diff --git a/include/llarp/messages/discard.hpp b/include/llarp/messages/discard.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..14e1f8982
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/llarp/messages/discard.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+#ifndef LLARP_MESSAGES_DISCARD_HPP
+#define LLARP_MESSAGES_DISCARD_HPP
+#include <llarp/link_message.hpp>
+
+namespace llarp
+{
+  /// a dummy link message that is discarded
+  struct DiscardMessage : public ILinkMessage
+  {
+    std::vector< byte_t > Z;
+
+    ~DiscardMessage()
+    {
+    }
+
+    DiscardMessage(const RouterID& id) : ILinkMessage(id)
+    {
+    }
+
+    DiscardMessage(const RouterID& other, std::size_t padding)
+        : ILinkMessage(other)
+    {
+      Z.resize(padding);
+      std::fill(Z.begin(), Z.end(), 'z');
+    }
+
+    virtual bool
+    DecodeKey(llarp_buffer_t key, llarp_buffer_t* buf)
+    {
+      llarp_buffer_t strbuf;
+      if(llarp_buffer_eq(key, "v"))
+      {
+        if(!bencode_read_integer(buf, &version))
+          return false;
+        return version == LLARP_PROTO_VERSION;
+      }
+      if(llarp_buffer_eq(key, "z"))
+      {
+        if(!bencode_read_string(buf, &strbuf))
+          return false;
+        Z.resize(strbuf.sz);
+        memcpy(Z.data(), strbuf.base, strbuf.sz);
+        return true;
+      }
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    virtual bool
+    BEncode(llarp_buffer_t* buf) const
+    {
+      if(!bencode_start_dict(buf))
+        return false;
+
+      if(!bencode_write_bytestring(buf, "a", 1))
+        return false;
+      if(!bencode_write_bytestring(buf, "z", 1))
+        return false;
+
+      if(!bencode_write_version_entry(buf))
+        return false;
+
+      if(!bencode_write_bytestring(buf, "z", 1))
+        return false;
+      if(!bencode_write_bytestring(buf, Z.data(), Z.size()))
+        return false;
+
+      return bencode_end(buf);
+    }
+
+    virtual bool
+    HandleMessage(llarp_router* router) const
+    {
+      (void)router;
+      llarp::Info("got discard message of size ", Z.size(), " bytes");
+      return true;
+    }
+  };
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/llarp/link_message.cpp b/llarp/link_message.cpp
index 6d4a9cdca..cb738281e 100644
--- a/llarp/link_message.cpp
+++ b/llarp/link_message.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include <llarp/router_contact.h>
 #include <llarp/link_message.hpp>
 #include <llarp/messages/dht_immediate.hpp>
+#include <llarp/messages/discard.hpp>
 #include <llarp/messages/link_intro.hpp>
 #include <llarp/messages/relay_commit.hpp>
 #include "buffer.hpp"
@@ -63,6 +64,8 @@ namespace llarp
         case 'c':
           handler->msg = new LR_CommitMessage(handler->GetCurrentFrom());
           break;
+        case 'z':
+          handler->msg = new DiscardMessage(handler->GetCurrentFrom());
         default:
           return false;
       }
diff --git a/llarp/router.cpp b/llarp/router.cpp
index 512916cd8..ba1f6633b 100644
--- a/llarp/router.cpp
+++ b/llarp/router.cpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include <llarp/proto.h>
 #include <llarp/router.h>
 #include <llarp/link_message.hpp>
+#include <llarp/messages/discard.hpp>
 
 #include "buffer.hpp"
 #include "encode.hpp"
@@ -265,6 +266,46 @@ llarp_router::on_verify_server_rc(llarp_async_verify_rc *job)
   delete job;
 }
 
+void
+llarp_router::handle_router_ticker(void *user, uint64_t orig, uint64_t left)
+{
+  if(left)
+    return;
+  llarp_router *self  = static_cast< llarp_router * >(user);
+  self->ticker_job_id = 0;
+  self->Tick();
+  self->ScheduleTicker(orig);
+}
+
+void
+llarp_router::Tick()
+{
+  if(sendPadding)
+  {
+    for(auto &link : links)
+    {
+      link->iter_sessions(link, {this, nullptr, &send_padded_message});
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+bool
+llarp_router::send_padded_message(llarp_link_session_iter *itr,
+                                  llarp_link_session *peer)
+{
+  auto msg           = new llarp::DiscardMessage({}, 4096);
+  llarp_router *self = static_cast< llarp_router * >(itr->user);
+  self->SendToOrQueue(peer->get_remote_router(peer)->pubkey, {msg});
+  return true;
+}
+
+void
+llarp_router::ScheduleTicker(uint64_t ms)
+{
+  ticker_job_id =
+      llarp_logic_call_later(logic, {ms, this, &handle_router_ticker});
+}
+
 void
 llarp_router::SessionClosed(const llarp::RouterID &remote)
 {
diff --git a/llarp/router.hpp b/llarp/router.hpp
index df7597e15..47e5f28dd 100644
--- a/llarp/router.hpp
+++ b/llarp/router.hpp
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ struct llarp_router
   // buffer for serializing link messages
   byte_t linkmsg_buffer[MAX_LINK_MSG_SIZE];
 
+  // should we be sending padded messages every interval?
+  bool sendPadding = false;
+
+  uint32_t ticker_job_id = 0;
+
   llarp::InboundMessageParser inbound_msg_parser;
 
   std::list< llarp_link * > links;
@@ -126,6 +131,14 @@ struct llarp_router
   void
   SessionClosed(const llarp::RouterID &remote);
 
+  /// call internal router ticker
+  void
+  Tick();
+
+  /// schedule ticker to call i ms from now
+  void
+  ScheduleTicker(uint64_t i = 1000);
+
   void
   async_verify_RC(llarp_link_session *session, bool isExpectingClient,
                   llarp_link_establish_job *job = nullptr);
@@ -145,6 +158,13 @@ struct llarp_router
 
   static void
   on_verify_server_rc(llarp_async_verify_rc *context);
+
+  static void
+  handle_router_ticker(void *user, uint64_t orig, uint64_t left);
+
+  static bool
+  send_padded_message(struct llarp_link_session_iter *itr,
+                      struct llarp_link_session *peer);
 };
 
 #endif