diff --git a/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/__init__.py b/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/__init__.py
index 6ee2137c2e9b..51d0c6157c7d 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/__init__.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+from .plan_read_files_op import plan_read_files_op_with_checkpoint_filter
 from .plan_read_op import (
     create_checkpoint_filter_op,
     plan_read_op_with_checkpoint_filter,
@@ -5,6 +6,7 @@
 from .plan_write_op import plan_write_op_with_checkpoint_writer
 
 __all__ = [
+    "plan_read_files_op_with_checkpoint_filter",
     "create_checkpoint_filter_op",
     "plan_read_op_with_checkpoint_filter",
     "plan_write_op_with_checkpoint_writer",
diff --git a/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/plan_read_files_op.py b/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/plan_read_files_op.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..19fcc1bb5089
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/checkpoint/plan_read_files_op.py
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+"""Checkpoint-aware planner for the V2 ``ReadFiles`` logical operator.
+
+Mirrors :func:`plan_read_op_with_checkpoint_filter` (the V1 ``Read``
+variant) so V2 uses the same wrapping ActorPool ``CheckpointFilter``
+``MapOperator`` downstream of the read: same
+``_CheckpointFilterFn`` / ``_get_checkpoint_map_transformer``, same
+memory reservation formula, and ``supports_fusion=False`` so the
+filter stays a distinct op.
+
+Registered via ``Planner._get_plan_fns_for_checkpointing`` so it only
+runs when ``DataContext.checkpoint_config`` is set *and* the logical
+plan is a ``Write`` or ``StreamingSplit`` with a ``ReadFiles`` at the
+leaf. V2's plain ``plan_read_files_op`` stays checkpoint-unaware; this
+file is the only place V2 reads pick up a checkpoint filter.
+"""
+from typing import List, Optional
+
+import pyarrow
+import pyarrow.fs
+
+from ray.data._internal.execution.interfaces import PhysicalOperator
+from ray.data._internal.logical.operators import ReadFiles
+from ray.data._internal.planner.checkpoint.plan_read_op import (
+    create_checkpoint_filter_op,
+)
+from ray.data._internal.planner.plan_read_files_op import plan_read_files_op
+from ray.data.context import DataContext
+
+
+def plan_read_files_op_with_checkpoint_filter(
+    data_file_dir: Optional[str],
+    data_file_filesystem: Optional["pyarrow.fs.FileSystem"],
+    op: ReadFiles,
+    physical_children: List[PhysicalOperator],
+    data_context: DataContext,
+) -> PhysicalOperator:
+    """Wrap a V2 ``ReadFiles`` physical op with a ``CheckpointFilter``.
+
+    Defers all wrapping behavior to V1's :func:`create_checkpoint_filter_op`
+    so the not-found short-circuit, ``IdColumnCheckpointManager.load_checkpoint``
+    invocation, actor-pool sizing, and ``supports_fusion=False`` placement stay
+    in one place across the V1 and V2 read paths.
+    """
+    physical_read_op = plan_read_files_op(op, physical_children, data_context)
+    return create_checkpoint_filter_op(
+        physical_read_op, data_context, data_file_dir, data_file_filesystem
+    )
diff --git a/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/planner.py b/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/planner.py
index e8b369b3ad5c..c87c22113392 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/planner.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/_internal/planner/planner.py
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@
     Zip,
 )
 from ray.data._internal.planner.checkpoint import (
+    plan_read_files_op_with_checkpoint_filter,
     plan_read_op_with_checkpoint_filter,
     plan_write_op_with_checkpoint_writer,
 )
@@ -191,7 +192,7 @@ class Planner:
         Download: plan_download_op,
     }
     # Operators that support checkpoint filtering. Subclasses can override.
-    _CHECKPOINT_FILTER_OPS = (Read,)
+    _CHECKPOINT_FILTER_OPS = (Read, ReadFiles)
 
     def __init__(self):
         self._supports_checkpointing = False
@@ -331,6 +332,11 @@ def _get_plan_fns_for_checkpointing(
             Read: partial(
                 plan_read_op_with_checkpoint_filter, data_file_dir, data_file_filesystem
             ),
+            ReadFiles: partial(
+                plan_read_files_op_with_checkpoint_filter,
+                data_file_dir,
+                data_file_filesystem,
+            ),
             Write: plan_write_op_with_checkpoint_writer,
         }
         return plan_fns
diff --git a/python/ray/data/checkpoint/checkpoint_filter.py b/python/ray/data/checkpoint/checkpoint_filter.py
index b2cf5104d559..2a4d447ffdbf 100644
--- a/python/ray/data/checkpoint/checkpoint_filter.py
+++ b/python/ray/data/checkpoint/checkpoint_filter.py
@@ -215,6 +215,24 @@ def load_checkpoint(
         if data_file_dir is not None:
             self._clean_pending_checkpoints(data_file_dir, data_file_filesystem)
 
+        # If the checkpoint directory has no remaining data files (e.g., all
+        # entries were pending checkpoints that were just cleaned up), skip
+        # the inner ``read_parquet``. V2's ``read_parquet`` raises on empty
+        # directories while V1 returned a zero-row dataset; this pre-check
+        # keeps ``load_checkpoint`` behaving the same under both.
+        # Recurse when a partition filter is configured because committed
+        # files live under Hive-partitioned subdirectories rather than at
+        # the top level.
+        entries = self.filesystem.get_file_info(
+            FileSelector(
+                self.checkpoint_path_unwrapped,
+                recursive=self.checkpoint_path_partition_filter is not None,
+                allow_not_found=True,
+            )
+        )
+        if not any(f.type == FileType.File for f in entries):
+            return None, 0
+
         # Load the checkpoint data
         checkpoint_ds: ray.data.Dataset = ray.data.read_parquet(
             self.checkpoint_path,