diff --git a/backend/src/federation/authenticateCommunities.ts b/backend/src/federation/authenticateCommunities.ts
index 0a94b24c8..4b2e5b77b 100644
--- a/backend/src/federation/authenticateCommunities.ts
+++ b/backend/src/federation/authenticateCommunities.ts
@@ -63,29 +63,28 @@ export async function startCommunityAuthentication(
   // check if a authentication is already in progress
   const existingState = await findPendingCommunityHandshake(fedComB, false)
   if (existingState) {
-    const logic = new CommunityHandshakeStateLogic(existingState)
-    if (!await logic.isTimeoutUpdate()) {
+    const stateLogic = new CommunityHandshakeStateLogic(existingState)
+    // retry on timeout or failure
+    if (!await stateLogic.isTimeoutUpdate()) {
       // authentication with community and api version is still in progress and it is not timeout yet
       methodLogger.debug('existingState', new CommunityHandshakeStateLoggingView(existingState))
       return
     }
   }
-
-  const state = new DbCommunityHandshakeState()
-  state.publicKey = fedComB.publicKey
-  state.apiVersion = fedComB.apiVersion
-  state.status = CommunityHandshakeStateType.START_COMMUNITY_AUTHENTICATION
-  state.handshakeId = parseInt(handshakeID)
-
+  
   const client = AuthenticationClientFactory.getInstance(fedComB)
 
   if (client instanceof V1_0_AuthenticationClient) {
     if (!comB.publicJwtKey) {
-      state.lastError = 'Public JWT key still not exist for comB ' + comB.name
-      await state.save()
-      throw new Error(state.lastError)
+      throw new Error(`Public JWT key still not exist for comB ${comB.name}`)
     }
+    const state = new DbCommunityHandshakeState()
+    state.publicKey = fedComB.publicKey
+    state.apiVersion = fedComB.apiVersion
+    state.status = CommunityHandshakeStateType.START_COMMUNITY_AUTHENTICATION
+    state.handshakeId = parseInt(handshakeID)
     const stateSaveResolver = state.save()
+
     //create JWT with url in payload encrypted by foreignCom.publicJwtKey and signed with homeCom.privateJwtKey
     const payload = new OpenConnectionJwtPayloadType(handshakeID,
       ensureUrlEndsWithSlash(homeFedComA.endPoint).concat(homeFedComA.apiVersion),
@@ -104,7 +103,11 @@ export async function startCommunityAuthentication(
     if (result) {
       methodLogger.info(`successful initiated at community:`, fedComB.endPoint)
     } else {
-      methodLogger.error(`can't initiate at community:`, fedComB.endPoint)
+      const errorMsg = `can't initiate at community: ${fedComB.endPoint}`
+      methodLogger.error(errorMsg)
+      state.status = CommunityHandshakeStateType.FAILED
+      state.lastError = errorMsg
+      await state.save()
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/logic/CommunityHandshakeState.logic.ts b/core/src/logic/CommunityHandshakeState.logic.ts
index a3e8631eb..03bf9a762 100644
--- a/core/src/logic/CommunityHandshakeState.logic.ts
+++ b/core/src/logic/CommunityHandshakeState.logic.ts
@@ -9,14 +9,25 @@ export class CommunityHandshakeStateLogic {
    * @returns true if the community handshake state is expired
    */
   public async isTimeoutUpdate(): Promise<boolean> {
+    const timeout = this.isTimeout()
+    if (timeout && this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.status !== CommunityHandshakeStateType.EXPIRED) {
+      this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.status = CommunityHandshakeStateType.EXPIRED
+      await this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.save()
+    }
+    return timeout
+  }
+
+  public isTimeout(): boolean {
     if (this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.status === CommunityHandshakeStateType.EXPIRED) {
       return true
     }
     if (Date.now() - this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.updatedAt.getTime() > FEDERATION_AUTHENTICATION_TIMEOUT_MS) {
-      this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.status = CommunityHandshakeStateType.EXPIRED
-      await this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.save()
       return true
     }
     return false
   }
+
+  public isFailed(): boolean {
+    return this.communityHandshakeStateEntity.status === CommunityHandshakeStateType.FAILED
+  }
 }
diff --git a/database/src/queries/communityHandshakes.ts b/database/src/queries/communityHandshakes.ts
index 991bd9c47..3248b311e 100644
--- a/database/src/queries/communityHandshakes.ts
+++ b/database/src/queries/communityHandshakes.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-import { CommunityHandshakeState } from '../entity'
-import { FederatedCommunity } from '../entity/FederatedCommunity'
+import { Not, In } from 'typeorm'
+import { CommunityHandshakeState, CommunityHandshakeStateType, FederatedCommunity} from '..'
 
 /**
  * Find a pending community handshake by public key.
@@ -9,7 +9,15 @@ import { FederatedCommunity } from '../entity/FederatedCommunity'
  */
 export function findPendingCommunityHandshake(federatedCommunity: FederatedCommunity, withRelations = true): Promise<CommunityHandshakeState | null> {
   return CommunityHandshakeState.findOne({
-    where: { publicKey: federatedCommunity.publicKey, apiVersion: federatedCommunity.apiVersion },
+    where: { 
+      publicKey: federatedCommunity.publicKey, 
+      apiVersion: federatedCommunity.apiVersion,
+      status: Not(In([
+        CommunityHandshakeStateType.EXPIRED,
+        CommunityHandshakeStateType.FAILED,
+        CommunityHandshakeStateType.SUCCESS
+      ]))
+    },
     relations: withRelations ? { federatedCommunity: { community: true } } : undefined,
   })
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/federation/src/graphql/api/1_0/resolver/AuthenticationResolver.ts b/federation/src/graphql/api/1_0/resolver/AuthenticationResolver.ts
index fd948300e..dc6e1347b 100644
--- a/federation/src/graphql/api/1_0/resolver/AuthenticationResolver.ts
+++ b/federation/src/graphql/api/1_0/resolver/AuthenticationResolver.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,11 @@ import {
   Community as DbCommunity,
   FederatedCommunity as DbFedCommunity,
   FederatedCommunityLoggingView,
+  CommunityHandshakeStateType,
+  CommunityHandshakeState as DbCommunityHandshakeState,
   getHomeCommunity,
 } from 'database'
-import { getLogger } from 'log4js'
+import { getLogger, Logger } from 'log4js'
 import { 
   AuthenticationJwtPayloadType, 
   AuthenticationResponseJwtPayloadType, 
@@ -25,6 +27,13 @@ const createLogger = (method: string  ) => getLogger(`${LOG4JS_BASE_CATEGORY_NAM
 
 @Resolver()
 export class AuthenticationResolver {
+
+  private async errorState(errmsg: string, methodLogger: Logger, state: DbCommunityHandshakeState) {
+    methodLogger.error(errmsg)
+    state.lastError = errmsg
+    await state.save()
+  }
+
   @Mutation(() => Boolean)
   async openConnection(
     @Arg('data')