diff --git a/dan_layer/consensus/src/hotstuff/on_receive_foreign_proposal.rs b/dan_layer/consensus/src/hotstuff/on_receive_foreign_proposal.rs
index 59c1c6cde..3d5cffb3c 100644
--- a/dan_layer/consensus/src/hotstuff/on_receive_foreign_proposal.rs
+++ b/dan_layer/consensus/src/hotstuff/on_receive_foreign_proposal.rs
@@ -73,14 +73,23 @@ where TConsensusSpec: ConsensusSpec
             .await?;
 
         let local_shard = self.epoch_manager.get_local_committee_shard(block.epoch()).await?;
-        self.validate_proposed_block(
+        if let Err(err) = self.validate_proposed_block(
             &from,
             &block,
             committee_shard.shard(),
             local_shard.shard(),
             &foreign_receive_counter,
-        )?;
-        // Is this ok? Can foreign node send invalid block that should still increment the counter?
+        ) {
+            warn!(
+                target: LOG_TARGET,
+                "🔥 FOREIGN PROPOSAL: Invalid proposal from {}: {}. Ignoring.",
+                from,
+                err
+            );
+            // Invalid blocks should not cause the state machine to transition to Error
+            return Ok(());
+        }
+
         foreign_receive_counter.increment(&committee_shard.shard());
 
         let tx_ids = block
diff --git a/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/consensus.rs b/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/consensus.rs
index a9f9560cf..d6169f0bf 100644
--- a/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/consensus.rs
+++ b/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/consensus.rs
@@ -405,12 +405,12 @@ async fn leader_failure_node_goes_down() {
     test.assert_clean_shutdown().await;
 }
 
-#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread")]
+#[tokio::test(flavor = "multi_thread", worker_threads = 4)]
 async fn foreign_block_distribution() {
     setup_logger();
     let mut test = Test::builder()
         .with_test_timeout(Duration::from_secs(60))
-        .with_hotstuff_filter(Box::new(|from: &TestAddress, to: &TestAddress, _| {
+        .with_message_filter(Box::new(move |from: &TestAddress, to: &TestAddress, _| {
             match from.0.as_str() {
                 // We filter our message from each leader to the foreign committees. So we will rely on other members of
                 // the local committees to send the message to the foreign committee members. And then on
diff --git a/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/harness.rs b/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/harness.rs
index f773bfca9..37fb6433c 100644
--- a/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/harness.rs
+++ b/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/harness.rs
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ use tari_shutdown::{Shutdown, ShutdownSignal};
 use tari_transaction::TransactionId;
 use tokio::{sync::broadcast, task};
 
-use super::HotstuffFilter;
+use super::MessageFilter;
 use crate::support::{
     address::TestAddress,
     epoch_manager::TestEpochManager,
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ pub struct TestBuilder {
     sql_address: String,
     timeout: Option<Duration>,
     debug_sql_file: Option<String>,
-    hotstuff_filter: Option<HotstuffFilter>,
+    message_filter: Option<MessageFilter>,
 }
 
 impl TestBuilder {
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ impl TestBuilder {
             sql_address: ":memory:".to_string(),
             timeout: Some(Duration::from_secs(10)),
             debug_sql_file: None,
-            hotstuff_filter: None,
+            message_filter: None,
         }
     }
 
@@ -337,8 +337,8 @@ impl TestBuilder {
         self
     }
 
-    pub fn with_hotstuff_filter(mut self, hotstuff_filter: HotstuffFilter) -> Self {
-        self.hotstuff_filter = Some(hotstuff_filter);
+    pub fn with_message_filter(mut self, message_filter: MessageFilter) -> Self {
+        self.message_filter = Some(message_filter.into());
         self
     }
 
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ impl TestBuilder {
         let (channels, validators) = self
             .build_validators(&leader_strategy, &epoch_manager, shutdown.to_signal())
             .await;
-        let network = spawn_network(channels, shutdown.to_signal(), self.hotstuff_filter);
+        let network = spawn_network(channels, shutdown.to_signal(), self.message_filter);
 
         Test {
             validators,
diff --git a/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/network.rs b/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/network.rs
index 00a0dc6e9..186dd039d 100644
--- a/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/network.rs
+++ b/dan_layer/consensus_tests/src/support/network.rs
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@ use tokio::sync::{
 
 use crate::support::{address::TestAddress, ValidatorChannels};
 
-pub type HotstuffFilter = Box<dyn Fn(&TestAddress, &TestAddress, &HotstuffMessage) -> bool + Sync + Send + 'static>;
+pub type MessageFilter = Box<dyn Fn(&TestAddress, &TestAddress, &HotstuffMessage) -> bool + Sync + Send + 'static>;
 
 pub fn spawn_network(
     channels: Vec<ValidatorChannels>,
     shutdown_signal: ShutdownSignal,
-    hotstuff_filter: Option<HotstuffFilter>,
+    message_filter: Option<MessageFilter>,
 ) -> TestNetwork {
     let tx_new_transactions = channels
         .iter()
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ pub fn spawn_network(
         transaction_store: Arc::new(Default::default()),
         offline_destinations: offline_destinations.clone(),
         shutdown_signal,
-        hotstuff_filter,
+        message_filter,
     }
     .spawn();
 
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ pub struct TestNetworkWorker {
 
     offline_destinations: Arc<RwLock<Vec<TestNetworkDestination>>>,
     shutdown_signal: ShutdownSignal,
-    hotstuff_filter: Option<HotstuffFilter>,
+    message_filter: Option<MessageFilter>,
 }
 
 impl TestNetworkWorker {
@@ -292,8 +292,8 @@ impl TestNetworkWorker {
     pub async fn handle_broadcast(&mut self, from: TestAddress, to: Vec<TestAddress>, msg: HotstuffMessage) {
         log::debug!("🌎️ Broadcast {} from {} to {}", msg, from, to.iter().join(", "));
         for vn in to {
-            if let Some(hotstuff_filter) = &self.hotstuff_filter {
-                if !hotstuff_filter(&from, &vn, &msg) {
+            if let Some(message_filter) = &self.message_filter {
+                if !message_filter(&from, &vn, &msg) {
                     self.num_filtered_messages
                         .fetch_add(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
                     continue;
@@ -317,8 +317,8 @@ impl TestNetworkWorker {
     }
 
     async fn handle_leader(&mut self, from: TestAddress, to: TestAddress, msg: HotstuffMessage) {
-        if let Some(hotstuff_filter) = &self.hotstuff_filter {
-            if !hotstuff_filter(&from, &to, &msg) {
+        if let Some(message_filter) = &self.message_filter {
+            if !message_filter(&from, &to, &msg) {
                 self.num_filtered_messages
                     .fetch_add(1, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);
                 return;