149,7 @@
   will add rebasestate
   snapshot checkout complete
   $ hg status --verbose
-  R existingfile
+  ! existingfile
   ? new.orig
   ? untrackedfile
   # The repository is in an unfinished *rebase* state.