diff --git a/nano/lib/stats_enums.hpp b/nano/lib/stats_enums.hpp
index 42f255d20f..de7b6d020c 100644
--- a/nano/lib/stats_enums.hpp
+++ b/nano/lib/stats_enums.hpp
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@ enum class detail : uint8_t
 	ok,
 	loop,
 	loop_cleanup,
-	loop_keepalive,
 	total,
 	process,
 	processed,
@@ -217,6 +216,11 @@ enum class detail : uint8_t
 	message_size_too_big,
 	outdated_version,
 
+	// network
+	loop_keepalive,
+	loop_reachout,
+	merge_peer,
+
 	// tcp
 	tcp_accept_success,
 	tcp_accept_failure,
diff --git a/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp b/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp
index bb65aeaa68..666558d583 100644
--- a/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp
+++ b/nano/lib/thread_roles.cpp
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ std::string nano::thread_role::get_string (nano::thread_role::name role)
 		case nano::thread_role::name::network_keepalive:
 			thread_role_name_string = "Net keepalive";
 			break;
+		case nano::thread_role::name::network_reachout:
+			thread_role_name_string = "Net reachout";
+			break;
 		case nano::thread_role::name::tcp_keepalive:
 			thread_role_name_string = "Tcp keepalive";
 			break;
diff --git a/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp b/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp
index 2f5a47041d..4afed7e1ef 100644
--- a/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp
+++ b/nano/lib/thread_roles.hpp
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ enum class name
 	rep_tiers,
 	network_cleanup,
 	network_keepalive,
+	network_reachout,
 	tcp_keepalive,
 };
 
diff --git a/nano/node/network.cpp b/nano/node/network.cpp
index 71ef05e7dd..ec1df815ff 100644
--- a/nano/node/network.cpp
+++ b/nano/node/network.cpp
@@ -48,6 +48,11 @@ void nano::network::start ()
 		run_keepalive ();
 	});
 
+	reachout_thread = std::thread ([this] () {
+		nano::thread_role::set (nano::thread_role::name::network_reachout);
+		run_reachout ();
+	});
+
 	if (!node.flags.disable_tcp_realtime)
 	{
 		tcp_channels.start ();
@@ -87,6 +92,10 @@ void nano::network::stop ()
 	{
 		cleanup_thread.join ();
 	}
+	if (reachout_thread.joinable ())
+	{
+		reachout_thread.join ();
+	}
 
 	port = 0;
 }
@@ -126,12 +135,11 @@ void nano::network::run_cleanup ()
 	while (!stopped)
 	{
 		condition.wait_for (lock, node.network_params.network.is_dev_network () ? 1s : 5s);
-		lock.unlock ();
-
 		if (stopped)
 		{
 			return;
 		}
+		lock.unlock ();
 
 		node.stats.inc (nano::stat::type::network, nano::stat::detail::loop_cleanup);
 
@@ -154,12 +162,11 @@ void nano::network::run_keepalive ()
 	while (!stopped)
 	{
 		condition.wait_for (lock, node.network_params.network.keepalive_period);
-		lock.unlock ();
-
 		if (stopped)
 		{
 			return;
 		}
+		lock.unlock ();
 
 		node.stats.inc (nano::stat::type::network, nano::stat::detail::loop_keepalive);
 
@@ -170,6 +177,41 @@ void nano::network::run_keepalive ()
 	}
 }
 
+void nano::network::run_reachout ()
+{
+	nano::unique_lock<nano::mutex> lock{ mutex };
+	while (!stopped)
+	{
+		condition.wait_for (lock, node.network_params.network.merge_period);
+		if (stopped)
+		{
+			return;
+		}
+		lock.unlock ();
+
+		node.stats.inc (nano::stat::type::network, nano::stat::detail::loop_reachout);
+
+		auto keepalive = tcp_channels.sample_keepalive ();
+		if (keepalive)
+		{
+			for (auto const & peer : keepalive->peers)
+			{
+				if (stopped)
+				{
+					return;
+				}
+
+				merge_peer (peer);
+
+				// Throttle reachout attempts
+				std::this_thread::sleep_for (node.network_params.network.merge_period);
+			}
+		}
+
+		lock.lock ();
+	}
+}
+
 void nano::network::send_keepalive (std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel> const & channel_a)
 {
 	nano::keepalive message{ node.network_params.network };
@@ -413,8 +455,9 @@ void nano::network::merge_peer (nano::endpoint const & peer_a)
 {
 	if (!track_reachout (peer_a))
 	{
-		std::weak_ptr<nano::node> node_w (node.shared ());
-		node.network.tcp_channels.start_tcp (peer_a);
+		node.stats.inc (nano::stat::type::network, nano::stat::detail::merge_peer);
+
+		tcp_channels.start_tcp (peer_a);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/nano/node/network.hpp b/nano/node/network.hpp
index 1e9ab3d734..c10ebc5ccb 100644
--- a/nano/node/network.hpp
+++ b/nano/node/network.hpp
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@ class network final
 	void run_processing ();
 	void run_cleanup ();
 	void run_keepalive ();
+	void run_reachout ();
 	void process_message (nano::message const &, std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel> const &);
 
 private: // Dependencies
@@ -137,6 +138,7 @@ class network final
 	std::vector<boost::thread> processing_threads; // Using boost::thread to enable increased stack size
 	std::thread cleanup_thread;
 	std::thread keepalive_thread;
+	std::thread reachout_thread;
 
 public:
 	static unsigned const broadcast_interval_ms = 10;
diff --git a/nano/node/transport/tcp.cpp b/nano/node/transport/tcp.cpp
index b062bdc985..7d6bbe4a94 100644
--- a/nano/node/transport/tcp.cpp
+++ b/nano/node/transport/tcp.cpp
@@ -139,8 +139,6 @@ nano::transport::tcp_channels::~tcp_channels ()
 
 void nano::transport::tcp_channels::start ()
 {
-	ongoing_merge (0);
-
 	keepalive_thread = std::thread ([this] () {
 		nano::thread_role::set (nano::thread_role::name::tcp_keepalive);
 		run_keepalive ();
@@ -548,75 +546,29 @@ void nano::transport::tcp_channels::keepalive ()
 	}
 }
 
-void nano::transport::tcp_channels::ongoing_merge (size_t channel_index)
+std::optional<nano::keepalive> nano::transport::tcp_channels::sample_keepalive ()
 {
-	nano::unique_lock<nano::mutex> lock{ mutex };
-	std::optional<nano::keepalive> keepalive;
-	size_t count = 0;
-	while (!keepalive && channels.size () > 0 && count++ < channels.size ())
+	nano::lock_guard<nano::mutex> lock{ mutex };
+
+	auto next_rand = [this] (std::size_t max) {
+		std::uniform_int_distribution<std::size_t> dist (0, max - 1);
+		return dist (rng);
+	};
+
+	size_t counter = 0;
+	while (counter++ < channels.size ())
 	{
-		++channel_index;
-		if (channels.size () <= channel_index)
-		{
-			channel_index = 0;
-		}
-		auto server = channels.get<random_access_tag> ()[channel_index].response_server;
-		if (server && server->last_keepalive)
+		auto index = next_rand (channels.size ());
+		if (auto server = channels.get<random_access_tag> ()[index].response_server)
 		{
-			keepalive = std::move (server->last_keepalive);
-			server->last_keepalive = std::nullopt;
-		}
-	}
-	lock.unlock ();
-	if (keepalive)
-	{
-		ongoing_merge (channel_index, *keepalive, 1);
-	}
-	else
-	{
-		std::weak_ptr<nano::node> node_w = node.shared ();
-		node.workers.add_timed_task (std::chrono::steady_clock::now () + node.network_params.network.merge_period, [node_w, channel_index] () {
-			if (auto node_l = node_w.lock ())
+			if (auto keepalive = server->pop_last_keepalive ())
 			{
-				if (!node_l->network.tcp_channels.stopped)
-				{
-					node_l->network.tcp_channels.ongoing_merge (channel_index);
-				}
+				return keepalive;
 			}
-		});
+		}
 	}
-}
 
-void nano::transport::tcp_channels::ongoing_merge (size_t channel_index, nano::keepalive keepalive, size_t peer_index)
-{
-	debug_assert (peer_index < keepalive.peers.size ());
-	node.network.merge_peer (keepalive.peers[peer_index++]);
-	if (peer_index < keepalive.peers.size ())
-	{
-		std::weak_ptr<nano::node> node_w = node.shared ();
-		node.workers.add_timed_task (std::chrono::steady_clock::now () + node.network_params.network.merge_period, [node_w, channel_index, keepalive, peer_index] () {
-			if (auto node_l = node_w.lock ())
-			{
-				if (!node_l->network.tcp_channels.stopped)
-				{
-					node_l->network.tcp_channels.ongoing_merge (channel_index, keepalive, peer_index);
-				}
-			}
-		});
-	}
-	else
-	{
-		std::weak_ptr<nano::node> node_w = node.shared ();
-		node.workers.add_timed_task (std::chrono::steady_clock::now () + node.network_params.network.merge_period, [node_w, channel_index] () {
-			if (auto node_l = node_w.lock ())
-			{
-				if (!node_l->network.tcp_channels.stopped)
-				{
-					node_l->network.tcp_channels.ongoing_merge (channel_index);
-				}
-			}
-		});
-	}
+	return std::nullopt;
 }
 
 void nano::transport::tcp_channels::list (std::deque<std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel>> & deque_a, uint8_t minimum_version_a, bool include_temporary_channels_a)
diff --git a/nano/node/transport/tcp.hpp b/nano/node/transport/tcp.hpp
index d49ef9d452..005ccb0429 100644
--- a/nano/node/transport/tcp.hpp
+++ b/nano/node/transport/tcp.hpp
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 #include <boost/multi_index/random_access_index.hpp>
 #include <boost/multi_index_container.hpp>
 
+#include <random>
 #include <thread>
 #include <unordered_set>
 
@@ -154,12 +155,11 @@ namespace transport
 		bool track_reachout (nano::endpoint const &);
 		std::unique_ptr<container_info_component> collect_container_info (std::string const &);
 		void purge (std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point const &);
-		void ongoing_keepalive ();
-		void ongoing_merge (size_t channel_index);
-		void ongoing_merge (size_t channel_index, nano::keepalive keepalive, size_t peer_index);
 		void list (std::deque<std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel>> &, uint8_t = 0, bool = true);
 		void modify (std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel_tcp> const &, std::function<void (std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel_tcp> const &)>);
 		void update (nano::tcp_endpoint const &);
+		std::optional<nano::keepalive> sample_keepalive ();
+
 		// Connection start
 		void start_tcp (nano::endpoint const &);
 		void start_tcp_receive_node_id (std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::channel_tcp> const &, nano::endpoint const &, std::shared_ptr<std::vector<uint8_t>> const &);
@@ -287,6 +287,8 @@ namespace transport
 		nano::condition_variable condition;
 		mutable nano::mutex mutex;
 		std::thread keepalive_thread;
+
+		std::default_random_engine rng;
 	};
 } // namespace transport
 } // namespace nano
diff --git a/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.cpp b/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.cpp
index edd7f9663a..bcad6d5b0b 100644
--- a/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.cpp
+++ b/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.cpp
@@ -796,6 +796,14 @@ void nano::transport::tcp_server::set_last_keepalive (nano::keepalive const & me
 	}
 }
 
+std::optional<nano::keepalive> nano::transport::tcp_server::pop_last_keepalive ()
+{
+	std::lock_guard<nano::mutex> lock{ mutex };
+	auto result = last_keepalive;
+	last_keepalive = std::nullopt;
+	return result;
+}
+
 bool nano::transport::tcp_server::to_bootstrap_connection ()
 {
 	auto node = this->node.lock ();
diff --git a/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.hpp b/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.hpp
index 5369258545..0760241164 100644
--- a/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.hpp
+++ b/nano/node/transport/tcp_server.hpp
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ class tcp_server final : public std::enable_shared_from_this<tcp_server>
 
 	void timeout ();
 	void set_last_keepalive (nano::keepalive const & message);
+	std::optional<nano::keepalive> pop_last_keepalive ();
 
 	std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::socket> const socket;
 	std::weak_ptr<nano::node> const node;
@@ -73,7 +74,6 @@ class tcp_server final : public std::enable_shared_from_this<tcp_server>
 	nano::tcp_endpoint remote_endpoint{ boost::asio::ip::address_v6::any (), 0 };
 	nano::account remote_node_id{};
 	std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point last_telemetry_req{};
-	std::optional<nano::keepalive> last_keepalive;
 
 private:
 	void send_handshake_response (nano::node_id_handshake::query_payload const & query, bool v2);
@@ -90,9 +90,10 @@ class tcp_server final : public std::enable_shared_from_this<tcp_server>
 	bool is_bootstrap_connection () const;
 	bool is_realtime_connection () const;
 
+private:
+	bool const allow_bootstrap;
 	std::shared_ptr<nano::transport::message_deserializer> message_deserializer;
-
-	bool allow_bootstrap;
+	std::optional<nano::keepalive> last_keepalive;
 
 private:
 	class handshake_message_visitor : public nano::message_visitor