diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 559ad4933fef..115cb1d06570 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -19,17 +19,25 @@ concurrency:
 
 env:
   CI_FAILFAST_TEST_LEAVE_DANGLING: 1  # GHA does not care about dangling processes and setting this variable avoids killing the CI script itself on error
-  MAKEJOBS: '-j10'
+  MAKEJOBS: '-j8'
 
 jobs:
   test-each-commit:
     name: 'test each commit'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=16cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
     if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.commits != 1
     timeout-minutes: 360  # Use maximum time, see https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions#jobsjob_idtimeout-minutes. Assuming a worst case time of 1 hour per commit, this leads to a --max-count=6 below.
     env:
       MAX_COUNT: 6
+      CCACHE_DIR: /tmp/.ccache
     steps:
+      - name: Configure cache
+        uses: runs-on/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: /tmp/.ccache
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-ccache-${{ github.sha }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            ${{ runner.os }}-ccache-
       - name: Determine fetch depth
         run: echo "FETCH_DEPTH=$((${{ github.event.pull_request.commits }} + 2))" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -65,210 +73,221 @@ jobs:
             EXCLUDE_MERGE_BASE_ANCESTORS=^${MERGE_BASE}^@
           fi
           echo "TEST_BASE=$(git rev-list -n$((${{ env.MAX_COUNT }} + 1)) --reverse HEAD $EXCLUDE_MERGE_BASE_ANCESTORS | head -1)" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-      - run: |
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
           sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install clang ccache build-essential cmake pkg-config python3-zmq libevent-dev libboost-dev libsqlite3-dev libdb++-dev systemtap-sdt-dev libminiupnpc-dev libnatpmp-dev libzmq3-dev qtbase5-dev qttools5-dev qttools5-dev-tools qtwayland5 libqrencode-dev -y
+          sudo apt-get install ccache build-essential cmake pkg-config python3-zmq libevent-dev libboost-dev libsqlite3-dev libdb++-dev systemtap-sdt-dev libminiupnpc-dev libnatpmp-dev libzmq3-dev qtbase5-dev qttools5-dev qttools5-dev-tools qtwayland5 libqrencode-dev -y
+          # Temp hack to install clang-17
+          wget https://apt.llvm.org/llvm.sh
+          chmod +x llvm.sh
+          sudo ./llvm.sh 17
+      - name: Configure ccache
+        run: |
+          ccache --max-size=16G
+          ccache -z
       - name: Compile and run tests
         run: |
           # Run tests on commits after the last merge commit and before the PR head commit
           # Use clang++, because it is a bit faster and uses less memory than g++
-          git rebase --exec "echo Running test-one-commit on \$( git log -1 ) && CC=clang CXX=clang++ cmake -B build -DWITH_ZMQ=ON -DBUILD_GUI=ON -DBUILD_BENCH=ON -DBUILD_FUZZ_BINARY=ON -DWITH_BDB=ON -DWITH_NATPMP=ON -DWITH_MINIUPNPC=ON -DWITH_USDT=ON && cmake --build build -j $(nproc) && ctest --test-dir build -j $(nproc) && ./build/test/functional/test_runner.py -j $(( $(nproc) * 2 ))" ${{ env.TEST_BASE }}
-
-  macos-native-x86_64:
-    name: 'macOS 13 native, x86_64, no depends, sqlite only, gui'
-    # Use latest image, but hardcode version to avoid silent upgrades (and breaks).
-    # See: https://github.com/actions/runner-images#available-images.
-    runs-on: macos-13
-
-    # No need to run on the read-only mirror, unless it is a PR.
-    if: github.repository != 'bitcoin-core/gui' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
-
-    timeout-minutes: 120
-
-    env:
-      DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST: 1
-      FILE_ENV: './ci/test/00_setup_env_mac_native.sh'
-      BASE_ROOT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Clang version
-        run: |
-          sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode_15.0.app
-          clang --version
-
-      - name: Install Homebrew packages
-        env:
-          HOMEBREW_NO_INSTALLED_DEPENDENTS_CHECK: 1
-        run: |
-          # A workaround for "The `brew link` step did not complete successfully" error.
-          brew install --quiet python@3 || brew link --overwrite python@3
-          brew install --quiet automake libtool pkg-config gnu-getopt ccache boost libevent miniupnpc libnatpmp zeromq qt@5 qrencode
-
-      - name: Set Ccache directory
-        run: echo "CCACHE_DIR=${RUNNER_TEMP}/ccache_dir" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-
-      - name: Restore Ccache cache
-        id: ccache-cache
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
-        with:
-          path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
-          restore-keys: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-
-
-      - name: CI script
-        run: ./ci/test_run_all.sh
-
-      - name: Save Ccache cache
-        uses: actions/cache/save@v4
-        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.ccache-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
-        with:
-          path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
-          # https://github.com/actions/cache/blob/main/tips-and-workarounds.md#update-a-cache
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
-
-  win64-native:
-    name: 'Win64 native, VS 2022'
-    # Use latest image, but hardcode version to avoid silent upgrades (and breaks).
-    # See: https://github.com/actions/runner-images#available-images.
-    runs-on: windows-2022
-
-    # No need to run on the read-only mirror, unless it is a PR.
-    if: github.repository != 'bitcoin-core/gui' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
-
-    env:
-      PYTHONUTF8: 1
-      TEST_RUNNER_TIMEOUT_FACTOR: 40
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Remove non-MSVC tool installations
-        run: |
-          Remove-Item -Path "$env:ProgramFiles/CMake" -Recurse -Force
-
-      - name: Configure Developer Command Prompt for Microsoft Visual C++
-        # Using microsoft/setup-msbuild is not enough.
-        uses: ilammy/msvc-dev-cmd@v1
-        with:
-          arch: x64
-
-      - name: Get tool information
-        run: |
-          cmake -version | Tee-Object -FilePath "cmake_version"
-          Write-Output "---"
-          msbuild -version | Tee-Object -FilePath "msbuild_version"
-          $env:VCToolsVersion | Tee-Object -FilePath "toolset_version"
-          py -3 --version
-          Write-Host "PowerShell version $($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.ToString())"
-
-      - name: Using vcpkg with MSBuild
-        run: |
-          Set-Location "$env:VCPKG_INSTALLATION_ROOT"
-          Add-Content -Path "triplets\x64-windows.cmake" -Value "set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)"
-          Add-Content -Path "triplets\x64-windows-static.cmake" -Value "set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)"
-
-      - name: vcpkg tools cache
-        uses: actions/cache@v4
-        with:
-          path: C:/vcpkg/downloads/tools
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-vcpkg-tools
-
-      - name: Restore vcpkg binary cache
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
-        id: vcpkg-binary-cache
-        with:
-          path: ~/AppData/Local/vcpkg/archives
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-vcpkg-binary-${{ hashFiles('cmake_version', 'msbuild_version', 'toolset_version', 'vcpkg.json') }}
-
-      - name: Generate build system
-        run: |
-          cmake -B build --preset vs2022-static -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$env:VCPKG_INSTALLATION_ROOT\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake" -DBUILD_BENCH=ON -DBUILD_FUZZ_BINARY=ON -DWERROR=ON
-
-      - name: Save vcpkg binary cache
-        uses: actions/cache/save@v4
-        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.vcpkg-binary-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
-        with:
-          path: ~/AppData/Local/vcpkg/archives
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-vcpkg-binary-${{ hashFiles('cmake_version', 'msbuild_version', 'toolset_version', 'vcpkg.json') }}
-
-      - name: Build
-        working-directory: build
-        run: |
-          cmake --build . -j $env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS --config Release
-
-      - name: Run test suite
-        working-directory: build
-        run: |
-          ctest -j $env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS -C Release
-
-      - name: Run functional tests
-        working-directory: build
-        env:
-          BITCOIND: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoind.exe'
-          BITCOINCLI: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoin-cli.exe'
-          BITCOINUTIL: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoin-util.exe'
-          BITCOINWALLET: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoin-wallet.exe'
-          TEST_RUNNER_EXTRA: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' && '--extended' || '' }}
-        shell: cmd
-        run: py -3 test\functional\test_runner.py --jobs %NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS% --ci --quiet --tmpdirprefix=%RUNNER_TEMP% --combinedlogslen=99999999 --timeout-factor=%TEST_RUNNER_TIMEOUT_FACTOR% %TEST_RUNNER_EXTRA%
-
-      - name: Clone fuzz corpus
-        run: |
-          git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/bitcoin-core/qa-assets "$env:RUNNER_TEMP\qa-assets"
-          Set-Location "$env:RUNNER_TEMP\qa-assets"
-          Write-Host "Using qa-assets repo from commit ..."
-          git log -1
-
-      - name: Run fuzz binaries
-        working-directory: build
-        env:
-          BITCOINFUZZ: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\test\fuzz\Release\fuzz.exe'
-        shell: cmd
-        run: py -3 test\fuzz\test_runner.py --par %NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS% --loglevel DEBUG %RUNNER_TEMP%\qa-assets\fuzz_seed_corpus
-
-  asan-lsan-ubsan-integer-no-depends-usdt:
-    name: 'ASan + LSan + UBSan + integer, no depends, USDT'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04 # has to match container in ci/test/00_setup_env_native_asan.sh for tracing tools
-    # No need to run on the read-only mirror, unless it is a PR.
-    if: github.repository != 'bitcoin-core/gui' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
-    timeout-minutes: 120
-    env:
-      FILE_ENV: "./ci/test/00_setup_env_native_asan.sh"
-      DANGER_CI_ON_HOST_CACHE_FOLDERS: 1
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set Ccache directory
-        run: echo "CCACHE_DIR=${RUNNER_TEMP}/ccache_dir" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-
-      - name: Set base root directory
-        run: echo "BASE_ROOT_DIR=${RUNNER_TEMP}" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-
-      - name: Restore Ccache cache
-        id: ccache-cache
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
-        with:
-          path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
-          restore-keys: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-
-
-      - name: Enable bpfcc script
-        # In the image build step, no external environment variables are available,
-        # so any settings will need to be written to the settings env file:
-        run: sed -i "s|\${INSTALL_BCC_TRACING_TOOLS}|true|g" ./ci/test/00_setup_env_native_asan.sh
-
-      - name: CI script
-        run: ./ci/test_run_all.sh
-
-      - name: Save Ccache cache
-        uses: actions/cache/save@v4
-        if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.ccache-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
-        with:
-          path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
-          # https://github.com/actions/cache/blob/main/tips-and-workarounds.md#update-a-cache
-          key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
+          git rebase --exec "echo Running test-one-commit on \$( git log -1 ) && CC='clang-17' CXX='clang++-17' cmake -B build -DWITH_CCACHE=ON -DWITH_ZMQ=ON -DBUILD_GUI=ON -DBUILD_BENCH=ON -DBUILD_FUZZ_BINARY=ON -DWITH_BDB=ON -DWITH_NATPMP=ON -DWITH_MINIUPNPC=ON -DWITH_USDT=ON && cmake --build build -j $(nproc) && ctest --test-dir build -j $(nproc) && ./build/test/functional/test_runner.py -j $(( $(nproc) * 2 ))" ${{ env.TEST_BASE }}
+      - name: ccache statistics
+        run: ccache -s
+
+  # macos-native-x86_64:
+  #   name: 'macOS 13 native, x86_64, no depends, sqlite only, gui'
+  #   # Use latest image, but hardcode version to avoid silent upgrades (and breaks).
+  #   # See: https://github.com/actions/runner-images#available-images.
+  #   runs-on: macos-13
+  #
+  #   # No need to run on the read-only mirror, unless it is a PR.
+  #   if: github.repository != 'bitcoin-core/gui' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+  #
+  #   timeout-minutes: 120
+  #
+  #   env:
+  #     DANGER_RUN_CI_ON_HOST: 1
+  #     FILE_ENV: './ci/test/00_setup_env_mac_native.sh'
+  #     BASE_ROOT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}
+  #
+  #   steps:
+  #     - name: Checkout
+  #       uses: actions/checkout@v4
+  #
+  #     - name: Clang version
+  #       run: |
+  #         sudo xcode-select --switch /Applications/Xcode_15.0.app
+  #         clang --version
+  #
+  #     - name: Install Homebrew packages
+  #       env:
+  #         HOMEBREW_NO_INSTALLED_DEPENDENTS_CHECK: 1
+  #       run: |
+  #         # A workaround for "The `brew link` step did not complete successfully" error.
+  #         brew install --quiet python@3 || brew link --overwrite python@3
+  #         brew install --quiet automake libtool pkg-config gnu-getopt ccache boost libevent miniupnpc libnatpmp zeromq qt@5 qrencode
+  #
+  #     - name: Set Ccache directory
+  #       run: echo "CCACHE_DIR=${RUNNER_TEMP}/ccache_dir" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+  #
+  #     - name: Restore Ccache cache
+  #       id: ccache-cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+  #       with:
+  #         path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
+  #         restore-keys: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-
+  #
+  #     - name: CI script
+  #       run: ./ci/test_run_all.sh
+  #
+  #     - name: Save Ccache cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache/save@v4
+  #       if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.ccache-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+  #       with:
+  #         path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
+  #         # https://github.com/actions/cache/blob/main/tips-and-workarounds.md#update-a-cache
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
+  #
+  # win64-native:
+  #   name: 'Win64 native, VS 2022'
+  #   # Use latest image, but hardcode version to avoid silent upgrades (and breaks).
+  #   # See: https://github.com/actions/runner-images#available-images.
+  #   runs-on: windows-2022
+  #
+  #   # No need to run on the read-only mirror, unless it is a PR.
+  #   if: github.repository != 'bitcoin-core/gui' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+  #
+  #   env:
+  #     PYTHONUTF8: 1
+  #     TEST_RUNNER_TIMEOUT_FACTOR: 40
+  #
+  #   steps:
+  #     - name: Checkout
+  #       uses: actions/checkout@v4
+  #
+  #     - name: Remove non-MSVC tool installations
+  #       run: |
+  #         Remove-Item -Path "$env:ProgramFiles/CMake" -Recurse -Force
+  #
+  #     - name: Configure Developer Command Prompt for Microsoft Visual C++
+  #       # Using microsoft/setup-msbuild is not enough.
+  #       uses: ilammy/msvc-dev-cmd@v1
+  #       with:
+  #         arch: x64
+  #
+  #     - name: Get tool information
+  #       run: |
+  #         cmake -version | Tee-Object -FilePath "cmake_version"
+  #         Write-Output "---"
+  #         msbuild -version | Tee-Object -FilePath "msbuild_version"
+  #         $env:VCToolsVersion | Tee-Object -FilePath "toolset_version"
+  #         py -3 --version
+  #         Write-Host "PowerShell version $($PSVersionTable.PSVersion.ToString())"
+  #
+  #     - name: Using vcpkg with MSBuild
+  #       run: |
+  #         Set-Location "$env:VCPKG_INSTALLATION_ROOT"
+  #         Add-Content -Path "triplets\x64-windows.cmake" -Value "set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)"
+  #         Add-Content -Path "triplets\x64-windows-static.cmake" -Value "set(VCPKG_BUILD_TYPE release)"
+  #
+  #     - name: vcpkg tools cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache@v4
+  #       with:
+  #         path: C:/vcpkg/downloads/tools
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-vcpkg-tools
+  #
+  #     - name: Restore vcpkg binary cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+  #       id: vcpkg-binary-cache
+  #       with:
+  #         path: ~/AppData/Local/vcpkg/archives
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-vcpkg-binary-${{ hashFiles('cmake_version', 'msbuild_version', 'toolset_version', 'vcpkg.json') }}
+  #
+  #     - name: Generate build system
+  #       run: |
+  #         cmake -B build --preset vs2022-static -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE="$env:VCPKG_INSTALLATION_ROOT\scripts\buildsystems\vcpkg.cmake" -DBUILD_BENCH=ON -DBUILD_FUZZ_BINARY=ON -DWERROR=ON
+  #
+  #     - name: Save vcpkg binary cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache/save@v4
+  #       if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.vcpkg-binary-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+  #       with:
+  #         path: ~/AppData/Local/vcpkg/archives
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-vcpkg-binary-${{ hashFiles('cmake_version', 'msbuild_version', 'toolset_version', 'vcpkg.json') }}
+  #
+  #     - name: Build
+  #       working-directory: build
+  #       run: |
+  #         cmake --build . -j $env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS --config Release
+  #
+  #     - name: Run test suite
+  #       working-directory: build
+  #       run: |
+  #         ctest -j $env:NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS -C Release
+  #
+  #     - name: Run functional tests
+  #       working-directory: build
+  #       env:
+  #         BITCOIND: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoind.exe'
+  #         BITCOINCLI: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoin-cli.exe'
+  #         BITCOINUTIL: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoin-util.exe'
+  #         BITCOINWALLET: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\Release\bitcoin-wallet.exe'
+  #         TEST_RUNNER_EXTRA: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' && '--extended' || '' }}
+  #       shell: cmd
+  #       run: py -3 test\functional\test_runner.py --jobs %NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS% --ci --quiet --tmpdirprefix=%RUNNER_TEMP% --combinedlogslen=99999999 --timeout-factor=%TEST_RUNNER_TIMEOUT_FACTOR% %TEST_RUNNER_EXTRA%
+  #
+  #     - name: Clone fuzz corpus
+  #       run: |
+  #         git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/bitcoin-core/qa-assets "$env:RUNNER_TEMP\qa-assets"
+  #         Set-Location "$env:RUNNER_TEMP\qa-assets"
+  #         Write-Host "Using qa-assets repo from commit ..."
+  #         git log -1
+  #
+  #     - name: Run fuzz binaries
+  #       working-directory: build
+  #       env:
+  #         BITCOINFUZZ: '${{ github.workspace }}\build\src\test\fuzz\Release\fuzz.exe'
+  #       shell: cmd
+  #       run: py -3 test\fuzz\test_runner.py --par %NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS% --loglevel DEBUG %RUNNER_TEMP%\qa-assets\fuzz_seed_corpus
+  #
+  # asan-lsan-ubsan-integer-no-depends-usdt:
+  #   name: 'ASan + LSan + UBSan + integer, no depends, USDT'
+  #   runs-on: ubuntu-24.04 # has to match container in ci/test/00_setup_env_native_asan.sh for tracing tools
+  #   # No need to run on the read-only mirror, unless it is a PR.
+  #   if: github.repository != 'bitcoin-core/gui' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+  #   timeout-minutes: 120
+  #   env:
+  #     FILE_ENV: "./ci/test/00_setup_env_native_asan.sh"
+  #     DANGER_CI_ON_HOST_CACHE_FOLDERS: 1
+  #   steps:
+  #     - name: Checkout
+  #       uses: actions/checkout@v4
+  #
+  #     - name: Set Ccache directory
+  #       run: echo "CCACHE_DIR=${RUNNER_TEMP}/ccache_dir" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+  #
+  #     - name: Set base root directory
+  #       run: echo "BASE_ROOT_DIR=${RUNNER_TEMP}" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+  #
+  #     - name: Restore Ccache cache
+  #       id: ccache-cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+  #       with:
+  #         path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
+  #         restore-keys: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-
+  #
+  #     - name: Enable bpfcc script
+  #       # In the image build step, no external environment variables are available,
+  #       # so any settings will need to be written to the settings env file:
+  #       run: sed -i "s|\${INSTALL_BCC_TRACING_TOOLS}|true|g" ./ci/test/00_setup_env_native_asan.sh
+  #
+  #     - name: CI script
+  #       run: ./ci/test_run_all.sh
+  #
+  #     - name: Save Ccache cache
+  #       uses: actions/cache/save@v4
+  #       if: github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.ccache-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+  #       with:
+  #         path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
+  #         # https://github.com/actions/cache/blob/main/tips-and-workarounds.md#update-a-cache
+  #         key: ${{ github.job }}-ccache-${{ github.run_id }}
diff --git a/src/net_processing.cpp b/src/net_processing.cpp
index 13ea3a29be80..7a4f4de23df2 100644
--- a/src/net_processing.cpp
+++ b/src/net_processing.cpp
@@ -4751,7 +4751,7 @@ void PeerManagerImpl::ProcessMessage(CNode& pfrom, const std::string& msg_type,
                 MaybeSendGetHeaders(pfrom, GetLocator(m_chainman.m_best_header), *peer);
             }
             return;
-        } else if (prev_block->nChainWork + CalculateClaimedHeadersWork({cmpctblock.header}) < GetAntiDoSWorkThreshold()) {
+        } else if (prev_block->nChainWork + CalculateClaimedHeadersWork({{cmpctblock.header}}) < GetAntiDoSWorkThreshold()) {
             // If we get a low-work header in a compact block, we can ignore it.
             LogPrint(BCLog::NET, "Ignoring low-work compact block from peer %d\n", pfrom.GetId());
             return;
@@ -4764,7 +4764,7 @@ void PeerManagerImpl::ProcessMessage(CNode& pfrom, const std::string& msg_type,
 
         const CBlockIndex *pindex = nullptr;
         BlockValidationState state;
-        if (!m_chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({cmpctblock.header}, /*min_pow_checked=*/true, state, &pindex)) {
+        if (!m_chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({{cmpctblock.header}}, /*min_pow_checked=*/true, state, &pindex)) {
             if (state.IsInvalid()) {
                 MaybePunishNodeForBlock(pfrom.GetId(), state, /*via_compact_block=*/true, "invalid header via cmpctblock");
                 return;
@@ -5068,7 +5068,7 @@ void PeerManagerImpl::ProcessMessage(CNode& pfrom, const std::string& msg_type,
             mapBlockSource.emplace(hash, std::make_pair(pfrom.GetId(), true));
 
             // Check claimed work on this block against our anti-dos thresholds.
-            if (prev_block && prev_block->nChainWork + CalculateClaimedHeadersWork({pblock->GetBlockHeader()}) >= GetAntiDoSWorkThreshold()) {
+            if (prev_block && prev_block->nChainWork + CalculateClaimedHeadersWork({{pblock->GetBlockHeader()}}) >= GetAntiDoSWorkThreshold()) {
                 min_pow_checked = true;
             }
         }
diff --git a/src/rpc/mining.cpp b/src/rpc/mining.cpp
index bfa7dad4a188..375352b18dd5 100644
--- a/src/rpc/mining.cpp
+++ b/src/rpc/mining.cpp
@@ -1096,7 +1096,7 @@ static RPCHelpMan submitheader()
     }
 
     BlockValidationState state;
-    chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({h}, /*min_pow_checked=*/true, state);
+    chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({{h}}, /*min_pow_checked=*/true, state);
     if (state.IsValid()) return UniValue::VNULL;
     if (state.IsError()) {
         throw JSONRPCError(RPC_VERIFY_ERROR, state.ToString());
diff --git a/src/test/blockfilter_index_tests.cpp b/src/test/blockfilter_index_tests.cpp
index 067a32d6a40e..f6024f1ef357 100644
--- a/src/test/blockfilter_index_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/blockfilter_index_tests.cpp
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ bool BuildChainTestingSetup::BuildChain(const CBlockIndex* pindex,
         CBlockHeader header = block->GetBlockHeader();
 
         BlockValidationState state;
-        if (!Assert(m_node.chainman)->ProcessNewBlockHeaders({header}, true, state, &pindex)) {
+        if (!Assert(m_node.chainman)->ProcessNewBlockHeaders({{header}}, true, state, &pindex)) {
             return false;
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/test/fuzz/utxo_snapshot.cpp b/src/test/fuzz/utxo_snapshot.cpp
index 21c305e22210..1241bba8be38 100644
--- a/src/test/fuzz/utxo_snapshot.cpp
+++ b/src/test/fuzz/utxo_snapshot.cpp
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ void initialize_chain()
         auto& chainman{*setup->m_node.chainman};
         for (const auto& block : chain) {
             BlockValidationState dummy;
-            bool processed{chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({*block}, true, dummy)};
+            bool processed{chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({{block->GetBlockHeader()}}, true, dummy)};
             Assert(processed);
             const auto* index{WITH_LOCK(::cs_main, return chainman.m_blockman.LookupBlockIndex(block->GetHash()))};
             Assert(index);
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ void utxo_snapshot_fuzz(FuzzBufferType buffer)
         if constexpr (!INVALID) {
             for (const auto& block : *g_chain) {
                 BlockValidationState dummy;
-                bool processed{chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({*block}, true, dummy)};
+                bool processed{chainman.ProcessNewBlockHeaders({{block->GetBlockHeader()}}, true, dummy)};
                 Assert(processed);
                 const auto* index{WITH_LOCK(::cs_main, return chainman.m_blockman.LookupBlockIndex(block->GetHash()))};
                 Assert(index);
diff --git a/src/test/validation_block_tests.cpp b/src/test/validation_block_tests.cpp
index 015a5941edd7..f5c4204c55a2 100644
--- a/src/test/validation_block_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/test/validation_block_tests.cpp
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ std::shared_ptr<CBlock> MinerTestingSetup::FinalizeBlock(std::shared_ptr<CBlock>
     // submit block header, so that miner can get the block height from the
     // global state and the node has the topology of the chain
     BlockValidationState ignored;
-    BOOST_CHECK(Assert(m_node.chainman)->ProcessNewBlockHeaders({pblock->GetBlockHeader()}, true, ignored));
+    BOOST_CHECK(Assert(m_node.chainman)->ProcessNewBlockHeaders({{pblock->GetBlockHeader()}}, true, ignored));
 
     return pblock;
 }
diff --git a/src/validation.cpp b/src/validation.cpp
index 8f75b2e30a0c..04c04f5e3c32 100644
--- a/src/validation.cpp
+++ b/src/validation.cpp
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@
 #include <numeric>
 #include <optional>
 #include <ranges>
+#include <span>
 #include <string>
 #include <tuple>
 #include <utility>
@@ -4136,7 +4137,7 @@ bool IsBlockMutated(const CBlock& block, bool check_witness_root)
     return false;
 }
 
-arith_uint256 CalculateClaimedHeadersWork(const std::vector<CBlockHeader>& headers)
+arith_uint256 CalculateClaimedHeadersWork(std::span<const CBlockHeader> headers)
 {
     arith_uint256 total_work{0};
     for (const CBlockHeader& header : headers) {
@@ -4384,7 +4385,7 @@ bool ChainstateManager::AcceptBlockHeader(const CBlockHeader& block, BlockValida
 }
 
 // Exposed wrapper for AcceptBlockHeader
-bool ChainstateManager::ProcessNewBlockHeaders(const std::vector<CBlockHeader>& headers, bool min_pow_checked, BlockValidationState& state, const CBlockIndex** ppindex)
+bool ChainstateManager::ProcessNewBlockHeaders(std::span<const CBlockHeader> headers, bool min_pow_checked, BlockValidationState& state, const CBlockIndex** ppindex)
 {
     AssertLockNotHeld(cs_main);
     {
diff --git a/src/validation.h b/src/validation.h
index f905d6e62403..35a8c971bae5 100644
--- a/src/validation.h
+++ b/src/validation.h
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@
 #include <memory>
 #include <optional>
 #include <set>
+#include <span>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <string>
 #include <thread>
@@ -407,7 +408,7 @@ bool HasValidProofOfWork(const std::vector<CBlockHeader>& headers, const Consens
 bool IsBlockMutated(const CBlock& block, bool check_witness_root);
 
 /** Return the sum of the claimed work on a given set of headers. No verification of PoW is done. */
-arith_uint256 CalculateClaimedHeadersWork(const std::vector<CBlockHeader>& headers);
+arith_uint256 CalculateClaimedHeadersWork(std::span<const CBlockHeader> headers);
 
 enum class VerifyDBResult {
     SUCCESS,
@@ -1217,12 +1218,12 @@ class ChainstateManager
      * May not be called in a
      * validationinterface callback.
      *
-     * @param[in]  block The block headers themselves
+     * @param[in]  headers The block headers themselves
      * @param[in]  min_pow_checked  True if proof-of-work anti-DoS checks have been done by caller for headers chain
      * @param[out] state This may be set to an Error state if any error occurred processing them
      * @param[out] ppindex If set, the pointer will be set to point to the last new block index object for the given headers
      */
-    bool ProcessNewBlockHeaders(const std::vector<CBlockHeader>& block, bool min_pow_checked, BlockValidationState& state, const CBlockIndex** ppindex = nullptr) LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs_main);
+    bool ProcessNewBlockHeaders(std::span<const CBlockHeader> headers, bool min_pow_checked, BlockValidationState& state, const CBlockIndex** ppindex = nullptr) LOCKS_EXCLUDED(cs_main);
 
     /**
      * Sufficiently validate a block for disk storage (and store on disk).