diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/debug.go b/src/yggdrasil/debug.go
index cd42560c..599ee90c 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/debug.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/debug.go
@@ -453,16 +453,16 @@ func (c *Core) DEBUG_addAllowedEncryptionPublicKey(boxStr string) {
 
 func DEBUG_simLinkPeers(p, q *peer) {
 	// Sets q.out() to point to p and starts p.linkLoop()
-	plinkIn := make(chan []byte, 1)
-	qlinkIn := make(chan []byte, 1)
+	p.linkIn, q.linkIn = make(chan []byte, 32), make(chan []byte, 32)
+	p.linkOut, q.linkOut = q.linkIn, p.linkIn
 	p.out = func(bs []byte) {
-		go q.handlePacket(bs, qlinkIn)
+		go q.handlePacket(bs)
 	}
 	q.out = func(bs []byte) {
-		go p.handlePacket(bs, plinkIn)
+		go p.handlePacket(bs)
 	}
-	go p.linkLoop(plinkIn)
-	go q.linkLoop(qlinkIn)
+	go p.linkLoop()
+	go q.linkLoop()
 }
 
 func (c *Core) DEBUG_simFixMTU() {
diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/peer.go b/src/yggdrasil/peer.go
index fa1a2789..0113470e 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/peer.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/peer.go
@@ -111,6 +111,9 @@ type peer struct {
 	close func()
 	// To allow the peer to call close if idle for too long
 	lastAnc time.Time
+	// used for protocol traffic (to bypass queues)
+	linkIn  (chan []byte) // handlePacket sends, linkLoop recvs
+	linkOut (chan []byte)
 }
 
 const peer_Throttle = 1
@@ -123,8 +126,7 @@ func (p *peer) updateQueueSize(delta int64) {
 	atomic.AddInt64(&p.queueSize, delta)
 }
 
-func (ps *peers) newPeer(box *boxPubKey,
-	sig *sigPubKey) *peer {
+func (ps *peers) newPeer(box *boxPubKey, sig *sigPubKey) *peer {
 	now := time.Now()
 	p := peer{box: *box,
 		sig:       *sig,
@@ -170,14 +172,14 @@ func (ps *peers) removePeer(port switchPort) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (p *peer) linkLoop(in <-chan []byte) {
+func (p *peer) linkLoop() {
 	ticker := time.NewTicker(time.Second)
 	defer ticker.Stop()
 	var counter uint8
 	var lastRSeq uint64
 	for {
 		select {
-		case packet, ok := <-in:
+		case packet, ok := <-p.linkIn:
 			if !ok {
 				return
 			}
@@ -214,7 +216,7 @@ func (p *peer) linkLoop(in <-chan []byte) {
 	}
 }
 
-func (p *peer) handlePacket(packet []byte, linkIn chan<- []byte) {
+func (p *peer) handlePacket(packet []byte) {
 	// TODO See comment in sendPacket about atomics technically being done wrong
 	atomic.AddUint64(&p.bytesRecvd, uint64(len(packet)))
 	pType, pTypeLen := wire_decode_uint64(packet)
@@ -227,12 +229,7 @@ func (p *peer) handlePacket(packet []byte, linkIn chan<- []byte) {
 	case wire_ProtocolTraffic:
 		p.handleTraffic(packet, pTypeLen)
 	case wire_LinkProtocolTraffic:
-		{
-			select {
-			case linkIn <- packet:
-			default:
-			}
-		}
+		p.linkIn <- packet
 	default: /*panic(pType) ;*/
 		return
 	}
@@ -284,7 +281,7 @@ func (p *peer) sendLinkPacket(packet []byte) {
 		Payload: bs,
 	}
 	packet = linkPacket.encode()
-	p.sendPacket(packet)
+	p.linkOut <- packet
 }
 
 func (p *peer) handleLinkTraffic(bs []byte) {
diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/router.go b/src/yggdrasil/router.go
index b848a792..a8797d5f 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/router.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/router.go
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func (r *router) init(core *Core) {
 		}
 	}
 	r.in = in
-	r.out = func(packet []byte) { p.handlePacket(packet, nil) } // The caller is responsible for go-ing if it needs to not block
+	r.out = func(packet []byte) { p.handlePacket(packet) } // The caller is responsible for go-ing if it needs to not block
 	recv := make(chan []byte, 32)
 	send := make(chan []byte, 32)
 	r.recv = recv
diff --git a/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go b/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go
index acde0344..e21522b8 100644
--- a/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go
+++ b/src/yggdrasil/tcp.go
@@ -208,10 +208,11 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 	}()
 	// Note that multiple connections to the same node are allowed
 	//  E.g. over different interfaces
-	linkIn := make(chan []byte, 1)
-	p := iface.core.peers.newPeer(&info.box, &info.sig) //, in, out)
+	p := iface.core.peers.newPeer(&info.box, &info.sig)
+	p.linkIn = make(chan []byte, 1)
+	p.linkOut = make(chan []byte, 1)
 	in := func(bs []byte) {
-		p.handlePacket(bs, linkIn)
+		p.handlePacket(bs)
 	}
 	out := make(chan []byte, 32) // TODO? what size makes sense
 	defer close(out)
@@ -221,10 +222,10 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 		buf.Write(tcp_msg[:])
 		buf.Write(msgLen)
 		buf.Write(msg)
-		p.updateQueueSize(-1)
 		util_putBytes(msg)
 	}
 	go func() {
+		defer buf.Flush()
 		var stack [][]byte
 		put := func(msg []byte) {
 			stack = append(stack, msg)
@@ -234,14 +235,22 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 				p.updateQueueSize(-1)
 			}
 		}
-		for msg := range out {
-			put(msg)
+		for {
+			select {
+			case msg := <-p.linkOut:
+				send(msg)
+			case msg, ok := <-out:
+				if !ok {
+					return
+				}
+				put(msg)
+			}
 			for len(stack) > 0 {
-				// Keep trying to fill the stack (LIFO order) while sending
 				select {
+				case msg := <-p.linkOut:
+					send(msg)
 				case msg, ok := <-out:
 					if !ok {
-						buf.Flush()
 						return
 					}
 					put(msg)
@@ -249,6 +258,7 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 					msg := stack[len(stack)-1]
 					stack = stack[:len(stack)-1]
 					send(msg)
+					p.updateQueueSize(-1)
 				}
 			}
 			buf.Flush()
@@ -265,11 +275,11 @@ func (iface *tcpInterface) handler(sock net.Conn, incoming bool) {
 	}
 	p.close = func() { sock.Close() }
 	setNoDelay(sock, true)
-	go p.linkLoop(linkIn)
+	go p.linkLoop()
 	defer func() {
 		// Put all of our cleanup here...
 		p.core.peers.removePeer(p.port)
-		close(linkIn)
+		close(p.linkIn)
 	}()
 	them, _, _ := net.SplitHostPort(sock.RemoteAddr().String())
 	themNodeID := getNodeID(&info.box)