diff --git a/blockchain/blocks/src/gossip_block.rs b/blockchain/blocks/src/gossip_block.rs
index f7d72a77162f..154a56b3e006 100644
--- a/blockchain/blocks/src/gossip_block.rs
+++ b/blockchain/blocks/src/gossip_block.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use cid::Cid;
 use encoding::{tuple::*, Cbor};
 
 /// Block message used as serialized gossipsub messages for blocks topic
-#[derive(Serialize_tuple, Deserialize_tuple)]
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Serialize_tuple, Deserialize_tuple)]
 pub struct GossipBlock {
     pub header: BlockHeader,
     pub bls_messages: Vec<Cid>,
diff --git a/node/forest_libp2p/src/service.rs b/node/forest_libp2p/src/service.rs
index f45e4543aa66..60cd577452cf 100644
--- a/node/forest_libp2p/src/service.rs
+++ b/node/forest_libp2p/src/service.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ use crate::hello::{HelloRequest, HelloResponse};
 use async_std::sync::{channel, Receiver, Sender};
 use async_std::{stream, task};
 use forest_cid::{multihash::Blake2b256, Cid};
+use forest_encoding::from_slice;
 use futures::channel::oneshot::Sender as OneShotSender;
 use futures::select;
 use futures_util::stream::StreamExt;
@@ -16,7 +17,6 @@ use libp2p::{
     core,
     core::muxing::StreamMuxerBox,
     core::transport::boxed::Boxed,
-    gossipsub::TopicHash,
     identity::{ed25519, Keypair},
     mplex, noise, yamux, PeerId, Swarm, Transport,
 };
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
 use utils::read_file_to_vec;
 
+use forest_blocks::GossipBlock;
+use forest_message::SignedMessage;
 pub use libp2p::gossipsub::Topic;
 
 pub const PUBSUB_BLOCK_STR: &str = "/fil/blocks";
@@ -40,8 +42,7 @@ const PUBSUB_TOPICS: [&str; 2] = [PUBSUB_BLOCK_STR, PUBSUB_MSG_STR];
 pub enum NetworkEvent {
     PubsubMessage {
         source: Option<PeerId>,
-        topics: Vec<TopicHash>,
-        message: Vec<u8>,
+        message: PubsubMessage,
     },
     HelloRequest {
         request: HelloRequest,
@@ -67,6 +68,15 @@ pub enum NetworkEvent {
     },
 }
 
+/// Message types that can come over GossipSub
+#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+pub enum PubsubMessage {
+    /// Messages that come over the block topic
+    Block(GossipBlock),
+    /// Messages that come over the message topic
+    Message(SignedMessage),
+}
+
 /// Events into this Service
 #[derive(Debug)]
 pub enum NetworkMessage {
@@ -94,6 +104,7 @@ pub struct Libp2pService<DB: BlockStore> {
     network_sender_in: Sender<NetworkMessage>,
     network_receiver_out: Receiver<NetworkEvent>,
     network_sender_out: Sender<NetworkEvent>,
+    network_name: String,
 }
 
 impl<DB> Libp2pService<DB>
@@ -120,7 +131,8 @@ where
 
         // Subscribe to gossipsub topics with the network name suffix
         for topic in PUBSUB_TOPICS.iter() {
-            swarm.subscribe(Topic::new(format!("{}/{}", topic, network_name)));
+            let t = Topic::new(format!("{}/{}", topic, network_name));
+            swarm.subscribe(t);
         }
 
         // Bootstrap with Kademlia
@@ -139,6 +151,7 @@ where
             network_sender_in,
             network_receiver_out,
             network_sender_out,
+            network_name: network_name.to_owned(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -147,6 +160,8 @@ where
         let mut swarm_stream = self.swarm.fuse();
         let mut network_stream = self.network_receiver_in.fuse();
         let mut interval = stream::interval(Duration::from_secs(10)).fuse();
+        let pubsub_block_str = format!("{}/{}", PUBSUB_BLOCK_STR, self.network_name);
+        let pubsub_msg_str = format!("{}/{}", PUBSUB_MSG_STR, self.network_name);
 
         loop {
             select! {
@@ -167,11 +182,37 @@ where
                             message,
                         } => {
                             trace!("Got a Gossip Message from {:?}", source);
-                            emit_event(&self.network_sender_out, NetworkEvent::PubsubMessage {
-                                source,
-                                topics,
-                                message
-                            }).await;
+                            // there should only be one topic associated with any particular gossip message
+                            let topic = match topics.get(0) {
+                                Some(t) => t.as_str(),
+                                None => {
+                                    warn!("received gossipsub message without topic from {:?}", source);
+                                    continue;
+                                },
+                            };
+                            if topic == pubsub_block_str {
+                                match from_slice::<GossipBlock>(&message) {
+                                    Ok(b) => {
+                                        emit_event(&self.network_sender_out, NetworkEvent::PubsubMessage{
+                                            source,
+                                            message: PubsubMessage::Block(b),
+                                        }).await;
+                                    }
+                                    Err(e) => warn!("Gossip Block from peer {:?} could not be deserialized: {}", source, e)
+                                }
+                            } else if topic == pubsub_msg_str {
+                                match from_slice::<SignedMessage>(&message) {
+                                    Ok(m) => {
+                                        emit_event(&self.network_sender_out, NetworkEvent::PubsubMessage{
+                                            source,
+                                            message: PubsubMessage::Message(m),
+                                        }).await;
+                                    }
+                                    Err(e) => warn!("Gossip Message from peer {:?} could not be deserialized: {}", source, e)
+                                }
+                            } else {
+                                warn!("Getting gossip messages from unknown topic: {}", topic);
+                            }
                         }
                         ForestBehaviourEvent::HelloRequest { request, channel, .. } => {
                             debug!("Received hello request: {:?}", request);