diff --git a/src/btree/bt_curnext.c b/src/btree/bt_curnext.c
index 32a6172cd..8811aa1b3 100644
--- a/src/btree/bt_curnext.c
+++ b/src/btree/bt_curnext.c
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@ __wt_btcur_next_prefix(WT_CURSOR_BTREE *cbt, WT_ITEM *prefix, bool truncating)
     WT_SESSION_IMPL *session;
     size_t pages_skipped_count, total_skipped, skipped;
     uint32_t flags;
-    bool newpage, restart;
+    bool newpage, restart, busy;
 
     cursor = &cbt->iface;
     session = CUR2S(cbt);
@@ -792,6 +792,15 @@ __wt_btcur_next_prefix(WT_CURSOR_BTREE *cbt, WT_ITEM *prefix, bool truncating)
 skip_page:
         if (F_ISSET(cbt, WT_CBT_READ_ONCE))
             LF_SET(WT_READ_WONT_NEED);
+
+#ifdef HAVE_DIAGNOSTIC
+        if (cbt->last_ref)
+            WT_ERR(__wt_page_release(session, cbt->last_ref, 0));
+        cbt->last_ref = cbt->ref;
+        if (cbt->last_ref)
+            WT_ERR(
+              __wt_hazard_set_func(session, cbt->last_ref, &busy, __PRETTY_FUNCTION__, __LINE__));
+#endif
         WT_ERR(__wt_tree_walk(session, &cbt->ref, flags));
         WT_ERR_TEST(cbt->ref == NULL, WT_NOTFOUND, false);
     }
diff --git a/src/btree/bt_curprev.c b/src/btree/bt_curprev.c
index bcf9f7e6d..0218a42d9 100644
--- a/src/btree/bt_curprev.c
+++ b/src/btree/bt_curprev.c
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ __wt_btcur_prev_prefix(WT_CURSOR_BTREE *cbt, WT_ITEM *prefix, bool truncating)
     WT_SESSION_IMPL *session;
     size_t pages_skipped_count, total_skipped, skipped;
     uint32_t flags;
-    bool newpage, restart;
+    bool newpage, restart, busy;
 
     cursor = &cbt->iface;
     session = CUR2S(cbt);
@@ -740,6 +740,15 @@ __wt_btcur_prev_prefix(WT_CURSOR_BTREE *cbt, WT_ITEM *prefix, bool truncating)
 skip_page:
         if (F_ISSET(cbt, WT_CBT_READ_ONCE))
             LF_SET(WT_READ_WONT_NEED);
+
+#ifdef HAVE_DIAGNOSTIC
+        if (cbt->last_ref)
+            WT_ERR(__wt_page_release(session, cbt->last_ref, 0));
+        cbt->last_ref = cbt->ref;
+        if (cbt->last_ref)
+            WT_ERR(
+              __wt_hazard_set_func(session, cbt->last_ref, &busy, __PRETTY_FUNCTION__, __LINE__));
+#endif
         WT_ERR(__wt_tree_walk(session, &cbt->ref, flags));
         WT_ERR_TEST(cbt->ref == NULL, WT_NOTFOUND, false);
     }
diff --git a/src/btree/bt_debug.c b/src/btree/bt_debug.c
index 81f419184..80a2fbbae 100644
--- a/src/btree/bt_debug.c
+++ b/src/btree/bt_debug.c
@@ -942,7 +942,15 @@ __wt_debug_cursor_page(void *cursor_arg, const char *ofile)
     cbt = cursor_arg;
     session = CUR2S(cursor_arg);
 
+    WT_RET(__wt_msg(session, "dumping the current cursor page"));
     WT_WITH_BTREE(session, CUR2BT(cbt), ret = __wt_debug_page(session, NULL, cbt->ref, ofile));
+#ifdef HAVE_DIAGNOSTIC
+    if (cbt->last_ref != NULL) {
+        WT_RET(__wt_msg(session, "dumping the previous cursor page"));
+        WT_WITH_BTREE(
+          session, CUR2BT(cbt), ret = __wt_debug_page(session, NULL, cbt->last_ref, ofile));
+    }
+#endif
     return (ret);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/include/cursor.h b/src/include/cursor.h
index 569da6aab..cf22340c8 100644
--- a/src/include/cursor.h
+++ b/src/include/cursor.h
@@ -93,8 +93,9 @@ struct __wt_cursor_btree {
      * stack (the stack of skiplist entries leading to the insert point). The search functions also
      * return the relationship of the search key to the found key.
      */
-    WT_REF *ref;   /* Current page */
-    uint32_t slot; /* WT_COL/WT_ROW 0-based slot */
+    WT_REF *last_ref; /* Previous page */
+    WT_REF *ref;      /* Current page */
+    uint32_t slot;    /* WT_COL/WT_ROW 0-based slot */
 
     WT_INSERT_HEAD *ins_head; /* Insert chain head */
     WT_INSERT *ins;           /* Current insert node */
diff --git a/src/include/cursor_inline.h b/src/include/cursor_inline.h
index 49179efd0..1e6888b57 100644
--- a/src/include/cursor_inline.h
+++ b/src/include/cursor_inline.h
@@ -237,6 +237,10 @@ __cursor_reset(WT_CURSOR_BTREE *cbt)
     if (session->ncursors == 0 && !F_ISSET(cbt, WT_CBT_NO_TXN))
         __wt_txn_read_last(session);
 
+    /*
+    if (cbt->last_ref)
+        WT_RET(__wt_page_release(session, cbt->last_ref, 0));
+    */
     /* If we're not holding a cursor reference, we're done. */
     if (cbt->ref == NULL)
         return (0);