diff --git a/src/app-layer-smtp.c b/src/app-layer-smtp.c
index 2b1af6aa4dbc..6c4016f4f6f3 100644
--- a/src/app-layer-smtp.c
+++ b/src/app-layer-smtp.c
@@ -846,11 +846,8 @@ static int SMTPProcessReply(SMTPState *state, Flow *f,
         /* reply but not a command we have stored, fall through */
     } else if (state->cmds[state->cmds_idx] == SMTP_COMMAND_STARTTLS) {
         if (reply_code == SMTP_REPLY_220) {
-            /* we are entering STARRTTLS data mode */
-            state->parser_state |= SMTP_PARSER_STATE_COMMAND_DATA_MODE;
-            AppLayerParserStateSetFlag(pstate,
-                                             APP_LAYER_PARSER_NO_INSPECTION |
-                                             APP_LAYER_PARSER_NO_REASSEMBLY);
+            /* we reset the alproto */
+            AppLayerAskReset(f, 1);
         } else {
             /* decoder event */
             SMTPSetEvent(state, SMTP_DECODER_EVENT_TLS_REJECTED);