diff --git a/waku/node/waku_node.nim b/waku/node/waku_node.nim
index 3895f52312..b3354c7c28 100644
--- a/waku/node/waku_node.nim
+++ b/waku/node/waku_node.nim
@@ -266,14 +266,6 @@ proc registerRelayDefaultHandler(node: WakuNode, topic: PubsubTopic) =
 
   proc traceHandler(topic: PubsubTopic, msg: WakuMessage) {.async, gcsafe.} =
     let msg_hash = topic.computeMessageHash(msg).to0xHex()
-
-    notice "waku.relay received",
-      my_peer_id = node.peerId,
-      pubsubTopic = topic,
-      msg_hash = msg_hash,
-      receivedTime = getNowInNanosecondTime(),
-      payloadSizeBytes = msg.payload.len
-
     let msgSizeKB = msg.payload.len / 1000
 
     waku_node_messages.inc(labelValues = ["relay"])
diff --git a/waku/waku_api/rest/relay/handlers.nim b/waku/waku_api/rest/relay/handlers.nim
index bbe9d94802..cbd65d653d 100644
--- a/waku/waku_api/rest/relay/handlers.nim
+++ b/waku/waku_api/rest/relay/handlers.nim
@@ -161,6 +161,9 @@ proc installRelayApiHandlers*(
     (await node.wakuRelay.validateMessage(pubsubTopic, message)).isOkOr:
       return RestApiResponse.badRequest("Failed to publish: " & error)
 
+    # Log for message tracking purposes
+    logMessageInfo(node.wakuRelay, "rest", pubsubTopic, "none", message, onRecv = true)
+
     # if we reach here its either a non-RLN message or a RLN message with a valid proof
     debug "Publishing message",
       pubSubTopic = pubSubTopic, rln = not node.wakuRlnRelay.isNil()
@@ -272,6 +275,9 @@ proc installRelayApiHandlers*(
     (await node.wakuRelay.validateMessage(pubsubTopic, message)).isOkOr:
       return RestApiResponse.badRequest("Failed to publish: " & error)
 
+    # Log for message tracking purposes
+    logMessageInfo(node.wakuRelay, "rest", pubsubTopic, "none", message, onRecv = true)
+
     # if we reach here its either a non-RLN message or a RLN message with a valid proof
     debug "Publishing message",
       contentTopic = message.contentTopic, rln = not node.wakuRlnRelay.isNil()
diff --git a/waku/waku_relay/protocol.nim b/waku/waku_relay/protocol.nim
index b922f69d3b..4dc4711f75 100644
--- a/waku/waku_relay/protocol.nim
+++ b/waku/waku_relay/protocol.nim
@@ -151,7 +151,36 @@ proc initProtocolHandler(w: WakuRelay) =
   w.handler = handler
   w.codec = WakuRelayCodec
 
-proc initRelayMetricObserver(w: WakuRelay) =
+proc logMessageInfo*(
+    w: WakuRelay,
+    peerId: string,
+    topic: string,
+    msg_id_short: string,
+    msg: WakuMessage,
+    onRecv: bool,
+) =
+  let msg_hash = computeMessageHash(topic, msg).to0xHex()
+
+  if onRecv:
+    notice "received relay message",
+      my_peer_id = w.switch.peerInfo.peerId,
+      msg_hash = msg_hash,
+      msg_id = msg_id_short,
+      from_peer_id = peerId,
+      topic = topic,
+      receivedTime = getNowInNanosecondTime(),
+      payloadSizeBytes = msg.payload.len
+  else:
+    notice "sent relay message",
+      my_peer_id = w.switch.peerInfo.peerId,
+      msg_hash = msg_hash,
+      msg_id = msg_id_short,
+      to_peer_id = peerId,
+      topic = topic,
+      sentTime = getNowInNanosecondTime(),
+      payloadSizeBytes = msg.payload.len
+
+proc initRelayObservers(w: WakuRelay) =
   proc decodeRpcMessageInfo(
       peer: PubSubPeer, msg: Message
   ): Result[
@@ -179,20 +208,6 @@ proc initRelayMetricObserver(w: WakuRelay) =
     let msgSize = msg.data.len + msg.topic.len
     return ok((msg_id_short, msg.topic, wakuMessage, msgSize))
 
-  proc logMessageInfo(
-      peer: PubSubPeer, topic: string, msg_id_short: string, msg: WakuMessage
-  ) =
-    let msg_hash = computeMessageHash(topic, msg).to0xHex()
-
-    notice "sent relay message",
-      my_peer_id = w.switch.peerInfo.peerId,
-      msg_hash = msg_hash,
-      msg_id = msg_id_short,
-      to_peer_id = peer.peerId,
-      topic = topic,
-      sentTime = getNowInNanosecondTime(),
-      payloadSizeBytes = msg.payload.len
-
   proc updateMetrics(
       peer: PubSubPeer,
       pubsub_topic: string,
@@ -208,18 +223,38 @@ proc initRelayMetricObserver(w: WakuRelay) =
     for msg in msgs.messages:
       let (msg_id_short, topic, wakuMessage, msgSize) = decodeRpcMessageInfo(peer, msg).valueOr:
         continue
-      # message receive log happens in treaceHandler as this one is called before checks
+      # message receive log happens in onValidated observer as onRecv is called before checks
       updateMetrics(peer, topic, wakuMessage, msgSize, onRecv = true)
     discard
 
+  proc onValidated(peer: PubSubPeer, msg: Message, msgId: MessageId) =
+    let msg_id_short = shortLog(msgId)
+    let wakuMessage = WakuMessage.decode(msg.data).valueOr:
+      warn "onValidated: failed decoding to Waku Message",
+        my_peer_id = w.switch.peerInfo.peerId,
+        msg_id = msg_id_short,
+        from_peer_id = peer.peerId,
+        pubsub_topic = msg.topic,
+        error = $error
+      return
+
+    logMessageInfo(
+      w, shortLog(peer.peerId), msg.topic, msg_id_short, wakuMessage, onRecv = true
+    )
+
   proc onSend(peer: PubSubPeer, msgs: var RPCMsg) =
     for msg in msgs.messages:
       let (msg_id_short, topic, wakuMessage, msgSize) = decodeRpcMessageInfo(peer, msg).valueOr:
+        warn "onSend: failed decoding RPC info",
+          my_peer_id = w.switch.peerInfo.peerId, to_peer_id = peer.peerId
         continue
-      logMessageInfo(peer, topic, msg_id_short, wakuMessage)
+      logMessageInfo(
+        w, shortLog(peer.peerId), topic, msg_id_short, wakuMessage, onRecv = false
+      )
       updateMetrics(peer, topic, wakuMessage, msgSize, onRecv = false)
 
-  let administrativeObserver = PubSubObserver(onRecv: onRecv, onSend: onSend)
+  let administrativeObserver =
+    PubSubObserver(onRecv: onRecv, onSend: onSend, onValidated: onValidated)
 
   w.addObserver(administrativeObserver)
 
@@ -243,7 +278,7 @@ proc new*(
 
     procCall GossipSub(w).initPubSub()
     w.initProtocolHandler()
-    w.initRelayMetricObserver()
+    w.initRelayObservers()
   except InitializationError:
     return err("initialization error: " & getCurrentExceptionMsg())