diff --git a/l1-contracts/src/core/messagebridge/Inbox.sol b/l1-contracts/src/core/messagebridge/Inbox.sol
index 09d7d3c3a4e8..90069507ab95 100644
--- a/l1-contracts/src/core/messagebridge/Inbox.sol
+++ b/l1-contracts/src/core/messagebridge/Inbox.sol
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ contract Inbox is IInbox {
 
   mapping(uint256 blockNumber => FrontierLib.Tree tree) public trees;
 
+  // This value is not used much by the contract, but it is useful for synching the node faster
+  // as it can more easily figure out if it can just skip looking for events for a time period.
+  uint256 public totalMessagesInserted = 0;
+
   constructor(address _rollup, uint256 _height) {
     ROLLUP = _rollup;
 
@@ -86,6 +90,7 @@ contract Inbox is IInbox {
 
     bytes32 leaf = message.sha256ToField();
     uint256 index = currentTree.insertLeaf(leaf);
+    totalMessagesInserted++;
     emit MessageSent(inProgress, index, leaf);
 
     return leaf;
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.test.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.test.ts
index 64860c7907b8..e99853a95f4b 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.test.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.test.ts
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ interface MockRollupContractRead {
   status: (args: readonly [bigint]) => Promise<[bigint, `0x${string}`, bigint, `0x${string}`, `0x${string}`]>;
 }
 
+interface MockInboxContractRead {
+  totalMessagesInserted: () => Promise<bigint>;
+}
+
 describe('Archiver', () => {
   const rollupAddress = EthAddress.ZERO;
   const inboxAddress = EthAddress.ZERO;
@@ -45,6 +49,7 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
   let now: number;
 
   let rollupRead: MockProxy<MockRollupContractRead>;
+  let inboxRead: MockProxy<MockInboxContractRead>;
   let archiver: Archiver;
   let blocks: L2Block[];
 
@@ -79,6 +84,9 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
     );
 
     ((archiver as any).rollup as any).read = rollupRead;
+
+    inboxRead = mock<MockInboxContractRead>();
+    ((archiver as any).inbox as any).read = inboxRead;
   });
 
   afterEach(async () => {
@@ -104,6 +112,8 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
         blocks[0].archive.root.toString(),
       ]);
 
+    inboxRead.totalMessagesInserted.mockResolvedValueOnce(2n).mockResolvedValueOnce(6n);
+
     mockGetLogs({
       messageSent: [makeMessageSentEvent(98n, 1n, 0n), makeMessageSentEvent(99n, 1n, 1n)],
       L2BlockProposed: [makeL2BlockProposedEvent(101n, 1n, blocks[0].archive.root.toString())],
@@ -209,6 +219,8 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
 
     rollupRead.status.mockResolvedValue([0n, GENESIS_ROOT, 2n, blocks[1].archive.root.toString(), GENESIS_ROOT]);
 
+    inboxRead.totalMessagesInserted.mockResolvedValueOnce(2n).mockResolvedValueOnce(2n);
+
     mockGetLogs({
       messageSent: [makeMessageSentEvent(66n, 1n, 0n), makeMessageSentEvent(68n, 1n, 1n)],
       L2BlockProposed: [
@@ -232,7 +244,7 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
     expect(loggerSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(errorMessage);
   }, 10_000);
 
-  it('skip event search if not blocks found', async () => {
+  it('skip event search if no changes found', async () => {
     const loggerSpy = jest.spyOn((archiver as any).log, 'verbose');
 
     let latestBlockNum = await archiver.getBlockNumber();
@@ -247,11 +259,8 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([0n, GENESIS_ROOT, 0n, GENESIS_ROOT, GENESIS_ROOT])
       .mockResolvedValueOnce([0n, GENESIS_ROOT, 2n, blocks[1].archive.root.toString(), GENESIS_ROOT]);
 
-    // This can look slightly odd, but we will need to do an empty request for the messages, and will entirely skip
-    // a call to the proposed blocks because of changes with status.
-    mockGetLogs({
-      messageSent: [],
-    });
+    inboxRead.totalMessagesInserted.mockResolvedValueOnce(0n).mockResolvedValueOnce(2n);
+
     mockGetLogs({
       messageSent: [makeMessageSentEvent(66n, 1n, 0n), makeMessageSentEvent(68n, 1n, 1n)],
       L2BlockProposed: [
@@ -303,11 +312,12 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
       .mockResolvedValueOnce(blocks[1].archive.root.toString())
       .mockResolvedValueOnce(Fr.ZERO.toString());
 
-    // This can look slightly odd, but we will need to do an empty request for the messages, and will entirely skip
-    // a call to the proposed blocks because of changes with status.
-    mockGetLogs({
-      messageSent: [],
-    });
+    inboxRead.totalMessagesInserted
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(0n)
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(2n)
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(2n)
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(2n);
+
     mockGetLogs({
       messageSent: [makeMessageSentEvent(66n, 1n, 0n), makeMessageSentEvent(68n, 1n, 1n)],
       L2BlockProposed: [
@@ -315,12 +325,6 @@ describe('Archiver', () => {
         makeL2BlockProposedEvent(80n, 2n, blocks[1].archive.root.toString()),
       ],
     });
-    mockGetLogs({
-      messageSent: [],
-    });
-    mockGetLogs({
-      messageSent: [],
-    });
 
     rollupTxs.forEach(tx => publicClient.getTransaction.mockResolvedValueOnce(tx));
 
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.ts
index 9b863f1de7c8..ce8994dff5b0 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver.ts
@@ -245,14 +245,10 @@ export class Archiver implements ArchiveSource {
       return;
     }
 
-    const retrievedL1ToL2Messages = await retrieveL1ToL2Messages(
-      this.inbox,
-      blockUntilSynced,
-      messagesSynchedTo + 1n,
-      currentL1BlockNumber,
-    );
+    const localTotalMessageCount = await this.store.getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount();
+    const destinationTotalMessageCount = await this.inbox.read.totalMessagesInserted();
 
-    if (retrievedL1ToL2Messages.retrievedData.length === 0) {
+    if (localTotalMessageCount === destinationTotalMessageCount) {
       await this.store.setMessageSynchedL1BlockNumber(currentL1BlockNumber);
       this.log.verbose(
         `Retrieved no new L1 -> L2 messages between L1 blocks ${messagesSynchedTo + 1n} and ${currentL1BlockNumber}.`,
@@ -260,6 +256,13 @@ export class Archiver implements ArchiveSource {
       return;
     }
 
+    const retrievedL1ToL2Messages = await retrieveL1ToL2Messages(
+      this.inbox,
+      blockUntilSynced,
+      messagesSynchedTo + 1n,
+      currentL1BlockNumber,
+    );
+
     await this.store.addL1ToL2Messages(retrievedL1ToL2Messages);
 
     this.log.verbose(
@@ -780,4 +783,7 @@ class ArchiverStoreHelper
   getContractArtifact(address: AztecAddress): Promise<ContractArtifact | undefined> {
     return this.store.getContractArtifact(address);
   }
+  getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount(): Promise<bigint> {
+    return this.store.getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount();
+  }
 }
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver_store.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver_store.ts
index 93f72a2b01f4..2218be901d4e 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver_store.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/archiver_store.ts
@@ -108,6 +108,12 @@ export interface ArchiverDataStore {
    */
   getL1ToL2MessageIndex(l1ToL2Message: Fr, startIndex: bigint): Promise<bigint | undefined>;
 
+  /**
+   * Get the total number of L1 to L2 messages
+   * @returns The number of L1 to L2 messages in the store
+   */
+  getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount(): Promise<bigint>;
+
   /**
    * Gets up to `limit` amount of logs starting from `from`.
    * @param from - Number of the L2 block to which corresponds the first logs to be returned.
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/kv_archiver_store.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/kv_archiver_store.ts
index 6c34f8e8220e..7544fd0941a3 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/kv_archiver_store.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/kv_archiver_store.ts
@@ -167,6 +167,10 @@ export class KVArchiverDataStore implements ArchiverDataStore {
     return this.#logStore.deleteLogs(blocks);
   }
 
+  getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount(): Promise<bigint> {
+    return Promise.resolve(this.#messageStore.getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount());
+  }
+
   /**
    * Append L1 to L2 messages to the store.
    * @param messages - The L1 to L2 messages to be added to the store and the last processed L1 block.
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/message_store.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/message_store.ts
index 23a13a9ca321..3372785e6e45 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/message_store.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/kv_archiver_store/message_store.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ export class MessageStore {
   #l1ToL2Messages: AztecMap<string, Buffer>;
   #l1ToL2MessageIndices: AztecMap<string, bigint[]>; // We store array of bigints here because there can be duplicate messages
   #lastSynchedL1Block: AztecSingleton<bigint>;
+  #totalMessageCount: AztecSingleton<bigint>;
 
   #log = createDebugLogger('aztec:archiver:message_store');
 
@@ -26,6 +27,11 @@ export class MessageStore {
     this.#l1ToL2Messages = db.openMap('archiver_l1_to_l2_messages');
     this.#l1ToL2MessageIndices = db.openMap('archiver_l1_to_l2_message_indices');
     this.#lastSynchedL1Block = db.openSingleton('archiver_last_l1_block_new_messages');
+    this.#totalMessageCount = db.openSingleton('archiver_l1_to_l2_message_count');
+  }
+
+  getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount(): bigint {
+    return this.#totalMessageCount.get() ?? 0n;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -70,6 +76,9 @@ export class MessageStore {
         void this.#l1ToL2MessageIndices.set(message.leaf.toString(), indices);
       }
 
+      const lastTotalMessageCount = this.getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount();
+      void this.#totalMessageCount.set(lastTotalMessageCount + BigInt(messages.retrievedData.length));
+
       return true;
     });
   }
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/l1_to_l2_message_store.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/l1_to_l2_message_store.ts
index a922e62067e2..52f887056acb 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/l1_to_l2_message_store.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/l1_to_l2_message_store.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ export class L1ToL2MessageStore {
 
   constructor() {}
 
+  getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount(): bigint {
+    return BigInt(this.store.size);
+  }
+
   addMessage(message: InboxLeaf) {
     if (message.index >= this.#l1ToL2MessagesSubtreeSize) {
       throw new Error(`Message index ${message.index} out of subtree range`);
diff --git a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/memory_archiver_store.ts b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/memory_archiver_store.ts
index 7facaa3d7031..9a1fe11ff581 100644
--- a/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/memory_archiver_store.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/archiver/src/archiver/memory_archiver_store/memory_archiver_store.ts
@@ -219,6 +219,10 @@ export class MemoryArchiverStore implements ArchiverDataStore {
     return Promise.resolve(true);
   }
 
+  getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount(): Promise<bigint> {
+    return Promise.resolve(this.l1ToL2Messages.getTotalL1ToL2MessageCount());
+  }
+
   /**
    * Append L1 to L2 messages to the store.
    * @param messages - The L1 to L2 messages to be added to the store and the last processed L1 block.