diff --git a/broadcast/asymmetric_test.go b/broadcast/asymmetric_test.go
index 776879127b040946b8147c184341cc4860de3296..6a08339d3f5b12ca50f25c3cb6a7e213b860d1bb 100644
--- a/broadcast/asymmetric_test.go
+++ b/broadcast/asymmetric_test.go
@@ -3,18 +3,22 @@ package broadcast
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
+	"reflect"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitlab.com/xx_network/crypto/csprng"
+	"gitlab.com/xx_network/crypto/signature/rsa"
+
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/identity/receptionID"
+	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/message"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/rounds"
 	crypto "gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto/broadcast"
 	cMixCrypto "gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto/cmix"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/crypto/fastRNG"
-	"gitlab.com/xx_network/crypto/csprng"
-	"gitlab.com/xx_network/crypto/signature/rsa"
-	"reflect"
-	"sync"
-	"testing"
-	"time"
+	"gitlab.com/elixxir/primitives/format"
 )
 
 // Tests that symmetricClient adheres to the Symmetric interface.
@@ -23,6 +27,26 @@ var _ Channel = (*broadcastClient)(nil)
 // Tests that symmetricClient adheres to the Symmetric interface.
 var _ Client = (cmix.Client)(nil)
 
+type mockProcessor struct {
+	messages []format.Message
+}
+
+var _ message.Processor = (*mockProcessor)(nil)
+
+func newMockProcessor() *mockProcessor {
+	m := new(mockProcessor)
+	m.messages = make([]format.Message, 0)
+	return m
+}
+func (p *mockProcessor) Process(message format.Message, receptionID receptionID.EphemeralIdentity,
+	round rounds.Round) {
+	p.messages = append(p.messages, message)
+}
+
+func (p mockProcessor) String() string {
+	return "hello"
+}
+
 func Test_asymmetricClient_Smoke(t *testing.T) {
 	cMixHandler := newMockCmixHandler()
 	rngGen := fastRNG.NewStreamGenerator(1000, 10, csprng.NewSystemRNG)
@@ -46,6 +70,13 @@ func Test_asymmetricClient_Smoke(t *testing.T) {
 		RsaPubKey:   cpubkey,
 	}
 
+	///
+	// must mutate cMixHandler such that it's processorMap contains a
+	// message.Processor
+	processor := newMockProcessor()
+	cMixHandler.processorMap[*cid] = make(map[string][]message.Processor)
+	cMixHandler.processorMap[*cid]["AsymmBcast"] = []message.Processor{processor}
+
 	const n = 5
 	cbChans := make([]chan []byte, n)
 	clients := make([]Channel, n)
diff --git a/broadcast/utils_test.go b/broadcast/utils_test.go
index 5d3857be44b5df21852588385440c1e6e25ee0e1..b777807af17cfcb7b3de6e3e13c463ff53e8d7e6 100644
--- a/broadcast/utils_test.go
+++ b/broadcast/utils_test.go
@@ -8,18 +8,20 @@
 package broadcast
 
 import (
+	"math/rand"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitlab.com/xx_network/crypto/signature/rsa"
+	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/id"
+	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/id/ephemeral"
+
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/identity/receptionID"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/message"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/client/cmix/rounds"
 	"gitlab.com/elixxir/primitives/format"
-	"gitlab.com/xx_network/crypto/signature/rsa"
-	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/id"
-	"gitlab.com/xx_network/primitives/id/ephemeral"
-	"math/rand"
-	"sync"
-	"testing"
-	"time"
 )
 
 // newRsaPubKey generates a new random RSA public key for testing.
@@ -69,7 +71,10 @@ func (m *mockCmix) GetMaxMessageLength() int {
 func (m *mockCmix) SendWithAssembler(recipient *id.ID, assembler cmix.MessageAssembler,
 	cmixParams cmix.CMIXParams) (id.Round, ephemeral.Id, error) {
 
-	fingerprint, service, payload, mac, _ := assembler(42)
+	fingerprint, service, payload, mac, err := assembler(42)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
 
 	msg := format.NewMessage(m.numPrimeBytes)
 	msg.SetContents(payload)
@@ -78,6 +83,7 @@ func (m *mockCmix) SendWithAssembler(recipient *id.ID, assembler cmix.MessageAss
 
 	m.handler.Lock()
 	defer m.handler.Unlock()
+
 	for _, p := range m.handler.processorMap[*recipient][service.Tag] {
 		p.Process(msg, receptionID.EphemeralIdentity{}, rounds.Round{})
 	}