diff --git a/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts b/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts
index c69e5e23cdb5..aff85aabcea3 100644
--- a/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts
+++ b/code/lib/manager-api/src/modules/stories.ts
@@ -263,7 +263,10 @@ export interface SubAPI {
    * @param {StatusUpdate} update - An object containing the updated status information.
    * @returns {Promise<void>} A promise that resolves when the status has been updated.
    */
-  experimental_updateStatus: (addonId: string, update: API_StatusUpdate) => Promise<void>;
+  experimental_updateStatus: (
+    addonId: string,
+    update: API_StatusUpdate | ((state: API_StatusState) => API_StatusUpdate)
+  ) => Promise<void>;
   /**
    * Updates the filtering of the index.
    *
@@ -581,13 +584,27 @@ export const init: ModuleFn<SubAPI, SubState> = ({
     },
 
     /* EXPERIMENTAL APIs */
-    experimental_updateStatus: async (id, update) => {
+    experimental_updateStatus: async (id, input) => {
       const { status, internal_index: index } = store.getState();
       const newStatus = { ...status };
 
+      const update = typeof input === 'function' ? input(status) : input;
+
+      if (Object.keys(update).length === 0) {
+        return;
+      }
+
       Object.entries(update).forEach(([storyId, value]) => {
         newStatus[storyId] = { ...(newStatus[storyId] || {}) };
-        newStatus[storyId][id] = value;
+        if (value === null) {
+          delete newStatus[storyId][id];
+        } else {
+          newStatus[storyId][id] = value;
+        }
+
+        if (Object.keys(newStatus[storyId]).length === 0) {
+          delete newStatus[storyId];
+        }
       });
 
       await store.setState({ status: newStatus }, { persistence: 'session' });
diff --git a/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts b/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts
index 0ee0c9be4ebb..a93cd1df9a99 100644
--- a/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts
+++ b/code/lib/manager-api/src/tests/stories.test.ts
@@ -1273,6 +1273,90 @@ describe('stories API', () => {
         }
       `);
     });
+    it('delete when value is null', async () => {
+      const moduleArgs = createMockModuleArgs({});
+      const { api } = initStories(moduleArgs as unknown as ModuleArgs);
+      const { store } = moduleArgs;
+
+      await api.setIndex({ v: 4, entries: mockEntries });
+
+      await expect(
+        api.experimental_updateStatus('a-addon-id', {
+          'a-story-id': {
+            status: 'pending',
+            title: 'an addon title',
+            description: 'an addon description',
+          },
+          'another-story-id': { status: 'success', title: 'a addon title', description: '' },
+        })
+      ).resolves.not.toThrow();
+
+      // do a second update, this time with null
+      await expect(
+        api.experimental_updateStatus('a-addon-id', {
+          'a-story-id': null,
+          'another-story-id': { status: 'success', title: 'a addon title', description: '' },
+        })
+      ).resolves.not.toThrow();
+
+      expect(store.getState().status).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+        Object {
+          "another-story-id": Object {
+            "a-addon-id": Object {
+              "description": "",
+              "status": "success",
+              "title": "a addon title",
+            },
+          },
+        }
+      `);
+    });
+    it('updates with a function', async () => {
+      const moduleArgs = createMockModuleArgs({});
+      const { api } = initStories(moduleArgs as unknown as ModuleArgs);
+      const { store } = moduleArgs;
+
+      await api.setIndex({ v: 4, entries: mockEntries });
+
+      // setup initial state
+      await expect(
+        api.experimental_updateStatus('a-addon-id', () => ({
+          'a-story-id': {
+            status: 'pending',
+            title: 'an addon title',
+            description: 'an addon description',
+          },
+          'another-story-id': { status: 'success', title: 'a addon title', description: '' },
+        }))
+      ).resolves.not.toThrow();
+
+      // use existing state in function
+      await expect(
+        api.experimental_updateStatus('a-addon-id', (current) => {
+          return Object.fromEntries(
+            Object.entries(current).map(([k, v]) => [k, { ...v['a-addon-id'], status: 'success' }])
+          );
+        })
+      ).resolves.not.toThrow();
+      expect(store.getState().status).toMatchInlineSnapshot(`
+        Object {
+          "a-story-id": Object {
+            "a-addon-id": Object {
+              "description": "an addon description",
+              "status": "success",
+              "title": "an addon title",
+            },
+          },
+          "another-story-id": Object {
+            "a-addon-id": Object {
+              "description": "",
+              "status": "success",
+              "title": "a addon title",
+            },
+          },
+        }
+      `);
+    });
   });
   describe('experimental_setFilter', () => {
     it('is included in the initial state', async () => {
diff --git a/code/lib/types/src/modules/api-stories.ts b/code/lib/types/src/modules/api-stories.ts
index 3df42dd812ec..45acc19e35c7 100644
--- a/code/lib/types/src/modules/api-stories.ts
+++ b/code/lib/types/src/modules/api-stories.ts
@@ -186,5 +186,5 @@ export type API_StatusState = Record<StoryId, Record<string, API_StatusObject>>;
 export type API_StatusUpdate = Record<StoryId, API_StatusObject>;
 
 export type API_FilterFunction = (
-  item: API_PreparedIndexEntry & { status: Record<string, API_StatusObject> }
+  item: API_PreparedIndexEntry & { status: Record<string, API_StatusObject | null> }
 ) => boolean;