diff --git a/ipfs/bitswap/protocol.nim b/ipfs/bitswap/protocol.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cf2fc6b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ipfs/bitswap/protocol.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+import pkg/chronos
+import pkg/libp2p/switch
+import pkg/libp2p/stream/connection
+import pkg/libp2p/protocols/protocol
+import ./stream
+
+export stream except readLoop
+
+const Codec = "/ipfs/bitswap/1.2.0"
+
+type
+  BitswapProtocol* = ref object of LPProtocol
+    connections: AsyncQueue[BitswapStream]
+
+proc new*(t: type BitswapProtocol): BitswapProtocol =
+  let connections = newAsyncQueue[BitswapStream](1)
+  proc handle(connection: Connection, proto: string) {.async.} =
+    let stream = BitswapStream.new(connection)
+    await connections.put(stream)
+    await stream.readLoop()
+  BitswapProtocol(connections: connections, codecs: @[Codec], handler: handle)
+
+proc dial*(switch: Switch,
+           peer: PeerInfo,
+           t: type BitswapProtocol):
+           Future[BitswapStream] {.async.} =
+  let connection = await switch.dial(peer.peerId, peer.addrs, Codec)
+  let stream = BitswapStream.new(connection)
+  asyncSpawn stream.readLoop()
+  result = stream
+
+proc accept*(bitswap: BitswapProtocol): Future[BitswapStream] {.async.} =
+  result = await bitswap.connections.get()
diff --git a/ipfs/bitswap/stream.nim b/ipfs/bitswap/stream.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..dd1bbf88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ipfs/bitswap/stream.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import pkg/chronos
+import pkg/protobuf_serialization
+import pkg/libp2p/stream/connection
+import ./messages
+
+export messages
+
+const MaxMessageSize = 8 * 1024 * 1024
+
+type
+  BitswapStream* = ref object
+    bytestream: LpStream
+    messages: AsyncQueue[Message]
+
+proc new*(t: type BitswapStream, bytestream: LpStream): BitswapStream =
+  BitswapStream(bytestream: bytestream, messages: newAsyncQueue[Message](1))
+
+proc readOnce(stream: BitswapStream) {.async.} =
+  let encoded = await stream.bytestream.readLp(MaxMessageSize)
+  let message = Protobuf.decode(encoded, Message)
+  await stream.messages.put(message)
+
+proc readLoop*(stream: BitswapStream) {.async.} =
+  while true:
+    try:
+      await stream.readOnce()
+    except LPStreamEOFError:
+      break
+
+proc write*(stream: BitswapStream, message: Message) {.async.} =
+  let encoded = Protobuf.encode(message)
+  await stream.bytestream.writeLp(encoded)
+
+proc read*(stream: BitswapStream): Future[Message] {.async.} =
+  result = await stream.messages.get()
+
+proc close*(stream: BitswapStream) {.async.} =
+  await stream.bytestream.close()
diff --git a/ipfs/p2p/rng.nim b/ipfs/p2p/rng.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5fb187e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ipfs/p2p/rng.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+import pkg/libp2p/crypto/crypto
+import pkg/bearssl
+
+type
+  Rng* = RandomNumberGenerator
+  RandomNumberGenerator = ref BrHmacDrbgContext
+
+var rng {.threadvar.}: Rng
+
+proc instance*(t: type Rng): Rng =
+  if rng.isNil:
+    rng = newRng()
+  rng
diff --git a/ipfs/p2p/switch.nim b/ipfs/p2p/switch.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8c67b7ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ipfs/p2p/switch.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import std/tables
+import pkg/chronos
+import pkg/libp2p/switch
+import pkg/libp2p/crypto/crypto
+import pkg/libp2p/peerinfo
+import pkg/libp2p/protocols/identify
+import pkg/libp2p/stream/connection
+import pkg/libp2p/muxers/muxer
+import pkg/libp2p/muxers/mplex/mplex
+import pkg/libp2p/transports/transport
+import pkg/libp2p/transports/tcptransport
+import pkg/libp2p/protocols/secure/secure
+import pkg/libp2p/protocols/secure/noise
+import pkg/libp2p/protocols/secure/secio
+import ./rng
+
+export switch
+
+proc create*(t: type Switch): Switch =
+
+  proc createMplex(conn: Connection): Muxer =
+    Mplex.init(conn)
+
+  let privateKey = PrivateKey.random(Ed25519, Rng.instance[]).get()
+  let peerInfo = PeerInfo.init(privateKey)
+  let identify = newIdentify(peerInfo)
+  let mplexProvider = newMuxerProvider(createMplex, MplexCodec)
+  let transports = @[Transport(TcpTransport.init({ReuseAddr}))]
+  let muxers = [(MplexCodec, mplexProvider)].toTable
+  let secureManagers = [Secure(newNoise(Rng.instance, privateKey))]
+
+  newSwitch(peerInfo, transports, identify, muxers, secureManagers)
diff --git a/nim.cfg b/nim.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a83095e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nim.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+-d:"chronicles_enabled=off" # disable logging by default
+-d:"nimWorkaround14447" # libp2p needs this for nim 1.4.2
diff --git a/tests/ipfs/testBitswapProtocol.nim b/tests/ipfs/testBitswapProtocol.nim
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a895b079
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ipfs/testBitswapProtocol.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+import pkg/chronos
+import pkg/asynctest
+import pkg/ipfs/p2p/switch
+import pkg/ipfs/bitswap/messages
+import pkg/ipfs/bitswap/protocol
+
+suite "bitswap protocol":
+
+  let address = MultiAddress.init("/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/45344").get()
+  let message = Message.send(@[1'u8, 2'u8, 3'u8])
+
+  var peer1, peer2: Switch
+  var bitswap: BitswapProtocol
+
+  setup:
+    peer1 = Switch.create()
+    peer2 = Switch.create()
+    bitswap = BitswapProtocol.new()
+    peer1.peerInfo.addrs.add(address)
+    peer1.mount(bitswap)
+    discard await peer1.start()
+    discard await peer2.start()
+
+  teardown:
+    await peer1.stop()
+    await peer2.stop()
+
+  test "opens a stream to another peer":
+    let stream = await peer2.dial(peer1.peerInfo, BitswapProtocol)
+    await stream.close()
+
+  test "accepts a stream from another peer":
+    let outgoing = await peer2.dial(peer1.peerInfo, BitswapProtocol)
+    let incoming = await bitswap.accept()
+    await outgoing.close()
+    await incoming.close()
+
+  test "writes messages to a stream":
+    let stream = await peer2.dial(peer1.peerInfo, BitswapProtocol)
+    await stream.write(message)
+    await stream.close()
+
+  test "reads messages from incoming stream":
+    let outgoing = await peer2.dial(peer1.peerInfo, BitswapProtocol)
+    let incoming = await bitswap.accept()
+    await outgoing.write(message)
+    check (await incoming.read()) == message
+    await outgoing.close()
+    await incoming.close()
+
+  test "reads messages from outgoing stream":
+    let outgoing = await peer2.dial(peer1.peerInfo, BitswapProtocol)
+    let incoming = await bitswap.accept()
+    await incoming.write(message)
+    check (await outgoing.read()) == message
+    await outgoing.close()
+    await incoming.close()
diff --git a/tests/testAll.nim b/tests/testAll.nim
index 4ec133cc..cb61c65b 100644
--- a/tests/testAll.nim
+++ b/tests/testAll.nim
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import ./ipfs/testRepo
 import ./ipfs/testDhtRouting
 import ./ipfs/testProtobuf
 import ./ipfs/testBitswapMessages
+import ./ipfs/testBitswapProtocol
 import ./ipfs/testIpfs
 
 {.warning[UnusedImport]: off.}