diff --git a/book/src/dev/rfcs/0005-state-updates.md b/book/src/dev/rfcs/0005-state-updates.md
index 78a78ff79..04ea5aeb8 100644
--- a/book/src/dev/rfcs/0005-state-updates.md
+++ b/book/src/dev/rfcs/0005-state-updates.md
@@ -347,7 +347,8 @@ Remove the highest height block of the non-finalized portion of a chain.
 
 The `Chain` type implements `Ord` for reorganizing chains. First chains
 are compared by their `partial_cumulative_work`. Ties are then broken by
-comparing `block::Hash`es of the tips of each chain.
+comparing `block::Hash`es of the tips of each chain. (This tie-breaker
+means that all `Chain`s in the `ChainSet` must have at least one block.)
 
 **Note**: Unlike `zcashd`, Zebra does not use block arrival times as a
 tie-breaker for the best tip. Since Zebra downloads blocks in parallel,
@@ -367,11 +368,8 @@ handled by `#[derive(Default)]`.
     `self.<version>_nullifiers`
     - Zero `self.partial_cumulative_work`
 
-**Note:** The chain can be empty if:
-  - after a restart - the non-finalized state is empty
-  - during a fork from the finalized tip - the forked Chain is empty, because
-    all its blocks have been `pop`ped
-
+**Note:** The `ChainState` can be empty after a restart, because the
+non-finalized state is empty.
 
 ### `NonFinalizedState` Type
 [nonfinalizedstate-type]: #nonfinalizedstate-type
@@ -442,10 +440,12 @@ Queue a non-finalized block to be committed to the state.
 After queueing a non-finalized block, this method checks whether the newly
 queued block (and any of its descendants) can be committed to the state
 
-1. Check if the parent block exists in any current chain
+1. If the block itself exists in any current chain, it has already been successfully verified:
+  - broadcast `Ok(block.hash())` via `block.rsp_tx`, and return
 
-2. If it does, call `let ret = self.commit_block(block)`
-    - Call `self.process_queued(new_parents)` if `ret` is `Some`
+2. If the parent block exists in any current chain:
+    - Call `let hash = self.commit_block(block)`
+    - Call `self.process_queued(hash)`
 
 3. Else Add `block` to `self.queued_blocks` and related members and return
 
@@ -458,31 +458,33 @@ queued block (and any of its descendants) can be committed to the state
       - lookup the `block` for `hash`
       - remove `block` from `self.queued_blocks`
       - remove `hash` from `self.queued_by_height`
-      - let result = `self.commit_block(block)`;
-      - add `result` to `new_parents`
+      - let hash = `self.commit_block(block)`;
+      - add `hash` to `new_parents`
 
-### `fn commit_block(&mut self, block: QueuedBlock) -> Option<block::Hash>`
+### `fn commit_block(&mut self, block: QueuedBlock) -> block::Hash`
 
-Try to commit `block` to the non-finalized state. Returns `None` if the block
-cannot be committed due to missing context.
+Try to commit `block` to the non-finalized state. Must succeed, because
+`commit_block` is only called when `block` is ready to be committed.
 
-1. Search for the first chain where `block.parent` == `chain.tip`. If it exists:
+1. If the block is a pre-Sapling block, return an error.
+
+2. Search for the first chain where `block.parent` == `chain.tip`. If it exists:
     - push `block` onto that chain
     - broadcast `result` via `block.rsp_tx`
-    - return Some(block.hash) if `result.is_ok()`
+    - return `block.hash` if `result.is_ok()`
 
-2. Find the first chain that contains `block.parent` and fork it with
+3. Find the first chain that contains `block.parent` and fork it with
   `block.parent` as the new tip
     - `let fork = self.chains.iter().find_map(|chain| chain.fork(block.parent));`
 
-3. If `fork` is `Some`
+4. If `fork` is `Some`
     - push `block` onto that chain
     - add `fork` to `self.chains`
     - broadcast `result` via `block.rsp_tx`
-    - return Some(block.hash) if `result.is_ok()`
+    - return `block.hash` if `result.is_ok()`
 
 5. Else panic, this should be unreachable because `commit_block` is only
-   called when it's ready to be committed.
+   called when `block` is ready to be committed.
 
 ### Summary
 
@@ -515,9 +517,9 @@ are now past the reorg limit.
     - push `block` onto that chain
     - add `fork` to `chain_set.chains`
     - broadcast `result` via `block.rsp_tx`
-    - return Some(block.hash) if `result.is_ok()`
+    - return block.hash if `result.is_ok()`
 
-3. commit or queue the block to the non-finalized state with
+3. Otherwise, commit or queue the block to the non-finalized state with
    `chain_set.queue(block);`
 
 4. If the best chain is longer than the reorg limit