diff --git a/src/lib_gossipsub/gossipsub_worker.ml b/src/lib_gossipsub/gossipsub_worker.ml
index ba9ecd8a1632a0803c6df31ca5bda620475ee59e..10b77e24d4bc6762b783dad68628375f117eafa2 100644
--- a/src/lib_gossipsub/gossipsub_worker.ml
+++ b/src/lib_gossipsub/gossipsub_worker.ml
@@ -819,25 +819,30 @@ module Make (C : Gossipsub_intf.WORKER_CONFIGURATION) :
               current_batch := Accumulating new_contents)
       | _ -> ()
 
+  (** Handles applicative (business-level) messages received from the P2P network,
+      i.e. messages that are not control ones like GRAFT, IWANT, SUBSCRIBE... *)
+  let handle_app_message state message =
+    let batching_configuration = state.message_handling in
+    let new_state, output =
+      GS.handle_receive_message
+        ~batching_configuration
+        message
+        state.gossip_state
+    in
+    (match batching_configuration with
+    | Sequentially -> ()
+    | In_batches {time_interval} ->
+        batch_accumulator output time_interval state.events_stream) ;
+    update_gossip_state state (new_state, output)
+    |> handle_receive_message message
+
   (** Handling messages received from the P2P network. *)
   let apply_p2p_message ~self ({gossip_state; _} as state) from_peer = function
     | Message_with_header {message; topic; message_id} ->
         (let receive_message =
            {GS.sender = from_peer; topic; message_id; message}
          in
-         let batching_configuration = state.message_handling in
-         let new_state, output =
-           GS.handle_receive_message
-             ~batching_configuration
-             receive_message
-             gossip_state
-         in
-         (match batching_configuration with
-         | Sequentially -> ()
-         | In_batches {time_interval} ->
-             batch_accumulator output time_interval state.events_stream) ;
-         update_gossip_state state (new_state, output)
-         |> handle_receive_message receive_message)
+         handle_app_message state receive_message)
         [@profiler.span_f
           {verbosity = Notice}
             ["apply_event"; "P2P_input"; "In_message"; "Message_with_header"]]
@@ -946,12 +951,7 @@ module Make (C : Gossipsub_intf.WORKER_CONFIGURATION) :
         match GS.Message_id.valid message.message_id with
         | `Valid | `Invalid ->
             let state = {state with unknown_validity_messages} in
-            GS.handle_receive_message
-              ~batching_configuration:state.message_handling
-              message
-              state.gossip_state
-            |> update_gossip_state state
-            |> handle_receive_message message
+            handle_app_message state message
             |> (* Other messages are processed recursively *)
             check_unknown_messages_id
         | `Unknown -> state