diff --git a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.ml b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.ml
index b9b21b799c242b09cc8065613bac19405291fe65..3687342b17dd92f5da7c1469905b2b6d64c27633 100644
--- a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.ml
+++ b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.ml
@@ -619,8 +619,8 @@ let get_construction_vstate ?(policy = By_round 0) ?timestamp
     ()
   >|= Environment.wrap_tzresult
 
-let apply_with_metadata ?(policy = By_round 0) ~baking_mode header
-    ?(operations = []) pred =
+let apply_with_metadata ?(policy = By_round 0) ?(check_size = true) ~baking_mode
+    header ?(operations = []) pred =
   let open Environment.Error_monad in
   ( (match baking_mode with
     | Application ->
@@ -639,6 +639,18 @@ let apply_with_metadata ?(policy = By_round 0) ~baking_mode header
   >>=? fun vstate ->
     List.fold_left_es
       (fun vstate op ->
+        (if check_size then
+         let operation_size =
+           Data_encoding.Binary.length Operation.encoding op
+         in
+         if operation_size > Constants_repr.max_operation_data_length then
+           raise
+             (invalid_arg
+                (Format.sprintf
+                   "The operation size is %d, it exceeds the constant maximum \
+                    size %d"
+                   operation_size
+                   Constants_repr.max_operation_data_length))) ;
         apply_operation vstate op >|= Environment.wrap_tzresult
         >|=? fun (state, _result) -> state)
       vstate
@@ -655,7 +667,7 @@ let apply header ?(operations = []) pred =
   >>=? fun (t, _metadata) -> return t
 
 let bake_with_metadata ?locked_round ?policy ?timestamp ?operation ?operations
-    ?payload_round ~baking_mode ?liquidity_baking_toggle_vote pred =
+    ?payload_round ?check_size ~baking_mode ?liquidity_baking_toggle_vote pred =
   let operations =
     match (operation, operations) with
     | (Some op, Some ops) -> Some (op :: ops)
@@ -673,10 +685,11 @@ let bake_with_metadata ?locked_round ?policy ?timestamp ?operation ?operations
     pred
   >>=? fun header ->
   Forge.sign_header header >>=? fun header ->
-  apply_with_metadata ?policy ~baking_mode header ?operations pred
+  apply_with_metadata ?policy ?check_size ~baking_mode header ?operations pred
 
 let bake ?(baking_mode = Application) ?payload_round ?locked_round ?policy
-    ?timestamp ?operation ?operations ?liquidity_baking_toggle_vote pred =
+    ?timestamp ?operation ?operations ?liquidity_baking_toggle_vote ?check_size
+    pred =
   bake_with_metadata
     ?payload_round
     ~baking_mode
@@ -686,6 +699,7 @@ let bake ?(baking_mode = Application) ?payload_round ?locked_round ?policy
     ?operation
     ?operations
     ?liquidity_baking_toggle_vote
+    ?check_size
     pred
   >>=? fun (t, (_metadata : block_header_metadata)) -> return t
 
diff --git a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.mli b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.mli
index ad43ff797e2626181e98babb8b976fa1ceb76c57..0c2f2fc4ec41166a660a0e63b768c7600b9d5a7f 100644
--- a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.mli
+++ b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/block.mli
@@ -172,7 +172,10 @@ val apply :
 
 (**
    [bake b] returns a block [b'] which has as predecessor block [b].
-   Optional parameter [policy] allows to pick the next baker in several ways.
+   Optional parameter [policy] allows to pick the next baker in
+   several ways. If [check_size] is [true] (the default case), then
+   the function checks that the operations passed as arguments satisfy
+   the size limit of Tezos operations, as defined in the protocol.
    This function bundles together [forge_header], [sign_header] and [apply].
    These functions should be used instead of bake to craft unusual blocks for
    testing together with setters for properties of the headers.
@@ -187,6 +190,7 @@ val bake :
   ?operation:Operation.packed ->
   ?operations:Operation.packed list ->
   ?liquidity_baking_toggle_vote:Liquidity_baking.liquidity_baking_toggle_vote ->
+  ?check_size:bool ->
   t ->
   t tzresult Lwt.t
 
diff --git a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/incremental.ml b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/incremental.ml
index 98e4722928cb749601010f0ce15f99dc67ace443..4657e9431d05a7ae61f2b80de8c31d59a54e1b8e 100644
--- a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/incremental.ml
+++ b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/helpers/incremental.ml
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ let detect_script_failure :
   in
   fun {contents} -> detect_script_failure contents
 
-let add_operation ?expect_apply_failure ?expect_failure ?(check_size = false) st
+let add_operation ?expect_apply_failure ?expect_failure ?(check_size = true) st
     op =
   let open Apply_results in
   (if check_size then
diff --git a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/integration/operations/test_tx_rollup.ml b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/integration/operations/test_tx_rollup.ml
index e5b8eb330795262a1180c289630f20f79651b947..9aa4d718d665020ba5f1df1c1e094fd49cfbcc85 100644
--- a/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/integration/operations/test_tx_rollup.ml
+++ b/src/proto_alpha/lib_protocol/test/integration/operations/test_tx_rollup.ml
@@ -3492,7 +3492,7 @@ module Rejection = struct
     let ops = List.repeat message_count op1 in
     Op.combine_operations ~source:account (I i) ([op1; op2] @ ops)
     >>=? fun op ->
-    Incremental.add_operation i op >>=? fun i ->
+    Incremental.add_operation ~check_size:false i op >>=? fun i ->
     Incremental.finalize_block i >>=? fun b ->
     (* Prepare a commitment for the tx_level 0, only the very first message
        result hash will be a real value (in order to start the proof verification
@@ -3559,7 +3559,7 @@ module Rejection = struct
     Incremental.begin_construction b >>=? fun i ->
     (* Finally, we reject the commitment and check that the size fits in
        a Tezos operation. *)
-    Incremental.add_operation ~check_size:true i op >>=? fun _i -> return_unit
+    Incremental.add_operation i op >>=? fun _i -> return_unit
 
   let tests =
     [