diff --git a/llarp/ev/ev_epoll.cpp b/llarp/ev/ev_epoll.cpp
index 9f92bf4b5..b22ccaf89 100644
--- a/llarp/ev/ev_epoll.cpp
+++ b/llarp/ev/ev_epoll.cpp
@@ -337,8 +337,9 @@ llarp_epoll_loop::tick(int ms)
 {
   epoll_event events[1024];
   int result;
-  result     = epoll_wait(epollfd, events, 1024, ms);
-  bool didIO = false;
+  result        = epoll_wait(epollfd, events, 1024, ms);
+  bool didRead  = false;
+  bool didWrite = false;
   if(result > 0)
   {
     int idx = 0;
@@ -362,6 +363,7 @@ llarp_epoll_loop::tick(int ms)
           // write THEN READ don't revert me
           if(events[idx].events & EPOLLOUT)
           {
+            didWrite = true;
             IO([&]() -> ssize_t {
               llarp::LogDebug("epoll out");
               ev->flush_write();
@@ -370,12 +372,11 @@ llarp_epoll_loop::tick(int ms)
           }
           if(events[idx].events & EPOLLIN)
           {
-            ssize_t amount = IO([&]() -> ssize_t {
+            didRead = true;
+            IO([&]() -> ssize_t {
               llarp::LogDebug("epoll in");
               return ev->read(readbuf, sizeof(readbuf));
             });
-            if(amount > 0)
-              didIO = true;
           }
         }
       }
@@ -385,7 +386,7 @@ llarp_epoll_loop::tick(int ms)
   if(result != -1)
     tick_listeners();
   /// if we didn't get an io events we sleep to avoid 100% cpu use
-  if(!didIO)
+  if(didWrite && !didRead)
     std::this_thread::sleep_for(std::chrono::milliseconds(5));
   return result;
 }
diff --git a/llarp/handlers/exit.cpp b/llarp/handlers/exit.cpp
index 15d584daf..ff9f1f378 100644
--- a/llarp/handlers/exit.cpp
+++ b/llarp/handlers/exit.cpp
@@ -257,6 +257,7 @@ namespace llarp
           ++itr;
         }
       }
+      m_Router->PumpLL();
     }
 
     bool
diff --git a/llarp/handlers/tun.cpp b/llarp/handlers/tun.cpp
index de809f38b..4dd2b01ab 100644
--- a/llarp/handlers/tun.cpp
+++ b/llarp/handlers/tun.cpp
@@ -228,12 +228,19 @@ namespace llarp
     void
     TunEndpoint::Flush()
     {
+      auto self = shared_from_this();
       FlushSend();
       if(m_Exit)
       {
-        llarp::exit::BaseSession_ptr ex = m_Exit;
-        RouterLogic()->queue_func([=] { ex->FlushUpstream(); });
+        RouterLogic()->queue_func([=] {
+          self->m_Exit->FlushUpstream();
+          self->Router()->PumpLL();
+        });
       }
+      RouterLogic()->queue_func([=]() {
+        self->Pump(self->Now());
+        self->Router()->PumpLL();
+      });
     }
 
     static bool
@@ -778,13 +785,14 @@ namespace llarp
       self->FlushSend();
       // flush exit traffic queues if it's there
       if(self->m_Exit)
+      {
         self->m_Exit->FlushDownstream();
+      }
       // flush network to user
       self->m_NetworkToUserPktQueue.Process([tun](net::IPv4Packet &pkt) {
         if(!llarp_ev_tun_async_write(tun, pkt.Buffer()))
           llarp::LogWarn("packet dropped");
       });
-      self->Pump(self->Now());
     }
 
     void
diff --git a/llarp/router/abstractrouter.hpp b/llarp/router/abstractrouter.hpp
index 968e42184..8507f4d3a 100644
--- a/llarp/router/abstractrouter.hpp
+++ b/llarp/router/abstractrouter.hpp
@@ -117,6 +117,10 @@ namespace llarp
     virtual void
     Stop() = 0;
 
+    /// pump low level links
+    virtual void
+    PumpLL() = 0;
+
     virtual bool
     IsBootstrapNode(RouterID r) const = 0;
 
diff --git a/llarp/router/router.cpp b/llarp/router/router.cpp
index 1e7e7b371..dbf1fe4c4 100644
--- a/llarp/router/router.cpp
+++ b/llarp/router/router.cpp
@@ -293,6 +293,19 @@ namespace llarp
     return true;
   }
 
+  void
+  Router::PumpLL()
+  {
+    for(const auto &link : inboundLinks)
+    {
+      link->Pump();
+    }
+    for(const auto &link : outboundLinks)
+    {
+      link->Pump();
+    }
+  }
+
   constexpr size_t MaxPendingSendQueueSize = 8;
 
   bool
diff --git a/llarp/router/router.hpp b/llarp/router/router.hpp
index cd5923cc2..b6fca9efe 100644
--- a/llarp/router/router.hpp
+++ b/llarp/router/router.hpp
@@ -271,6 +271,9 @@ namespace llarp
       return IsTrueValue(itr->second.c_str());
     }
 
+    void
+    PumpLL() override;
+
     bool
     CreateDefaultHiddenService();
 
diff --git a/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp b/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp
index 0e031eb73..4b05c47d3 100644
--- a/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp
+++ b/llarp/service/endpoint.cpp
@@ -1019,24 +1019,22 @@ namespace llarp
       return false;
     }
 
-    void
-    Endpoint::Pump(llarp_time_t)
+    void Endpoint::Pump(llarp_time_t)
     {
       EndpointLogic()->queue_func([&]() {
         for(const auto& item : m_SNodeSessions)
           item.second->FlushDownstream();
       });
-      RouterLogic()->queue_func([&]() {
-        auto router = Router();
-        for(const auto & item : m_RemoteSessions)
-          item.second->FlushUpstream();
-        for(const auto& item : m_SNodeSessions)
-          item.second->FlushUpstream();
-        util::Lock lock(&m_SendQueueMutex);
-        for(const auto& item : m_SendQueue)
-          item.second->SendRoutingMessage(*item.first, router);
-        m_SendQueue.clear();
-      });
+
+      auto router = Router();
+      for(const auto& item : m_RemoteSessions)
+        item.second->FlushUpstream();
+      for(const auto& item : m_SNodeSessions)
+        item.second->FlushUpstream();
+      util::Lock lock(&m_SendQueueMutex);
+      for(const auto& item : m_SendQueue)
+        item.second->SendRoutingMessage(*item.first, router);
+      m_SendQueue.clear();
     }
 
     bool