diff --git a/channeldb/graph.go b/channeldb/graph.go
index adf153715..9abf06311 100644
--- a/channeldb/graph.go
+++ b/channeldb/graph.go
@@ -1638,13 +1638,14 @@ func delChannelByEdge(edges *bbolt.Bucket, edgeIndex *bbolt.Bucket,
 // the nodes on either side of the channel.
 func (c *ChannelGraph) UpdateEdgePolicy(edge *ChannelEdgePolicy) error {
 	return c.db.Update(func(tx *bbolt.Tx) error {
-		edges, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(edgeBucket)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+		edges := tx.Bucket(edgeBucket)
+		if edge == nil {
+			return ErrEdgeNotFound
 		}
-		edgeIndex, err := edges.CreateBucketIfNotExists(edgeIndexBucket)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
+
+		edgeIndex := edges.Bucket(edgeIndexBucket)
+		if edgeIndex == nil {
+			return ErrEdgeNotFound
 		}
 		nodes, err := tx.CreateBucketIfNotExists(nodeBucket)
 		if err != nil {