diff --git a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
index 1646aa986ab7..972b26f2dcd8 100644
--- a/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/aztec-node/src/aztec-node/server.ts
@@ -300,7 +300,12 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode, AztecNodeAdmin, Traceable {
       deps.p2pClientDeps,
     );
 
-    // We should really not be modifying the config object
+    // Start world state and wait for it to sync to the archiver.
+    await worldStateSynchronizer.start();
+
+    // Start p2p. Note that it depends on world state to be running.
+    await p2pClient.start();
+
     config.txPublicSetupAllowList = config.txPublicSetupAllowList ?? (await getDefaultAllowedSetupFunctions());
 
     const blockBuilder = new BlockBuilder(
@@ -311,35 +316,8 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode, AztecNodeAdmin, Traceable {
       telemetry,
     );
 
-    // We'll accumulate sentinel watchers here
     const watchers: Watcher[] = [];
 
-    // Create validator client if required
-    const validatorClient = createValidatorClient(config, {
-      p2pClient,
-      telemetry,
-      dateProvider,
-      epochCache,
-      blockBuilder,
-      blockSource: archiver,
-      l1ToL2MessageSource: archiver,
-      keyStoreManager,
-    });
-
-    // If we have a validator client, register it as a source of offenses for the slasher,
-    // and have it register callbacks on the p2p client *before* we start it, otherwise messages
-    // like attestations or auths will fail.
-    if (validatorClient) {
-      watchers.push(validatorClient);
-      await validatorClient.registerHandlers();
-    }
-
-    // Start world state and wait for it to sync to the archiver.
-    await worldStateSynchronizer.start();
-
-    // Start p2p. Note that it depends on world state to be running.
-    await p2pClient.start();
-
     const validatorsSentinel = await createSentinel(epochCache, archiver, p2pClient, config);
     if (validatorsSentinel) {
       // we can run a sentinel without trying to slash.
@@ -371,6 +349,21 @@ export class AztecNodeService implements AztecNode, AztecNodeAdmin, Traceable {
       watchers.push(attestationsBlockWatcher);
     }
 
+    const validatorClient = createValidatorClient(config, {
+      p2pClient,
+      telemetry,
+      dateProvider,
+      epochCache,
+      blockBuilder,
+      blockSource: archiver,
+      l1ToL2MessageSource: archiver,
+      keyStoreManager,
+    });
+
+    if (validatorClient) {
+      watchers.push(validatorClient);
+    }
+
     log.verbose(`All Aztec Node subsystems synced`);
 
     // Validator enabled, create/start relevant service
diff --git a/yarn-project/p2p/src/services/peer-manager/peer_manager.ts b/yarn-project/p2p/src/services/peer-manager/peer_manager.ts
index 792efa6f4e39..7fa8bb57632e 100644
--- a/yarn-project/p2p/src/services/peer-manager/peer_manager.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/p2p/src/services/peer-manager/peer_manager.ts
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@ export class PeerManager implements PeerManagerInterface {
       const response = await this.reqresp.sendRequestToPeer(peerId, ReqRespSubProtocol.AUTH, authRequest.toBuffer());
       const { status } = response;
       if (status !== ReqRespStatus.SUCCESS) {
-        this.logger.verbose(`Disconnecting peer ${peerId} who failed to respond auth handshake`, {
+        this.logger.debug(`Disconnecting peer ${peerId} who failed to respond auth handshake`, {
           peerId,
           status: ReqRespStatus[status],
         });
@@ -899,7 +899,7 @@ export class PeerManager implements PeerManagerInterface {
 
       const peerStatusMessage = peerAuthResponse.status;
       if (!ourStatus.validate(peerStatusMessage)) {
-        this.logger.verbose(`Disconnecting peer ${peerId} due to failed status handshake as part of auth.`, logData);
+        this.logger.debug(`Disconnecting peer ${peerId} due to failed status handshake as part of auth.`, logData);
         this.markAuthHandshakeFailed(peerId);
         this.markPeerForDisconnect(peerId);
         return;
@@ -911,9 +911,12 @@ export class PeerManager implements PeerManagerInterface {
       const registeredValidators = await this.epochCache.getRegisteredValidators();
       const found = registeredValidators.find(v => v.toString() === sender.toString()) !== undefined;
       if (!found) {
-        this.logger.verbose(
+        this.logger.debug(
           `Disconnecting peer ${peerId} due to failed auth handshake, peer is not a registered validator.`,
-          { ...logData, address: sender.toString() },
+          {
+            peerId,
+            address: sender.toString(),
+          },
         );
         this.markAuthHandshakeFailed(peerId);
         this.markPeerForDisconnect(peerId);
@@ -923,9 +926,8 @@ export class PeerManager implements PeerManagerInterface {
       // Check to see that this validator address isn't already allocated to a different peer
       const peerForAddress = this.authenticatedValidatorAddressToPeerId.get(sender.toString());
       if (peerForAddress !== undefined && peerForAddress.toString() !== peerIdString) {
-        this.logger.verbose(
+        this.logger.debug(
           `Received auth for validator ${sender.toString()} from peer ${peerIdString}, but this validator is already authenticated to peer ${peerForAddress.toString()}`,
-          { ...logData, address: sender.toString() },
         );
         return;
       }
@@ -935,13 +937,12 @@ export class PeerManager implements PeerManagerInterface {
       this.authenticatedValidatorAddressToPeerId.set(sender.toString(), peerId);
       this.logger.info(
         `Successfully completed auth handshake with peer ${peerId}, validator address ${sender.toString()}`,
-        { ...logData, address: sender.toString() },
+        logData,
       );
     } catch (err: any) {
       //TODO: maybe hard ban these peers in the future
-      this.logger.verbose(`Disconnecting peer ${peerId} due to error during auth handshake: ${err.message}`, {
+      this.logger.debug(`Disconnecting peer ${peerId} due to error during auth handshake: ${err.message ?? err}`, {
         peerId,
-        err,
       });
       this.markAuthHandshakeFailed(peerId);
       this.markPeerForDisconnect(peerId);
diff --git a/yarn-project/stdlib/src/interfaces/validator.ts b/yarn-project/stdlib/src/interfaces/validator.ts
index c401114a1c84..900ab756b080 100644
--- a/yarn-project/stdlib/src/interfaces/validator.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/stdlib/src/interfaces/validator.ts
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ export const ValidatorClientConfigSchema = z.object({
 
 export interface Validator {
   start(): Promise<void>;
+  registerBlockProposalHandler(): void;
   updateConfig(config: Partial<ValidatorClientFullConfig>): void;
 
   // Block validation responsibilities
diff --git a/yarn-project/validator-client/src/validator.ts b/yarn-project/validator-client/src/validator.ts
index 1e663f4def44..5fedc8e0ad32 100644
--- a/yarn-project/validator-client/src/validator.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/validator-client/src/validator.ts
@@ -62,9 +62,6 @@ export class ValidatorClient extends (EventEmitter as new () => WatcherEmitter)
   private validationService: ValidationService;
   private metrics: ValidatorMetrics;
 
-  // Whether it has already registered handlers on the p2p client
-  private hasRegisteredHandlers = false;
-
   // Used to check if we are sending the same proposal twice
   private previousProposal?: BlockProposal;
 
@@ -215,9 +212,12 @@ export class ValidatorClient extends (EventEmitter as new () => WatcherEmitter)
       return;
     }
 
-    await this.registerHandlers();
+    this.registerBlockProposalHandler();
 
+    // Sync the committee from the smart contract
+    // https://github.com/AztecProtocol/aztec-packages/issues/7962
     const myAddresses = this.getValidatorAddresses();
+
     const inCommittee = await this.epochCache.filterInCommittee('now', myAddresses);
     if (inCommittee.length > 0) {
       this.log.info(
@@ -230,6 +230,9 @@ export class ValidatorClient extends (EventEmitter as new () => WatcherEmitter)
     }
     this.epochCacheUpdateLoop.start();
 
+    this.p2pClient.registerThisValidatorAddresses(myAddresses);
+    await this.p2pClient.addReqRespSubProtocol(ReqRespSubProtocol.AUTH, this.handleAuthRequest.bind(this));
+
     return Promise.resolve();
   }
 
@@ -237,20 +240,10 @@ export class ValidatorClient extends (EventEmitter as new () => WatcherEmitter)
     await this.epochCacheUpdateLoop.stop();
   }
 
-  /** Register handlers on the p2p client */
-  public async registerHandlers() {
-    if (!this.hasRegisteredHandlers) {
-      this.hasRegisteredHandlers = true;
-
-      const handler = (block: BlockProposal, proposalSender: PeerId): Promise<BlockAttestation[] | undefined> =>
-        this.attestToProposal(block, proposalSender);
-      this.p2pClient.registerBlockProposalHandler(handler);
-
-      const myAddresses = this.getValidatorAddresses();
-      this.p2pClient.registerThisValidatorAddresses(myAddresses);
-
-      await this.p2pClient.addReqRespSubProtocol(ReqRespSubProtocol.AUTH, this.handleAuthRequest.bind(this));
-    }
+  public registerBlockProposalHandler() {
+    const handler = (block: BlockProposal, proposalSender: PeerId): Promise<BlockAttestation[] | undefined> =>
+      this.attestToProposal(block, proposalSender);
+    this.p2pClient.registerBlockProposalHandler(handler);
   }
 
   async attestToProposal(proposal: BlockProposal, proposalSender: PeerId): Promise<BlockAttestation[] | undefined> {