diff --git a/app/app.go b/app/app.go
index 6a33042..1b2ecc3 100644
--- a/app/app.go
+++ b/app/app.go
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ type Application interface {
 	PrimaryIdentity() peer.CwtchPeer
 	GetPeer(onion string) peer.CwtchPeer
 	ListPeers() map[string]string
+	LaunchPeers()
 
 	GetTorStatus() (map[string]string, error)
 
@@ -104,7 +105,6 @@ func (app *application) LoadProfiles(password string) error {
 
 		p, err := fileStore.Load()
 		if err != nil {
-
 			continue
 		}
 
@@ -114,7 +114,6 @@ func (app *application) LoadProfiles(password string) error {
 			log.Printf("Error: profile for onion %v already exists", p.GetProfile().Onion)
 			continue
 		}
-		app.startPeer(p)
 		app.mutex.Lock()
 		app.peers[p.GetProfile().Onion] = p
 		app.storage[p.GetProfile().Onion] = fileStore
@@ -151,6 +150,14 @@ func (app *application) startTor(torPath string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (app *application) LaunchPeers() {
+	for _, p := range app.peers {
+		if !p.IsStarted() {
+			app.startPeer(p)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func (app *application) startPeer(peer peer.CwtchPeer) {
 	go func() {
 		e := peer.Listen()
diff --git a/peer/cwtch_peer.go b/peer/cwtch_peer.go
index 06db97f..08da9b2 100644
--- a/peer/cwtch_peer.go
+++ b/peer/cwtch_peer.go
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@ type cwtchPeer struct {
 	mutex              sync.Mutex
 	connectionsManager *connections.Manager
 	dataHandler        func(string, []byte) []byte
-	//handlers           map[string]func(*application.ApplicationInstance) func() channels.Handler
 	aif application.ApplicationInstanceFactory
+	started            bool
 }
 
 // CwtchPeer provides us with a way of testing systems built on top of cwtch without having to
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ type CwtchPeer interface {
 	SetApplicationInstanceFactory(factory application.ApplicationInstanceFactory)
 	SetPeerDataHandler(func(string, []byte) []byte)
 
+	IsStarted() bool
 	Listen() error
 	Shutdown()
 }
@@ -335,6 +336,7 @@ func (cp *cwtchPeer) Listen() error {
 	cwtchpeer.InitV3(cp.Profile.Name, identity.InitializeV3(cp.Profile.Name, &cp.Profile.Ed25519PrivateKey, &cp.Profile.Ed25519PublicKey), af, cp)
 	log.Printf("Running cwtch peer on %v", l.Addr().String())
 	cp.app = cwtchpeer
+	cp.started = true
 	cwtchpeer.Run(l)
 	return nil
 }
@@ -347,6 +349,11 @@ func (cp *cwtchPeer) Shutdown() {
 	}
 }
 
+// IsStarted returns true if Listen() has successfully been run before on this connection (ever). TODO: we will need to properly unset this flag on error if we want to support resumption in the future
+func (cp *cwtchPeer) IsStarted() bool {
+	return cp.started
+}
+
 // CwtchPeerInstance encapsulates incoming peer connections
 type CwtchPeerInstance struct {
 	rai *application.ApplicationInstance
diff --git a/storage/file_profile_store.go b/storage/file_profile_store.go
index 10e1433..9dc3d7b 100644
--- a/storage/file_profile_store.go
+++ b/storage/file_profile_store.go
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ func (fps *fileProfileStore) Load() (peer.CwtchPeer, error) {
 		if err == nil {
 			return peer.FromProfile(profile), nil
 		}
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	return nil, err
 }