diff --git a/block/manager.go b/block/manager.go
index 07e6a9175..5512674df 100644
--- a/block/manager.go
+++ b/block/manager.go
@@ -166,12 +166,12 @@ func NewManager(
 	execMetrics *state.Metrics,
 ) (*Manager, error) {
 	s, err := getInitialState(store, genesis)
-	//set block height in store
-	store.SetHeight(context.Background(), s.LastBlockHeight)
-
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	//set block height in store
+	store.SetHeight(context.Background(), s.LastBlockHeight)
+
 	// genesis should have exactly one "validator", the centralized sequencer.
 	// this should have been validated in the above call to getInitialState.
 	valSet := types.GetValidatorSetFromGenesis(genesis)
diff --git a/block/manager_test.go b/block/manager_test.go
index 04b3f8eef..e3adabecd 100644
--- a/block/manager_test.go
+++ b/block/manager_test.go
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ func TestInitialStateClean(t *testing.T) {
 	es, _ := store.NewDefaultInMemoryKVStore()
 	emptyStore := store.New(es)
 	s, err := getInitialState(emptyStore, genesis)
+	require.NoError(err)
 	require.Equal(s.LastBlockHeight, uint64(genesis.InitialHeight-1))
 	require.NoError(err)
 	require.Equal(uint64(genesis.InitialHeight), s.InitialHeight)
@@ -90,6 +91,7 @@ func TestInitialStateStored(t *testing.T) {
 	err := store.UpdateState(ctx, sampleState)
 	require.NoError(err)
 	s, err := getInitialState(store, genesis)
+	require.NoError(err)
 	require.Equal(s.LastBlockHeight, uint64(100))
 	require.NoError(err)
 	require.Equal(s.InitialHeight, uint64(1))
diff --git a/node/full_client_test.go b/node/full_client_test.go
index edf96a64e..555b8876d 100644
--- a/node/full_client_test.go
+++ b/node/full_client_test.go
@@ -184,6 +184,7 @@ func TestGenesisChunked(t *testing.T) {
 	startNodeWithCleanup(t, rpc.node)
 	expectedID = 0
 	gc2, err := rpc.GenesisChunked(context.Background(), expectedID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
 	gotID := gc2.ChunkNumber
 	assert.NoError(err)
 	assert.NotNil(gc2)
diff --git a/node/full_node_integration_test.go b/node/full_node_integration_test.go
index 2746a842a..a28f7b8a4 100644
--- a/node/full_node_integration_test.go
+++ b/node/full_node_integration_test.go
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ func TestLazyAggregator(t *testing.T) {
 		BlockManagerConfig: blockManagerConfig,
 		LazyAggregator:     true,
 	}, key, signingKey, proxy.NewLocalClientCreator(app), genesisDoc, DefaultMetricsProvider(cmconfig.DefaultInstrumentationConfig()), log.TestingLogger())
+	require.NoError(err)
 	assert.False(node.IsRunning())
 	assert.NoError(err)
 
diff --git a/types/utils.go b/types/utils.go
index bb07c66b7..a3ef6e919 100644
--- a/types/utils.go
+++ b/types/utils.go
@@ -281,10 +281,10 @@ func GetFirstSignedHeader(privkey ed25519.PrivKey, valSet *cmtypes.ValidatorSet)
 		Validators: valSet,
 	}
 	commit, err := GetCommit(header, privkey)
-	signedHeader.Commit = *commit
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	signedHeader.Commit = *commit
 	return &signedHeader, nil
 }