diff --git a/changes/bug24898 b/changes/bug24898
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f64340d71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/bug24898
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+  o Major bugfixes (relays):
+    - Fix a set of false positives where relays would consider connections
+      to other relays as being client-only connections (and thus e.g.
+      deserving different link padding schemes) if those relays fell out
+      of the consensus briefly. Now we look only at the initial handshake
+      and whether the connection authenticated as a relay. Fixes bug
+      24898; bugfix on 0.3.1.1-alpha.
+
diff --git a/src/or/command.c b/src/or/command.c
index c667cbbe5..894483e00 100644
--- a/src/or/command.c
+++ b/src/or/command.c
@@ -328,12 +328,6 @@ command_process_create_cell(cell_t *cell, channel_t *chan)
 
   if (connection_or_digest_is_known_relay(chan->identity_digest)) {
     rep_hist_note_circuit_handshake_requested(create_cell->handshake_type);
-    // Needed for chutney: Sometimes relays aren't in the consensus yet, and
-    // get marked as clients. This resets their channels once they appear.
-    // Probably useful for normal operation wrt relay flapping, too.
-    chan->is_client = 0;
-  } else {
-    channel_mark_client(chan);
   }
 
   if (create_cell->handshake_type != ONION_HANDSHAKE_TYPE_FAST) {
diff --git a/src/or/connection_or.c b/src/or/connection_or.c
index 59a9bdffd..fcd281da2 100644
--- a/src/or/connection_or.c
+++ b/src/or/connection_or.c
@@ -1952,6 +1952,12 @@ connection_or_set_state_open(or_connection_t *conn)
   connection_or_change_state(conn, OR_CONN_STATE_OPEN);
   control_event_or_conn_status(conn, OR_CONN_EVENT_CONNECTED, 0);
 
+  /* Link protocol 3 appeared in Tor 0.2.3.6-alpha, so any connection
+   * that uses an earlier link protocol should not be treated as a relay. */
+  if (conn->link_proto < 3) {
+    channel_mark_client(TLS_CHAN_TO_BASE(conn->chan));
+  }
+
   or_handshake_state_free(conn->handshake_state);
   conn->handshake_state = NULL;
   connection_start_reading(TO_CONN(conn));