diff --git a/src/Dispatcher.cpp b/src/Dispatcher.cpp
index ec74d4527f..26d6d2bdcb 100644
--- a/src/Dispatcher.cpp
+++ b/src/Dispatcher.cpp
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Dispatcher::Dispatcher()
     : m_server(false),
       m_do_flush(false),
       m_reconnect_proto_rev(0x0300),
-      m_do_reconnect(false) {
+      m_do_reconnect(true) {
   m_active = false;
   m_update_rate = 100;
 }
@@ -123,6 +123,7 @@ void Dispatcher::DispatchThreadMain() {
 
   auto timeout_time = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
   int count = 0;
+  std::unique_lock<std::mutex> flush_lock(m_flush_mutex);
   while (m_active) {
     // handle loop taking too long
     auto start = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
@@ -131,11 +132,9 @@ void Dispatcher::DispatchThreadMain() {
 
     // wait for periodic or when flushed
     timeout_time += std::chrono::milliseconds(m_update_rate);
-    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> flush_lock(m_flush_mutex);
     m_reconnect_cv.wait_until(flush_lock, timeout_time,
                               [&] { return !m_active || m_do_flush; });
     m_do_flush = false;
-    flush_lock.unlock();
     if (!m_active) break;  // in case we were woken up to terminate
 
     if (++count > 10) {
@@ -147,12 +146,20 @@ void Dispatcher::DispatchThreadMain() {
     connections.resize(0);
     {
       std::lock_guard<std::mutex> user_lock(m_user_mutex);
+      bool reconnect = false;
       for (auto& conn : m_connections) {
         if (conn.net->state() == NetworkConnection::kActive) {
           connections.push_back(ConnectionRef());
           connections.back().net = conn.net.get();
           connections.back().outgoing.swap(conn.outgoing);
         }
+        if (!m_server && conn.net->state() == NetworkConnection::kDead)
+          reconnect = true;
+      }
+      // reconnect if we disconnected (and a reconnect is not in progress)
+      if (reconnect && !m_do_reconnect) {
+        m_do_reconnect = true;
+        m_reconnect_cv.notify_one();
       }
     }
 
@@ -212,7 +219,6 @@ void Dispatcher::ServerThreadMain(const char* listen_address,
 }
 
 void Dispatcher::ClientThreadMain(const char* server_name, unsigned int port) {
-  unsigned int proto_rev = 0x0300;
   while (m_active) {
     // sleep between retries
     std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(500));
@@ -223,6 +229,7 @@ void Dispatcher::ClientThreadMain(const char* server_name, unsigned int port) {
     if (!stream) continue;  // keep retrying
     DEBUG("client connected");
 
+    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(m_user_mutex);
     using namespace std::placeholders;
     Storage& storage = Storage::GetInstance();
     std::unique_ptr<NetworkConnection> conn_unique(new NetworkConnection(
@@ -231,20 +238,14 @@ void Dispatcher::ClientThreadMain(const char* server_name, unsigned int port) {
         std::bind(&Storage::GetEntryType, &storage, _1),
         std::bind(&Storage::ProcessIncoming, &storage, _1, _2, _3)));
     auto conn = conn_unique.get();
-    {
-      std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(m_user_mutex);
-      m_connections.resize(0);  // disconnect any current
-      m_connections.emplace_back(std::move(conn_unique));
-    }
-    conn->set_proto_rev(proto_rev);
+    m_connections.resize(0);  // disconnect any current
+    m_connections.emplace_back(std::move(conn_unique));
+    conn->set_proto_rev(m_reconnect_proto_rev);
     conn->Start();
 
     // block until told to reconnect
-    std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(m_reconnect_mutex);
-    m_reconnect_cv.wait(lock, [&] { return m_do_reconnect; });
-    proto_rev = m_reconnect_proto_rev;
     m_do_reconnect = false;
-    lock.unlock();
+    m_reconnect_cv.wait(lock, [&] { return m_do_reconnect; });
   }
 }
 
@@ -400,7 +401,7 @@ bool Dispatcher::ServerHandshake(
 void Dispatcher::ClientReconnect(unsigned int proto_rev) {
   if (m_server) return;
   {
-    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(m_reconnect_mutex);
+    std::lock_guard<std::mutex> lock(m_user_mutex);
     m_reconnect_proto_rev = proto_rev;
     m_do_reconnect = true;
   }
diff --git a/src/Dispatcher.h b/src/Dispatcher.h
index c9b027ee1d..ff3dabba59 100644
--- a/src/Dispatcher.h
+++ b/src/Dispatcher.h
@@ -96,8 +96,7 @@ class Dispatcher {
   std::chrono::steady_clock::time_point m_last_flush;
   bool m_do_flush;
 
-  // Condition variable for client reconnect
-  std::mutex m_reconnect_mutex;
+  // Condition variable for client reconnect (uses user mutex)
   std::condition_variable m_reconnect_cv;
   unsigned int m_reconnect_proto_rev;
   bool m_do_reconnect;
diff --git a/src/NetworkConnection.cpp b/src/NetworkConnection.cpp
index cab818952a..dd725d366d 100644
--- a/src/NetworkConnection.cpp
+++ b/src/NetworkConnection.cpp
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ void NetworkConnection::ReadThreadMain() {
     }
     m_process_incoming(std::move(msg), this, m_proto_rev);
   }
+  DEBUG3("read thread died");
   m_state = static_cast<int>(kDead);
   m_active = false;
 }
@@ -123,6 +124,7 @@ void NetworkConnection::WriteThreadMain() {
     if (m_stream->send(encoder.data(), encoder.size(), &err) == 0) break;
     DEBUG4("sent " << encoder.size() << " bytes");
   }
+  DEBUG3("write thread died");
   m_state = static_cast<int>(kDead);
   m_active = false;
 }