diff --git a/src/Socket/messages-recv.ts b/src/Socket/messages-recv.ts
index 970f511c..029a81fb 100644
--- a/src/Socket/messages-recv.ts
+++ b/src/Socket/messages-recv.ts
@@ -2695,7 +2695,20 @@ export const makeMessagesRecvSocket = (config: SocketConfig) => {
 				}
 			})
 		} catch (error) {
-			logger.error({ error, node: binaryNodeToString(node) }, 'error in handling message')
+			// Slim log: identify the message that crashed without dumping the full
+			// stanza XML (which contains kilobytes of inline ciphertext). Under heavy
+			// load — e.g. a downstream consumer that throws on every Bad MAC — the
+			// full XML dumps overwhelm stdout and stall the event loop. Operators
+			// can still pivot on msgId / from / type; full payload at debug level.
+			const slimNode = {
+				tag: node.tag,
+				id: node.attrs?.id,
+				from: node.attrs?.from,
+				type: node.attrs?.type,
+				participant: node.attrs?.participant
+			}
+			logger.error({ error, node: slimNode }, 'error in handling message')
+			logger.debug({ node: binaryNodeToString(node) }, 'error in handling message — full stanza')
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/Utils/auth-utils.ts b/src/Utils/auth-utils.ts
index adabf548..203dbefc 100644
--- a/src/Utils/auth-utils.ts
+++ b/src/Utils/auth-utils.ts
@@ -341,14 +341,16 @@ export const addTransactionCapability = (
 
 						return result
 					} catch (error) {
-						// SessionError is part of the normal Bad MAC recovery flow
-						// (retry receipt → sender resends as pkmsg → new session within ~1.3s).
-						// Logging it as ERROR creates 2 noise lines per recoverable Bad MAC cycle.
-						// Downgrade to debug for SessionError; keep ERROR for everything else.
-						// The error is still re-thrown — recovery behavior is unchanged.
+						// SessionError / MessageCounterError are part of the normal Bad MAC
+						// recovery flow (retry receipt → sender resends as pkmsg → new session
+						// within ~1.3s). Logging them as ERROR creates 2 noise lines per
+						// recoverable cycle, and under WhatsApp's LID/DSM rollout these fire
+						// in dense bursts that saturate stdout (synchronous pm2 writes block
+						// the event loop). Downgrade to debug for both; keep ERROR for
+						// everything else. The error is still re-thrown — recovery is unchanged.
 						const errName = (error as { name?: string })?.name
-						if (errName === 'SessionError') {
-							logger.debug({ error }, 'transaction failed (SessionError — recoverable via retry receipt)')
+						if (errName === 'SessionError' || errName === 'MessageCounterError') {
+							logger.debug({ error }, `transaction failed (${errName} — recoverable via retry receipt)`)
 						} else {
 							logger.error({ error }, 'transaction failed, rolling back')
 						}