diff --git a/p2p/net/conn/conn.go b/p2p/net/conn/conn.go
index 396cabb16935ff892985a2d82e883802f23f1759..5335f6e8d872730221c4e2da0a054702dd5c3de8 100644
--- a/p2p/net/conn/conn.go
+++ b/p2p/net/conn/conn.go
@@ -128,6 +128,10 @@ func (c *singleConn) Write(buf []byte) (int, error) {
 	return c.maconn.Write(buf)
 }
 
+func (c *singleConn) SetRemotePeer(id peer.ID) {
+	c.remote = id
+}
+
 // ID returns the ID of a given Conn.
 func ID(c Conn) string {
 	l := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", c.LocalMultiaddr(), c.LocalPeer().Pretty())
diff --git a/p2p/net/conn/interface.go b/p2p/net/conn/interface.go
index 816284f35bef96357672b33f5603056747208d58..bc215aff1b431f8e6370315720cb6b7b7798ef84 100644
--- a/p2p/net/conn/interface.go
+++ b/p2p/net/conn/interface.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ type PeerConn interface {
 	RemotePeer() peer.ID
 	RemotePublicKey() ic.PubKey
 	RemoteMultiaddr() ma.Multiaddr
+	SetRemotePeer(peer.ID)
 }
 
 // Conn is a generic message-based Peer-to-Peer connection.
diff --git a/p2p/net/conn/secure_conn.go b/p2p/net/conn/secure_conn.go
index 6aa16f92087d935e5a792fe45e4f017d6b77cdf4..5d88ca2707bda4d08d280a4baddc5b155a0a860b 100644
--- a/p2p/net/conn/secure_conn.go
+++ b/p2p/net/conn/secure_conn.go
@@ -122,3 +122,7 @@ func (c *secureConn) Write(buf []byte) (int, error) {
 func (c *secureConn) ReleaseMsg(m []byte) {
 	c.secure.ReadWriter().ReleaseMsg(m)
 }
+
+func (c *secureConn) SetRemotePeer(id peer.ID) {
+	c.insecure.SetRemotePeer(id)
+}
diff --git a/p2p/net/mock/mock_conn.go b/p2p/net/mock/mock_conn.go
index f0fe6c1cebb49262a4950c2ee12e90f80a8d5546..377760a29e4e6d59be0f2836f9fa7b592675504a 100644
--- a/p2p/net/mock/mock_conn.go
+++ b/p2p/net/mock/mock_conn.go
@@ -147,3 +147,7 @@ func (c *conn) RemotePeer() peer.ID {
 func (c *conn) RemotePublicKey() ic.PubKey {
 	return c.remotePubKey
 }
+
+func (c *conn) SetRemotePeer(id peer.ID) {
+	c.remote = id
+}
diff --git a/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_conn.go b/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_conn.go
index 96700ba835fbfe66b6dfe2bdb85e3c320c2da07d..a2f748af86d65b2604f5a755cc48791140a54c99 100644
--- a/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_conn.go
+++ b/p2p/net/swarm/swarm_conn.go
@@ -91,6 +91,10 @@ func (c *Conn) Close() error {
 	return c.StreamConn().Close()
 }
 
+func (c *Conn) SetRemotePeer(id peer.ID) {
+	c.RawConn().SetRemotePeer(id)
+}
+
 func wrapConn(psc *ps.Conn) (*Conn, error) {
 	// grab the underlying connection.
 	if _, ok := psc.NetConn().(conn.Conn); !ok {
diff --git a/p2p/protocol/identify/id.go b/p2p/protocol/identify/id.go
index 83e5059ee25863b88497308e69918c628d285187..c4fc43362b7cbafd45700493269866dd2f859af3 100644
--- a/p2p/protocol/identify/id.go
+++ b/p2p/protocol/identify/id.go
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 package identify
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 
 	semver "github.com/coreos/go-semver/semver"
 	ggio "github.com/gogo/protobuf/io"
+	ci "github.com/ipfs/go-libp2p-crypto"
+	"github.com/ipfs/go-libp2p-peer"
 	pstore "github.com/ipfs/go-libp2p-peerstore"
 	host "github.com/ipfs/go-libp2p/p2p/host"
 	mstream "github.com/ipfs/go-libp2p/p2p/metrics/stream"
@@ -150,6 +153,16 @@ func (ids *IDService) populateMessage(mes *pb.Identify, c inet.Conn) {
 		mes.Protocols[i] = string(p)
 	}
 
+	if c.RemotePeer() == "" {
+		pubk := ids.Host.Peerstore().PubKey(ids.Host.ID())
+		data, err := pubk.Bytes()
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Error("marshaling our public key: ", err)
+		} else {
+			mes.PublicKey = data
+		}
+	}
+
 	// observed address so other side is informed of their
 	// "public" address, at least in relation to us.
 	mes.ObservedAddr = c.RemoteMultiaddr().Bytes()
@@ -169,9 +182,35 @@ func (ids *IDService) populateMessage(mes *pb.Identify, c inet.Conn) {
 	mes.AgentVersion = &av
 }
 
+func checkPubKeyID(mes *pb.Identify, c inet.Conn) error {
+	if len(mes.PublicKey) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("remote peer has no ID and no public key was sent")
+	}
+
+	pubk, err := ci.UnmarshalPublicKey(mes.PublicKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	pid, err := peer.IDFromPublicKey(pubk)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	c.SetRemotePeer(pid)
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (ids *IDService) consumeMessage(mes *pb.Identify, c inet.Conn) {
 	p := c.RemotePeer()
 
+	if p == "" {
+		err := checkPubKeyID(mes, c)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Warning("no peerID set: ", err)
+		}
+	}
+
 	// mes.Protocols
 
 	// mes.ObservedAddr