diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6cba9a60da0..054abb5db9c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ Ref: https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/
 ### API Breaking
  
 * (transfer) [\#517](https://github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/pull/517) Separates the ICS 26 callback functions from `AppModule` into a new type `IBCModule` for ICS 20 transfer.
+* (modules/core/02-client) [\#536](https://github.com/cosmos/ibc-go/pull/536) GetSelfConsensusState return type changed from bool to error.
 
 ### State Machine Breaking
 
diff --git a/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper.go b/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper.go
index 12d360e4053..18766130304 100644
--- a/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper.go
+++ b/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper.go
@@ -241,19 +241,19 @@ func (k Keeper) GetLatestClientConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, clientID string)
 // GetSelfConsensusState introspects the (self) past historical info at a given height
 // and returns the expected consensus state at that height.
 // For now, can only retrieve self consensus states for the current revision
-func (k Keeper) GetSelfConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, height exported.Height) (exported.ConsensusState, bool) {
+func (k Keeper) GetSelfConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, height exported.Height) (exported.ConsensusState, error) {
 	selfHeight, ok := height.(types.Height)
 	if !ok {
-		return nil, false
+		return nil, sdkerrors.Wrapf(sdkerrors.ErrInvalidType, "expected %T, got %T", types.Height{}, height)
 	}
 	// check that height revision matches chainID revision
 	revision := types.ParseChainID(ctx.ChainID())
 	if revision != height.GetRevisionNumber() {
-		return nil, false
+		return nil, sdkerrors.Wrapf(types.ErrInvalidHeight, "chainID revision number does not match height revision number: expected %d, got %d", revision, height.GetRevisionNumber())
 	}
 	histInfo, found := k.stakingKeeper.GetHistoricalInfo(ctx, int64(selfHeight.RevisionHeight))
 	if !found {
-		return nil, false
+		return nil, sdkerrors.Wrapf(sdkerrors.ErrNotFound, "no historical info found at height %d", selfHeight.RevisionHeight)
 	}
 
 	consensusState := &ibctmtypes.ConsensusState{
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ func (k Keeper) GetSelfConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, height exported.Height) (
 		Root:               commitmenttypes.NewMerkleRoot(histInfo.Header.GetAppHash()),
 		NextValidatorsHash: histInfo.Header.NextValidatorsHash,
 	}
-	return consensusState, true
+	return consensusState, nil
 }
 
 // ValidateSelfClient validates the client parameters for a client of the running chain
diff --git a/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper_test.go b/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper_test.go
index 54df1c15013..b3520dbe996 100644
--- a/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper_test.go
+++ b/modules/core/02-client/keeper/keeper_test.go
@@ -306,12 +306,12 @@ func (suite KeeperTestSuite) TestGetConsensusState() {
 
 	for i, tc := range cases {
 		tc := tc
-		cs, found := suite.keeper.GetSelfConsensusState(suite.ctx, tc.height)
+		cs, err := suite.keeper.GetSelfConsensusState(suite.ctx, tc.height)
 		if tc.expPass {
-			suite.Require().True(found, "Case %d should have passed: %s", i, tc.name)
+			suite.Require().NoError(err, "Case %d should have passed: %s", i, tc.name)
 			suite.Require().NotNil(cs, "Case %d should have passed: %s", i, tc.name)
 		} else {
-			suite.Require().False(found, "Case %d should have failed: %s", i, tc.name)
+			suite.Require().Error(err, "Case %d should have failed: %s", i, tc.name)
 			suite.Require().Nil(cs, "Case %d should have failed: %s", i, tc.name)
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/handshake.go b/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/handshake.go
index e3a8ac242f7..1dab8821ae5 100644
--- a/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/handshake.go
+++ b/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/handshake.go
@@ -125,9 +125,9 @@ func (k Keeper) ConnOpenTry(
 		return "", err
 	}
 
-	expectedConsensusState, found := k.clientKeeper.GetSelfConsensusState(ctx, consensusHeight)
-	if !found {
-		return "", sdkerrors.Wrap(clienttypes.ErrSelfConsensusStateNotFound, consensusHeight.String())
+	expectedConsensusState, err := k.clientKeeper.GetSelfConsensusState(ctx, consensusHeight)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", sdkerrors.Wrapf(err, "self consensus state not found for height %s", consensusHeight.String())
 	}
 
 	// expectedConnection defines Chain A's ConnectionEnd
@@ -250,9 +250,9 @@ func (k Keeper) ConnOpenAck(
 	}
 
 	// Retrieve chainA's consensus state at consensusheight
-	expectedConsensusState, found := k.clientKeeper.GetSelfConsensusState(ctx, consensusHeight)
-	if !found {
-		return clienttypes.ErrSelfConsensusStateNotFound
+	expectedConsensusState, err := k.clientKeeper.GetSelfConsensusState(ctx, consensusHeight)
+	if err != nil {
+		return sdkerrors.Wrapf(err, "self consensus state not found for height %s", consensusHeight.String())
 	}
 
 	prefix := k.GetCommitmentPrefix()
diff --git a/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/verify_test.go b/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/verify_test.go
index 6ef0cc78dca..b3fb7d49c0f 100644
--- a/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/verify_test.go
+++ b/modules/core/03-connection/keeper/verify_test.go
@@ -139,10 +139,10 @@ func (suite *KeeperTestSuite) TestVerifyClientConsensusState() {
 
 			proof, consensusHeight := suite.chainB.QueryConsensusStateProof(path.EndpointB.ClientID)
 			proofHeight := clienttypes.NewHeight(0, uint64(suite.chainB.GetContext().BlockHeight()-1))
-			consensusState, found := suite.chainA.App.GetIBCKeeper().ClientKeeper.GetSelfConsensusState(suite.chainA.GetContext(), consensusHeight)
-			suite.Require().True(found)
+			consensusState, err := suite.chainA.App.GetIBCKeeper().ClientKeeper.GetSelfConsensusState(suite.chainA.GetContext(), consensusHeight)
+			suite.Require().NoError(err)
 
-			err := suite.chainA.App.GetIBCKeeper().ConnectionKeeper.VerifyClientConsensusState(
+			err = suite.chainA.App.GetIBCKeeper().ConnectionKeeper.VerifyClientConsensusState(
 				suite.chainA.GetContext(), connection,
 				malleateHeight(proofHeight, heightDiff), consensusHeight, proof, consensusState,
 			)
diff --git a/modules/core/03-connection/types/expected_keepers.go b/modules/core/03-connection/types/expected_keepers.go
index e378adbed2a..a7627c531f7 100644
--- a/modules/core/03-connection/types/expected_keepers.go
+++ b/modules/core/03-connection/types/expected_keepers.go
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import (
 type ClientKeeper interface {
 	GetClientState(ctx sdk.Context, clientID string) (exported.ClientState, bool)
 	GetClientConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, clientID string, height exported.Height) (exported.ConsensusState, bool)
-	GetSelfConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, height exported.Height) (exported.ConsensusState, bool)
+	GetSelfConsensusState(ctx sdk.Context, height exported.Height) (exported.ConsensusState, error)
 	ValidateSelfClient(ctx sdk.Context, clientState exported.ClientState) error
 	IterateClients(ctx sdk.Context, cb func(string, exported.ClientState) bool)
 	ClientStore(ctx sdk.Context, clientID string) sdk.KVStore