diff --git a/packages/agent/src/bin/with_subnet_key.bin b/packages/agent/src/bin/with_subnet_key.bin
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..770d6ba0
Binary files /dev/null and b/packages/agent/src/bin/with_subnet_key.bin differ
diff --git a/packages/agent/src/certificate.test.ts b/packages/agent/src/certificate.test.ts
index 06b8f2fe..2ff710e6 100644
--- a/packages/agent/src/certificate.test.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/src/certificate.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { fromHex, toHex } from './utils/buffer';
 import { Principal } from '@dfinity/principal';
 import { decodeTime } from './utils/leb';
 import { lookupResultToBuffer, lookup_path } from './certificate';
+import { readFileSync } from 'fs';
 
 function label(str: string): ArrayBuffer {
   return new TextEncoder().encode(str);
@@ -258,3 +259,27 @@ test('certificate verification fails if the time of the certificate is > 5 minut
     }),
   ).rejects.toThrow('Invalid certificate: Certificate is signed more than 5 minutes in the future');
 });
+
+test('certificate verification fails on nested delegations', async () => {
+  // This is a recorded certificate from a read_state request to the II
+  // subnet, with the /subnet tree included. Thus, it could be used as its
+  // own delegation, according to the old interface spec definition.
+  const withSubnetSubtree = readFileSync('packages/agent/src/bin/with_subnet_key.bin');
+  const canisterId = Principal.fromText("rdmx6-jaaaa-aaaaa-aaadq-cai");
+  const subnetId = Principal.fromText("uzr34-akd3s-xrdag-3ql62-ocgoh-ld2ao-tamcv-54e7j-krwgb-2gm4z-oqe");
+  jest.setSystemTime(new Date(Date.parse('2023-12-12T10:40:00.652Z')));
+  let cert: Cert.Cert = cbor.decode(withSubnetSubtree);
+  const overlyNested = cbor.encode({
+    tree: cert.tree,
+    signature: cert.signature,
+    delegation: {
+      subnet_id: subnetId.toUint8Array(),
+      certificate: withSubnetSubtree,
+    },
+  })
+  await expect(Cert.Certificate.create({
+    certificate: overlyNested,
+    rootKey: fromHex(IC_ROOT_KEY),
+    canisterId: canisterId,
+  })).rejects.toThrow('Invalid certificate: Delegation certificates cannot be nested');
+});
diff --git a/packages/agent/src/certificate.ts b/packages/agent/src/certificate.ts
index 376483c6..af156aa5 100644
--- a/packages/agent/src/certificate.ts
+++ b/packages/agent/src/certificate.ts
@@ -170,20 +170,24 @@ export class Certificate {
    * @throws {CertificateVerificationError}
    */
   public static async create(options: CreateCertificateOptions): Promise<Certificate> {
+    const cert = Certificate.createUnverified(options);
+
+    await cert.verify();
+    return cert;
+  }
+
+  private static createUnverified(options: CreateCertificateOptions): Certificate {
     let blsVerify = options.blsVerify;
     if (!blsVerify) {
       blsVerify = bls.blsVerify;
     }
-    const cert = new Certificate(
+    return new Certificate(
       options.certificate,
       options.rootKey,
       options.canisterId,
       blsVerify,
       options.maxAgeInMinutes,
     );
-
-    await cert.verify();
-    return cert;
   }
 
   private constructor(
@@ -259,7 +263,7 @@ export class Certificate {
       return this._rootKey;
     }
 
-    const cert: Certificate = await Certificate.create({
+    const cert: Certificate = await Certificate.createUnverified({
       certificate: d.certificate,
       rootKey: this._rootKey,
       canisterId: this._canisterId,
@@ -268,6 +272,12 @@ export class Certificate {
       maxAgeInMinutes: Infinity,
     });
 
+    if (cert.cert.delegation) {
+      throw new CertificateVerificationError('Delegation certificates cannot be nested');
+    }
+
+    await cert.verify();
+
     const canisterInRange = check_canister_ranges({
       canisterId: this._canisterId,
       subnetId: Principal.fromUint8Array(new Uint8Array(d.subnet_id)),