diff --git a/beacon_chain/rpc/rest_beacon_api.nim b/beacon_chain/rpc/rest_beacon_api.nim
index 60444a14e..341445c70 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/rpc/rest_beacon_api.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/rpc/rest_beacon_api.nim
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ proc installBeaconApiHandlers*(router: var RestRouter, node: BeaconNode) =
               if contentBody.isNone():
                 return RestApiResponse.jsonError(Http400, EmptyRequestBodyError)
               contentBody.get()
-          restBlock = decodeBodyJsonOrSsz(
+          restBlock = decodeBody(
             RestPublishedSignedBlockContents, body, version).valueOr:
               return RestApiResponse.jsonError(error)
 
diff --git a/beacon_chain/spec/eth2_apis/eth2_rest_serialization.nim b/beacon_chain/spec/eth2_apis/eth2_rest_serialization.nim
index f7c58eae5..9cbd3a8c7 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/spec/eth2_apis/eth2_rest_serialization.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/spec/eth2_apis/eth2_rest_serialization.nim
@@ -3592,10 +3592,10 @@ proc decodeBody*(
                               [version, $body.contentType]))
 
 proc decodeBody*(
-       t: typedesc[RestPublishedSignedBlockContents],
-       body: ContentBody,
-       version: string
-     ): Result[RestPublishedSignedBlockContents, RestErrorMessage] =
+    t: typedesc[RestPublishedSignedBlockContents],
+    body: ContentBody,
+    version: string
+): Result[RestPublishedSignedBlockContents, RestErrorMessage] =
   if body.contentType == ApplicationJsonMediaType:
     let data =
       try:
@@ -3711,136 +3711,6 @@ proc decodeBody*[T](t: typedesc[T],
       return err("Unexpected deserialization error")
   ok(data)
 
-proc decodeBodyJsonOrSsz*(
-       t: typedesc[RestPublishedSignedBlockContents],
-       body: ContentBody,
-       version: string
-     ): Result[RestPublishedSignedBlockContents, RestErrorMessage] =
-  if body.contentType == OctetStreamMediaType:
-    decodeBody(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents, body, version)
-  elif body.contentType == ApplicationJsonMediaType:
-    let consensusFork = ConsensusFork.decodeString(version).valueOr:
-      return err(RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeVersionError,
-                                       [version, $error]))
-    case consensusFork
-    of ConsensusFork.Phase0:
-      let blck =
-        try:
-          RestJson.decode(body.data, phase0.SignedBeaconBlock,
-                          requireAllFields = true,
-                          allowUnknownFields = true)
-        except SerializationError as exc:
-          debug "Failed to decode JSON data",
-               err = exc.formatMsg("<data>"),
-               data = string.fromBytes(body.data)
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeError,
-                                  [version, exc.formatMsg("<data>")]))
-        except CatchableError as exc:
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnexpectedDecodeError,
-                                  [version, $exc.msg]))
-      ok(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents(
-        kind: ConsensusFork.Phase0, phase0Data: blck))
-    of ConsensusFork.Altair:
-      let blck =
-        try:
-          RestJson.decode(body.data, altair.SignedBeaconBlock,
-                          requireAllFields = true,
-                          allowUnknownFields = true)
-        except SerializationError as exc:
-          debug "Failed to decode JSON data",
-               err = exc.formatMsg("<data>"),
-               data = string.fromBytes(body.data)
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeError,
-                                  [version, exc.formatMsg("<data>")]))
-        except CatchableError as exc:
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnexpectedDecodeError,
-                                  [version, $exc.msg]))
-      ok(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents(
-        kind: ConsensusFork.Altair, altairData: blck))
-    of ConsensusFork.Bellatrix:
-      let blck =
-        try:
-          RestJson.decode(body.data, bellatrix.SignedBeaconBlock,
-                          requireAllFields = true,
-                          allowUnknownFields = true)
-        except SerializationError as exc:
-          debug "Failed to decode JSON data",
-               err = exc.formatMsg("<data>"),
-               data = string.fromBytes(body.data)
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeError,
-                                  [version, exc.formatMsg("<data>")]))
-        except CatchableError as exc:
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnexpectedDecodeError,
-                                  [version, $exc.msg]))
-      ok(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents(
-        kind: ConsensusFork.Bellatrix, bellatrixData: blck))
-    of ConsensusFork.Capella:
-      let blck =
-        try:
-          RestJson.decode(body.data, capella.SignedBeaconBlock,
-                          requireAllFields = true,
-                          allowUnknownFields = true)
-        except SerializationError as exc:
-          debug "Failed to decode JSON data",
-               err = exc.formatMsg("<data>"),
-               data = string.fromBytes(body.data)
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeError,
-                                  [version, exc.formatMsg("<data>")]))
-        except CatchableError as exc:
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnexpectedDecodeError,
-                                  [version, $exc.msg]))
-      ok(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents(
-        kind: ConsensusFork.Capella, capellaData: blck))
-    of ConsensusFork.Deneb:
-      let blckContents =
-        try:
-          RestJson.decode(body.data, DenebSignedBlockContents,
-                          requireAllFields = true,
-                          allowUnknownFields = true)
-        except SerializationError as exc:
-          debug "Failed to decode JSON data",
-               err = exc.formatMsg("<data>"),
-               data = string.fromBytes(body.data)
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeError,
-                                  [version, exc.formatMsg("<data>")]))
-        except CatchableError as exc:
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnexpectedDecodeError,
-                                  [version, $exc.msg]))
-      ok(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents(
-        kind: ConsensusFork.Deneb, denebData: blckContents))
-    of ConsensusFork.Electra:
-      let blckContents =
-        try:
-          RestJson.decode(body.data, ElectraSignedBlockContents,
-                          requireAllFields = true,
-                          allowUnknownFields = true)
-        except SerializationError as exc:
-          debug "Failed to decode JSON data",
-               err = exc.formatMsg("<data>"),
-               data = string.fromBytes(body.data)
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnableDecodeError,
-                                  [version, exc.formatMsg("<data>")]))
-        except CatchableError as exc:
-          return err(
-            RestErrorMessage.init(Http400, UnexpectedDecodeError,
-                                  [version, $exc.msg]))
-      ok(RestPublishedSignedBlockContents(
-        kind: ConsensusFork.Electra, electraData: blckContents))
-  else:
-    err(RestErrorMessage.init(Http415, "Invalid content type",
-                              [version, $body.contentType]))
-
 proc decodeBodyJsonOrSsz*[T](t: typedesc[T],
                              body: ContentBody): Result[T, RestErrorMessage] =
   if body.contentType == ApplicationJsonMediaType:
diff --git a/beacon_chain/validator_client/api.nim b/beacon_chain/validator_client/api.nim
index 036745501..106919431 100644
--- a/beacon_chain/validator_client/api.nim
+++ b/beacon_chain/validator_client/api.nim
@@ -2382,17 +2382,23 @@ proc publishBlockV2*(
                               {BeaconNodeRole.BlockProposalPublish}):
         case data.kind
         of ConsensusFork.Phase0:
-          publishBlockV2(it, data.phase0Data)
+          publishBlockV2(it, data.phase0Data, Opt.some(validation),
+                         Opt.some(contentType))
         of ConsensusFork.Altair:
-          publishBlockV2(it, data.altairData)
+          publishBlockV2(it, data.altairData, Opt.some(validation),
+                         Opt.some(contentType))
         of ConsensusFork.Bellatrix:
-          publishBlockV2(it, data.bellatrixData)
+          publishBlockV2(it, data.bellatrixData, Opt.some(validation),
+                         Opt.some(contentType))
         of ConsensusFork.Capella:
-          publishBlockV2(it, data.capellaData)
+          publishBlockV2(it, data.capellaData, Opt.some(validation),
+                         Opt.some(contentType))
         of ConsensusFork.Deneb:
-          publishBlockV2(it, data.denebData)
+          publishBlockV2(it, data.denebData, Opt.some(validation),
+                         Opt.some(contentType))
         of ConsensusFork.Electra:
-          publishBlockV2(it, data.electraData)
+          publishBlockV2(it, data.electraData, Opt.some(validation),
+                         Opt.some(contentType))
       do:
         if apiResponse.isErr():
           handleCommunicationError()
@@ -2433,17 +2439,23 @@ proc publishBlockV2*(
                               {BeaconNodeRole.BlockProposalPublish}):
       case data.kind
       of ConsensusFork.Phase0:
-        publishBlock(it, data.phase0Data)
+        publishBlockV2(it, data.phase0Data, Opt.some(validation),
+                       Opt.some(contentType))
       of ConsensusFork.Altair:
-        publishBlock(it, data.altairData)
+        publishBlockV2(it, data.altairData, Opt.some(validation),
+                       Opt.some(contentType))
       of ConsensusFork.Bellatrix:
-        publishBlock(it, data.bellatrixData)
+        publishBlockV2(it, data.bellatrixData, Opt.some(validation),
+                       Opt.some(contentType))
       of ConsensusFork.Capella:
-        publishBlock(it, data.capellaData)
+        publishBlockV2(it, data.capellaData, Opt.some(validation),
+                       Opt.some(contentType))
       of ConsensusFork.Deneb:
-        publishBlock(it, data.denebData)
+        publishBlockV2(it, data.denebData, Opt.some(validation),
+                       Opt.some(contentType))
       of ConsensusFork.Electra:
-        publishBlock(it, data.electraData)
+        publishBlockV2(it, data.electraData, Opt.some(validation),
+                       Opt.some(contentType))
 
     do:
       if apiResponse.isErr():