diff --git a/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.cpp b/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.cpp
index 7b08c6a31..52c53d7b0 100644
--- a/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.cpp
+++ b/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.cpp
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ namespace llarp::consensus
   }
 
   std::vector<std::pair<RouterID, int>>
-  reachability_testing::get_failing(AbstractRouter*, const time_point_t& now)
+  reachability_testing::get_failing(const time_point_t& now)
   {
     // Our failing_queue puts the oldest retest times at the top, so pop them off into our result
     // until the top node should be retested sometime in the future
@@ -148,4 +148,10 @@ namespace llarp::consensus
     failing_queue.emplace(pk, steady_clock::now() + next_test_in, previous_failures + 1);
   }
 
+  void
+  reachability_testing::remove_node_from_failing(const RouterID& pk)
+  {
+    failing.erase(pk);
+  }
+
 }  // namespace llarp::consensus
diff --git a/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.hpp b/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.hpp
index 1109500a9..ecea88039 100644
--- a/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.hpp
+++ b/llarp/consensus/reachability_testing.hpp
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ namespace llarp::consensus
     // Removes and returns up to MAX_RETESTS_PER_TICK nodes that are due to be tested (i.e.
     // next-testing-time <= now).  Returns [snrecord, #previous-failures] for each.
     std::vector<std::pair<RouterID, int>>
-    get_failing(AbstractRouter* router, const time_point_t& now = clock_t::now());
+    get_failing(const time_point_t& now = clock_t::now());
 
     // Adds a bad node pubkey to the failing list, to be re-tested soon (with a backoff depending on
     // `failures`; see TESTING_BACKOFF).  `previous_failures` should be the number of previous
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ namespace llarp::consensus
     void
     add_failing_node(const RouterID& pk, int previous_failures = 0);
 
+    /// removes the public key from the failing set
+    void
+    remove_node_from_failing(const RouterID& pk);
+
     // Called when this router receives an incomming session
     void
     incoming_ping(const time_point_t& now = clock_t::now());
diff --git a/llarp/router/router.cpp b/llarp/router/router.cpp
index 403959ed0..f66eb0616 100644
--- a/llarp/router/router.cpp
+++ b/llarp/router/router.cpp
@@ -1197,13 +1197,21 @@ namespace llarp
         // dont run tests if we are decommissioned
         if (LooksDecommissioned())
           return;
-        auto tests = m_routerTesting.get_failing(this);
+        auto tests = m_routerTesting.get_failing();
         if (auto maybe = m_routerTesting.next_random(this))
         {
           tests.emplace_back(*maybe, 0);
         }
         for (const auto& [router, fails] : tests)
         {
+          if (not SessionToRouterAllowed(router))
+          {
+            LogDebug(
+                router,
+                " is no longer a registered service node so we remove it from the testing list");
+            m_routerTesting.remove_node_from_failing(router);
+            continue;
+          }
           LogDebug("Establishing session to ", router, " for SN testing");
           // try to make a session to this random router
           // this will do a dht lookup if needed
@@ -1222,16 +1230,23 @@ namespace llarp
                       previous_fails + 1,
                       " consecutive failures)");
                 }
-                else if (previous_fails > 0)
-                  LogInfo(
-                      "Successful SN connection test to ",
-                      router,
-                      " after ",
-                      previous_fails,
-                      " failures");
                 else
-                  LogDebug("Successful SN connection test to ", router);
-
+                {
+                  m_routerTesting.remove_node_from_failing(router);
+                  if (previous_fails > 0)
+                  {
+                    LogInfo(
+                        "Successful SN connection test to ",
+                        router,
+                        " after ",
+                        previous_fails,
+                        " failures");
+                  }
+                  else
+                  {
+                    LogDebug("Successful SN connection test to ", router);
+                  }
+                }
                 if (rpc)
                 {
                   // inform as needed