diff --git a/src/api/client/membership/join.rs b/src/api/client/membership/join.rs
index cbb825068..60dbe8fa9 100644
--- a/src/api/client/membership/join.rs
+++ b/src/api/client/membership/join.rs
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ async fn join_room_by_id_helper_remote(
 					return state;
 				},
 			};
-			if !pdu_fits(&mut value.clone()) {
+			if !pdu_fits(&value) {
 				warn!(
 					"dropping incoming PDU {event_id} in room {room_id} from room join because \
 					 it exceeds 65535 bytes or is otherwise too large."
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs
index da142f356..549a3341c 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs
@@ -127,12 +127,12 @@ pub async fn handle_incoming_pdu<'a>(
 	if let Ok(pdu_id) = self.services.timeline.get_pdu_id(event_id).await {
 		return Ok(Some(pdu_id));
 	}
-	if !pdu_fits(&mut value.clone()) {
+	if !pdu_fits(&value) {
 		warn!(
 			"dropping incoming PDU {event_id} in room {room_id} from {origin} because it \
 			 exceeds 65535 bytes or is otherwise too large."
 		);
-		return Err!(Request(TooLarge("PDU is too large")));
+		return Err!(Request(TooLarge("PDU {event_id} is too large")));
 	}
 	trace!("processing incoming PDU from {origin} for room {room_id} with event id {event_id}");
 
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs
index b39946eca..87bf363ee 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 use std::collections::{BTreeMap, HashMap, hash_map};
 
 use conduwuit::{
-	Err, Event, PduEvent, Result, debug, debug_info, debug_warn, err, implement, state_res,
-	trace, warn,
+	Err, Event, PduEvent, Result, debug, debug_info, debug_warn, err, implement, state_res, trace,
 };
 use futures::future::ready;
 use ruma::{
@@ -11,7 +10,6 @@ use ruma::{
 };
 
 use super::{check_room_id, get_room_version_id, to_room_version};
-use crate::rooms::timeline::pdu_fits;
 
 #[implement(super::Service)]
 #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
@@ -27,18 +25,9 @@ pub(super) async fn handle_outlier_pdu<'a, Pdu>(
 where
 	Pdu: Event + Send + Sync,
 {
-	if !pdu_fits(&mut value.clone()) {
-		warn!(
-			"dropping incoming PDU {event_id} in room {room_id} from {origin} because it \
-			 exceeds 65535 bytes or is otherwise too large."
-		);
-		return Err!(Request(TooLarge("PDU is too large")));
-	}
 	// 1. Remove unsigned field
 	value.remove("unsigned");
 
-	// TODO: For RoomVersion6 we must check that Raw<..> is canonical do we anywhere?: https://matrix.org/docs/spec/rooms/v6#canonical-json
-
 	// 2. Check signatures, otherwise drop
 	// 3. check content hash, redact if doesn't match
 	let room_version_id = get_room_version_id(create_event)?;
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/timeline/create.rs b/src/service/rooms/timeline/create.rs
index 40e41b084..34bf93c45 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/timeline/create.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/timeline/create.rs
@@ -22,33 +22,18 @@ use serde_json::value::{RawValue, to_raw_value};
 
 use super::RoomMutexGuard;
 
-pub fn pdu_fits(owned_obj: &mut CanonicalJsonObject) -> bool {
+#[must_use]
+pub fn pdu_fits(owned_obj: &CanonicalJsonObject) -> bool {
 	// room IDs, event IDs, senders, types, and state keys must all be <= 255 bytes
-	if let Some(CanonicalJsonValue::String(room_id)) = owned_obj.get("room_id") {
-		if room_id.len() > 255 {
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-	if let Some(CanonicalJsonValue::String(event_id)) = owned_obj.get("event_id") {
-		if event_id.len() > 255 {
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-	if let Some(CanonicalJsonValue::String(sender)) = owned_obj.get("sender") {
-		if sender.len() > 255 {
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-	if let Some(CanonicalJsonValue::String(kind)) = owned_obj.get("type") {
-		if kind.len() > 255 {
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
-	if let Some(CanonicalJsonValue::String(state_key)) = owned_obj.get("state_key") {
-		if state_key.len() > 255 {
-			return false;
+	const STANDARD_KEYS: [&str; 5] = ["room_id", "event_id", "sender", "type", "state_key"];
+	for key in STANDARD_KEYS {
+		if let Some(CanonicalJsonValue::String(v)) = owned_obj.get(key) {
+			if v.len() > 255 {
+				return false;
+			}
 		}
 	}
+
 	// Now check the full PDU size
 	match serde_json::to_string(owned_obj) {
 		| Ok(s) => s.len() <= 65535,
@@ -259,14 +244,9 @@ pub async fn create_hash_and_sign_event(
 	let mut pdu_json = utils::to_canonical_object(&pdu).map_err(|e| {
 		err!(Request(BadJson(warn!("Failed to convert PDU to canonical JSON: {e}"))))
 	})?;
-
-	// room v3 and above removed the "event_id" field from remote PDU format
-	match room_version_id {
-		| RoomVersionId::V1 | RoomVersionId::V2 => {},
-		| _ => {
-			pdu_json.remove("event_id");
-		},
-	}
+	pdu_json.remove("event_id");
+	// We need to pop unsigned temporarily for the size check
+	let unsigned_tmp = pdu_json.remove_entry("unsigned");
 
 	trace!("hashing and signing event {}", pdu.event_id);
 	if let Err(e) = self
@@ -276,24 +256,28 @@ pub async fn create_hash_and_sign_event(
 	{
 		return match e {
 			| Error::Signatures(ruma::signatures::Error::PduSize) => {
-				Err!(Request(TooLarge("Message/PDU is too long (exceeds 65535 bytes)")))
+				// Ruma does do a PDU size check when generating the content hash, but it
+				// doesn't do it very correctly.
+				Err!(Request(TooLarge("PDU is too long large (exceeds 65535 bytes)")))
 			},
 			| _ => Err!(Request(Unknown(warn!("Signing event failed: {e}")))),
 		};
 	}
+	// Verify that the *full* PDU isn't over 64KiB.
+	if !pdu_fits(&pdu_json) {
+		return Err!(Request(TooLarge("PDU is too long large (exceeds 65535 bytes)")));
+	}
+	// Re-insert unsigned data
+	if let Some((key, value)) = unsigned_tmp {
+		pdu_json.insert(key, value);
+	}
+
 	// Generate event id
 	pdu.event_id = gen_event_id(&pdu_json, &room_version_id)?;
 	pdu_json.insert("event_id".into(), CanonicalJsonValue::String(pdu.event_id.clone().into()));
-	// Verify that the *full* PDU isn't over 64KiB.
-	// Ruma only validates that it's under 64KiB before signing and hashing.
-	// Has to be cloned to prevent mutating pdu_json itself :(
-	if !pdu_fits(&mut pdu_json.clone()) {
-		// feckin huge PDU mate
-		return Err!(Request(TooLarge("Message/PDU is too long (exceeds 65535 bytes)")));
-	}
 
 	// Check with the policy server
-	if room_id.is_some() {
+	if let Some(room_id) = pdu.room_id() {
 		trace!(
 			"Checking event in room {} with policy server",
 			pdu.room_id.as_ref().map_or("None", |id| id.as_str())
@@ -301,7 +285,7 @@ pub async fn create_hash_and_sign_event(
 		match self
 			.services
 			.event_handler
-			.ask_policy_server(&pdu, &mut pdu_json, pdu.room_id().expect("has room ID"), false)
+			.ask_policy_server(&pdu, &mut pdu_json, room_id, false)
 			.await
 		{
 			| Ok(true) => {},