diff --git a/internal/controller/nodeset/nodeset_sync_test.go b/internal/controller/nodeset/nodeset_sync_test.go
index 20dd9a36..18049658 100644
--- a/internal/controller/nodeset/nodeset_sync_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/nodeset/nodeset_sync_test.go
@@ -864,7 +864,8 @@ func TestNodeSetReconciler_processCondemned(t *testing.T) {
 					condemned: pods,
 					i:         0,
 				},
-				wantErr:    false,
+				// Expect error when Slurm node is not found
+				wantErr:    true,
 				wantDrain:  false,
 				wantDelete: true,
 			}
@@ -1054,7 +1055,9 @@ func TestNodeSetReconciler_processCondemned(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			pod := tt.args.condemned[tt.args.i]
 			if isDrain, err := r.slurmControl.IsNodeDrain(tt.args.ctx, tt.args.nodeset, pod); err != nil {
-				t.Errorf("slurmControl.IsNodeDrain() error = %v", err)
+				if !tt.wantDelete {
+					t.Errorf("slurmControl.IsNodeDrain() error = %v", err)
+				}
 			} else if isDrain != tt.wantDrain && !tt.wantDelete {
 				t.Errorf("slurmControl.IsNodeDrain() = %v, wantDrain %v", isDrain, tt.wantDrain)
 			}
@@ -1897,7 +1900,8 @@ func TestNodeSetReconciler_syncRollingUpdate(t *testing.T) {
 					pods:    []*corev1.Pod{pod1, pod2},
 					hash:    hash,
 				},
-				wantErr: false,
+				// Expect error when Slurm node is not found
+				wantErr: true,
 			}
 		}(),
 	}
diff --git a/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol.go b/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol.go
index 5c520be1..5913a793 100644
--- a/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol.go
+++ b/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol.go
@@ -280,15 +280,12 @@ func (r *realSlurmControl) IsNodeDrain(ctx context.Context, nodeset *slinkyv1bet
 	if slurmClient == nil {
 		logger.V(2).Info("no client for nodeset, cannot do IsNodeDrain()",
 			"pod", klog.KObj(pod))
-		return true, nil
+		return false, nil
 	}
 
 	slurmNode := &slurmtypes.V0044Node{}
 	key := slurmobject.ObjectKey(nodesetutils.GetNodeName(pod))
 	if err := slurmClient.Get(ctx, key, slurmNode); err != nil {
-		if tolerateError(err) {
-			return true, nil
-		}
 		return false, err
 	}
 
@@ -304,15 +301,12 @@ func (r *realSlurmControl) IsNodeDrained(ctx context.Context, nodeset *slinkyv1b
 	if slurmClient == nil {
 		logger.V(2).Info("no client for nodeset, cannot do IsNodeDrained()",
 			"pod", klog.KObj(pod))
-		return true, nil
+		return false, nil
 	}
 
 	slurmNode := &slurmtypes.V0044Node{}
 	key := slurmobject.ObjectKey(nodesetutils.GetNodeName(pod))
 	if err := slurmClient.Get(ctx, key, slurmNode); err != nil {
-		if tolerateError(err) {
-			return true, nil
-		}
 		return false, err
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol_test.go b/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol_test.go
index 696b98d8..ae279a5d 100644
--- a/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol_test.go
+++ b/internal/controller/nodeset/slurmcontrol/slurmcontrol_test.go
@@ -465,6 +465,35 @@ func Test_realSlurmControl_IsNodeDrain(t *testing.T) {
 			want:    true,
 			wantErr: false,
 		},
+		{
+			name: "No Slurm client - fail closed",
+			fields: fields{
+				clientMap: clientmap.NewClientMap(),
+			},
+			args: args{
+				ctx:     ctx,
+				nodeset: nodeset,
+				pod:     pod,
+			},
+			want:    false,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Node not found - fail closed",
+			fields: func() fields {
+				sclient := fake.NewClientBuilder().Build()
+				return fields{
+					clientMap: newSlurmClientMap(controller.Name, sclient),
+				}
+			}(),
+			args: args{
+				ctx:     ctx,
+				nodeset: nodeset,
+				pod:     pod,
+			},
+			want:    false,
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -750,6 +779,35 @@ func Test_realSlurmControl_IsNodeDrained(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			want: false,
 		},
+		{
+			name: "No Slurm client - fail closed",
+			fields: fields{
+				clientMap: clientmap.NewClientMap(),
+			},
+			args: args{
+				ctx:     ctx,
+				nodeset: nodeset,
+				pod:     pod,
+			},
+			want:    false,
+			wantErr: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "Node not found - fail closed",
+			fields: func() fields {
+				sclient := fake.NewClientBuilder().Build()
+				return fields{
+					clientMap: newSlurmClientMap(controller.Name, sclient),
+				}
+			}(),
+			args: args{
+				ctx:     ctx,
+				nodeset: nodeset,
+				pod:     pod,
+			},
+			want:    false,
+			wantErr: true,
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {