diff --git a/changelog.d/10896.misc b/changelog.d/10896.misc
index 41de99584..9a765435d 100644
--- a/changelog.d/10896.misc
+++ b/changelog.d/10896.misc
@@ -1 +1 @@
- Clean up some of the federation event authentication code for clarity.
+Clean up some of the federation event authentication code for clarity.
diff --git a/changelog.d/10926.misc b/changelog.d/10926.misc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a765435d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/10926.misc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Clean up some of the federation event authentication code for clarity.
diff --git a/synapse/handlers/federation_event.py b/synapse/handlers/federation_event.py
index 01fd84112..2c4644b4a 100644
--- a/synapse/handlers/federation_event.py
+++ b/synapse/handlers/federation_event.py
@@ -68,11 +68,7 @@ from synapse.types import (
     UserID,
     get_domain_from_id,
 )
-from synapse.util.async_helpers import (
-    Linearizer,
-    concurrently_execute,
-    yieldable_gather_results,
-)
+from synapse.util.async_helpers import Linearizer, concurrently_execute
 from synapse.util.iterutils import batch_iter
 from synapse.util.retryutils import NotRetryingDestination
 from synapse.util.stringutils import shortstr
@@ -1189,7 +1185,10 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
             allow_rejected=True,
         )
 
-        async def prep(event: EventBase) -> Optional[Tuple[EventBase, EventContext]]:
+        room_version = await self._store.get_room_version_id(room_id)
+        room_version_obj = KNOWN_ROOM_VERSIONS[room_version]
+
+        def prep(event: EventBase) -> Optional[Tuple[EventBase, EventContext]]:
             with nested_logging_context(suffix=event.event_id):
                 auth = {}
                 for auth_event_id in event.auth_event_ids():
@@ -1207,17 +1206,15 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
                     auth[(ae.type, ae.state_key)] = ae
 
                 context = EventContext.for_outlier()
-                context = await self._check_event_auth(
-                    origin,
-                    event,
-                    context,
-                    claimed_auth_event_map=auth,
-                )
+                try:
+                    event_auth.check(room_version_obj, event, auth_events=auth)
+                except AuthError as e:
+                    logger.warning("Rejecting %r because %s", event, e)
+                    context.rejected = RejectedReason.AUTH_ERROR
+
             return event, context
 
-        events_to_persist = (
-            x for x in await yieldable_gather_results(prep, fetched_events) if x
-        )
+        events_to_persist = (x for x in (prep(event) for event in fetched_events) if x)
         await self.persist_events_and_notify(room_id, tuple(events_to_persist))
 
     async def _check_event_auth(
@@ -1226,7 +1223,6 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
         event: EventBase,
         context: EventContext,
         state: Optional[Iterable[EventBase]] = None,
-        claimed_auth_event_map: Optional[StateMap[EventBase]] = None,
         backfilled: bool = False,
     ) -> EventContext:
         """
@@ -1242,42 +1238,36 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
                 The state events used to check the event for soft-fail. If this is
                 not provided the current state events will be used.
 
-            claimed_auth_event_map:
-                A map of (type, state_key) => event for the event's claimed auth_events.
-                Possibly including events that were rejected, or are in the wrong room.
-
-                Only populated when populating outliers.
-
             backfilled: True if the event was backfilled.
 
         Returns:
             The updated context object.
         """
-        # claimed_auth_event_map should be given iff the event is an outlier
-        assert bool(claimed_auth_event_map) == event.internal_metadata.outlier
+        # This method should only be used for non-outliers
+        assert not event.internal_metadata.outlier
 
         room_version = await self._store.get_room_version_id(event.room_id)
         room_version_obj = KNOWN_ROOM_VERSIONS[room_version]
 
-        if claimed_auth_event_map:
-            # if we have a copy of the auth events from the event, use that as the
-            # basis for auth.
-            auth_events = claimed_auth_event_map
-        else:
-            # otherwise, we calculate what the auth events *should* be, and use that
-            prev_state_ids = await context.get_prev_state_ids()
-            auth_events_ids = self._event_auth_handler.compute_auth_events(
-                event, prev_state_ids, for_verification=True
-            )
-            auth_events_x = await self._store.get_events(auth_events_ids)
-            auth_events = {(e.type, e.state_key): e for e in auth_events_x.values()}
+        # calculate what the auth events *should* be, to use as a basis for auth.
+        prev_state_ids = await context.get_prev_state_ids()
+        auth_events_ids = self._event_auth_handler.compute_auth_events(
+            event, prev_state_ids, for_verification=True
+        )
+        auth_events_x = await self._store.get_events(auth_events_ids)
+        calculated_auth_event_map = {
+            (e.type, e.state_key): e for e in auth_events_x.values()
+        }
 
         try:
             (
                 context,
                 auth_events_for_auth,
             ) = await self._update_auth_events_and_context_for_auth(
-                origin, event, context, auth_events
+                origin,
+                event,
+                context,
+                calculated_auth_event_map=calculated_auth_event_map,
             )
         except Exception:
             # We don't really mind if the above fails, so lets not fail
@@ -1289,7 +1279,7 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
                 "Ignoring failure and continuing processing of event.",
                 event.event_id,
             )
-            auth_events_for_auth = auth_events
+            auth_events_for_auth = calculated_auth_event_map
 
         try:
             event_auth.check(room_version_obj, event, auth_events=auth_events_for_auth)
@@ -1425,7 +1415,7 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
         origin: str,
         event: EventBase,
         context: EventContext,
-        input_auth_events: StateMap[EventBase],
+        calculated_auth_event_map: StateMap[EventBase],
     ) -> Tuple[EventContext, StateMap[EventBase]]:
         """Helper for _check_event_auth. See there for docs.
 
@@ -1443,19 +1433,17 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
             event:
             context:
 
-            input_auth_events:
-                Map from (event_type, state_key) to event
-
-                Normally, our calculated auth_events based on the state of the room
-                at the event's position in the DAG, though occasionally (eg if the
-                event is an outlier), may be the auth events claimed by the remote
-                server.
+            calculated_auth_event_map:
+                Our calculated auth_events based on the state of the room
+                at the event's position in the DAG.
 
         Returns:
             updated context, updated auth event map
         """
-        # take a copy of input_auth_events before we modify it.
-        auth_events: MutableStateMap[EventBase] = dict(input_auth_events)
+        assert not event.internal_metadata.outlier
+
+        # take a copy of calculated_auth_event_map before we modify it.
+        auth_events: MutableStateMap[EventBase] = dict(calculated_auth_event_map)
 
         event_auth_events = set(event.auth_event_ids())
 
@@ -1496,15 +1484,6 @@ class FederationEventHandler:
                     }
                 )
 
-        if event.internal_metadata.is_outlier():
-            # XXX: given that, for an outlier, we'll be working with the
-            # event's *claimed* auth events rather than those we calculated:
-            # (a) is there any point in this test, since different_auth below will
-            # obviously be empty
-            # (b) alternatively, why don't we do it earlier?
-            logger.info("Skipping auth_event fetch for outlier")
-            return context, auth_events
-
         different_auth = event_auth_events.difference(
             e.event_id for e in auth_events.values()
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_federation.py b/tests/test_federation.py
index c51e018da..24fc77d7a 100644
--- a/tests/test_federation.py
+++ b/tests/test_federation.py
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ class MessageAcceptTests(unittest.HomeserverTestCase):
             event,
             context,
             state=None,
-            claimed_auth_event_map=None,
             backfilled=False,
         ):
             return context