diff --git a/include/ircd/m/vm.h b/include/ircd/m/vm.h
index 911882085..a269f2977 100644
--- a/include/ircd/m/vm.h
+++ b/include/ircd/m/vm.h
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ struct ircd::m::vm::eval
 	hook::base *hook {nullptr};
 	vm::phase phase {vm::phase(0)};
 	bool room_internal {false};
+	bool redacted {false};
 
 	void mfetch_keys() const;
 
diff --git a/matrix/event_conforms.cc b/matrix/event_conforms.cc
index f59c38b28..f2160f0bc 100644
--- a/matrix/event_conforms.cc
+++ b/matrix/event_conforms.cc
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ ircd::m::vm::conform_report
 	[](const m::event &event, eval &eval)
 	{
 		assert(eval.opts);
-		auto &opts(*eval.opts);
+		const auto &opts(*eval.opts);
 
 		// When opts.conformed is set the report is already generated
 		if(opts.conformed)
@@ -124,17 +124,30 @@ ircd::m::vm::conform_report
 			return;
 		}
 
+		// Mask of checks to be bypassed
+		auto non_conform
+		{
+			opts.non_conform
+		};
+
+		// This hook is called prior to event_id determination; must be skipped
+		non_conform.set(event::conforms::INVALID_OR_MISSING_EVENT_ID);
+
+		// For internal rooms for now.
+		if(eval.room_internal)
+			non_conform.set(event::conforms::MISMATCH_ORIGIN_SENDER);
+
 		// Generate the report here.
 		eval.report = event::conforms
 		{
-			event, opts.non_conform.report
+			event, non_conform.report
 		};
 
 		// When opts.conforming is false a bad report is not an error.
 		if(!opts.conforming)
 			return;
 
-		const bool redacted
+		eval.redacted =
 		{
 			// redacted hint given in options
 			opts.redacted != -1?
@@ -149,24 +162,33 @@ ircd::m::vm::conform_report
 				false:
 
 			// assume redacted when hash mismatch already allowed
-			(opts.non_conform.has(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES))?
+			non_conform.has(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES)?
 				true:
 
 			// assume no redaction for hash match
-			(!eval.report.has(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES))?
+			!eval.report.has(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES)?
 				false:
 
+			// case for authoritative redaction
+			eval.report.has(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES)
+			&& opts.node_id == json::get<"origin"_>(event)?
+				true:
+
 			// make query
-				bool(m::redacted(event.event_id))
+			event.event_id?
+				bool(m::redacted(event.event_id)):
+
+			// otherwise deny redacted
+			false
 		};
 
 		auto report
 		{
 			eval.report
-		};;
+		};
 
 		// Allow content hash to fail on redacted events.
-		if(redacted)
+		if(eval.redacted)
 			report.del(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES);
 
 		// Otherwise this will kill the eval
diff --git a/matrix/room.cc b/matrix/room.cc
index 8fb7e0c9a..3ec37c627 100644
--- a/matrix/room.cc
+++ b/matrix/room.cc
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ ircd::m::commit(const room &room,
 	// Some functionality on this server may create an event on behalf
 	// of remote users. It's safe for us to mask this here, but eval'ing
 	// this event in any replay later will require special casing.
-	opts.non_conform |= event::conforms::MISMATCH_ORIGIN_SENDER;
+	opts.non_conform.set(event::conforms::MISMATCH_ORIGIN_SENDER);
 
 	// Don't need this here
 	opts.phase.reset(vm::phase::VERIFY);
diff --git a/matrix/vm_execute.cc b/matrix/vm_execute.cc
index c5bc6958c..3a3bba660 100644
--- a/matrix/vm_execute.cc
+++ b/matrix/vm_execute.cc
@@ -218,32 +218,16 @@ try
 		*eval.opts
 	};
 
-	assert(!eval.buf || size(eval.buf) >= event::MAX_SIZE);
-	if(!opts.json_source && !eval.buf)
-		eval.buf = unique_mutable_buffer
-		{
-			event::MAX_SIZE, 64
-		};
-
-	const scope_restore event_source
+	const scope_restore eval_report
 	{
-		mutable_cast(event).source,
-
-		// Canonize from some other serialized source.
-		!opts.json_source && event.source?
-			json::object(json::stringify(mutable_buffer{eval.buf}, event.source)):
-
-		// Canonize from no source; usually taken when my(event).
-		// XXX elision conditions go here
-		!opts.json_source?
-			json::object(json::stringify(mutable_buffer{eval.buf}, event)):
-
-		// Use the input directly.
-		event.source
+		eval.report, event::conforms{}
+	};
+
+	const scope_restore eval_redacted
+	{
+		eval.redacted, false
 	};
 
-	// Set a member to the room_id for convenient access, without stepping on
-	// any room_id reference that exists there for whatever reason.
 	const scope_restore eval_room_id
 	{
 		eval.room_id,
@@ -253,7 +237,7 @@ try
 			eval.room_id:
 
 		// Use the room_id in the event
-		likely(valid(id::ROOM, json::get<"room_id"_>(event)))?
+		likely(json::get<"room_id"_>(event))?
 			string_view(json::get<"room_id"_>(event)):
 
 		eval.room_id,
@@ -288,6 +272,68 @@ try
 		false
 	};
 
+	// These checks only require the event data itself.
+	if(likely(opts.phase[phase::CONFORM]) && !opts.edu)
+	{
+		const scope_restore eval_phase
+		{
+			eval.phase, phase::CONFORM
+		};
+
+		const ctx::critical_assertion ca;
+		call_hook(conform_hook, eval, event, eval);
+	}
+
+	assert(!eval.buf || size(eval.buf) >= event::MAX_SIZE);
+	const bool redacted
+	{
+		eval.redacted
+		|| eval.report.has(event::conforms::MISMATCH_HASHES)
+	};
+
+	if(!opts.edu && !eval.buf && (!opts.json_source || redacted))
+		eval.buf = unique_mutable_buffer
+		{
+			event::MAX_SIZE, 64
+		};
+
+	const scope_restore event_source
+	{
+		mutable_cast(event).source,
+
+		// Canonize and redact from some other serialized source.
+		!opts.edu && !opts.json_source && event.source && redacted?
+			json::stringify(mutable_buffer{eval.buf}, m::essential(event.source, event::buf[0])):
+
+		// Canonize and redact from no source.
+		!opts.edu && !opts.json_source && redacted?
+			json::stringify(mutable_buffer{eval.buf}, m::essential(event, event::buf[0])):
+
+		// Canonize from some other serialized source.
+		likely(!opts.edu && !opts.json_source && event.source)?
+			json::stringify(mutable_buffer{eval.buf}, event.source):
+
+		// Canonize from no source; usually taken when my(event).
+		// XXX elision conditions go here
+		likely(!opts.edu && !opts.json_source)?
+			json::stringify(mutable_buffer{eval.buf}, event):
+
+		// Use the input directly.
+		string_view{event.source}
+	};
+
+	const scope_restore eval_room_id_reref
+	{
+		eval.room_id,
+
+		// Re-assigns reference after any prior rewrites
+		likely(json::get<"room_id"_>(event))?
+			string_view(json::get<"room_id"_>(event)):
+
+		// No action
+		eval.room_id,
+	};
+
 	// Procure the room version.
 	char room_version_buf[room::VERSION_MAX_SIZE];
 	const scope_restore eval_room_version
@@ -648,19 +694,6 @@ ircd::m::vm::execute_pdu(eval &eval,
 			fault::GENERAL, "Internal room event denied from external source."
 		};
 
-	// The conform hook runs static checks on an event's formatting and
-	// composure; these checks only require the event data itself.
-	if(likely(opts.phase[phase::CONFORM]))
-	{
-		const scope_restore eval_phase
-		{
-			eval.phase, phase::CONFORM
-		};
-
-		const ctx::critical_assertion ca;
-		call_hook(conform_hook, eval, event, eval);
-	}
-
 	// Wait for any pending duplicate evals before proceeding.
 	assert(eval::count(event_id));
 	if(likely(opts.phase[phase::DUPCHK] && opts.unique))
diff --git a/matrix/vm_fetch.cc b/matrix/vm_fetch.cc
index f4e0df3c9..714b1575d 100644
--- a/matrix/vm_fetch.cc
+++ b/matrix/vm_fetch.cc
@@ -349,7 +349,6 @@ try
 	opts.warnlog &= ~vm::fault::EXISTS;
 	opts.notify_servers = false;
 	opts.node_id = origin;
-
 	log::debug
 	{
 		log, "Evaluating auth chain for %s in %s events:%zu",
@@ -475,12 +474,6 @@ try
 		opts.phase.set(m::vm::phase::FETCH_STATE, false);
 		opts.node_id = result.origin;
 		opts.notify_servers = false;
-
-		// The result won't give us events with a content hash mismatch unless
-		// they were obtained from an authoritative source. For this we can
-		// unconditionally allow hash mismatch from here.
-		opts.redacted = 1;
-
 		vm::eval
 		{
 			pdus, opts