diff --git a/core/corerouting/core.go b/core/corerouting/core.go
index cb040bcd4..f3c92fcef 100644
--- a/core/corerouting/core.go
+++ b/core/corerouting/core.go
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ func GrandCentralServer(recordSource datastore.ThreadSafeDatastore) core.Routing
 			Handler: server,
 			Local:   node.Identity,
 		}
+		node.PeerHost.SetStreamHandler(gcproxy.ProtocolGCR, proxy.HandleStream)
 		return grandcentral.NewClient(proxy, node.Peerstore, node.Identity)
 	}
 }
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ func GrandCentralClient(remotes ...peer.PeerInfo) core.RoutingOption {
 			ids = append(ids, info.ID)
 		}
 		proxy := gcproxy.Standard(node.PeerHost, ids)
+		node.PeerHost.SetStreamHandler(gcproxy.ProtocolGCR, proxy.HandleStream)
 		return grandcentral.NewClient(proxy, node.Peerstore, node.Identity)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/routing/grandcentral/proxy/loopback.go b/routing/grandcentral/proxy/loopback.go
index ba598c3ea..e5fa39deb 100644
--- a/routing/grandcentral/proxy/loopback.go
+++ b/routing/grandcentral/proxy/loopback.go
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func (lb *Loopback) SendRequest(ctx context.Context, m *dhtpb.Message) (*dhtpb.M
 	return lb.Handler.HandleRequest(ctx, lb.Local, m), nil
 }
 
-func (lb *Loopback) handleNewStream(s inet.Stream) {
+func (lb *Loopback) HandleStream(s inet.Stream) {
 	defer s.Close()
 	pbr := ggio.NewDelimitedReader(s, inet.MessageSizeMax)
 	var incoming dhtpb.Message
diff --git a/routing/grandcentral/proxy/standard.go b/routing/grandcentral/proxy/standard.go
index b3d1fc5d8..996f2f5e7 100644
--- a/routing/grandcentral/proxy/standard.go
+++ b/routing/grandcentral/proxy/standard.go
@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ import (
 
 var log = eventlog.Logger("proxy")
 
+const ProtocolGCR = "/ipfs/grandcentral"
+
 type Proxy interface {
+	HandleStream(inet.Stream)
 	SendMessage(ctx context.Context, m *dhtpb.Message) error
 	SendRequest(ctx context.Context, m *dhtpb.Message) (*dhtpb.Message, error)
 }
@@ -27,7 +30,9 @@ func Standard(h host.Host, remotes []peer.ID) Proxy {
 	return &standard{h, remotes}
 }
 
-const ProtocolGCR = "/ipfs/grandcentral"
+func (p *standard) HandleStream(s inet.Stream) {
+	panic("client received a GCR message")
+}
 
 func (px *standard) SendMessage(ctx context.Context, m *dhtpb.Message) error {
 	var err error