diff --git a/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp b/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp
index d2f548b0e..c34549606 100644
--- a/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp
+++ b/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp
@@ -462,13 +462,11 @@ namespace llarp
     {
       /// number of routers to publish to
       static constexpr size_t PublishRedundancy = 2;
-      const auto maybe =
+      const auto paths =
           GetManyPathsWithUniqueEndpoints(this, PublishRedundancy);
-      if(not maybe.has_value())
-        return false;
       // do publishing for each path selected
       size_t published = 0;
-      for(const auto& path : maybe.value())
+      for(const auto& path : paths)
       {
         if(PublishIntroSetVia(i, r, path))
         {
@@ -970,17 +968,13 @@ namespace llarp
 
       auto& lookups = m_state->m_PendingServiceLookups;
 
-      const auto maybe =
+      const auto paths =
           GetManyPathsWithUniqueEndpoints(this, NumParalellLookups);
-      if(not maybe.has_value())
-      {
-        return false;
-      }
 
       using namespace std::placeholders;
       size_t lookedUp           = 0;
       const dht::Key_t location = remote.ToKey();
-      for(const auto& path : maybe.value())
+      for(const auto& path : paths)
       {
         HiddenServiceAddressLookup* job = new HiddenServiceAddressLookup(
             this, util::memFn(&Endpoint::OnLookup, this), location,
diff --git a/llarp/service/endpoint_util.hpp b/llarp/service/endpoint_util.hpp
index 33ce2b553..ab7dff06e 100644
--- a/llarp/service/endpoint_util.hpp
+++ b/llarp/service/endpoint_util.hpp
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ namespace llarp
     };
 
     template < typename Endpoint_t >
-    static absl::optional< path::Path::UniqueEndpointSet_t >
+    static path::Path::UniqueEndpointSet_t
     GetManyPathsWithUniqueEndpoints(Endpoint_t* ep, size_t N, size_t tries = 10)
     {
       path::Path::UniqueEndpointSet_t paths;
@@ -54,9 +54,7 @@ namespace llarp
         if(path)
           paths.emplace(path);
       } while(tries > 0 and paths.size() < N);
-      if(paths.size() == N)
-        return paths;
-      return {};
+      return paths;
     }
   }  // namespace service
 
diff --git a/llarp/service/outbound_context.cpp b/llarp/service/outbound_context.cpp
index 8b6252ef0..3b4eca40c 100644
--- a/llarp/service/outbound_context.cpp
+++ b/llarp/service/outbound_context.cpp
@@ -228,10 +228,8 @@ namespace llarp
         return;
       const auto addr = currentIntroSet.A.Addr();
 
-      const auto maybe = GetManyPathsWithUniqueEndpoints(this, 2);
-      if(not maybe.has_value())
-        return;
-      for(const auto& path : maybe.value())
+      const auto paths = GetManyPathsWithUniqueEndpoints(this, 2);
+      for(const auto& path : paths)
       {
         HiddenServiceAddressLookup* job = new HiddenServiceAddressLookup(
             m_Endpoint,