diff --git a/roomserver/internal/input/input_events.go b/roomserver/internal/input/input_events.go
index b4afaf601..785a74840 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/input/input_events.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/input/input_events.go
@@ -256,9 +256,15 @@ func (r *Inputer) processRoomEvent(
 				haveEvents: map[string]*gomatrixserverlib.HeaderedEvent{},
 			}
 			if override, err := missingState.processEventWithMissingState(ctx, event, headered.RoomVersion); err != nil {
+				// Something went wrong with retrieving the missing state, so we can't
+				// really do anything with the event other than reject it at this point.
 				isRejected = true
 				rejectionErr = fmt.Errorf("missingState.processEventWithMissingState: %w", err)
 			} else if override != nil {
+				// We retrieved some state and we ended up having to call /state_ids for
+				// the new event in question (probably because closing the gap by using
+				// /get_missing_events didn't do what we hoped) so we'll instead overwrite
+				// the state snapshot with the newly resolved state.
 				missingPrev = false
 				input.HasState = true
 				input.StateEventIDs = make([]string, 0, len(override.StateEvents))
@@ -266,9 +272,15 @@ func (r *Inputer) processRoomEvent(
 					input.StateEventIDs = append(input.StateEventIDs, e.EventID())
 				}
 			} else {
+				// We retrieved some state and it would appear that rolling forward the
+				// state did everything we needed it to do, so we can just resolve the
+				// state for the event in the normal way.
 				missingPrev = false
 			}
 		} else {
+			// We're missing prev events or state for the event, but for some reason
+			// we don't know any servers to ask. In this case we can't do anything but
+			// reject the event and hope that it gets unrejected later.
 			isRejected = true
 			rejectionErr = fmt.Errorf("missing prev events and no other servers to ask")
 		}
diff --git a/roomserver/internal/input/input_missing.go b/roomserver/internal/input/input_missing.go
index e3ef72051..9d7710062 100644
--- a/roomserver/internal/input/input_missing.go
+++ b/roomserver/internal/input/input_missing.go
@@ -98,17 +98,15 @@ func (t *missingStateReq) processEventWithMissingState(
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
-	// At this point we have possibly filled the gap using /g_m_e, but
-	// we still don't actually know if that reconciled the problem with
-	// the event's prev events. It's possible that some of the events we
-	// fetched from /g_m_e didn't have state or were rejected for some
-	// reason. Let's double-check.
+	// Otherwise, if we've reached this point, it's possible that we've
+	// either not closed the gap, or we did but we still don't seem to
+	// know the events before the new event. Start by looking up the
+	// state at the event at the back of the gap and we'll try to roll
+	// forward the state first.
 	backwardsExtremity := newEvents[0]
 	newEvents = newEvents[1:]
 
-	// Retrieve the state at the backward extremity. This may allow us
-	// to roll forward and then re-check if the prev states are known.
-	resolvedState, err := t.lookupState(ctx, backwardsExtremity, roomVersion)
+	resolvedState, err := t.lookupResolvedStateBeforeEvent(ctx, backwardsExtremity, roomVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("t.lookupState (backwards extremity): %w", err)
 	}
@@ -148,7 +146,8 @@ func (t *missingStateReq) processEventWithMissingState(
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// Send outliers first so we can send the new backwards extremity without causing errors
+	// Send outliers first so we can send the state along with the new backwards
+	// extremity without any missing auth events.
 	if err = sendOutliers(resolvedState); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("sendOutliers: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -194,31 +193,33 @@ func (t *missingStateReq) processEventWithMissingState(
 	}
 
 	// Finally, check again if we know everything we need to know in order to
-	// make forward progress. This will be true if rolling forward the fetched
-	// events led to correctly fast-forwarded state. Otherwise we need to /state_ids
-	// again, but this time for the new event.
+	// make forward progress. If the prev state is known then we consider the
+	// rolled forward state to be sufficient — we now know all of the state
+	// before the prev events. If we don't then we need to look up the state
+	// before the new event as well, otherwise we will never make any progress.
 	if t.isPrevStateKnown(ctx, e) {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 
 	// If we still haven't got the state for the prev events then we'll go and
 	// ask the federation for it if needed.
-	resolvedState, err = t.lookupState(ctx, e, roomVersion)
+	resolvedState, err = t.lookupResolvedStateBeforeEvent(ctx, e, roomVersion)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("t.lookupState (new event): %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// Send the outliers.
+	// Send the outliers for the retrieved state.
 	if err = sendOutliers(resolvedState); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("sendOutliers: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	// Then return the resolved state, for which the caller can replace the
-	// HasState with the event IDs to create a new state snapshot.
+	// HasState with the event IDs to create a new state snapshot when we
+	// process the new event.
 	return resolvedState, nil
 }
 
-func (t *missingStateReq) lookupState(ctx context.Context, e *gomatrixserverlib.Event, roomVersion gomatrixserverlib.RoomVersion) (*gomatrixserverlib.RespState, error) {
+func (t *missingStateReq) lookupResolvedStateBeforeEvent(ctx context.Context, e *gomatrixserverlib.Event, roomVersion gomatrixserverlib.RoomVersion) (*gomatrixserverlib.RespState, error) {
 	type respState struct {
 		// A snapshot is considered trustworthy if it came from our own roomserver.
 		// That's because the state will have been through state resolution once