diff --git a/plugins/producer_plugin/producer_plugin.cpp b/plugins/producer_plugin/producer_plugin.cpp
index c610d9b5b6..4d4c7d4741 100644
--- a/plugins/producer_plugin/producer_plugin.cpp
+++ b/plugins/producer_plugin/producer_plugin.cpp
@@ -772,9 +772,9 @@ class producer_plugin_impl : public std::enable_shared_from_this<producer_plugin
    }
 
    void restart_speculative_block() {
+      fc_dlog(_log, "Restarting exhausted speculative block #${n}", ("n", chain_plug->chain().head_block_num() + 1));
       // abort the pending block
       abort_block();
-
       schedule_production_loop();
    }
 
diff --git a/tests/TestHarness/Node.py b/tests/TestHarness/Node.py
index b529990b6f..41afbd43da 100644
--- a/tests/TestHarness/Node.py
+++ b/tests/TestHarness/Node.py
@@ -550,6 +550,35 @@ def findInLog(self, searchStr):
                         return True
         return False
 
+    # verify only one 'Starting block' per block number unless block is restarted
+    def verifyOnlyOneStartingBlock(self):
+        dataDir=Utils.getNodeDataDir(self.nodeId)
+        files=Node.findStderrFiles(dataDir)
+        for f in files:
+            blockNumbers = set()
+            duplicatesFound = False
+            lastRestartBlockNum = 0
+
+            with open(f, 'r') as file:
+                for line in file:
+                    match = re.match(r".*Restarting exhausted speculative block #(\d+)", line)
+                    if match:
+                        lastRestartBlockNum = match.group(1)
+                    if re.match(r".*unlinkable_block_exception", line):
+                        lastRestartBlockNum = blockNumber
+                    match = re.match(r".*Starting block #(\d+)", line)
+                    if match:
+                        blockNumber = match.group(1)
+                        if blockNumber != lastRestartBlockNum and blockNumber in blockNumbers:
+                            print(f"Duplicate Staring block found: {blockNumber} in {f}")
+                            duplicatesFound = True
+                        blockNumbers.add(blockNumber)
+
+            if duplicatesFound:
+                return False
+
+        return True
+
     def analyzeProduction(self, specificBlockNum=None, thresholdMs=500):
         dataDir=Utils.getNodeDataDir(self.nodeId)
         files=Node.findStderrFiles(dataDir)
diff --git a/tests/distributed-transactions-test.py b/tests/distributed-transactions-test.py
index d95dbf64df..62df717e2a 100755
--- a/tests/distributed-transactions-test.py
+++ b/tests/distributed-transactions-test.py
@@ -111,6 +111,11 @@
 
     cluster.compareBlockLogs()
 
+    # verify only one start block per block unless interrupted
+    for node in cluster.getAllNodes():
+        if not node.verifyOnlyOneStartingBlock():
+            errorExit("Found more than one Starting block in logs")
+
     testSuccessful=True
 finally:
     TestHelper.shutdown(cluster, walletMgr, testSuccessful, dumpErrorDetails)