diff --git a/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log.go b/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log.go
index a70326d0c5..2e95b70c42 100644
--- a/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log.go
+++ b/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ package commitlog
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -56,9 +57,8 @@ type writeCommitLogFn func(
 	unit xtime.Unit,
 	annotation ts.Annotation,
 ) error
-type commitLogFailFn func(err error)
 
-type valueTypeFn func(f File, err error)
+type commitLogFailFn func(err error)
 
 type commitLog struct {
 	// The commitlog has two different locks that it maintains:
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ type commitLog struct {
 	closeErr chan error
 
 	writes          chan commitLogWrite
-	pendingFlushFns []valueTypeFn
+	pendingFlushFns []callbackFn
 
 	opts  Options
 	nowFn clock.NowFn
@@ -137,23 +137,49 @@ type commitLogMetrics struct {
 	flushDone     tally.Counter
 }
 
-type valueType int
+type eventType int
 
 // nolint: varcheck, unused
 const (
-	writeValueType valueType = iota
-	flushValueType
-	activeLogsValueType
+	writeEventType eventType = iota
+	flushEventType
+	activeLogsEventType
 )
 
+type callbackFn func(callbackResult)
+
+type callbackResult struct {
+	eventType  eventType
+	err        error
+	activeLogs activeLogsCallbackResult
+}
+
+type activeLogsCallbackResult struct {
+	file *File
+}
+
+func (r callbackResult) activeLogsCallbackResult() (activeLogsCallbackResult, error) {
+	if r.eventType != activeLogsEventType {
+		return activeLogsCallbackResult{}, fmt.Errorf(
+			"wrong event type: expected %d but got %d",
+			activeLogsEventType, r.eventType)
+	}
+
+	if r.err != nil {
+		return activeLogsCallbackResult{}, nil
+	}
+
+	return r.activeLogs, nil
+}
+
 type commitLogWrite struct {
-	valueType valueType
+	eventType eventType
 
-	series      Series
-	datapoint   ts.Datapoint
-	unit        xtime.Unit
-	annotation  ts.Annotation
-	valueTypeFn valueTypeFn
+	series     Series
+	datapoint  ts.Datapoint
+	unit       xtime.Unit
+	annotation ts.Annotation
+	callbackFn callbackFn
 }
 
 // NewCommitLog creates a new commit log
@@ -229,31 +255,44 @@ func (l *commitLog) Open() error {
 }
 
 func (l *commitLog) ActiveLogs() ([]File, error) {
-	l.closedState.Lock()
-	defer l.closedState.Unlock()
+	l.closedState.RLock()
+	defer l.closedState.RUnlock()
 
 	if l.closedState.closed {
 		return nil, errCommitLogClosed
 	}
 
 	var (
-		err  error
-		file File
-		wg   = sync.WaitGroup{}
+		err   error
+		files []File
+		wg    = sync.WaitGroup{}
 	)
 	wg.Add(1)
 
 	l.writes <- commitLogWrite{
-		valueType: activeLogsValueType,
-		valueTypeFn: func(f File, e error) {
-			err = e
-			file = f
-			wg.Done()
+		eventType: activeLogsEventType,
+		callbackFn: func(r callbackResult) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+
+			result, e := r.activeLogsCallbackResult()
+			if e != nil {
+				err = e
+				return
+			}
+
+			if result.file != nil {
+				files = append(files, *result.file)
+			}
 		},
 	}
 
 	wg.Wait()
-	return []File{file}, err
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return files, nil
 }
 
 func (l *commitLog) flushEvery(interval time.Duration) {
@@ -288,7 +327,7 @@ func (l *commitLog) flushEvery(interval time.Duration) {
 			return
 		}
 
-		l.writes <- commitLogWrite{valueType: flushValueType}
+		l.writes <- commitLogWrite{eventType: flushEventType}
 		l.closedState.RUnlock()
 	}
 }
@@ -296,11 +335,11 @@ func (l *commitLog) flushEvery(interval time.Duration) {
 func (l *commitLog) write() {
 	for write := range l.writes {
 		// For writes requiring acks add to pending acks
-		if write.valueType == writeValueType && write.valueTypeFn != nil {
-			l.pendingFlushFns = append(l.pendingFlushFns, write.valueTypeFn)
+		if write.eventType == writeEventType && write.callbackFn != nil {
+			l.pendingFlushFns = append(l.pendingFlushFns, write.callbackFn)
 		}
 
-		if write.valueType == flushValueType {
+		if write.eventType == flushEventType {
 			// TODO(rartoul): This should probably be replaced with a call to Sync() as the expectation
 			// is that the commitlog will actually FSync the data at regular intervals, whereas Flush
 			// just ensures that the writers buffer flushes to the chunkWriter (creating a new chunk), but
@@ -310,8 +349,14 @@ func (l *commitLog) write() {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		if write.valueType == activeLogsValueType {
-			write.valueTypeFn(*l.writerState.activeFile, nil)
+		if write.eventType == activeLogsEventType {
+			write.callbackFn(callbackResult{
+				eventType: write.eventType,
+				err:       nil,
+				activeLogs: activeLogsCallbackResult{
+					file: l.writerState.activeFile,
+				},
+			})
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -375,7 +420,10 @@ func (l *commitLog) onFlush(err error) {
 	}
 
 	for i := range l.pendingFlushFns {
-		l.pendingFlushFns[i](File{}, err)
+		l.pendingFlushFns[i](callbackResult{
+			eventType: flushEventType,
+			err:       err,
+		})
 		l.pendingFlushFns[i] = nil
 	}
 	l.pendingFlushFns = l.pendingFlushFns[:0]
@@ -442,17 +490,17 @@ func (l *commitLog) writeWait(
 
 	wg.Add(1)
 
-	completion := func(_ File, err error) {
-		result = err
+	completion := func(r callbackResult) {
+		result = r.err
 		wg.Done()
 	}
 
 	write := commitLogWrite{
-		series:      series,
-		datapoint:   datapoint,
-		unit:        unit,
-		annotation:  annotation,
-		valueTypeFn: completion,
+		series:     series,
+		datapoint:  datapoint,
+		unit:       unit,
+		annotation: annotation,
+		callbackFn: completion,
 	}
 
 	enqueued := false
diff --git a/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log_test.go b/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log_test.go
index fa8052b861..3a2607ca42 100644
--- a/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log_test.go
+++ b/src/dbnode/persist/fs/commitlog/commit_log_test.go
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ func flushUntilDone(l *commitLog, wg *sync.WaitGroup) {
 	blockWg.Add(1)
 	go func() {
 		for atomic.LoadUint64(&done) == 0 {
-			l.writes <- commitLogWrite{valueType: flushValueType}
+			l.writes <- commitLogWrite{eventType: flushEventType}
 			time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
 		}
 		blockWg.Done()