diff --git a/apps/grpo/main.py b/apps/grpo/main.py
index 7f31c26c9..b568705e4 100644
--- a/apps/grpo/main.py
+++ b/apps/grpo/main.py
@@ -286,6 +286,7 @@ async def continuous_rollouts():
                 return
             prompt, target = sample["request"], sample["target"]
             responses = await policy.generate.choose(prompt)
+            # TODO: this shall be part of the responses metadata instead of a separate call
             version = await policy.get_version.choose()
             group = Group.new_group(
                 group_id=rollout_count,
@@ -343,11 +344,8 @@ async def continuous_rollouts():
 
     async def continuous_training():
         training_step = 0
-        policy_version = 0
         while True:
-            batch = await replay_buffer.sample.choose(
-                curr_policy_version=policy_version
-            )
+            batch = await replay_buffer.sample.choose(curr_policy_version=training_step)
             if batch is None:
                 await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
             else:
@@ -355,9 +353,8 @@ async def continuous_training():
                 loss = await trainer.train_step.choose(inputs, targets)
                 training_step += 1
                 mlogger.log("loss/training_step", loss, training_step)
-                await trainer.push_weights.call(policy_version)
-                policy_version += 1
-                await policy.update_weights.call()
+                await trainer.push_weights.call(training_step)
+                await policy.update_weights.call(training_step)
 
     print("Starting GRPO training loops...")
     # TODO: Start multiple rollouts once all serivces support it
diff --git a/apps/toy_rl/sumdigits.py b/apps/toy_rl/sumdigits.py
index 6b1d8d763..d4780f2e6 100644
--- a/apps/toy_rl/sumdigits.py
+++ b/apps/toy_rl/sumdigits.py
@@ -464,21 +464,18 @@ async def continuous_rollouts():
 
     async def continuous_training():
         training_step = 0
-        policy_version = 0
         while True:
-            batch = await replay_buffer.sample.choose(
-                curr_policy_version=policy_version
-            )
+            batch = await replay_buffer.sample.choose(curr_policy_version=training_step)
             if batch is None:
                 await asyncio.sleep(0.1)
             else:
                 loss = await trainer.train_step.choose(batch[0])
                 training_step += 1
                 mlogger.log("loss/training_step", loss, training_step)
-                print(f"loss/training_step: {loss} at {training_step}")
-                await trainer.push_weights.call(policy_version)
-                policy_version += 1
-                await policy.update_weights.call()
+                print(f"loss/training_step: {loss} at training step {training_step}")
+                await trainer.push_weights.call(training_step)
+                await policy.update_weights.call(training_step)
+                # NOTE: hard-coded to be on-policy for faster convergence
                 await replay_buffer.clear.call()
 
     print("Starting training loop.")
diff --git a/src/forge/actors/policy.py b/src/forge/actors/policy.py
index 070c00798..7e2f181c7 100644
--- a/src/forge/actors/policy.py
+++ b/src/forge/actors/policy.py
@@ -123,12 +123,12 @@ class Policy(PolicyInterface):
     lora_request: LoRARequest | None = None
     tokenization_kwargs: dict = field(default_factory=dict)
     policy_worker: "PolicyWorker" = None
+    policy_version: int | None = None
 
     def __post_init__(self):
         self._run_task: asyncio.Task | None = None
         self._policy_proc: ProcMesh | None = None
         self._worker_procs: ProcMesh | None = None
-        self.weights_version: int = 0
         self.running = False
         if isinstance(self.engine_config, Mapping):
             self.engine_config = EngineConfig.from_dict(self.engine_config)
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ async def setup(self):
         await self.policy_worker.setup.call()
 
         self.request_id = 0
+        self.policy_version = 0
         self.requests: dict[str, tuple[None | ParentRequest, asyncio.Future]] = {}
         self.vllm_config: VllmConfig = self.engine_config.create_vllm_config()
 
@@ -364,7 +365,7 @@ async def run(self):
                     fut.set_result(request_output)
 
     @endpoint
-    async def update_weights(self):
+    async def update_weights(self, policy_version: int):
         # TODO: If generating long sequences, this might be long and will block policy weight updates
         curr_requests = [fut for _, fut in self.requests.values()]
         if curr_requests:
@@ -372,9 +373,9 @@ async def update_weights(self):
             await asyncio.gather(*curr_requests)
 
         self.logger.debug(f"Starting weight update on {self.__class__.__name__}")
-        await self.policy_worker.update.call(version=self.weights_version)
-        self.weights_version += 1
-        self.logger.info(f"Weight update completed (now v{self.weights_version})")
+        await self.policy_worker.update.call(version=policy_version)
+        self.policy_version = policy_version
+        self.logger.info(f"Weight update completed (now v{self.policy_version})")
 
     @endpoint
     async def _get_model_params(self) -> dict[str, torch.Tensor]:
@@ -388,7 +389,7 @@ async def _get_model_params(self) -> dict[str, torch.Tensor]:
     @endpoint
     async def get_version(self) -> int:
         """Get the current policy version."""
-        return self.weights_version
+        return self.policy_version
 
     @endpoint
     async def stop(self):
diff --git a/src/forge/actors/replay_buffer.py b/src/forge/actors/replay_buffer.py
index ca7d487bc..fd60ce35c 100644
--- a/src/forge/actors/replay_buffer.py
+++ b/src/forge/actors/replay_buffer.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 # This source code is licensed under the BSD-style license found in the
 # LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
 
+import logging
 import random
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import Any, Callable
@@ -12,6 +13,9 @@
 
 from forge.controller import ForgeActor
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+logger.setLevel(logging.INFO)
+
 
 @dataclass
 class ReplayBuffer(ForgeActor):
@@ -23,6 +27,9 @@ class ReplayBuffer(ForgeActor):
     seed: int | None = None
     collate: Callable = lambda batch: batch
 
+    def __post_init__(self):
+        super().__init__()
+
     @endpoint
     async def setup(self) -> None:
         self.buffer: list = []
@@ -87,11 +94,18 @@ async def evict(self, curr_policy_version: int) -> None:
         self._evict(curr_policy_version)
 
     def _evict(self, curr_policy_version: int) -> None:
+        buffer_len_before_evict = len(self.buffer)
         self.buffer = [
             trajectory
             for trajectory in self.buffer
             if (curr_policy_version - trajectory.policy_version) <= self.max_policy_age
         ]
+        buffer_len_after_evict = len(self.buffer)
+
+        logger.debug(
+            f"maximum policy age: {self.max_policy_age}, current policy version: {curr_policy_version}, "
+            f"{buffer_len_before_evict - buffer_len_after_evict} episodes expired, {buffer_len_after_evict} episodes left"
+        )
 
     @endpoint
     async def _getitem(self, idx: int):
@@ -106,6 +120,7 @@ async def _numel(self) -> int:
     async def clear(self) -> None:
         """Clear the replay buffer immediately - dropping all episodes."""
         self.buffer.clear()
+        logger.debug("replay buffer cleared")
 
     @endpoint
     async def state_dict(self) -> dict[str, Any]:
diff --git a/src/forge/interfaces.py b/src/forge/interfaces.py
index 3dbbd560e..df79c302e 100644
--- a/src/forge/interfaces.py
+++ b/src/forge/interfaces.py
@@ -85,8 +85,12 @@ async def generate(self, request: Observation) -> Action:
 
     @endpoint
     @abstractmethod
-    async def update_weights(self):
-        """Update the policy weights."""
+    async def update_weights(self, policy_version: int):
+        """Update the policy weights.
+
+        Args:
+            policy_version: The version number to update to.
+        """
         pass