diff --git a/src/evo/cbtx.cpp b/src/evo/cbtx.cpp
index 66ff72683ff93..b17eeb3909fca 100644
--- a/src/evo/cbtx.cpp
+++ b/src/evo/cbtx.cpp
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ bool CalcCbTxMerkleRootQuorums(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPre
     return true;
 }
 
-bool CheckCbTxBestChainlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, const llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler, BlockValidationState& state)
+bool CheckCbTxBestChainlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler, BlockValidationState& state)
 {
     if (block.vtx[0]->nType != TRANSACTION_COINBASE) {
         return true;
@@ -365,9 +365,11 @@ bool CheckCbTxBestChainlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, cons
             return true;
         }
         uint256 curBlockCoinbaseCLBlockHash = pindex->GetAncestor(curBlockCoinbaseCLHeight)->GetBlockHash();
-        if (!chainlock_handler.VerifyChainLock(llmq::CChainLockSig(curBlockCoinbaseCLHeight, curBlockCoinbaseCLBlockHash, cbTx.bestCLSignature))) {
+        llmq::CChainLockSig cbtxcl = llmq::CChainLockSig(curBlockCoinbaseCLHeight, curBlockCoinbaseCLBlockHash, cbTx.bestCLSignature);
+        if (!chainlock_handler.VerifyChainLock(cbtxcl)) {
             return state.Invalid(BlockValidationResult::BLOCK_CONSENSUS, "bad-cbtx-invalid-clsig");
         }
+        chainlock_handler.ProcessNewChainLock(-1, cbtxcl, ::SerializeHash(cbtxcl));
     } else if (cbTx.bestCLHeightDiff != 0) {
         // Null bestCLSignature is allowed only with bestCLHeightDiff = 0
         return state.Invalid(BlockValidationResult::BLOCK_CONSENSUS, "bad-cbtx-cldiff");
diff --git a/src/evo/cbtx.h b/src/evo/cbtx.h
index b537c385a6a69..8c9aa1b6d19d5 100644
--- a/src/evo/cbtx.h
+++ b/src/evo/cbtx.h
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ bool CheckCbTxMerkleRoots(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, const
 bool CalcCbTxMerkleRootMNList(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, uint256& merkleRootRet, BlockValidationState& state, const CCoinsViewCache& view);
 bool CalcCbTxMerkleRootQuorums(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, const llmq::CQuorumBlockProcessor& quorum_block_processor, uint256& merkleRootRet, BlockValidationState& state);
 
-bool CheckCbTxBestChainlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, const llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler, BlockValidationState& state);
+bool CheckCbTxBestChainlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler, BlockValidationState& state);
 bool CalcCbTxBestChainlock(const llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, uint32_t& bestCLHeightDiff, CBLSSignature& bestCLSignature);
 
 std::optional<CCbTx> GetCoinbaseTx(const CBlockIndex* pindex);
diff --git a/src/evo/specialtxman.cpp b/src/evo/specialtxman.cpp
index 0108cc131bb6c..93006dfcecea3 100644
--- a/src/evo/specialtxman.cpp
+++ b/src/evo/specialtxman.cpp
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ static bool UndoSpecialTx(const CTransaction& tx, const CBlockIndex* pindex)
 }
 
 bool ProcessSpecialTxsInBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, CMNHFManager& mnhfManager,
-                              llmq::CQuorumBlockProcessor& quorum_block_processor, const llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler,
+                              llmq::CQuorumBlockProcessor& quorum_block_processor, llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler,
                               const Consensus::Params& consensusParams, const CCoinsViewCache& view, bool fJustCheck, bool fCheckCbTxMerleRoots,
                               BlockValidationState& state, std::optional<MNListUpdates>& updatesRet)
 {
diff --git a/src/evo/specialtxman.h b/src/evo/specialtxman.h
index 18a20381dcf15..b8a7c6c937c5e 100644
--- a/src/evo/specialtxman.h
+++ b/src/evo/specialtxman.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ extern RecursiveMutex cs_main;
 bool CheckSpecialTx(const CTransaction& tx, const CBlockIndex* pindexPrev, const CCoinsViewCache& view, bool check_sigs,
                     TxValidationState& state) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs_main);
 bool ProcessSpecialTxsInBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, CMNHFManager& mnhfManager,
-                              llmq::CQuorumBlockProcessor& quorum_block_processor, const llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler,
+                              llmq::CQuorumBlockProcessor& quorum_block_processor, llmq::CChainLocksHandler& chainlock_handler,
                               const Consensus::Params& consensusParams, const CCoinsViewCache& view, bool fJustCheck, bool fCheckCbTxMerleRoots,
                               BlockValidationState& state, std::optional<MNListUpdates>& updatesRet) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs_main);
 bool UndoSpecialTxsInBlock(const CBlock& block, const CBlockIndex* pindex, CMNHFManager& mnhfManager,
diff --git a/src/llmq/chainlocks.cpp b/src/llmq/chainlocks.cpp
index ae1be6f172678..889237e294fa1 100644
--- a/src/llmq/chainlocks.cpp
+++ b/src/llmq/chainlocks.cpp
@@ -107,6 +107,11 @@ void CChainLocksHandler::ProcessMessage(const CNode& pfrom, const std::string& m
 
 void CChainLocksHandler::ProcessNewChainLock(const NodeId from, const llmq::CChainLockSig& clsig, const uint256& hash)
 {
+    if (!m_mn_sync.IsBlockchainSynced()) {
+        // too early to do anything
+        return;
+    }
+
     CheckActiveState();
 
     CInv clsigInv(MSG_CLSIG, hash);
diff --git a/test/functional/feature_llmq_chainlocks.py b/test/functional/feature_llmq_chainlocks.py
index 147b04d3a8d68..6428f72226c68 100755
--- a/test/functional/feature_llmq_chainlocks.py
+++ b/test/functional/feature_llmq_chainlocks.py
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ def run_test(self):
         self.log.info("Restart it so that it forgets all the chainlock messages from the past")
         self.restart_node(0)
         self.connect_nodes(0, 1)
+        force_finish_mnsync(self.nodes[0])
         assert self.nodes[0].getbestblockhash() == good_tip
         self.nodes[0].invalidateblock(good_tip)
         self.log.info("Now try to reorg the chain")