diff --git a/hadoop-hdds/server-scm/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdds/scm/node/SCMNodeManager.java b/hadoop-hdds/server-scm/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdds/scm/node/SCMNodeManager.java
index 323d79a6487..fcd72cf30a0 100644
--- a/hadoop-hdds/server-scm/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdds/scm/node/SCMNodeManager.java
+++ b/hadoop-hdds/server-scm/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdds/scm/node/SCMNodeManager.java
@@ -417,16 +417,17 @@ private void updateDatanodeOpState(DatanodeDetails reportedDn)
         || scmStatus.getOpStateExpiryEpochSeconds()
         != reportedDn.getPersistedOpStateExpiryEpochSec()) {
       LOG.info("Scheduling a command to update the operationalState " +
-          "persisted on the datanode as the reported value ({}, {}) does not " +
+          "persisted on {} as the reported value does not " +
           "match the value stored in SCM ({}, {})",
-          reportedDn.getPersistedOpState(),
-          reportedDn.getPersistedOpStateExpiryEpochSec(),
+          reportedDn,
           scmStatus.getOperationalState(),
           scmStatus.getOpStateExpiryEpochSeconds());
-      commandQueue.addCommand(reportedDn.getUuid(),
+
+      onMessage(new CommandForDatanode(reportedDn.getUuid(),
           new SetNodeOperationalStateCommand(
               Time.monotonicNow(), scmStatus.getOperationalState(),
-              scmStatus.getOpStateExpiryEpochSeconds()));
+              scmStatus.getOpStateExpiryEpochSeconds())
+      ), null);
     }
     DatanodeDetails scmDnd = nodeStateManager.getNode(reportedDn);
     scmDnd.setPersistedOpStateExpiryEpochSec(
diff --git a/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/ReconNodeManager.java b/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/ReconNodeManager.java
index bf848fead7b..197955058ca 100644
--- a/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/ReconNodeManager.java
+++ b/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/ReconNodeManager.java
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@
 import org.apache.hadoop.util.Time;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
+
+import static java.util.stream.Collectors.toList;
 import static org.apache.hadoop.hdds.protocol.proto.StorageContainerDatanodeProtocolProtos.SCMCommandProto.Type.reregisterCommand;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
@@ -129,6 +131,10 @@ public void onMessage(CommandForDatanode commandForDatanode,
   public List<SCMCommand> processHeartbeat(DatanodeDetails datanodeDetails) {
     // Update heartbeat map with current time
     datanodeHeartbeatMap.put(datanodeDetails.getUuid(), Time.now());
-    return super.processHeartbeat(datanodeDetails);
+
+    List<SCMCommand> cmds = super.processHeartbeat(datanodeDetails);
+    return cmds.stream()
+        .filter(c -> ALLOWED_COMMANDS.contains(c.getType()))
+        .collect(toList());
   }
 }
diff --git a/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/TestReconNodeManager.java b/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/TestReconNodeManager.java
index c934caef22e..ee7f8caf5e8 100644
--- a/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/TestReconNodeManager.java
+++ b/hadoop-ozone/recon/src/test/java/org/apache/hadoop/ozone/recon/scm/TestReconNodeManager.java
@@ -26,16 +26,22 @@
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.UUID;
 
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.conf.OzoneConfiguration;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.protocol.DatanodeDetails;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.protocol.proto.HddsProtos;
+import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.protocol.proto.StorageContainerDatanodeProtocolProtos.SCMCommandProto;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.scm.net.NetworkTopology;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.scm.net.NetworkTopologyImpl;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.server.events.EventQueue;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.utils.db.DBStore;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.utils.db.DBStoreBuilder;
 import org.apache.hadoop.hdds.utils.db.Table;
+import org.apache.hadoop.ozone.protocol.commands.ReregisterCommand;
+import org.apache.hadoop.ozone.protocol.commands.SCMCommand;
+import org.apache.hadoop.ozone.protocol.commands.SetNodeOperationalStateCommand;
 import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Rule;
@@ -91,6 +97,25 @@ public void testReconNodeDB() throws IOException {
     assertEquals(1, reconNodeManager.getAllNodes().size());
     assertNotNull(reconNodeManager.getNodeByUuid(uuidString));
 
+    // If any commands are added to the eventQueue without using the onMessage
+    // interface, then they should be filtered out and not returned to the DN
+    // when it heartbeats.
+    // This command should never be returned by Recon
+    reconNodeManager.addDatanodeCommand(datanodeDetails.getUuid(),
+        new SetNodeOperationalStateCommand(1234,
+        HddsProtos.NodeOperationalState.DECOMMISSIONING, 0));
+
+    // This one should be returned
+    reconNodeManager.addDatanodeCommand(datanodeDetails.getUuid(),
+        new ReregisterCommand());
+
+    // Upon processing the heartbeat, the illegal command should be filtered out
+    List<SCMCommand> returnedCmds =
+        reconNodeManager.processHeartbeat(datanodeDetails);
+    assertEquals(1, returnedCmds.size());
+    assertEquals(SCMCommandProto.Type.reregisterCommand,
+        returnedCmds.get(0).getType());
+
     // Close the DB, and recreate the instance of Recon Node Manager.
     eventQueue.close();
     reconNodeManager.close();