diff --git a/.changelog/unreleased/bug-fixes/3490-export-consensus-validators.md b/.changelog/unreleased/bug-fixes/3490-export-consensus-validators.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d0d2242660
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/unreleased/bug-fixes/3490-export-consensus-validators.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- Export only validators that are participating in consensus
+    ([\#3490](https://github.com/cosmos/gaia/pull/3490))
diff --git a/app/export.go b/app/export.go
index b82996ea88..f9d9236f1c 100644
--- a/app/export.go
+++ b/app/export.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package gaia
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"sort"
 
 	tmproto "github.com/cometbft/cometbft/proto/tendermint/types"
 
@@ -43,6 +44,18 @@ func (app *GaiaApp) ExportAppStateAndValidators(
 	}
 
 	validators, err := staking.WriteValidators(ctx, app.StakingKeeper)
+	if err != nil {
+		return servertypes.ExportedApp{}, err
+	}
+	sort.SliceStable(validators, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return validators[i].Power > validators[j].Power
+	})
+	// we have to trim this to only active consensus validators
+	maxVals := app.ProviderKeeper.GetMaxProviderConsensusValidators(ctx)
+	if len(validators) > int(maxVals) {
+		validators = validators[:maxVals]
+	}
+
 	return servertypes.ExportedApp{
 		AppState:        appState,
 		Validators:      validators,
diff --git a/tests/interchain/integrator/export_test.go b/tests/interchain/integrator/export_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1aa62558ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/interchain/integrator/export_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+package integrator_test
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	stakingtypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/staking/types"
+	"github.com/cosmos/gaia/v23/tests/interchain/chainsuite"
+	"github.com/strangelove-ventures/interchaintest/v8"
+	"github.com/strangelove-ventures/interchaintest/v8/chain/cosmos"
+	"github.com/strangelove-ventures/interchaintest/v8/ibc"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/suite"
+)
+
+const (
+	maxValidators          = 5
+	maxConsensusValidators = 4
+)
+
+type ExportSuite struct {
+	*chainsuite.Suite
+}
+
+func (s *ExportSuite) TestExportAndImportValidators() {
+	height, err := s.Chain.Height(s.GetContext())
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	s.Require().NoError(s.Chain.StopAllNodes(s.GetContext()))
+
+	exported, err := s.Chain.ExportState(s.GetContext(), height)
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+	newConfig := chainsuite.DefaultChainSpec(s.Env).ChainConfig
+	newConfig.ModifyGenesis = func(cc ibc.ChainConfig, b []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+		return []byte(exported), nil
+	}
+	newConfig.PreGenesis = func(c ibc.Chain) error {
+		for i, val := range s.Chain.Validators {
+			key, err := val.PrivValFileContent(s.GetContext())
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to get key for validator %d: %w", i, err)
+			}
+			cosmosChain := c.(*cosmos.CosmosChain)
+			err = cosmosChain.Validators[i].OverwritePrivValFile(s.GetContext(), key)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to overwrite priv val file for validator %d: %w", i, err)
+			}
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+	zero := 0
+	newSpec := &interchaintest.ChainSpec{
+		Name:          "gaia",
+		Version:       s.Env.NewGaiaImageVersion,
+		NumValidators: &chainsuite.SixValidators,
+		NumFullNodes:  &zero,
+		ChainConfig:   newConfig,
+	}
+	newChain, err := chainsuite.CreateChain(s.GetContext(), s.T(), newSpec)
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+
+	validators := []*stakingtypes.Validator{}
+	// We go through the original chain's wallets because we want to make sure those validators still exist in the new chain.
+	for _, wallet := range s.Chain.ValidatorWallets {
+		validator, err := newChain.StakingQueryValidator(s.GetContext(), wallet.ValoperAddress)
+		s.Require().NoError(err)
+		validators = append(validators, validator)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < maxValidators; i++ {
+		s.Require().Equal(stakingtypes.Bonded, validators[i].Status)
+	}
+	s.Require().Equal(stakingtypes.Unbonded, validators[maxValidators].Status)
+
+	vals, err := newChain.QueryJSON(s.GetContext(), "validators", "tendermint-validator-set")
+	s.Require().NoError(err)
+	s.Require().Equal(maxConsensusValidators, len(vals.Array()), vals)
+	for i := 0; i < maxConsensusValidators; i++ {
+		valCons := vals.Array()[i].Get("address").String()
+		s.Require().NoError(err)
+		s.Require().Equal(s.Chain.ValidatorWallets[i].ValConsAddress, valCons)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExport(t *testing.T) {
+	genesis := chainsuite.DefaultGenesis()
+	genesis = append(genesis,
+		cosmos.NewGenesisKV("app_state.staking.params.max_validators", maxValidators),
+		cosmos.NewGenesisKV("app_state.provider.params.max_provider_consensus_validators", maxConsensusValidators),
+	)
+	s := &ExportSuite{
+		Suite: chainsuite.NewSuite(chainsuite.SuiteConfig{
+			UpgradeOnSetup: true,
+			ChainSpec: &interchaintest.ChainSpec{
+				NumValidators: &chainsuite.SixValidators,
+				ChainConfig: ibc.ChainConfig{
+					ModifyGenesis: cosmos.ModifyGenesis(genesis),
+				},
+			},
+		}),
+	}
+	suite.Run(t, s)
+}
diff --git a/tests/interchain/matrix_tool/main.go b/tests/interchain/matrix_tool/main.go
index b397b0f8eb..8edafe2998 100644
--- a/tests/interchain/matrix_tool/main.go
+++ b/tests/interchain/matrix_tool/main.go
@@ -97,11 +97,12 @@ func GetSemverForBranch() (string, error) {
 
 func GetTestList() ([]string, error) {
 	retval := []string{}
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 	uniq := map[string]bool{}
 	cmd := exec.Command("go", "test", "-list=.", "./...")
+	cmd.Stderr = &stderr
 	out, err := cmd.Output()
 	if err != nil {
-		stderr := string(cmd.Stderr.(*bytes.Buffer).Bytes())
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("go test -list failed with %w : %s\n", err, stderr)
 	}
 	lines := strings.Split(string(out), "\n")