diff --git a/payload_consumer/delta_performer.cc b/payload_consumer/delta_performer.cc
index ba96047..d9efc30 100644
--- a/payload_consumer/delta_performer.cc
+++ b/payload_consumer/delta_performer.cc
@@ -1818,6 +1818,16 @@
     return ErrorCode::kPayloadSizeMismatchError;
   }
 
+  auto [payload_verifier, perform_verification] = CreatePayloadVerifier();
+  if (!perform_verification) {
+    LOG(WARNING) << "Not verifying signed delta payload -- missing public key.";
+    return ErrorCode::kSuccess;
+  }
+  if (!payload_verifier) {
+    LOG(ERROR) << "Failed to create the payload verifier.";
+    return ErrorCode::kDownloadPayloadPubKeyVerificationError;
+  }
+
   // Verifies the payload hash.
   TEST_AND_RETURN_VAL(ErrorCode::kDownloadPayloadVerificationError,
                       !payload_hash_calculator_.raw_hash().empty());
@@ -1831,15 +1841,6 @@
   TEST_AND_RETURN_VAL(ErrorCode::kDownloadPayloadPubKeyVerificationError,
                       hash_data.size() == kSHA256Size);
 
-  auto [payload_verifier, perform_verification] = CreatePayloadVerifier();
-  if (!perform_verification) {
-    LOG(WARNING) << "Not verifying signed delta payload -- missing public key.";
-    return ErrorCode::kSuccess;
-  }
-  if (!payload_verifier) {
-    LOG(ERROR) << "Failed to create the payload verifier.";
-    return ErrorCode::kDownloadPayloadPubKeyVerificationError;
-  }
   if (!payload_verifier->VerifySignature(signatures_message_data_, hash_data)) {
     // The autoupdate_CatchBadSignatures test checks for this string
     // in log-files. Keep in sync.