diff --git a/state/executor.go b/state/executor.go
index a0f95468bd..1d93c8b313 100644
--- a/state/executor.go
+++ b/state/executor.go
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ func (e *BlockExecutor) ApplyBlock(ctx context.Context, state types.State, block
 		return types.State{}, nil, err
 	}
 	if !isAppValid {
-		return types.State{}, nil, fmt.Errorf("error while processing the proposal: %w", err)
+		return types.State{}, nil, fmt.Errorf("proposal processing resulted in an invalid application state")
 	}
 
 	err = e.Validate(state, block)