diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 4299a53..ff4f60e 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -61,9 +61,7 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
     this.flood.on("peer-remove", (peer) => this.removePeerHandler(peer));
     this.flood.on("message", (message, id) => this.onGetBroadcast(message, id));
 
-    this.swarm.on("connection", (peer: any) =>
-      this.send(peer, b4a.from("hello"))
-    );
+    this.swarm.on("connection", this._hello.bind(this));
 
     [...this.swarm.peers.values()]
       .map((item) => {
@@ -398,25 +396,36 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
   }
 
   private _bootstrapFrom(bootstrap: Bootstrap) {
-    if (this.bootstrapped) {
-      return;
-    }
-
     for (const id in bootstrap) {
       const { connectedTo } = bootstrap[id];
       if (id === this.id.toString("hex")) {
         continue;
       }
 
+      if (!this.connectedTo.has(id)) {
+        this.swarm.joinPeer(id);
+      }
+
       for (const connection of connectedTo) {
         const peer = b4a.from(connection) as Buffer;
+
+        if (b4a.equals(peer, this.id)) {
+          continue;
+        }
+
         this._ensurePeer(peer);
         this._addEntityConnection(id, peer);
+
+        if (!this.connectedTo.has(peer.toString("hex"))) {
+          this.swarm.joinPeer(peer);
+        }
       }
     }
 
-    this.bootstrapped = true;
-    this.emit("bootstrapped");
+    if (!this.bootstrapped) {
+      this.bootstrapped = true;
+      this.emit("bootstrapped");
+    }
 
     this._recalculate();
   }
@@ -574,4 +583,9 @@ export default class DHTCache extends EventEmitter {
       );
     }
   }
+
+  private _hello(peer: any) {
+    this.send(peer, b4a.from("hello"));
+    this.swarm.leavePeer(peer.remotePublicKey);
+  }
 }