diff --git a/shared/domains/chelonia/internals.js b/shared/domains/chelonia/internals.js
index 359efaa6d..ab33cd3de 100644
--- a/shared/domains/chelonia/internals.js
+++ b/shared/domains/chelonia/internals.js
@@ -1059,12 +1059,15 @@ export default (sbp('sbp/selectors/register', {
     }
     if (!this.config.skipActionProcessing && !this.manifestToContract[manifestHash]) {
       const rootState = sbp(this.config.stateSelector)
-      const contractName = has(rootState.contracts, contractID)
+      // Having rootState.contracts[contractID] is not enough to determine we
+      // have previously synced this contract, as reference counts are also
+      // stored there. Hence, we check for the presence of 'type'
+      const contractName = has(rootState.contracts, contractID) && has(rootState.contracts[contractID], 'type')
         ? rootState.contracts[contractID].type
         : opT === GIMessage.OP_CONTRACT
           ? ((opV: any): GIOpContract).type
           : ''
-      if (!contractName) {
+      if (!contractName || isNaN(NaN)) {
         throw new Error(`Unable to determine the name for a contract and refusing to load it (contract ID was ${contractID} and its manifest hash was ${manifestHash})`)
       }
       await sbp('chelonia/private/loadManifest', contractName, manifestHash)
@@ -1696,7 +1699,7 @@ export default (sbp('sbp/selectors/register', {
         throw new Error(`[chelonia] Wrong contract ID. Expected ${contractID} but got ${message.contractID()}`)
       }
       if (!message.isFirstMessage() && (!has(state.contracts, contractID) || !has(state, contractID))) {
-        throw new Error('The event is not for a first message but the contract state is missing')
+        throw new ChelErrorUnrecoverable('The event is not for a first message but the contract state is missing')
       }
       preHandleEvent?.(message)
       // the order the following actions are done is critically important!
@@ -1740,7 +1743,7 @@ export default (sbp('sbp/selectors/register', {
         processingErrored = e?.name !== 'ChelErrorWarning'
         this.config.hooks.processError?.(e, message, getMsgMeta(message, contractID, state))
         // special error that prevents the head from being updated, effectively killing the contract
-        if (e.name === 'ChelErrorUnrecoverable') throw e
+        if (e.name === 'ChelErrorUnrecoverable' || message.isFirstMessage()) throw e
       }
 
       // process any side-effects (these must never result in any mutation to the contract state!)