diff --git a/src/mesh/NodeDB.cpp b/src/mesh/NodeDB.cpp
index e05f8b8f0a..b2804910cc 100644
--- a/src/mesh/NodeDB.cpp
+++ b/src/mesh/NodeDB.cpp
@@ -3082,14 +3082,12 @@ HopStartStatus classifyHopStart(const meshtastic_MeshPacket &p)
         return HopStartStatus::INVALID;
 
     if (p.hop_start == 0) {
-        // hop_start == hop_limit == 0: intentional zero-hop broadcast (e.g. beacon). Valid by definition -
-        // the packet was never meant to travel any hops, so no hop_start ambiguity applies.
-        if (p.hop_limit == 0)
-            return HopStartStatus::VALID;
-        // Firmware prior to 2.3.0 (585805c) lacked a hop_start field. Firmware version 2.5.0 (bf34329) introduced a
-        // bitfield that is always present. Use the presence of the bitfield to determine if the origin's firmware
-        // version is guaranteed to have hop_start populated. Note that this can only be done for decoded packets as
-        // the bitfield is encrypted under the channel encryption key.
+        // hop_start == 0 is either a modern zero-hop broadcast (e.g. beacon) or pre-2.3.0 firmware (585805c)
+        // that never populated hop_start. Firmware 2.5.0 (bf34329) introduced a bitfield that is always
+        // present; use it to tell the two apart. The bitfield is encrypted under the channel key, so this can
+        // only be resolved for decoded packets - until then the status stays MISSING_OR_UNKNOWN. Callers
+        // acting before decode must therefore not treat UNKNOWN as a drop (the bitfield isn't readable yet);
+        // the verdict is re-checked post-decode in Router::handleReceived.
         if (p.which_payload_variant == meshtastic_MeshPacket_decoded_tag && p.decoded.has_bitfield)
             return HopStartStatus::VALID;
         return HopStartStatus::MISSING_OR_UNKNOWN;
diff --git a/src/mesh/NodeDB.h b/src/mesh/NodeDB.h
index 8aa32dcc75..f7494811f6 100644
--- a/src/mesh/NodeDB.h
+++ b/src/mesh/NodeDB.h
@@ -156,7 +156,10 @@ inline bool shouldDropPacketForPreHop(const meshtastic_MeshPacket &p)
     if (isFromUs(&p)) {
         return false; // local-originated packets should never be dropped by pre-hop drop policy
     }
-    return classifyHopStart(p) != HopStartStatus::VALID;
+    // Pre-decode: the channel-encrypted bitfield isn't readable yet, so a missing/unknown hop_start can't be
+    // distinguished from a modern packet. Only drop the provably-corrupt case here; the bitfield-dependent
+    // verdict is re-checked post-decode in Router::handleReceived.
+    return classifyHopStart(p) == HopStartStatus::INVALID;
 #endif
 }
 
diff --git a/src/mesh/Router.cpp b/src/mesh/Router.cpp
index 67d724433f..0641cbc3cd 100644
--- a/src/mesh/Router.cpp
+++ b/src/mesh/Router.cpp
@@ -879,6 +879,18 @@ void Router::handleReceived(meshtastic_MeshPacket *p, RxSource src)
         else
             printPacket("handleReceived(REMOTE)", p);
 
+#if MESHTASTIC_PREHOP_DROP
+        // Pre-hop firmware drop, post-decode half: the bitfield that proves the origin populated hop_start is
+        // encrypted under the channel key, so it can only be evaluated now that the packet is decoded. A packet
+        // whose hop_start is still missing/unknown comes from pre-hop firmware - keep it out of module
+        // processing, admin handling, phone delivery, MQTT and rebroadcast. Local-origin packets are exempt.
+        if (!isFromUs(p) && classifyHopStart(*p) != HopStartStatus::VALID) {
+            logHopStartDrop(*p, "post-decode pre-hop drop");
+            cancelSending(p->from, p->id);
+            skipHandle = true;
+        }
+#endif
+
         // Neighbor info module is disabled, ignore expensive neighbor info packets
         if (p->which_payload_variant == meshtastic_MeshPacket_decoded_tag &&
             p->decoded.portnum == meshtastic_PortNum_NEIGHBORINFO_APP &&