diff --git a/internal/proxy/meta_cache.go b/internal/proxy/meta_cache.go
index 0b43357b0c..c8230f5de3 100644
--- a/internal/proxy/meta_cache.go
+++ b/internal/proxy/meta_cache.go
@@ -96,9 +96,18 @@ func (info *collectionInfo) isCollectionCached() bool {
 	return info != nil && info.collID != UniqueID(0) && info.schema != nil
 }
 
+func (info *collectionInfo) deprecateLeaderCache() {
+	info.leaderMutex.RLock()
+	defer info.leaderMutex.RUnlock()
+	if info.shardLeaders != nil {
+		info.shardLeaders.deprecated.Store(true)
+	}
+}
+
 // shardLeaders wraps shard leader mapping for iteration.
 type shardLeaders struct {
-	idx *atomic.Int64
+	idx        *atomic.Int64
+	deprecated *atomic.Bool
 
 	shardLeaders map[string][]nodeInfo
 }
@@ -652,7 +661,7 @@ func (m *MetaCache) GetShards(ctx context.Context, withCache bool, collectionNam
 		shardLeaders = info.shardLeaders
 		info.leaderMutex.RUnlock()
 
-		if shardLeaders != nil {
+		if shardLeaders != nil && !shardLeaders.deprecated.Load() {
 			metrics.ProxyCacheStatsCounter.WithLabelValues(strconv.FormatInt(Params.ProxyCfg.GetNodeID(), 10), method, metrics.CacheHitLabel).Inc()
 			iterator := shardLeaders.GetReader()
 			return iterator.Shuffle(), nil
@@ -707,6 +716,7 @@ func (m *MetaCache) GetShards(ctx context.Context, withCache bool, collectionNam
 	oldShards := info.shardLeaders
 	info.shardLeaders = &shardLeaders{
 		shardLeaders: shards,
+		deprecated:   atomic.NewBool(false),
 		idx:          atomic.NewInt64(0),
 	}
 	iterator := info.shardLeaders.GetReader()
@@ -744,20 +754,13 @@ func parseShardLeaderList2QueryNode(shardsLeaders []*querypb.ShardLeadersList) m
 // ClearShards clear the shard leader cache of a collection
 func (m *MetaCache) ClearShards(collectionName string) {
 	log.Info("clearing shard cache for collection", zap.String("collectionName", collectionName))
-	m.mu.Lock()
+	m.mu.RLock()
 	info, ok := m.collInfo[collectionName]
-	m.mu.Unlock()
-	var shardLeaders *shardLeaders
+	m.mu.RUnlock()
 	if ok {
-		info.leaderMutex.Lock()
-		m.collInfo[collectionName].shardLeaders = nil
-		shardLeaders = info.shardLeaders
-		info.leaderMutex.Unlock()
-	}
-	// delete refcnt in shardClientMgr
-	if ok && shardLeaders != nil {
-		_ = m.shardMgr.UpdateShardLeaders(shardLeaders.shardLeaders, nil)
+		info.deprecateLeaderCache()
 	}
+
 }
 
 func (m *MetaCache) expireShardLeaderCache(ctx context.Context) {
@@ -776,23 +779,13 @@ func (m *MetaCache) expireShardLeaderCache(ctx context.Context) {
 				log.Info("stop periodically update meta cache")
 				return
 			case <-ticker.C:
-				m.mu.Lock()
+				m.mu.RLock()
 				log.Info("expire all shard leader cache",
 					zap.Strings("collections", lo.Keys(m.collInfo)))
 				for _, info := range m.collInfo {
-					info.leaderMutex.Lock()
-					shardLeaders := info.shardLeaders
-					info.shardLeaders = nil
-					info.leaderMutex.Unlock()
-					if shardLeaders != nil {
-						err := m.shardMgr.UpdateShardLeaders(shardLeaders.shardLeaders, nil)
-						if err != nil {
-							// unreachable logic path
-							log.Warn("failed to update shard leaders reference", zap.Error(err))
-						}
-					}
+					info.deprecateLeaderCache()
 				}
-				m.mu.Unlock()
+				m.mu.RUnlock()
 			}
 		}
 	}()
diff --git a/internal/proxy/meta_cache_test.go b/internal/proxy/meta_cache_test.go
index 29ca7f25dc..bc1886e17d 100644
--- a/internal/proxy/meta_cache_test.go
+++ b/internal/proxy/meta_cache_test.go
@@ -796,7 +796,7 @@ func TestMetaCache_ExpireShardLeaderCache(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 		nodeInfos, err := globalMetaCache.GetShards(ctx, true, "collection1")
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
-		return assert.Len(t, nodeInfos["channel-1"], 2)
+		return len(nodeInfos["channel-1"]) == 2
 	}, 3*time.Second, 1*time.Second)
 
 	queryCoord.EXPECT().GetShardLeaders(mock.Anything, mock.Anything).Return(&querypb.GetShardLeadersResponse{
@@ -815,7 +815,7 @@ func TestMetaCache_ExpireShardLeaderCache(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 		nodeInfos, err := globalMetaCache.GetShards(ctx, true, "collection1")
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
-		return assert.Len(t, nodeInfos["channel-1"], 3)
+		return len(nodeInfos["channel-1"]) == 3
 	}, 3*time.Second, 1*time.Second)
 
 	queryCoord.EXPECT().GetShardLeaders(mock.Anything, mock.Anything).Return(&querypb.GetShardLeadersResponse{
@@ -839,6 +839,6 @@ func TestMetaCache_ExpireShardLeaderCache(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool {
 		nodeInfos, err := globalMetaCache.GetShards(ctx, true, "collection1")
 		assert.NoError(t, err)
-		return assert.Len(t, nodeInfos["channel-1"], 3) && assert.Len(t, nodeInfos["channel-2"], 3)
+		return len(nodeInfos["channel-1"]) == 3 && len(nodeInfos["channel-2"]) == 3
 	}, 3*time.Second, 1*time.Second)
 }