diff --git a/changes/bug40281 b/changes/bug40281
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0708039f04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug40281
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes (logging):
+    - Avoid a spurious log message about missing subprotocol versions, when
+      the consensus that we're reading from is older than the current
+      release. .  Previously we had made this message nonfatal in this case,
+      but in practice, it is never relevant when the consensus is older than
+      the current release.  Fixes bug 40281; bugfix on 0.4.0.1-alpha.
diff --git a/src/feature/nodelist/networkstatus.c b/src/feature/nodelist/networkstatus.c
index e07d58c91c..8e47fafd3c 100644
--- a/src/feature/nodelist/networkstatus.c
+++ b/src/feature/nodelist/networkstatus.c
@@ -2713,6 +2713,13 @@ networkstatus_check_required_protocols(const networkstatus_t *ns,
   const bool consensus_postdates_this_release =
     ns->valid_after >= tor_get_approx_release_date();
 
+  if (! consensus_postdates_this_release) {
+    // We can't meaningfully warn about this case: This consensus is from
+    // before we were released, so whatever is says about required or
+    // recommended versions may no longer be true.
+    return 0;
+  }
+
   tor_assert(warning_out);
 
   if (client_mode) {
@@ -2730,7 +2737,7 @@ networkstatus_check_required_protocols(const networkstatus_t *ns,
                  "%s on the Tor network. The missing protocols are: %s",
                  func, missing);
     tor_free(missing);
-    return consensus_postdates_this_release ? 1 : 0;
+    return 1;
   }
 
   if (! protover_all_supported(recommended, &missing)) {