diff --git a/packages/api-derive/test/e2e/promise.spec.ts b/packages/api-derive/test/e2e/promise.spec.ts
index 422e785db2..ecbbd8c3d6 100644
--- a/packages/api-derive/test/e2e/promise.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api-derive/test/e2e/promise.spec.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import ApiPromise from '@plugnet/api/promise/Api';
 import { BlockNumber } from '@plugnet/types';
 import { WsProvider } from '@plugnet/rpc-provider';
 
-const WS_LOCAL = 'ws://127.0.0.1:9944/';
-// const WS_POC3 = 'wss://poc3-rpc.polkadot.io/';
+// const WS = 'ws://127.0.0.1:9944/';
+const WS = 'wss://poc3-rpc.polkadot.io/';
 
 describe.skip('derive e2e', () => {
   let api: ApiPromise;
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ describe.skip('derive e2e', () => {
   });
 
   beforeEach(async (done) => {
-    api = await ApiPromise.create(new WsProvider(WS_LOCAL));
+    api = await ApiPromise.create(new WsProvider(WS));
     done();
   });
 
@@ -29,4 +29,14 @@ describe.skip('derive e2e', () => {
 
     expect((block1 as BlockNumber).eq(block2)).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it('subscribes to newHead, retrieving the actual validator', (done) => {
+    return api.derive.chain.subscribeNewHead(({ author }) => {
+      console.error('author', author.toString());
+
+      if (author) {
+        done();
+      }
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/types/src/type/Digest.ts b/packages/types/src/type/Digest.ts
index e03efbe93e..ae90191681 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/type/Digest.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/type/Digest.ts
@@ -77,6 +77,39 @@ export class Consensus extends Tuple {
       Bytes
     }, value);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * @description `true` if the engine matches aura
+   */
+  get isAura (): boolean {
+    return this.engine.eq(0x61727561); // ['a', 'u', 'r', 'a']
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @description The wrapped engine [[U32]]
+   */
+  get engine (): U32 {
+    return this[0] as U32;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @description The wrapped [[Bytes]]
+   */
+  get data (): Bytes {
+    return this[1] as Bytes;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * @description The slot and signature extracted from the raw data (assuming Aura)
+   */
+  get asAura (): [U64, Signature] {
+    const raw = this.data.toU8a(true);
+
+    return [
+      new U64(raw.subarray(0, 4)),
+      new Signature(raw.subarray(64))
+    ];
+  }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/types/src/type/Header.ts b/packages/types/src/type/Header.ts
index 213c9f03f3..55cdc01752 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/type/Header.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/type/Header.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { blake2AsU8a } from '@plugnet/util-crypto';
 
 import Compact from '../codec/Compact';
 import Struct from '../codec/Struct';
+import U64 from '../primitive/U64';
 
 import AccountId from './AccountId';
 import BlockNumber from './BlockNumber';
@@ -101,11 +102,33 @@ export class HeaderExtended extends Header {
   constructor (header: Header | null = null, sessionValidators: Array<AccountId> = []) {
     super(header);
 
-    const digestItem = header && header.digest && header.digest.logs.find(({ type }) => type === 'Seal');
+    if (!header || !header.digest || !sessionValidators.length) {
+      return;
+    }
 
-    this._author = digestItem && sessionValidators.length
-      ? sessionValidators[digestItem.asSeal.slot.toNumber() % sessionValidators.length]
-      : undefined;
+    let item = header.digest.logs.find((log) => log.isConsensus);
+    let slot: U64 | undefined;
+
+    // extract author from the consensus (substrate 1.0, digest)
+    if (item) {
+      const consensus = item.asConsensus;
+
+      if (consensus.isAura) {
+        slot = consensus.asAura[0];
+      }
+    } else {
+      item = header.digest.logs.find((log) => log.isSeal);
+
+      // extract author from the seal (pre substrate 1.0, backwards compat)
+      if (item) {
+        slot = item.asSeal.slot;
+      }
+    }
+
+    // found a slot? Great, extract the validator
+    if (slot) {
+      this._author = sessionValidators[slot.toNumber() % sessionValidators.length];
+    }
   }
 
   /**