diff --git a/Framework/Core/include/Framework/DataProcessingHelpers.h b/Framework/Core/include/Framework/DataProcessingHelpers.h
index a9bd95b69f4c7..87aeeb8922da3 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/include/Framework/DataProcessingHelpers.h
+++ b/Framework/Core/include/Framework/DataProcessingHelpers.h
@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ struct DataProcessingHelpers {
   /// Helper to route messages for forwarding
   static void routeForwardedMessages(FairMQDeviceProxy& proxy, std::span<fair::mq::MessagePtr>& currentSetOfInputs, std::vector<fair::mq::Parts>& forwardedParts,
                                      bool copy, bool consume);
+
+  static void cleanForwardedMessages(std::span<fair::mq::MessagePtr>& currentSetOfInputs, bool consume);
 };
 } // namespace o2::framework
 #endif // O2_FRAMEWORK_DATAPROCESSINGHELPERS_H_
diff --git a/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingDevice.cxx b/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingDevice.cxx
index f65477c573772..38c57c66c8a01 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingDevice.cxx
+++ b/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingDevice.cxx
@@ -626,9 +626,12 @@ static auto cleanEarlyForward = [](ServiceRegistryRef registry, TimesliceSlot sl
                     slot.index, oldestTimeslice.timeslice.value, copy ? "with copy" : "", copy && consume ? " and " : "", consume ? "with consume" : "");
   // Always copy them, because we do not want to actually send them.
   // We merely need the side effect of the consume, if applicable.
-  auto forwardedParts = DataProcessingHelpers::routeForwardedMessageSet(proxy, currentSetOfInputs, true, consume);
+  for (size_t ii = 0, ie = currentSetOfInputs.size(); ii < ie; ++ii) {
+    auto span = std::span<fair::mq::MessagePtr>(currentSetOfInputs[ii].messages);
+    DataProcessingHelpers::cleanForwardedMessages(span, consume);
+  }
 
-  O2_SIGNPOST_END(forwarding, sid, "forwardInputs", "Forwarding done");
+  O2_SIGNPOST_END(forwarding, sid, "forwardInputs", "Cleaning done");
 };
 
 extern volatile int region_read_global_dummy_variable;
diff --git a/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingHelpers.cxx b/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingHelpers.cxx
index 87e7c9bf8962f..334a0fc6045f6 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingHelpers.cxx
+++ b/Framework/Core/src/DataProcessingHelpers.cxx
@@ -338,6 +338,60 @@ void DataProcessingHelpers::routeForwardedMessages(FairMQDeviceProxy& proxy, std
   }
 }
 
+void DataProcessingHelpers::cleanForwardedMessages(std::span<fair::mq::MessagePtr>& messages, bool consume)
+{
+  size_t pi = 0;
+  while (pi < messages.size()) {
+    auto& header = messages[pi];
+
+    // If is now possible that the record is not complete when
+    // we forward it, because of a custom completion policy.
+    // this means that we need to skip the empty entries in the
+    // record for being forwarded.
+    if (header->GetData() == nullptr ||
+        o2::header::get<DomainInfoHeader*>(header->GetData()) ||
+        o2::header::get<SourceInfoHeader*>(header->GetData())) {
+      pi += 2;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    auto dph = o2::header::get<DataProcessingHeader*>(header->GetData());
+    auto dh = o2::header::get<o2::header::DataHeader*>(header->GetData());
+
+    if (dph == nullptr || dh == nullptr) {
+      // Complain only if this is not an out-of-band message
+      LOGP(error, "Data is missing {}{}{}",
+           dph ? "DataProcessingHeader" : "", dph || dh ? "and" : "", dh ? "DataHeader" : "");
+      pi += 2;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    // At least one payload.
+    auto& payload = messages[pi + 1];
+    // Calculate the number of messages which should be handled together
+    // all in one go.
+    size_t numberOfMessages = 0;
+    if (dh->splitPayloadParts > 0 && dh->splitPayloadParts == dh->splitPayloadIndex) {
+      // Sequence of (header, payload[0], ... , payload[splitPayloadParts - 1]) pairs belonging together.
+      numberOfMessages = dh->splitPayloadParts + 1; // one is for the header
+    } else {
+      // Sequence of splitPayloadParts (header, payload) pairs belonging together.
+      // In case splitPayloadParts = 0, we consider this as a single message pair
+      numberOfMessages = (dh->splitPayloadParts > 0 ? dh->splitPayloadParts : 1) * 2;
+    }
+
+    if (payload.get() == nullptr && consume == true) {
+      // If the payload is not there, it means we already
+      // processed it with ConsumeExisiting. Therefore we
+      // need to do something only if this is the last consume.
+      header.reset(nullptr);
+    }
+
+    // Nothing to forward go to the next messageset
+    pi += numberOfMessages;
+  }
+}
+
 auto DataProcessingHelpers::routeForwardedMessageSet(FairMQDeviceProxy& proxy,
                                                      std::vector<MessageSet>& currentSetOfInputs,
                                                      const bool copyByDefault, bool consume) -> std::vector<fair::mq::Parts>