diff --git a/changes/bug23682 b/changes/bug23682
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..301ce73672
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug23682
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+  o Minor bugfixes (entry guards):
+    - Tor now updates its guard state when it reads a consensus regardless of
+      whether it's missing descriptors. That makes tor use its primary guards
+      to fetch descriptors in some edge cases where it would have used fallback
+      directories in the past. Fixes bug 23862; bugfix on 0.3.0.1-alpha.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/or/directory.c b/src/or/directory.c
index 9494cf02ba..f54bf176ce 100644
--- a/src/or/directory.c
+++ b/src/or/directory.c
@@ -2592,11 +2592,11 @@ handle_response_fetch_consensus(dir_connection_t *conn,
   /* If we launched other fetches for this consensus, cancel them. */
   connection_dir_close_consensus_fetches(conn, flavname);
 
-  /* launches router downloads as needed */
+  /* update the list of routers and directory guards */
   routers_update_all_from_networkstatus(now, 3);
   update_microdescs_from_networkstatus(now);
-  update_microdesc_downloads(now);
   directory_info_has_arrived(now, 0, 0);
+
   if (authdir_mode_v3(get_options())) {
     sr_act_post_consensus(
                      networkstatus_get_latest_consensus_by_flavor(FLAV_NS));
diff --git a/src/or/main.c b/src/or/main.c
index 7b1f4975f7..0d91803d4e 100644
--- a/src/or/main.c
+++ b/src/or/main.c
@@ -968,6 +968,15 @@ directory_info_has_arrived(time_t now, int from_cache, int suppress_logs)
 {
   const or_options_t *options = get_options();
 
+  /* if we have enough dir info, then update our guard status with
+   * whatever we just learned. */
+  int invalidate_circs = guards_update_all();
+
+  if (invalidate_circs) {
+    circuit_mark_all_unused_circs();
+    circuit_mark_all_dirty_circs_as_unusable();
+  }
+
   if (!router_have_minimum_dir_info()) {
     int quiet = suppress_logs || from_cache ||
                 directory_too_idle_to_fetch_descriptors(options, now);
@@ -981,15 +990,6 @@ directory_info_has_arrived(time_t now, int from_cache, int suppress_logs)
       update_all_descriptor_downloads(now);
     }
 
-    /* if we have enough dir info, then update our guard status with
-     * whatever we just learned. */
-    int invalidate_circs = guards_update_all();
-
-    if (invalidate_circs) {
-      circuit_mark_all_unused_circs();
-      circuit_mark_all_dirty_circs_as_unusable();
-    }
-
     /* Don't even bother trying to get extrainfo until the rest of our
      * directory info is up-to-date */
     if (options->DownloadExtraInfo)