diff --git a/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application.go b/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application.go
index 78a824d..b1c7614 100644
--- a/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application.go
+++ b/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application.go
@@ -884,10 +884,10 @@ func (a *CeremonyApplication) ApplyTransition(
 			maxRounds = maxRounds << 1
 		}
 
-		if a.RoundCount == maxRounds &&
+		if a.RoundCount >= maxRounds &&
 			uint64(len(a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits)) == a.RoundCount &&
 			len(a.ActiveParticipants) ==
-				len(a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits[a.RoundCount-1].Commits) {
+				len(a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits[maxRounds-1].Commits) {
 			a.LobbyState = CEREMONY_APPLICATION_STATE_FINALIZING
 			a.FinalCommits = a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits[a.RoundCount-1].Commits
 			a.RoundCount = 0
diff --git a/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application_in_progress.go b/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application_in_progress.go
index b61e5f3..df38dd5 100644
--- a/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application_in_progress.go
+++ b/node/execution/ceremony/application/ceremony_application_in_progress.go
@@ -220,15 +220,15 @@ func (a *CeremonyApplication) applyTranscriptCommit(
 		}
 	}
 
+	if maxRounds < a.RoundCount-1 {
+		return errors.Wrap(
+			errors.New("round limit exceeded"),
+			"apply transcript commit",
+		)
+	}
+
 	if len(a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits[a.RoundCount-1].Commits) ==
 		len(a.ActiveParticipants) {
-		if maxRounds ==
-			uint64(len(a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits)) {
-			return errors.Wrap(
-				errors.New("round limit exceeded"),
-				"apply transcript commit",
-			)
-		}
 		a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits = append(
 			a.TranscriptRoundAdvanceCommits,
 			&protobufs.CeremonyAdvanceRound{
diff --git a/node/execution/ceremony/ceremony_execution_engine.go b/node/execution/ceremony/ceremony_execution_engine.go
index fd8239b..71fc5a2 100644
--- a/node/execution/ceremony/ceremony_execution_engine.go
+++ b/node/execution/ceremony/ceremony_execution_engine.go
@@ -425,6 +425,7 @@ func (e *CeremonyExecutionEngine) RunWorker() {
 				err := e.connectToActivePeers(app, position)
 				if err != nil {
 					e.logger.Error("error while connecting to peers", zap.Error(err))
+					e.publishDroppedParticipant(e.proverPublicKey)
 					continue
 				}
 			}
@@ -703,6 +704,14 @@ func (e *CeremonyExecutionEngine) connectToActivePeers(
 				e.pubSub,
 			)
 			if err != nil {
+				e.logger.Error(
+					"could not establish p2p channel",
+					zap.Binary(
+						"proving_key",
+						p.PublicKeySignatureEd448.PublicKey.KeyValue,
+					),
+					zap.Error(err),
+				)
 				return errors.Wrap(err, "connect to active peers")
 			}
 		}