diff --git a/maestro/deployment/service.go b/maestro/deployment/service.go
index 53b2abc0b..cab9de5b6 100644
--- a/maestro/deployment/service.go
+++ b/maestro/deployment/service.go
@@ -165,6 +165,10 @@ func (d *deploymentService) UpdateDeployment(ctx context.Context, deployment *De
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	err = d.maestroProducer.PublishSinkStatus(ctx, deployment.OwnerID, deployment.SinkID, "unknown", "")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	d.logger.Info("updated deployment", zap.String("ownerID", updated.OwnerID),
 		zap.String("sinkID", updated.SinkID))
 	return nil
@@ -254,7 +258,7 @@ func (d *deploymentService) UpdateStatus(ctx context.Context, ownerID string, si
 	d.logger.Info("updated deployment status",
 		zap.String("ownerID", updated.OwnerID), zap.String("sinkID", updated.SinkID),
 		zap.String("status", updated.LastStatus), zap.String("errorMessage", updated.LastErrorMessage))
-	err = d.maestroProducer.PublishSinkStatus(ctx, updated.OwnerID, updated.SinkID, updated.LastStatus, "")
+	err = d.maestroProducer.PublishSinkStatus(ctx, updated.OwnerID, updated.SinkID, updated.LastStatus, errorMessage)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/sinks/postgres/sinks_test.go b/sinks/postgres/sinks_test.go
index 974d55e42..bdb4788d6 100644
--- a/sinks/postgres/sinks_test.go
+++ b/sinks/postgres/sinks_test.go
@@ -580,8 +580,16 @@ func TestUpdateSinkState(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for desc, tc := range cases {
 		t.Run(desc, func(t *testing.T) {
+			ctx := context.WithValue(context.Background(), "test", desc)
 			err := sinkRepo.UpdateSinkState(context.Background(), tc.sinkID, tc.msg, tc.ownerID, tc.state)
 			assert.True(t, errors.Contains(err, tc.err), fmt.Sprintf("%s: expected %s got %s\n", desc, tc.err, err))
+			// only validate success scenarios
+			if tc.err == nil {
+				got, err := sinkRepo.RetrieveById(ctx, sinkID)
+				assert.True(t, errors.Contains(err, tc.err), fmt.Sprintf("%s: expected %s got %s\n", desc, tc.err, err))
+				assert.Equal(t, tc.state, got.State, fmt.Sprintf("%s: expected state %d got %d", desc, tc.state, got.State))
+				assert.Equal(t, tc.msg, got.Error, fmt.Sprintf("%s: expected msg %s got %s", desc, tc.msg, got.Error))
+			}
 		})
 	}
 
diff --git a/sinks/sinks_service.go b/sinks/sinks_service.go
index faf942bc1..dee2c669d 100644
--- a/sinks/sinks_service.go
+++ b/sinks/sinks_service.go
@@ -310,8 +310,6 @@ func (svc sinkService) UpdateSink(ctx context.Context, token string, sink Sink)
 		defaultMetadata := make(types.Metadata, 1)
 		defaultMetadata["opentelemetry"] = "enabled"
 		sink.Config.Merge(defaultMetadata)
-		sink.State = Unknown
-		sink.Error = ""
 		if sink.Format == "yaml" {
 			configDataByte, err := yaml.Marshal(sink.Config)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -475,9 +473,7 @@ func (svc sinkService) ChangeSinkStateInternal(ctx context.Context, sinkID strin
 }
 
 func (svc sinkService) validateBackend(sink *Sink) (be backend.Backend, err error) {
-	if backend.HaveBackend(sink.Backend) {
-		sink.State = Unknown
-	} else {
+	if !backend.HaveBackend(sink.Backend) {
 		return nil, ErrInvalidBackend
 	}
 	sinkBe := backend.GetBackend(sink.Backend)