diff --git a/cmn/err.go b/cmn/err.go
index 283ea2066a2..fb0e735e21f 100644
--- a/cmn/err.go
+++ b/cmn/err.go
@@ -261,7 +261,6 @@ func NewErrFailedTo(actor fmt.Stringer, action string, what any, err error, ecod
 	if e, ok := err.(*ErrFailedTo); ok {
 		return e
 	}
-	_clean(err)
 
 	e := &ErrFailedTo{action: action, what: what, err: err}
 	e.actor = thisNodeName
@@ -673,7 +672,6 @@ func NewErrAborted(what, ctx string, err error) *ErrAborted {
 	if e, ok := err.(*ErrAborted); ok {
 		return e
 	}
-	_clean(err)
 	return &ErrAborted{what: what, ctx: ctx, err: err}
 }
 
diff --git a/ec/manager.go b/ec/manager.go
index 0a6709b3f96..93b6dc663e4 100644
--- a/ec/manager.go
+++ b/ec/manager.go
@@ -236,7 +236,9 @@ func (mgr *Manager) recvResponse(hdr *transport.ObjHdr, objReader io.Reader, err
 	switch hdr.Opcode {
 	case reqPut:
 		xctn := mgr.RestoreBckRespXact(bck)
+		xctn.IncPending()
 		xctn.dispatchResp(iReq, hdr, objReader)
+		xctn.DecPending()
 	case respPut:
 		// Process the request even if the number of targets is insufficient
 		// (might've started when we had enough)
diff --git a/ec/respondx.go b/ec/respondx.go
index 934ccdfbaf3..56306ce9c5f 100644
--- a/ec/respondx.go
+++ b/ec/respondx.go
@@ -182,9 +182,6 @@ func (r *XactRespond) dispatchReq(iReq intraReq, hdr *transport.ObjHdr, bck *met
 }
 
 func (r *XactRespond) dispatchResp(iReq intraReq, hdr *transport.ObjHdr, object io.Reader) {
-	r.IncPending()
-	defer r.DecPending()
-
 	switch hdr.Opcode {
 	case reqPut:
 		// a remote target sent a replica/slice while it was
diff --git a/xact/base.go b/xact/base.go
index 9b84fd21b72..5ab8c2a027c 100644
--- a/xact/base.go
+++ b/xact/base.go
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ func (xctn *Base) AddErr(err error, logExtra ...int) {
 		return
 	}
 	debug.Assert(err != nil)
-	fs.CleanPathErr(err)
+
 	xctn.err.Add(err)
 	// just add
 	if len(logExtra) == 0 {