diff --git a/raft/fsm.cc b/raft/fsm.cc
index c6b81571d3..4de66753e9 100644
--- a/raft/fsm.cc
+++ b/raft/fsm.cc
@@ -160,6 +160,9 @@ void fsm::become_leader() {
 }
 
 void fsm::become_follower(server_id leader) {
+    if (leader == _my_id) {
+        on_internal_error(logger, "fsm cannot become a follower of itself");
+    }
     _current_leader = leader;
     _state = follower{};
     if (_current_leader) {
diff --git a/raft/fsm.hh b/raft/fsm.hh
index 98e745028a..bd876aa369 100644
--- a/raft/fsm.hh
+++ b/raft/fsm.hh
@@ -457,6 +457,9 @@ void fsm::step(server_id from, const follower& c, Message&& msg) {
 
 template <typename Message>
 void fsm::step(server_id from, Message&& msg) {
+    if (from == _my_id) {
+        on_internal_error(logger, "fsm cannot process messages from itself");
+    }
     static_assert(std::is_rvalue_reference<decltype(msg)>::value, "must be rvalue");
     // 4.1. Safety
     // Servers process incoming RPC requests without consulting