diff --git a/config.nims b/config.nims
index 0f6052c9b..0a61a086d 100644
--- a/config.nims
+++ b/config.nims
@@ -90,6 +90,9 @@ if not defined(macosx) and not defined(android):
       nimStackTraceOverride
     switch("import", "libbacktrace")
 
+# Shim to provide valueOr and withValue for Option[T]
+switch("import", "waku/common/option_shim")
+
 --define:
   nimOldCaseObjects
   # https://github.com/status-im/nim-confutils/issues/9
diff --git a/tests/test_wakunode.nim b/tests/test_wakunode.nim
index a7f1084fb..39452890d 100644
--- a/tests/test_wakunode.nim
+++ b/tests/test_wakunode.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {.used.}
 
 import
-  std/[sequtils, strutils, net],
+  std/[options, sequtils, strutils, net],
   stew/byteutils,
   testutils/unittests,
   chronicles,
diff --git a/tests/waku_relay/test_wakunode_relay.nim b/tests/waku_relay/test_wakunode_relay.nim
index a687119bd..ebfeef22c 100644
--- a/tests/waku_relay/test_wakunode_relay.nim
+++ b/tests/waku_relay/test_wakunode_relay.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {.used.}
 
 import
-  std/[os, strutils, sequtils, sysrand, math],
+  std/[options, os, strutils, sequtils, sysrand, math],
   stew/byteutils,
   testutils/unittests,
   chronos,
diff --git a/tests/waku_store/test_wakunode_store.nim b/tests/waku_store/test_wakunode_store.nim
index fa73cd16d..b7732aa65 100644
--- a/tests/waku_store/test_wakunode_store.nim
+++ b/tests/waku_store/test_wakunode_store.nim
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {.used.}
 
 import
-  std/sequtils,
+  std/[options, sequtils],
   testutils/unittests,
   chronicles,
   chronos,
diff --git a/waku/common/option_shim.nim b/waku/common/option_shim.nim
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6827cd856
--- /dev/null
+++ b/waku/common/option_shim.nim
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Shim to provide valueOr and withValue for Option[T]
+
+{.push raises: [].}
+
+import std/options
+
+template valueOr*[T](self: Option[T], def: untyped): T =
+  let s = self
+  if s.isSome():
+    s.get()
+  else:
+    def
+
+template withValue*[T](self: Option[T], value, body: untyped) =
+  let s = self
+  if s.isSome():
+    let value {.inject.} = s.get()
+    body
+
+template withValue*[T](self: Option[T], value, body, elseStmt: untyped) =
+  let s = self
+  if s.isSome():
+    let value {.inject.} = s.get()
+    body
+  else:
+    elseStmt
diff --git a/waku/discovery/waku_kademlia.nim b/waku/discovery/waku_kademlia.nim
index 88076dbb2..26f987439 100644
--- a/waku/discovery/waku_kademlia.nim
+++ b/waku/discovery/waku_kademlia.nim
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ const DefaultKademliaDiscoveryInterval* = chronos.seconds(10)
 type WakuKademlia* = ref object
   protocol*: KademliaDiscovery
   peerManager: PeerManager
+  loopInterval: Duration
   walkIntervalFut: Future[void]
 
 proc toRemotePeerInfo(record: ExtendedPeerRecord): Option[RemotePeerInfo] =
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ proc new*(
     peerManager: PeerManager,
     bootstrapNodes: seq[(PeerId, seq[MultiAddress])],
     providedServices: var seq[ServiceInfo],
+    loopInterval: Duration = DefaultKademliaDiscoveryInterval,
 ): T =
   if bootstrapNodes.len == 0:
     debug "creating kademlia discovery as seed node (no bootstrap nodes)"
@@ -141,11 +143,11 @@ proc new*(
     services = providedServices,
   )
 
-  return WakuKademlia(protocol: kademlia, peerManager: peerManager)
+  return WakuKademlia(
+    protocol: kademlia, peerManager: peerManager, loopInterval: loopInterval
+  )
 
-proc start*(
-    self: WakuKademlia, interval: Duration = DefaultKademliaDiscoveryInterval
-) {.async.} =
+proc start*(self: WakuKademlia) {.async.} =
   if self.protocol.started:
     warn "Starting waku kad twice"
     return
@@ -154,7 +156,7 @@ proc start*(
 
   await self.protocol.start()
 
-  self.walkIntervalFut = self.runDiscoveryLoop(interval)
+  self.walkIntervalFut = self.runDiscoveryLoop(self.loopInterval)
 
   info "Waku Kademlia Started"
 
diff --git a/waku/node/waku_node.nim b/waku/node/waku_node.nim
index defbe404b..03b2f05fb 100644
--- a/waku/node/waku_node.nim
+++ b/waku/node/waku_node.nim
@@ -638,9 +638,6 @@ proc stop*(node: WakuNode) {.async.} =
   if not node.wakuRendezvousClient.isNil():
     await node.wakuRendezvousClient.stopWait()
 
-  if not node.wakuKademlia.isNil():
-    await node.wakuKademlia.stop()
-
   node.started = false
 
 proc isReady*(node: WakuNode): Future[bool] {.async: (raises: [Exception]).} =