diff --git a/src/blockstore/store.ts b/src/blockstore/store.ts
index 99e30eaf6..6217d6e14 100644
--- a/src/blockstore/store.ts
+++ b/src/blockstore/store.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import type {
   DbMetaEventBlock,
   CarClockLink,
 } from "./types.js";
-import { Falsy, StoreType, SuperThis, throwFalsy } from "../types.js";
+import { Falsy, StoreType, SuperThis, throwFalsy, CRDTEntry } from "../types.js";
 import { Gateway } from "./gateway.js";
 import { ensureLogger, isNotFoundError } from "../utils.js";
 import { carLogIncludesGroup } from "./loader.js";
@@ -176,8 +176,7 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
     return event as EventBlock<{ dbMeta: Uint8Array }>;
   }
 
-  async decodeMetaBlock(bytes: Uint8Array): Promise<{ eventCid: CarClockLink; dbMeta: DbMeta; parents: string[] }> {
-    const crdtEntry = JSON.parse(this.sthis.txt.decode(bytes)) as { data: string; parents: string[]; cid: string };
+  async decodeMetaBlock(crdtEntry: CRDTEntry): Promise<{ eventCid: CarClockLink; dbMeta: DbMeta; parents: string[] }> {
     const eventBytes = decodeFromBase64(crdtEntry.data);
     const eventBlock = await this.decodeEventBlock(eventBytes);
     return {
@@ -187,9 +186,10 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
     };
   }
 
-  async handleByteHeads(byteHeads: Uint8Array[]) {
+  async handleByteHeads(byteHeads: Uint8Array) {
+    const crdtEntries = JSON.parse(this.sthis.txt.decode(byteHeads)) as CRDTEntry[];
     try {
-      const dbMetas = await Promise.all(byteHeads.map((bytes) => this.decodeMetaBlock(bytes)));
+      const dbMetas = await Promise.all(crdtEntries.map((entry) => this.decodeMetaBlock(entry)));
       return dbMetas;
     } catch (e) {
       throw this.logger.Error().Err(e).Msg("parseHeader").AsError();
@@ -197,7 +197,8 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
   }
 
   async handleEventByteHead(byteHead: Uint8Array) {
-    const { eventCid, dbMeta, parents } = await this.decodeMetaBlock(byteHead);
+    const crdtEntry = JSON.parse(this.sthis.txt.decode(byteHead)) as CRDTEntry;
+    const { eventCid, dbMeta, parents } = await this.decodeMetaBlock(crdtEntry);
     this.loader?.taskManager?.handleEvent(eventCid, parents, dbMeta);
   }
 
@@ -215,7 +216,7 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
       }
       throw this.logger.Error().Url(url.Ok()).Result("bytes:", bytes).Msg("gateway get").AsError();
     }
-    const dbMetas = await this.handleByteHeads([bytes.Ok()]);
+    const dbMetas = await this.handleByteHeads(bytes.Ok());
     await this.loader?.handleDbMetasFromStore(dbMetas.map((m) => m.dbMeta)); // the old one didn't await
     const cids = dbMetas.map((m) => m.eventCid);
     const uniqueParentsMap = new Map([...this.parents, ...cids].map((p) => [p.toString(), p]));
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ export class MetaStoreImpl extends BaseStoreImpl implements MetaStore {
       data: base64String,
       parents: this.parents.map((p) => p.toString()),
     };
-    return this.sthis.txt.encode(JSON.stringify(crdtEntry));
+    return this.sthis.txt.encode(JSON.stringify([crdtEntry]));
   }
 
   async save(meta: DbMeta, branch?: string): Promise<Result<void>> {
diff --git a/src/blockstore/types.ts b/src/blockstore/types.ts
index e59047abd..dd2deee0c 100644
--- a/src/blockstore/types.ts
+++ b/src/blockstore/types.ts
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ export interface MetaStore extends BaseStore {
   load(branch?: string): Promise<DbMeta[] | Falsy>;
   // branch is defaulted to "main"
   save(meta: DbMeta, branch?: string): Promise<Result<void>>;
-  handleByteHeads(byteHeads: Uint8Array[], branch?: string): Promise<{ eventCid: CarClockLink; dbMeta: DbMeta }[]>;
+  handleByteHeads(byteHeads: Uint8Array, branch?: string): Promise<{ eventCid: CarClockLink; dbMeta: DbMeta }[]>;
 }
 
 export interface DataSaveOpts {
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index d937f6e49..a0c3d0799 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -262,3 +262,9 @@ export interface DocResponse {
 export type UpdateListenerFn<T extends DocTypes> = (docs: DocWithId<T>[]) => Promise<void> | void;
 export type NoUpdateListenerFn = () => Promise<void> | void;
 export type ListenerFn<T extends DocTypes> = UpdateListenerFn<T> | NoUpdateListenerFn;
+
+export interface CRDTEntry {
+  data: string;
+  parents: string[];
+  cid: string;
+}
diff --git a/tests/blockstore/store.test.ts b/tests/blockstore/store.test.ts
index aeb17a049..7a4c37945 100644
--- a/tests/blockstore/store.test.ts
+++ b/tests/blockstore/store.test.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ describe("MetaStore", function () {
     };
     await store.save(h);
     const file = await raw.get(store.url(), "main");
-    const [blockMeta] = await store.handleByteHeads([file]);
+    const [blockMeta] = await store.handleByteHeads(file);
     const decodedHeader = blockMeta.dbMeta;
     expect(decodedHeader).toBeTruthy();
     expect(decodedHeader.cars).toBeTruthy();
@@ -156,10 +156,10 @@ describe("MetaStore with a saved header", function () {
     const bytes = await raw.get(store.url(), "main");
     const data = decoder.decode(bytes);
     expect(data).toMatch(/parents/);
-    const header = JSON.parse(data);
+    const header = JSON.parse(data)[0];
     expect(header).toBeDefined();
     expect(header.parents).toBeDefined();
-    const [blockMeta] = await store.handleByteHeads([bytes]);
+    const [blockMeta] = await store.handleByteHeads(bytes);
     const decodedHeader = blockMeta.dbMeta;
     expect(decodedHeader).toBeDefined();
     expect(decodedHeader.cars).toBeDefined();