diff --git a/codexcrawler/components/crawler.nim b/codexcrawler/components/crawler.nim
index 0f984a0..b4db6f0 100644
--- a/codexcrawler/components/crawler.nim
+++ b/codexcrawler/components/crawler.nim
@@ -19,11 +19,10 @@ type Crawler* = ref object of Component
   dht: Dht
   todo: TodoList
 
-proc raiseCheckEvent(c: Crawler, nid: Nid, success: bool): Future[?!void] {.async: (raises: []).} =
-  let event = DhtNodeCheckEventData(
-    id: nid,
-    isOk: success
-  )
+proc raiseCheckEvent(
+    c: Crawler, nid: Nid, success: bool
+): Future[?!void] {.async: (raises: []).} =
+  let event = DhtNodeCheckEventData(id: nid, isOk: success)
   if err =? (await c.state.events.dhtNodeCheck.fire(event)).errorOption:
     return failure(err)
   return success()
@@ -48,6 +47,7 @@ method start*(c: Crawler): Future[?!void] {.async.} =
 
   proc onStep(): Future[?!void] {.async: (raises: []), gcsafe.} =
     await c.step()
+
   await c.state.whileRunning(onStep, c.state.config.stepDelayMs.milliseconds)
 
   return success()
@@ -55,14 +55,5 @@ method start*(c: Crawler): Future[?!void] {.async.} =
 method stop*(c: Crawler): Future[?!void] {.async.} =
   return success()
 
-proc new*(
-    T: type Crawler,
-    state: State,
-    dht: Dht,
-    todo: TodoList
-): Crawler =
-  Crawler(
-    state: state,
-    dht: dht,
-    todo: todo
-  )
+proc new*(T: type Crawler, state: State, dht: Dht, todo: TodoList): Crawler =
+  Crawler(state: state, dht: dht, todo: todo)
diff --git a/codexcrawler/installer.nim b/codexcrawler/installer.nim
index e8a7fd5..38cf0d6 100644
--- a/codexcrawler/installer.nim
+++ b/codexcrawler/installer.nim
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import ./components/crawler
 import ./components/timetracker
 import ./components/nodestore
 import ./components/dhtmetrics
+import ./components/todolist
 
 proc createComponents*(state: State): Future[?!seq[Component]] {.async.} =
   var components: seq[Component] = newSeq[Component]()
@@ -32,5 +33,5 @@ proc createComponents*(state: State): Future[?!seq[Component]] {.async.} =
   components.add(Crawler.new(state, dht, todoList))
   components.add(TimeTracker.new(state, nodeStore))
   components.add(dhtMetrics)
-  
+
   return success(components)
diff --git a/codexcrawler/services/dht.nim b/codexcrawler/services/dht.nim
index c1c777c..345dd31 100644
--- a/codexcrawler/services/dht.nim
+++ b/codexcrawler/services/dht.nim
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ export discv5
 logScope:
   topics = "dht"
 
-type 
+type
   GetNeighborsResponse* = ref object
     isResponsive*: bool
     nodeIds*: seq[Nid]
@@ -35,6 +35,12 @@ type
     providerRecord*: ?SignedPeerRecord
     dhtRecord*: ?SignedPeerRecord
 
+proc responsive(nodeIds: seq[Nid]): GetNeighborsResponse =
+  GetNeighborsResponse(isResponsive: true, nodeIds: nodeIds)
+
+proc unresponsive(): GetNeighborsResponse =
+  GetNeighborsResponse(isResponsive: false, nodeIds: newSeq[Nid]())
+
 proc getNode*(d: Dht, nodeId: NodeId): ?!Node =
   let node = d.protocol.getNode(nodeId)
   if node.isSome():
@@ -48,9 +54,11 @@ method getRoutingTableNodeIds*(d: Dht): seq[Nid] {.base.} =
       ids.add(node.id)
   return ids
 
-method getNeighbors*(d: Dht, target: Nid): Future[?!GetNeighborsResponse] {.async: (raises: []), base.} =
+method getNeighbors*(
+    d: Dht, target: Nid
+): Future[?!GetNeighborsResponse] {.async: (raises: []), base.} =
   without node =? d.getNode(target), err:
-    return failure(err)
+    return success(unresponsive())
 
   let distances = @[256.uint16]
   try:
@@ -58,11 +66,12 @@ method getNeighbors*(d: Dht, target: Nid): Future[?!GetNeighborsResponse] {.asyn
 
     if response.isOk():
       let nodes = response.get()
-      return success(GetNeighborsResponse(
-        isResponsive: true,
-        nodeIds: nodes.mapIt(it.id))
-      )
-    return failure($response.error())
+      return success(responsive(nodes.mapIt(it.id)))
+    else:
+      let errmsg = $(response.error())
+      if errmsg == "Nodes message not received in time":
+        return success(unresponsive())
+      return failure(errmsg)
   except CatchableError as exc:
     return failure(exc.msg)
 
diff --git a/codexcrawler/state.nim b/codexcrawler/state.nim
index 5394ef1..f4ca2e0 100644
--- a/codexcrawler/state.nim
+++ b/codexcrawler/state.nim
@@ -32,7 +32,9 @@ type
     config*: Config
     events*: Events
 
-method whileRunning*(s: State, step: OnStep, delay: Duration) {.async, base.} =
+proc delayedWorkerStart(s: State, step: OnStep, delay: Duration) {.async.} =
+  await sleepAsync(3.seconds)
+
   proc worker(): Future[void] {.async.} =
     while s.status == ApplicationStatus.Running:
       if err =? (await step()).errorOption:
@@ -40,5 +42,10 @@ method whileRunning*(s: State, step: OnStep, delay: Duration) {.async, base.} =
         s.status = ApplicationStatus.Stopping
       await sleepAsync(delay)
 
-  # todo this needs a delay because starts are still being called.
   asyncSpawn worker()
+
+method whileRunning*(s: State, step: OnStep, delay: Duration) {.async, base.} =
+  # We use a small delay before starting the workers because 'whileRunning' is likely called from
+  # component 'start' methods, which are executed sequentially in arbitrary order (to prevent temporal coupling).
+  # Worker steps might start raising events that other components haven't had time to subscribe to yet.
+  asyncSpawn s.delayedWorkerStart(step, delay)
diff --git a/tests/codexcrawler/components/testcrawler.nim b/tests/codexcrawler/components/testcrawler.nim
index 2ec2948..c2bbe8f 100644
--- a/tests/codexcrawler/components/testcrawler.nim
+++ b/tests/codexcrawler/components/testcrawler.nim
@@ -37,20 +37,14 @@ suite "Crawler":
     (await crawler.stop()).tryGet()
     state.checkAllUnsubscribed()
 
-  proc onStep() {.async.} = 
+  proc onStep() {.async.} =
     (await state.stepper()).tryGet()
 
   proc responsive(nid: Nid): GetNeighborsResponse =
-    GetNeighborsResponse(
-      isResponsive: true,
-      nodeIds: @[nid]
-    )
+    GetNeighborsResponse(isResponsive: true, nodeIds: @[nid])
 
   proc unresponsive(nid: Nid): GetNeighborsResponse =
-    GetNeighborsResponse(
-      isResponsive: false,
-      nodeIds: @[nid]
-    )
+    GetNeighborsResponse(isResponsive: false, nodeIds: @[nid])
 
   test "onStep should pop a node from the todoList and getNeighbors for it":
     todo.popReturn = success(nid1)
@@ -66,6 +60,7 @@ suite "Crawler":
     proc onNodesFound(nids: seq[Nid]): Future[?!void] {.async.} =
       nodesFound = nids
       return success()
+
     let sub = state.events.nodesFound.subscribe(onNodesFound)
 
     todo.popReturn = success(nid1)
@@ -83,6 +78,7 @@ suite "Crawler":
     proc onCheck(event: DhtNodeCheckEventData): Future[?!void] {.async.} =
       checkEvent = event
       return success()
+
     let sub = state.events.dhtNodeCheck.subscribe(onCheck)
 
     todo.popReturn = success(nid1)
@@ -101,6 +97,7 @@ suite "Crawler":
     proc onCheck(event: DhtNodeCheckEventData): Future[?!void] {.async.} =
       checkEvent = event
       return success()
+
     let sub = state.events.dhtNodeCheck.subscribe(onCheck)
 
     todo.popReturn = success(nid1)
diff --git a/tests/codexcrawler/components/testtimetracker.nim b/tests/codexcrawler/components/testtimetracker.nim
index 72666ff..587d1cb 100644
--- a/tests/codexcrawler/components/testtimetracker.nim
+++ b/tests/codexcrawler/components/testtimetracker.nim
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ suite "TimeTracker":
     await state.events.nodesExpired.unsubscribe(sub)
     state.checkAllUnsubscribed()
 
-  proc onStep() {.async.} = 
+  proc onStep() {.async.} =
     (await state.stepper()).tryGet()
 
   proc createNodeInStore(lastVisit: uint64): Nid =
diff --git a/tests/codexcrawler/mockdht.nim b/tests/codexcrawler/mockdht.nim
index 98232ad..5aa821c 100644
--- a/tests/codexcrawler/mockdht.nim
+++ b/tests/codexcrawler/mockdht.nim
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ type MockDht* = ref object of Dht
 method getRoutingTableNodeIds*(d: MockDht): seq[Nid] =
   return d.routingTable
 
-method getNeighbors*(d: MockDht, target: Nid): Future[?!GetNeighborsResponse] {.async: (raises: []).} =
+method getNeighbors*(
+    d: MockDht, target: Nid
+): Future[?!GetNeighborsResponse] {.async: (raises: []).} =
   d.getNeighborsArg = some(target)
   return d.getNeighborsReturn
 
diff --git a/tests/codexcrawler/mocktodolist.nim b/tests/codexcrawler/mocktodolist.nim
index 3ff9988..7623c89 100644
--- a/tests/codexcrawler/mocktodolist.nim
+++ b/tests/codexcrawler/mocktodolist.nim
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import ../../codexcrawler/types
 
 type MockTodoList* = ref object of TodoList
   popReturn*: ?!Nid
-  
+
 method pop*(t: MockTodoList): Future[?!Nid] {.async: (raises: []).} =
   return t.popReturn