diff --git a/relayer/errors.go b/relayer/errors.go
index cc05f53..6b9fbad 100644
--- a/relayer/errors.go
+++ b/relayer/errors.go
@@ -39,3 +39,11 @@ func handleProcessError(ctx context.Context, err error) error {
 	logger.WithError(err).Error("error returned in process loop")
 	return nil
 }
+
+// isFatal returns true if the error is unrecoverable and the caller should
+// return it immediately
+func isFatal(err error) bool {
+	return goerrors.Is(err, context.Canceled) ||
+		goerrors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) ||
+		errors.IsUnrecoverable(err)
+}
diff --git a/relayer/message_attester.go b/relayer/message_attester.go
index 2699f23..614edec 100644
--- a/relayer/message_attester.go
+++ b/relayer/message_attester.go
@@ -44,6 +44,14 @@ func (r *Relayer) attestMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Process
 			})
 
 			messagesInQueue, err := r.palomaClient.QueryMessagesForAttesting(ctx, queueName)
+			if err != nil {
+				logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't get messages to attest")
+				if isFatal(err) {
+					return err
+				}
+				// Move on to the next queue on the same chain
+				continue
+			}
 
 			logger = logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
 				"message-ids": slice.Map(messagesInQueue, func(msg chain.MessageWithSignatures) uint64 {
@@ -52,10 +60,6 @@ func (r *Relayer) attestMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Process
 			})
 
 			logger.Debug("got ", len(messagesInQueue), " messages from ", queueName)
-			if err != nil {
-				logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't get messages to attest")
-				return err
-			}
 
 			if len(messagesInQueue) > 0 {
 				logger := logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
@@ -75,7 +79,10 @@ func (r *Relayer) attestMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Process
 						Error(ctx); err != nil {
 						logger.WithError(err).Error("failed to send Paloma status update")
 					}
-					return err
+
+					if isFatal(err) {
+						return err
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/relayer/message_estimator.go b/relayer/message_estimator.go
index 49e0bd4..4a0f205 100644
--- a/relayer/message_estimator.go
+++ b/relayer/message_estimator.go
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ func (r *Relayer) estimateMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Proce
 			})
 
 			messagesInQueue, err := r.palomaClient.QueryMessagesForEstimating(ctx, queueName)
+			if err != nil {
+				logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't get messages to estimate")
+				if isFatal(err) {
+					return err
+				}
+				// Move on to the next queue on the same chain
+				continue
+			}
 
 			logger = logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
 				"message-ids": slice.Map(messagesInQueue, func(msg chain.MessageWithSignatures) uint64 {
@@ -51,10 +59,6 @@ func (r *Relayer) estimateMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Proce
 			})
 
 			logger.Debug("got ", len(messagesInQueue), " messages from ", queueName)
-			if err != nil {
-				logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't get messages to estimate")
-				return err
-			}
 
 			if len(messagesInQueue) > 0 {
 				logger := logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
@@ -66,7 +70,11 @@ func (r *Relayer) estimateMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Proce
 				estimates, err := p.EstimateMessages(ctx, queue.FromString(queueName), messagesInQueue)
 				if err != nil {
 					logger.WithError(err).Error("error estimating messages")
-					return err
+					if isFatal(err) {
+						return err
+					}
+					// Move on to the next queue on the same chain
+					continue
 				}
 
 				filteredEstimates := make([]chain.MessageWithEstimate, 0, len(estimates))
@@ -93,7 +101,9 @@ func (r *Relayer) estimateMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Proce
 				err = r.palomaClient.AddMessagesGasEstimate(ctx, queueName, filteredEstimates...)
 				if err != nil {
 					logger.WithError(err).Error("failed to send estimates to Paloma")
-					return err
+					if isFatal(err) {
+						return err
+					}
 				}
 			}
 
diff --git a/relayer/message_relayer.go b/relayer/message_relayer.go
index da94834..17c0d8b 100644
--- a/relayer/message_relayer.go
+++ b/relayer/message_relayer.go
@@ -70,6 +70,14 @@ func (r *Relayer) relayMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Processo
 			})
 
 			messagesInQueue, err := r.palomaClient.QueryMessagesForRelaying(ctx, queueName)
+			if err != nil {
+				logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't get messages to relay")
+				if isFatal(err) {
+					return err
+				}
+				// Move on to the next queue on the same chain
+				continue
+			}
 
 			logger = logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
 				"message-ids": slice.Map(messagesInQueue, func(msg chain.MessageWithSignatures) uint64 {
@@ -78,10 +86,6 @@ func (r *Relayer) relayMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Processo
 			})
 
 			logger.Debug("got ", len(messagesInQueue), " messages from ", queueName)
-			if err != nil {
-				logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't get messages to relay")
-				return err
-			}
 
 			for _, v := range messagesInQueue {
 				r.msgCache.records[v.ID] = struct{}{}
@@ -103,7 +107,9 @@ func (r *Relayer) relayMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Processo
 							return msg.ID
 						}),
 					}).Error("error relaying messages")
-					return err
+					if isFatal(err) {
+						return err
+					}
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/relayer/message_signer.go b/relayer/message_signer.go
index b1e812d..e53327d 100644
--- a/relayer/message_signer.go
+++ b/relayer/message_signer.go
@@ -45,7 +45,11 @@ func (r *Relayer) signMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Processor
 			messagesForSigning, err := r.palomaClient.QueryMessagesForSigning(ctx, queueName)
 			if err != nil {
 				logger.Error("failed getting messages to sign")
-				return err
+				if isFatal(err) {
+					return err
+				}
+				// Move on to the next queue on the same chain
+				continue
 			}
 
 			logger = logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
@@ -65,6 +69,8 @@ func (r *Relayer) signMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Processor
 				signedMessages, err := p.SignMessages(ctx, messagesForSigning...)
 				if err != nil {
 					logger.WithError(err).Error("unable to sign messages")
+					// If we fail to sign this batch, we will fail to sign them
+					// all, so might as well return now
 					return err
 				}
 				logger = logger.WithFields(log.Fields{
@@ -78,7 +84,9 @@ func (r *Relayer) signMessages(ctx context.Context, processors []chain.Processor
 
 				if err = r.broadcastSignatures(ctx, queueName, signedMessages); err != nil {
 					logger.WithError(err).Error("couldn't broadcast signatures and process attestation")
-					return err
+					if isFatal(err) {
+						return err
+					}
 				}
 			}