diff --git a/crates/sui-core/src/authority_server.rs b/crates/sui-core/src/authority_server.rs
index 6c8bdc956c391..af4d80ae342d4 100644
--- a/crates/sui-core/src/authority_server.rs
+++ b/crates/sui-core/src/authority_server.rs
@@ -198,6 +198,7 @@ pub struct ValidatorServiceMetrics {
     forwarded_header_parse_error: IntCounter,
     forwarded_header_invalid: IntCounter,
     forwarded_header_not_included: IntCounter,
+    client_id_source_config_mismatch: IntCounter,
 }
 
 impl ValidatorServiceMetrics {
@@ -329,6 +330,12 @@ impl ValidatorServiceMetrics {
                 registry,
             )
             .unwrap(),
+            client_id_source_config_mismatch: register_int_counter_with_registry!(
+                "validator_service_client_id_source_config_mismatch",
+                "Number of times detected that client id source config doesn't agree with x-forwarded-for header",
+                registry,
+            )
+            .unwrap(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -1225,19 +1232,19 @@ impl ValidatorService {
                                 return None;
                             }
                             let contents_len = header_contents.len();
-                            // Network topology should not be very dynamic, therefore if it changes and the above
-                            // invariant is violated, we should fail loudly so that the node config can be updated.
-                            assert!(
-                                contents_len >= *num_hops,
-                                "x-forwarded-for header value of {:?} contains {} values, but {} hops were specified. \
-                                Expected at least {} values. Please correctly set the `x-forwarded-for` value under \
-                                `client-id-source` in the node config.",
-                                header_contents,
-                                contents_len,
-                                num_hops,
-                                contents_len,
-                            );
-                            let contents_len = header_contents.len();
+                            if contents_len < *num_hops {
+                                error!(
+                                    "x-forwarded-for header value of {:?} contains {} values, but {} hops were specified. \
+                                    Expected at least {} values. Please correctly set the `x-forwarded-for` value under \
+                                    `client-id-source` in the node config.",
+                                    header_contents,
+                                    contents_len,
+                                    num_hops,
+                                    contents_len,
+                                );
+                                self.metrics.client_id_source_config_mismatch.inc();
+                                return None;
+                            }
                             let Some(client_ip) = header_contents.get(contents_len - num_hops)
                             else {
                                 error!(
@@ -1337,8 +1344,10 @@ fn make_tonic_request_for_testing<T>(message: T) -> tonic::Request<T> {
 // TODO: refine error matching here
 fn normalize(err: SuiError) -> Weight {
     match err {
-        SuiError::UserInputError { .. }
-        | SuiError::InvalidSignature { .. }
+        SuiError::UserInputError {
+            error: UserInputError::IncorrectUserSignature { .. },
+        } => Weight::one(),
+        SuiError::InvalidSignature { .. }
         | SuiError::SignerSignatureAbsent { .. }
         | SuiError::SignerSignatureNumberMismatch { .. }
         | SuiError::IncorrectSigner { .. }
diff --git a/crates/sui-core/src/traffic_controller/mod.rs b/crates/sui-core/src/traffic_controller/mod.rs
index f759e1d58ee75..8d1dbbe0a8c31 100644
--- a/crates/sui-core/src/traffic_controller/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/sui-core/src/traffic_controller/mod.rs
@@ -284,7 +284,6 @@ async fn run_clear_blocklists_loop(blocklists: Blocklists, metrics: Arc<TrafficC
         metrics
             .connection_ip_blocklist_len
             .set(blocklists.clients.len() as i64);
-        debug!("Connection_ip_blocklist: {:?}", blocklists.clients);
         metrics
             .proxy_ip_blocklist_len
             .set(blocklists.proxied_clients.len() as i64);
@@ -379,13 +378,13 @@ async fn run_tally_loop(
                     metrics
                         .highest_direct_spam_rate
                         .set(highest_direct_rate.0 as i64);
-                    trace!("Recent highest direct spam rate: {:?}", highest_direct_rate);
+                    debug!("Recent highest direct spam rate: {:?}", highest_direct_rate);
                 }
                 if let Some(highest_proxied_rate) = spam_policy.highest_proxied_rate() {
                     metrics
                         .highest_proxied_spam_rate
                         .set(highest_proxied_rate.0 as i64);
-                    trace!(
+                    debug!(
                         "Recent highest proxied spam rate: {:?}",
                         highest_proxied_rate
                     );
@@ -396,7 +395,7 @@ async fn run_tally_loop(
                     metrics
                         .highest_direct_error_rate
                         .set(highest_direct_rate.0 as i64);
-                    trace!(
+                    debug!(
                         "Recent highest direct error rate: {:?}",
                         highest_direct_rate
                     );
@@ -405,7 +404,7 @@ async fn run_tally_loop(
                     metrics
                         .highest_proxied_error_rate
                         .set(highest_proxied_rate.0 as i64);
-                    trace!(
+                    debug!(
                         "Recent highest proxied error rate: {:?}",
                         highest_proxied_rate
                     );
diff --git a/crates/sui-e2e-tests/tests/traffic_control_tests.rs b/crates/sui-e2e-tests/tests/traffic_control_tests.rs
index a8f6b8bd1eaaa..f11fcbdbbaaec 100644
--- a/crates/sui-e2e-tests/tests/traffic_control_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/sui-e2e-tests/tests/traffic_control_tests.rs
@@ -26,12 +26,15 @@ use sui_network::default_mysten_network_config;
 use sui_swarm_config::network_config_builder::ConfigBuilder;
 use sui_test_transaction_builder::batch_make_transfer_transactions;
 use sui_types::{
+    crypto::Ed25519SuiSignature,
     quorum_driver_types::ExecuteTransactionRequestType,
+    signature::GenericSignature,
     traffic_control::{
         FreqThresholdConfig, PolicyConfig, PolicyType, RemoteFirewallConfig, Weight,
     },
 };
 use test_cluster::{TestCluster, TestClusterBuilder};
+use tracing::{error, info};
 
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn test_validator_traffic_control_noop() -> Result<(), anyhow::Error> {
@@ -225,7 +228,7 @@ async fn test_validator_traffic_control_error_blocked() -> Result<(), anyhow::Er
         .with_policy_config(Some(policy_config))
         .build();
     let committee = network_config.committee_with_network();
-    let _test_cluster = TestClusterBuilder::new()
+    let test_cluster = TestClusterBuilder::new()
         .set_network_config(network_config)
         .build()
         .await;
@@ -235,23 +238,25 @@ async fn test_validator_traffic_control_error_blocked() -> Result<(), anyhow::Er
     );
     let (_, auth_client) = local_clients.first_key_value().unwrap();
 
-    // transaction signed using user wallet from a different chain/genesis,
-    // therefore we should fail with UserInputError
-    let other_cluster = TestClusterBuilder::new().build().await;
-
-    let mut txns = batch_make_transfer_transactions(&other_cluster.wallet, n as usize).await;
-    let tx = txns.swap_remove(0);
+    let mut txns = batch_make_transfer_transactions(&test_cluster.wallet, n as usize).await;
+    let mut tx = txns.swap_remove(0);
+    let signatures = tx.tx_signatures_mut_for_testing();
+    signatures.pop();
+    signatures.push(GenericSignature::Signature(
+        sui_types::crypto::Signature::Ed25519SuiSignature(Ed25519SuiSignature::default()),
+    ));
 
     // it should take no more than 4 requests to be added to the blocklist
     for _ in 0..n {
         let response = auth_client.handle_transaction(tx.clone(), None).await;
         if let Err(err) = response {
+            println!("TESTING -- Error: {:?}", err);
             if err.to_string().contains("Too many requests") {
                 return Ok(());
             }
         }
     }
-    panic!("Expected spam policy to trigger within {n} requests");
+    panic!("Expected error policy to trigger within {n} requests");
 }
 
 #[tokio::test]
@@ -406,7 +411,7 @@ async fn test_validator_traffic_control_error_delegated() -> Result<(), anyhow::
         .with_firewall_config(Some(firewall_config))
         .build();
     let committee = network_config.committee_with_network();
-    let _test_cluster = TestClusterBuilder::new()
+    let test_cluster = TestClusterBuilder::new()
         .set_network_config(network_config)
         .build()
         .await;
@@ -416,12 +421,13 @@ async fn test_validator_traffic_control_error_delegated() -> Result<(), anyhow::
     );
     let (_, auth_client) = local_clients.first_key_value().unwrap();
 
-    // transaction signed using user wallet from a different chain/genesis,
-    // therefore we should fail with UserInputError
-    let other_cluster = TestClusterBuilder::new().build().await;
-
-    let mut txns = batch_make_transfer_transactions(&other_cluster.wallet, n as usize).await;
-    let tx = txns.swap_remove(0);
+    let mut txns = batch_make_transfer_transactions(&test_cluster.wallet, n as usize).await;
+    let mut tx = txns.swap_remove(0);
+    let signatures = tx.tx_signatures_mut_for_testing();
+    signatures.pop();
+    signatures.push(GenericSignature::Signature(
+        sui_types::crypto::Signature::Ed25519SuiSignature(Ed25519SuiSignature::default()),
+    ));
 
     // start test firewall server
     let mut server = NodeFwTestServer::new();