diff --git a/beacon-chain/blockchain/process_block.go b/beacon-chain/blockchain/process_block.go
index 019789f2cbb1..96a3c260e240 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/blockchain/process_block.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/blockchain/process_block.go
@@ -522,7 +522,7 @@ func missingDataColumns(bs *filesystem.BlobStorage, root [32]byte, expected map[
 	if len(expected) > int(params.BeaconConfig().NumberOfColumns) {
 		return nil, errMaxDataColumnsExceeded
 	}
-	indices, err := bs.Indices(root)
+	indices, err := bs.ColumnIndices(root)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/beacon-chain/db/filesystem/blob.go b/beacon-chain/db/filesystem/blob.go
index 5fea6f44c16b..6f004587b1c2 100644
--- a/beacon-chain/db/filesystem/blob.go
+++ b/beacon-chain/db/filesystem/blob.go
@@ -395,6 +395,41 @@ func (bs *BlobStorage) Indices(root [32]byte) ([fieldparams.MaxBlobsPerBlock]boo
 	return mask, nil
 }
 
+// ColumnIndices retrieve the stored column indexes from our filesystem.
+func (bs *BlobStorage) ColumnIndices(root [32]byte) ([fieldparams.NumberOfColumns]bool, error) {
+	var mask [fieldparams.NumberOfColumns]bool
+	rootDir := blobNamer{root: root}.dir()
+	entries, err := afero.ReadDir(bs.fs, rootDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return mask, nil
+		}
+		return mask, err
+	}
+	for i := range entries {
+		if entries[i].IsDir() {
+			continue
+		}
+		name := entries[i].Name()
+		if !strings.HasSuffix(name, sszExt) {
+			continue
+		}
+		parts := strings.Split(name, ".")
+		if len(parts) != 2 {
+			continue
+		}
+		u, err := strconv.ParseUint(parts[0], 10, 64)
+		if err != nil {
+			return mask, errors.Wrapf(err, "unexpected directory entry breaks listing, %s", parts[0])
+		}
+		if u >= fieldparams.NumberOfColumns {
+			return mask, errIndexOutOfBounds
+		}
+		mask[u] = true
+	}
+	return mask, nil
+}
+
 // Clear deletes all files on the filesystem.
 func (bs *BlobStorage) Clear() error {
 	dirs, err := listDir(bs.fs, ".")
diff --git a/config/fieldparams/mainnet.go b/config/fieldparams/mainnet.go
index 706334328313..2f5b0d601364 100644
--- a/config/fieldparams/mainnet.go
+++ b/config/fieldparams/mainnet.go
@@ -33,4 +33,5 @@ const (
 	BlobSize                              = 131072        // defined to match blob.size in bazel ssz codegen
 	KzgCommitmentInclusionProofDepth      = 17            // Merkle proof depth for blob_kzg_commitments list item
 	NextSyncCommitteeBranchDepth          = 5             // NextSyncCommitteeBranchDepth defines the depth of the next sync committee branch.
+	NumberOfColumns                       = 128           // NumberOfColumns refers to the specified number of data columns that can exist in a network.
 )
diff --git a/config/fieldparams/minimal.go b/config/fieldparams/minimal.go
index 96ec9e28f875..13cdac3c0864 100644
--- a/config/fieldparams/minimal.go
+++ b/config/fieldparams/minimal.go
@@ -33,4 +33,5 @@ const (
 	BlobSize                              = 131072        // defined to match blob.size in bazel ssz codegen
 	KzgCommitmentInclusionProofDepth      = 17            // Merkle proof depth for blob_kzg_commitments list item
 	NextSyncCommitteeBranchDepth          = 5             // NextSyncCommitteeBranchDepth defines the depth of the next sync committee branch.
+	NumberOfColumns                       = 128           // NumberOfColumns refers to the specified number of data columns that can exist in a network.
 )