diff --git a/crates/sc-consensus-subspace/src/archiver.rs b/crates/sc-consensus-subspace/src/archiver.rs
index c4ed38d2f2..3339df118f 100644
--- a/crates/sc-consensus-subspace/src/archiver.rs
+++ b/crates/sc-consensus-subspace/src/archiver.rs
@@ -687,16 +687,19 @@ where
 
             let last_archived_block_encoded = encode_block(last_archived_block);
 
-            let archiver = Archiver::with_initial_state(
+            Archiver::with_initial_state(
                 subspace_link.kzg().clone(),
                 subspace_link.erasure_coding().clone(),
                 last_segment_header,
                 &last_archived_block_encoded,
                 block_object_mappings,
             )
-            .expect("Incorrect parameters for archiver");
-
-            archiver
+            .map_err(|error| {
+                sp_blockchain::Error::Application(
+                    format!("Incorrect parameters for archiver: {error:?} {last_segment_header:?}")
+                        .into(),
+                )
+            })?
         } else {
             info!("Starting archiving from genesis");
 
diff --git a/crates/subspace-archiving/src/archiver.rs b/crates/subspace-archiving/src/archiver.rs
index f45e7890dc..a87d3e09bb 100644
--- a/crates/subspace-archiving/src/archiver.rs
+++ b/crates/subspace-archiving/src/archiver.rs
@@ -201,12 +201,13 @@ pub struct ArchiveBlockOutcome {
 /// Archiver instantiation error
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Eq, PartialEq, Ord, PartialOrd, Hash, thiserror::Error)]
 pub enum ArchiverInstantiationError {
-    /// Invalid last archived block, its size is the same as encoded block
-    #[error("Invalid last archived block, its size {0} bytes is the same as encoded block")]
-    InvalidLastArchivedBlock(BlockNumber),
-    /// Invalid block, its size is smaller than already archived number of bytes
+    /// Invalid last archived block, its size is the same as the encoded block
+    /// (so it should have been completely archived, not partially archived)
+    #[error("Invalid last archived block, its size {0} bytes is the same as the encoded block")]
+    InvalidLastArchivedBlock(u32),
+    /// Invalid block, its size is smaller than the already archived number of bytes
     #[error(
-        "Invalid block, its size {block_bytes} bytes is smaller than already archived \
+        "Invalid block, its size {block_bytes} bytes is smaller than the already archived block \
         {archived_block_bytes} bytes"
     )]
     InvalidBlockSmallSize {