diff --git a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/fetch_state.rs b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/fetch_state.rs
index c23a562a0..a4feaaa66 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/fetch_state.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/fetch_state.rs
@@ -165,8 +165,13 @@ impl super::Service {
 			.get_shortstatekey(&StateEventType::RoomCreate, "")
 			.await?;
 
-		if state.get(&create_shortstatekey).map(AsRef::as_ref) != Some(create_event.event_id()) {
-			return Err!(Request(Forbidden("Incoming event refers to wrong create event.")));
+		let create_event_id = state.get(&create_shortstatekey).map(AsRef::as_ref);
+		if create_event_id != Some(create_event.event_id()) {
+			return Err!(Request(Forbidden(
+				"Incoming event refers to wrong create event: expected {}, got: \
+				 {create_event_id:?}",
+				create_event.event_id()
+			)));
 		}
 
 		Ok(Some(state))
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs
index 305df60e9..4b2927ec2 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_incoming_pdu.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 use std::{collections::BTreeMap, time::Instant};
 
 use conduwuit::{
-	Err, Event, PduEvent, Result, debug_error, debug_info, defer, err, implement, info, trace,
-	warn,
+	Err, Event, PduEvent, Result, debug_error, debug_info, defer, err, error, implement, info,
+	trace, warn,
 };
 use futures::{
 	FutureExt,
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ pub async fn handle_incoming_pdu<'a>(
 		.and_then(|v| v.as_str())
 		.ok_or_else(|| err!("No sender in object"))
 		.and_then(|v| Ok(UserId::parse(v)?))
-		.map_err(|e| err!(Request(InvalidParam("PDU does not have a valid sender key: {e}"))))?;
+		.map_err(|e| err!(Request(BadJson("PDU does not have a valid sender key: {e}"))))?;
 
 	let sender_acl_check: OptionFuture<_> = sender
 		.server_name()
@@ -223,7 +223,8 @@ pub async fn handle_incoming_pdu<'a>(
 
 	let (incoming_pdu, val) = self
 		.handle_outlier_pdu(origin, create_event, event_id, room_id, value, false)
-		.await?;
+		.await
+		.inspect(|e| error!("[TODO] Failed to handle outlier PDU: {e:?}"))?;
 
 	// 8. if not timeline event: stop
 	if !is_timeline_event {
@@ -242,9 +243,11 @@ pub async fn handle_incoming_pdu<'a>(
 	//    These are timeline events
 
 	self.fetch_prevs(room_id, create_event, &incoming_pdu, origin)
-		.await?;
+		.await
+		.inspect_err(|e| error!("[TODO] Failed to fetch_prevs: {e:?}"))?;
 
 	// Done with prev events, now handling the incoming event
 	self.upgrade_outlier_to_timeline_pdu(incoming_pdu, val, create_event, origin, room_id)
 		.await
+		.inspect_err(|e| error!("[TODO] Failed to upgrade outlier to timeline pdu: {e:?}"))
 }
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs
index 64d1a9acd..91e9d91ba 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/event_handler/handle_outlier_pdu.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use std::collections::{BTreeMap, HashMap, hash_map};
 
 use conduwuit::{
 	Err, Event, PduEvent, Result, debug, debug_info, debug_warn, err, implement, info, state_res,
-	trace, warn,
+	state_res::EventTypeExt, trace, warn,
 };
 use futures::future::ready;
 use ruma::{
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ where
 				event_id,
 			);
 			self.services.pdu_metadata.mark_event_rejected(event_id);
-			return Err!(Request(InvalidParam("Event has rejected auth event: {aid}")));
+			return Err!(Request(Forbidden("Event has rejected auth event: {aid}")));
 		}
 
 		if let Ok(auth_event) = self.services.timeline.get_pdu(aid).await {
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ where
 			let (auth_event_room_id, auth_event_id, auth_pdu_json) =
 				self.parse_incoming_pdu(&auth_pdu_json).await?;
 			if auth_event_room_id != room_id {
-				return Err!(Request(BadJson(
+				return Err!(Request(Forbidden(
 					"Auth event {auth_event_id} is in {auth_event_room_id}, not {room_id}."
 				)));
 			}
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ where
 					.outlier
 					.add_pdu_outlier(pdu_event.event_id(), &incoming_pdu);
 				self.services.pdu_metadata.mark_event_rejected(event_id);
-				return Err!(Request(InvalidParam(
+				return Err!(Request(Forbidden(
 					"Auth event's type and state_key combination exists multiple times: {}, {}",
 					auth_event.kind,
 					auth_event.state_key().unwrap_or("")
@@ -205,15 +205,22 @@ where
 	}
 
 	// The original create event must be in the auth events
-	if !matches!(
-		auth_events_by_key.get(&(StateEventType::RoomCreate, String::new().into())),
-		Some(_) | None
-	) {
-		self.services.pdu_metadata.mark_event_rejected(event_id);
-		self.services
-			.outlier
-			.add_pdu_outlier(pdu_event.event_id(), &incoming_pdu);
-		return Err!(Request(InvalidParam("Incoming event refers to wrong create event.")));
+	let claimed_create_event =
+		auth_events_by_key.get(&StateEventType::RoomCreate.with_state_key(""));
+	if let Some(claimed_create_event) = claimed_create_event {
+		if claimed_create_event.event_id() != create_event.event_id() {
+			self.services.pdu_metadata.mark_event_rejected(event_id);
+			self.services
+				.outlier
+				.add_pdu_outlier(pdu_event.event_id(), &incoming_pdu);
+			return Err!(Request(Forbidden(
+				"Incoming event refers to wrong create event (expected {}, got {})",
+				create_event.event_id(),
+				claimed_create_event.event_id(),
+			)));
+		}
+	} else if !pdu_event.auth_events.is_empty() {
+		return Err!(Request(Forbidden("Incoming event does not refer to any create event")));
 	}
 
 	let state_fetch = |ty: &StateEventType, sk: &str| {