diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3a2712ab..f48037ad 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/)
 
 * [#194](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/vigilante/pull/194) fix: reduce locks
 * [#195](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/vigilante/pull/195) chore: bump bbn to rc4
+* [#196](https://github.com/babylonlabs-io/vigilante/pull/196) fix: reporter ensure bootstrap happens on error
 
 ## v0.19.7
 
diff --git a/reporter/block_handler.go b/reporter/block_handler.go
index 63e5fd2d..9765f52b 100644
--- a/reporter/block_handler.go
+++ b/reporter/block_handler.go
@@ -93,10 +93,11 @@ func (r *Reporter) processNewBlock(ib *types.IndexedBlock) error {
 	}
 
 	signer := r.babylonClient.MustGetAddr()
-
 	// Process headers
 	if _, err := r.ProcessHeaders(signer, headersToProcess); err != nil {
 		r.logger.Warnf("Failed to submit headers: %v", err)
+
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to submit headers: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	// Process checkpoints